Resources
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New Training Opportunity
Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) is a contraceptive equity initiative working with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across the state to make sure that all people in Illinois can access high-quality, trauma-informed contraceptive care without financial barriers if they want or need it. ICAN! provides support to home visiting staff and other social service providers to help you refer your clients to partnering FQHCs for contraceptive and primary care needs. Watch ICAN!’s free, on-demand 15-minute training video on Connecting Communities to Birth Control (available with Spanish subtitles) to learn how to have a person-centered conversation with your clients on birth control and connect them to care. You can also use ICAN!’s birth control quiz to help clients learn about their options. Learn more at https://ican4all.org/. If you are interested in tailored support or a facilitated training for your team, please reach out to Isha Datta (idatta@alliancechicago.org).
Home Visitor Reflective Practice Groups
We continue to offer these opportunities for home visitors and doulas to gather virtually, across models and regions of the state to reflect on their work and a specific theme each month. Some folks attend regularly, others episodically—whatever meets the schedule and interest of direct service staff. The groups are offered in English and Spanish. Please share the flyer with the dates with your team. The July-September dates are now available for registration at www.startearly.org/PLN; HV RPG July-September; Grupos julio-septiembre
Groups for FY 24 are not yet posted to the Start Early training calendar but they will be offered.
Start Early PLN Course Catalog:
You can find our most current Course Catalog with descriptions of our offerings here: PLNCourseCatalog-Spring2023
Community & Family Resources
Chicago Beyond has announced a $1.6 million, multiyear investment in Centro Sanar, a non-profit treatment center that provides bilingual and bicultural mental health services for Latinx communities on the Southwest Side of Chicago. This partnership supports Centro Sanar’s replicable, alternative model to the current mental health industry to address critical, nationwide mental health service gaps in Latinx communities.
Centro Sanar is committed to closing the disparity gap by ensuring equitable access to culturally sensitive, community-centered care. The team offers a wide range of mental health services, helps people to overcome barriers to seeking support, and provides treatment at multiple sites to increase accessibility to services. Learn more about Centro Sanar and its services here.
Access to Doctor’s Appointments
Need help getting to a doctor’s visit? Use the Illinois Medicaid Managed Care Consumer Benefits Transportation Toolkit Link to learn how to set up a ride, what additional rides are covered by your plan, and what to think about when planning ahead. MCOMembertoolkit
Governor Pritzker Launches Illinois Cares for Kids
Statewide Enrollment Campaign “I Got Love / ¡Siento Amor!”
Governor JB Pritzker announced the launch of “I Got Love / ¡Siento Amor!”, the statewide enrollment campaign for childcare and early education services, featuring Illinois artists, musicians, and production partners. More information on programs is available at www.illinoiscaresforkids.org/
Affordable Connectivity Program
The Region 5 Office of Child Care has announced that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is now open. The ACP is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices. Eligible households can enroll in the ACP through an approved provider or by visiting one of two simple and easy-to-use websites: ACPBenefit.org or GetInternet.gov.
Keep Medicaid Coverage
Starting May 2023, we must ask Medicaid customers in Illinois to renew their healthcare coverage. People who use Medicaid have had continuous coverage since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Congress has ended the pause on annual eligibility verifications, known as redeterminations, or simply, renewals. Visit the website for more information.