Inviting doctors and representatives from the Tennessee Department of Health into community meetings.
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In Hamilton County, they placed coolers stocked with sack lunches at bus stops so kids who rely on free school lunch wouldn’t go hungry. Helping with food distribution when COVID began and kids weren’t in school.
With COVID, for example, BlueCare continues to meet member needs as they arise.
Since the pandemic prevented many seniors from having vital face-to-face interaction with family and friends, the BlueCare team addressed that challenge by conducting virtual community meetings and educating members in advance on how they could participate these conversations.īlueCare solutions change with each population, and with each challenge. It’s been so gratifying to help our seniors break out of that and connect with friends - old and new.” Isolation is a huge health challenge, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “So we made their advisory board meetings more like ‘senior socials’ where they can get education, play games and meet new people. “So many of our seniors use wheelchairs or have no access to transportation, but they still want to play a part in their community,” he explains. For example, after meeting with a group of seniors, Jeremy’s team learned their biggest challenge was finding a way to attend the meeting in person. These ongoing conversations yield a variety of results. We also bring in providers or community agencies and hold focus groups - anything we can do to make sure our members have a say in the programs they use.” Ryan Denton, a BlueCare Tennessee Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES member, with his mom Kim and his BlueCare support coordinator Kristen Calloway More than a meeting Our members give feedback on how those services are going and offer recommendations to make them better. “We serve lunch, talk a bit about our programs and benefits, and discuss current issues. “We meet at a central location within a community,” Jeremy says. Seniors and adults with physical disabilities who need help to continue living at home ( CHOICES), as well as those who require long-term services and support ( LTSS).People with intellectual or developmental disabilities ( Employment and Community First CHOICES).People with behavioral health challenges.Then, to connect with those populations, Jeremy convenes meetings with BlueCare advisory boards across the state. BlueCare uses data and predictive modeling to identify groups with common health and social needs, allowing them to zero in on Tennesseans who need help the most. That’s why Jeremy spends most of his time in communities across Tennessee, learning exactly what members need and finding ways to address those needs. The BlueCare team understands that oftentimes before a doctor visit can be scheduled, many members - including working parents - have social determinants of health that must be addressed. From housing to transportation, food to childcare, BlueCare teams know these needs must be met first before a person can think about joining an exercise class or scheduling a doctor’s appointment. Many BlueCare members face obstacles that prevent them from focusing on their health. “We use information like that to help guide initiatives and address social determinants that our members may not always know about but are visible in their community or children’s schools.” Remedying risk factors “Data shows that kids who don’t learn to read early in life are more likely to have bad health outcomes,” Jeremy says. It’s not unheard of for team members to spend hours helping a member get their lights turned back on, only to then pivot to working on a school library initiative. That means being here all the time, finding ways to help our members live a healthy life.”īlueCare’s mission is to improve the lives of Tennessee’s Medicaid population by connecting them with essential health care services, treatment and providers - as well as all of the support needed to ultimately reach that care.Ī BlueCare team member might start the day by connecting a low-income pregnant woman with prenatal care and, after lunch, help a senior with mobility issues find transportation to and from doctor appointments. “But we’re here to help Tennessee’s most vulnerable populations. “Before our members get to know us, they tend to see their insurance company as a means to an end,” says Jeremy Scruggs, health promotion manager at BlueCare. That’s not the case for members of BlueCare Tennessee, a BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee subsidiary serving TennCare members. They may not think about it much in between. It allows them to see their doctor and reduces the cost of their prescriptions. For some people, insurance is a card that lives in their wallet.
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