Cities Expanding Access to Health Care for Children and Families
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
Request for Proposals
WHAT:
A one-and-a-half day convening of teams of city officials and local partners to learn
about opportunities to significantly increase enrollment of children and families in
public health insurance programs.
Cities have a major stake in the availability of health care and insurance coverage to
children and their families. When residents lack access to preventive care, illnesses can
become more serious and expensive to treat over time. Unaddressed chronic health
conditions can reduce children’s school attendance and academic achievement. In
addition, costly medical interventions can easily plunge families into financial crisis if
they do not have insurance. In their role as first responders, employers, and safety net
providers and funders, cities often absorb a portion of the increased cost burden resulting
from lack of insurance coverage when families miss out on key state and federal benefits.
Despite significant gains in recent years, millions of children across the country remain
uninsured, and approximately two-thirds of these children are eligible for coverage under
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Working in partnership
with other key stakeholders, city officials are in a unique position to launch outreach and
enrollment campaigns that connect uninsured children and families to affordable health
insurance.
The National League of Cities (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, with
support from The Atlantic Philanthropies through its national KidsWell Initiative, will
host two leadership academies as part of a three-year Cities Expanding Access to Health
Care for Children and Families project. These convenings will provide city officials with
the knowledge and skills needed to build stronger local partnerships and develop
comprehensive strategies to expand enrollment of children and families in Medicaid and
CHIP. Experts from the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will assist with the training and design
of the leadership academies; share information about Medicaid and CHIP eligibility;
highlight successful outreach strategies and steps that cities can take to develop their
outreach campaigns; and share best practices from other programs and communities.
WHERE:
Two locations – one in the Eastern half and one in the Western half of the U.S.
(Exact locations to be determined)
The leadership academies will be offered in two locations. One convening is intended for
cities in the Western half of the U.S., and the other convening will be held for cities in the
Eastern half. Depending on the number of applications we receive for each location, city
officials may be asked to attend an academy that is not in their region. The exact
locations will be determined and announced at the time cities are selected.
WHO:
Local elected officials, senior city staff, and other community stakeholders applying
in three-person city teams.
Up to 20 cities will be selected to attend one of two leadership academies (10 cities for
each convening). Each city will bring a team of three representatives that must include at
least one city government representative (a local elected official and/or city staff person
who will be directly involved in local implementation). Other stakeholders can include
but are not limited to representatives of local health departments, community health care
providers, schools, health advocacy groups, and other social service entities.
NLC will, on a competitive basis, select a diverse set of cities of various sizes from
different regions of the country. Preference will be given to cities that are members of
NLC. Selection criteria will be based on evidence of high-level municipal leadership and
commitment to increasing the number of children enrolled in health insurance programs,
collaboration among city and community agencies, and a clear indication of how the
leadership academy can bolster local efforts and help applicants overcome identified
challenges.
WHEN:
The leadership academies will take place in late July (West) and mid-September 2013
(East). Applications for both convenings must be received by NLC on or before April
22, 2013. Early applications are encouraged. All selections will be announced by May
20, 2013.
BENEFITS: Selected city teams will learn about Medicaid and CHIP eligibility; explore successful
outreach strategies and learn how to build broad-based outreach campaigns in their cities;
gain access to and guidance from health benefit outreach experts; and strengthen their
relationships with peers in cities across the nation.
Additionally, NLC will offer two sets of grant opportunities for cities that
participate in the leadership academies. Eight to ten cities will be competitively
selected to receive planning grants of up to $30,000 per city. A second set of
implementation grants of up to $260,000 per city will be offered to six of the
planning grant cities over a two-year period. NLC currently plans to invite only
those cities represented at the leadership academies to apply for these grants, which
are intended to help local teams launch and expand efforts to increase health care
access for children and families in their communities. Planning grant applications will
be made available for participants at the leadership academies.
TRAVEL:
NLC will cover the travel costs (air transportation, meeting hotel, and other travel-related
costs) for each city team of up to three participants according to NLC’s travel
reimbursement policy. The team must include at least one city government
representative. Meeting participants will be reimbursed promptly upon submission of
travel receipts following the convening.
Cities Expanding Access to Health Care for Children and Families
LEADERSHIP ACADEMYAPPLICATION FORM
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 22, 2013
Meeting Location preference
(Please check one*):
Eastern meeting.
Western meeting
* Every effort will be made to accommodate your first preference
Team Member One (City Lead Representative):
Name:_____________________________________________________________________
City:__________________________________________________Population:___________
Title:______________________________________________________________________
Office/Agency:_____________________________________________________________
Street Address: _____________________________________________________________
City, State, and Zip Code: _____________________________________________________
Phone:_(_____)___________________________Fax:_(_____)_______________________
Email:_____________________________________________________________________
Team Member Two:
Name:_____________________________________________________________________
City:______________________________________________________________________
Title:______________________________________________________________________
Office/Agency:_____________________________________________________________
Street Address: _____________________________________________________________
City, State, and Zip Code: _____________________________________________________
Phone:_(_____)___________________________Fax:_(_____)_______________________
Email:_____________________________________________________________________
Team Member Three:
Name:_____________________________________________________________________
City:_____________________________________________________________________
Title:______________________________________________________________________
Office/Agency:_____________________________________________________________
Street Address: _____________________________________________________________
City, State, and Zip Code: _____________________________________________________
Phone:_(_____)__________________________Fax:_(_____)________________________
Email:_____________________________________________________________________
TEAM APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Responses to the questions below will help us gauge your community’s capacity and commitment to
developing data-driven action plans for maximizing participation of children and families in vital public
health insurance programs. Only one application is required per city. Please do not exceed four pages for
the narrative portion.
1. Is your city currently participating in health insurance enrollment efforts or has it been involved
in these efforts in the past? If so, please describe those efforts, the results achieved, and the
entity that has coordinated the initiative and convened local partners. If not, why do you believe
that now is the right time for an enrollment initiative in your city?
2. What do you envision as the key local organizations that will partner with the city in this
enrollment effort? Please provide a brief description of each organization, including the capacity
it will bring to the initiative.
3. Describe how you plan to use data to guide the enrollment effort (e.g., data team in place, data-
sharing MOUs developed, identification of key data needed for decision-making, etc.)? What
organization will take the lead on data issues? What is their track record in collecting, analyzing,
reporting and using data?
4. What are some potential strategies you are considering to enroll children and their families in
health insurance programs?
5. What do you hope to learn from attending this leadership academy? How might it strengthen
your local efforts to increase participation in public health insurance programs or help you
overcome identified challenges?
Application Admissions Checklist:
 Typed application form
 Responses to the required questions (no more than four pages)
 Email application materials to Dawn Schluckebier by April 22, 2013:
schluckebier@nlc.org
For questions about the application materials or the leadership academies, please contact Dawn
Schluckebier at schluckebier@nlc.org or (202) 626-3040.