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BY MEGAN GINSBERG

Some members of your church may be without health insurance. You can help change that.

An August 2010 article in the Baltimore Sun announced that more than 86,000 children in Maryland are without health insurance. These children (and perhaps their parents, guardians or grandparents) are in need of standard medical care, such as immunizations, eye exams and even simple doctors’ visits. They are all around you, maybe even members of your local church. And they need help.

Luckily, the State of Maryland provides low- and no-cost health care benefits and services to residents who qualify. Through seven different state-authorized Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), Maryland families are getting the health care and services they deserve – at no or low cost.

Priority Partners is one of these seven MCOs and currently provides services for over 180,000 recipients of Medicaid, Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHP), and Maryland’s Primary Adult Care program (PAC). Owned by Johns Hopkins HealthCare and the Maryland Community Health System, Priority Partners has established a statewide network of quality doctors, health centers and hospitals offering a variety of low-cost or no-cost benefits and services.

Unfortunately, state-sponsored health care and organizations like Priority Partners may be unfamiliar to those in need. But you can help change this.

Last year, 13 local churches hosted speakers, spread information and passed out materials about state-sponsored health care and Priority Partners. As a result, many church members took information and materials for themselves, their families, their friends and their neighbors. Consequently, many are now getting proper medical care.

But, with the state of the economy and an increasing number of those without jobs, many more are still in need. Here are some easy ways that you can help your congregation and community by distributing information and materials:

+ Host a speaker. Invite Tom Leitzer, Priority Partners’ Community Partnerships Manager, to visit your church service and bring information and materials about Maryland’s Medicaid programs. He’ll speak at the appropriate time during your service or arrange to have an information table for your congregation to visit before or after the service.

+ Distribute material. Place Priority Partners materials in your gathering and meeting areas; these materials help your congregation and visitors get information about Maryland’s health care benefits and programs.

+ Host a food drop. Conduct a food distribution at your church or other location to bring food for 200 families at no cost to your church.

+ Educate. Host no-cost health education workshops at your church or other location; these free workshops cover topics including a healthy heart, caring for a sick child, women’s and men’s health, nutrition, stress management, smoking cessation, and diabetes.

With just a little bit of time and no cost to your church, you can help those around you.

Some of the no-cost benefits offered through the state-run programs include: doctor’s visits, x-rays, screenings and lab tests, childbirth classes for pregnant women, urgent care center coverage (for HealthChoice members). Most over-the-counter and prescription medications cost as little as $1.

To take advantage of the opportunities listed in this article or hear about other ways you can help, contact Tom Leitzer, Priority Partners’ Community Partnerships Manager at 410-762-5342 or .

Priority Partners is endorsed by the BWC Board of Church and Society. For more information, call 1-800-654-9728 or visit www.ppmco.org; find out more about state-sponsored health care at www.dhmh.maryland.govmma.