The Health Care Safety Net

Charleston, WV, 2000

How can West Virginians get the health care they need? That question was the focus of the project West Virginia Public Radio undertook with its lead partner, West Virginia Community Voices, a coalition of organizations concerned with improving the health status and health care access of underserved populations in the state.

West Virginia has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates and lowest median income levels. Welfare reform regulations have forced more than 70 percent of those who received assistance off the welfare rolls; few have found living-wage jobs, and fewer yet have medical coverage. However, access to health care services is not a problem confined only to former welfare recipients. Recent news stories brought to light the difficulties many of the state's citizens have faced with increasing insurance premiums and deductibles, changes in the Medicare program and threatened closures or loss of services at rural health care facilities.

Through programming and outreach activities, this project tackled the problem of health care access in two ways. First, it offered written and on-air information about health services currently available, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program and other state-sponsored efforts. Second, it engaged the public in considering what steps could be taken to ensure that affordable and accessible health care could be available to all who need it. A series of community forums, four listener-call-in shows and weekly programming features provided information the public could use to consider what options exist for increased and expanded health care access.

The reached it's goal of educating legislators, policymakers and voters about health care issues, and fostering the kind of citizen involvement in the civic process that leads to positive action on health care issues by the state's decisionmakers.

Contact Information

WVPN-FM
Carole Carter, Outreach Coordinator
Tel: 304-556-4900

WV Community Voices Partnership
Renate Pore, Executive Director
Tel: 304-558-0530