Hudson Health Plan now on wheels to make outreach easier

For Immediate Release:

December 22, 2006

Reprinted from The Chronicle 

If you can't make it to a Hudson Health Plan office to enroll in free and low-cost health insurance, now a Hudson Health Plan office may be coming soon to a site near you.

The not-for-profit health plan has launched a new type of enrollment drive and commissioned four custom-designed Community Outreach Vehicles (COVs)?-?mobile offices on wheels?-?to make enrollment more convenient.
The vehicles visit busy sites where people routinely go, such as shopping plazas, community centers, health fairs, and other places with high foot traffic, including the ShopRite Plaza in North Yonkers or the Jewish Community Center in Poughkeepsie.

The eye-catching graphics on the exterior and an inviting setup inside have been successful in the community. Wherever they're parked, the 35-foot-long vehicles attract a crowd.
"Many health plans have vans on the streets to draw attention to their services, but we took it a step further," explains Mark Santiago, senior vice president of Marketing and Public Relations at Hudson Health Plan.

Santiago says, "We're out in the community, talking to people every day. We knew there was a great need for a mobile enrollment office. The vehicles provide a quiet, comfortable place where people can speak privately, and it is easily accessible so individuals don't have to go far out of their way to talk to us."

Inside the vehicles, visitors see a full office suite, including a waiting room and two office cubicles. The vehicle has Internet access, so marketing representatives can submit applications in real-time and avoid application delays.

An on-board DVD player can keep the kids occupied while mom and dad consult with a representative, and a sound system can broadcast music at street festivals and other events.
Certain health services, such as blood pressure screening, can be performed on board as well. Since the vehicles took to the streets this fall, the enrollment rate has accelerated, according to Santiago.
He also notes that the vehicles make it easier for Hudson Health Plan members to recertify their eligibility.  Individuals are encouraged to visit the vehicles, even if they're not quite ready to enroll, or they are enrolled already.

"Everybody has questions, and it's not always easy to get answers. Now, if you know where our mobile office is going to be, you can stop in and get your questions answered in person," Santiago says.
To obtain more information about the location of the vehicles, individuals can call Hudson Health Plan's toll-free, multi-lingual customer service number, 1-800-339- 4557.