Welfare Reform and Health Care in Eastern Kentucky
Whitesburg, KY, 1998
WMMT and Appalshop Media Center focused on how to assist eastern Kentuckians in dealing constructively with the effects of welfare reform and changes in health care. Community partners included the University of Kentucky Center for Rural Health, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Appalachian Research and Defense Fund, the Office of Kentucky Legal Service Programs, Kentucky Welfare Reform Coalition, Kentucky Youth Advocates, and National Health Law.
The project examined both the direct effects of current and future changes, and ways to turn these changes to the benefit of the larger community. The project also allowed us to expand and strengthen a network that will continue beyond the life of the grant period. Our next step with this collaboration is a region-wide campaign to increase participation by children eligible for Medicaid.
The four project goals were:
- to increase knowledge about the technical aspects of welfare reform, Medicaid managed care, and Medicaid eligibility;
- to increase participation in public dialogue and information dissemination;
- to produce shifts in policy at the local and regional level; and,
- to develop recommendations for changes to state policy makers.
Our strategy involved working with partners to develop public service announcements and other information, such as fact sheets, to raise awareness. The announcements were the result of content input by our local partners. Along with this information we referred the listener to upcoming news features that would look at each issue more closely. We would then take advantage of this heightened on-air presence by promoting and producing an hour call-in show devoted to that issue. This process also spurred a good deal of exchange between partners on content issues. We also benefited from our partners' interest in thinking critically about ways to engage the community about this issue via radio. In addition to this programming, we offered media support for our partners as they developed public forums, press conferences, and policy statements on these issues.
Contact Information
WMMT-FM
Greg Howard, Director of Community Media
Tel: 606-633-0108
Kentucky Youth Advocates
Dawn Jenkins
Tel: 502-895-8167
Awards:
WMMT Round Three
Living With a Killer
$4087 for the design and operation of a diabetes education website
—Appalshop Endowment Fund