WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 14, 2006 - Molina Healthcare of Michigan has received an award from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Shots for Shorties(TM) vaccination pilot program. The program was developed by Molina to increase immunization rates among African American children and adolescents for "Combo 2 vaccines," which includes doses for such diseases as polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, and varicella. The Molina program has been successful in significantly increasing vaccination rates among the low-income target population in Southeast Michigan. Outreach efforts in 2006 are focusing on historically low-performing areas in both Oakland and Wayne Counties and in the City of Detroit.
NCQA, with major funding from The California Endowment and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is identifying and publicizing innovative practices that improve the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services, or CLAS. The Recognizing Innovation in Multi-Cultural Health Care award program encourages the development and implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate care among managed care populations. Molina Healthcare of Michigan is one of ten health plans receiving the first NCQA CLAS awards.
"Molina Healthcare of Michigan has created a model for plans nationwide to follow on how to bridge cultural gaps that so easily get in the way of quality health care," said NCQA President, Peggy O'Kane. "Shots for Shorties is an innovative solution that helps bridge cultural gaps parents face when trying to have their children immunized, tackling the very real issue of health care disparities among racial and ethnic minorities."
"The success of Shots for Shorties is helping reduce health outcome disparities in Southeast Michigan that may arise due to linguistic and cultural barriers," said Roman Kulich, President of Molina Healthcare of Michigan. "Parents are grateful for the safety information, reminders, free transportation, and calendars we provide that help them with their children's immunizations. Every one of our members deserves high quality care, and innovations such as this are helping to ensure that each of them - regardless of their background or ethnicity - obtains the best care available."
"Accounting for the culture, values, and preferences of the individual is at the heart of patient-centered care," said O'Kane. "The ten health plans receiving awards are to be commended for taking the lead in designing methods to ensure that all their members are getting the highest quality care possible."
Details of the Shots for Shorties(TM) program will be shared at a national conference on multicultural health care to be held on October 18, 2006, in Washington, D.C. For information about the health plans recognized by NCQA and the conferences on multicultural health care, visit www.ncqa.org/Programs/CLAS/index.htm.
NCQA, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality, provides accreditation and certification for a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS(C), the tool the nation's health plans use to measure and report on their performance. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org.
The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. For more information, visit www.calendow.org.
Molina Healthcare of Michigan was established in October 2000 and currently has more than 232,000 members throughout the state, with over 121,000 members in the Detroit area. In May 2006, Molina Healthcare of Michigan began serving the members formerly with CAPE Health Plan.
Molina Healthcare, Inc. is a multi-state managed care organization that arranges for the delivery of healthcare services to persons eligible for Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs for low-income families and individuals. Molina Healthcare, Inc. currently operates health plans in California, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Texas, and Washington. For more information about Molina Healthcare, Inc. and Molina Healthcare of Michigan, visit www.molinahealthcare.com.
Katisha Robinson
Molina Healthcare, Inc.
(562) 951-1593
Daniel Danzig
NCQA
(925) 254-6078