In The News ...
In late June of 2023, South Carolina signed legislature to reallocate HOP funding to a new initiative. CHAI (Community Health Alliance Initiative) would focus on a new model of healthcare advocacy using CHWs (Community Health Workers) to work within the community to provide more support to uninsured individuals facing hardships that are impacting their ability to follow through with healthcare challenges.
"The CHAI program was established by the South Carolina General Assembly Proviso 33.20 titled the Medicaid Accountability and Quality Improvement initiative 2023-2024 Appropriations Act in 2023 which authorized SCDHHS to contract with the Center for Community Health Alignment (CCHA) in a collaborative effort to expand the community health worker program with the goal of improving health outcomes for individuals without access to affordable health insurance by facilitating resource connections and access to safety net providers." (communityhealthalignment.org/chai/)
AccessHealth Horry Named Recipient Organization
In December 2023, AccessHealth Horry's Executive Director, Timothy Holland, submitted a proposal to play an integral role in developing the CHAI program in Horry County. In January, the office was notified they were one of several organizations chosen in South Carolina to develop and implement this innovative new program. Other recipients include: Affinity Health Center, AccessHealth Spartanburg, AnMed, Browns Ferry Community Outreach (BFCO), The Courage Center, Greenville Free Medical Clinic, HopeHealth, McLeod Health, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), PASOs, Prisma Health, Regenesis Health Care, Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Rural Health Services, and Tandem Health.
In March 2024, four new staff members excitedly joined AccessHealth Horry to begin training and developing the new CHAI program. CHAI staff will be working with community members in navigating access to insurance and address other social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact their quality of life. Check back frequently as AccessHealth Horry is enthusiastically moving forward with implementation so we can offer our uninsured community members as many services as possible.
In March 2024, four new staff members excitedly joined AccessHealth Horry to begin training and developing the new CHAI program. CHAI staff will be working with community members in navigating access to insurance and address other social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact their quality of life. Check back frequently as AccessHealth Horry is enthusiastically moving forward with implementation so we can offer our uninsured community members as many services as possible.