New ‘Health Navigators’ Work to Increase Healthcare Access
IMAN is pleased to announce the addition of a new team of Health Navigators to its growing Health Center staff. In collaboration with Chicago Public Schools, Health Navigators will help to ensure that local parents and children are enrolled in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
IMAN trained two current staff members, Medical Assistant Rosa Mandujano, who serves as a bilingual English-Spanish navigator, and Organizer Robert Jones to take on this crucial role. Additionally, Donica Ousley was recruited and hired as a full-time Health Navigator. As a part of their certification process, the trio completed nearly 100 hours of comprehensive training over a four-week period of 4 weeks.
Currently, many millions of Americans remain uninsured, including over 900,000 Illinois residents living without health insurance. Nationwide, ACA marketplace signups so far in 2018 are occuring at a rate 3.7 percent lower than last year’s enrollment period, according to a recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Amid steep reductions in federal funding for healthcare outreach and specialized community support like health navigators—not to mention a shortened enrollment period and a climate of political uncertainty surrounding the healthcare laws—IMAN remains committed to
fighting for the health and wellness of Chicagoland communities. Our Health Navigator team is a significant step forward as we continue building trust and relationships with families who need and deserve access to healthcare.