PRESS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lenore Neier, Community Service Society,
212-614-5425
NYC Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (NYC MCCAP) Expands Services
to 8 Agencies
Over 2 Million In New Grants Awarded By
The New York City Council
New York, NY, October 21, 2004
– The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) is
pleased to announce that close to $800,000 in subcontracts
were awarded today to community based organizations representing
a major expansion of the NYC Managed Care Consumer Assistance
Program. These subcontracts will add eight new community-based
organizations to NYC MCCAP’s existing network of 21
agencies, expanding the program to many more NYC neighborhoods.
The network of NYC MCCAP agencies helps consumers navigate
the health insurance maze and get needed health services through
education and counseling.
The expansion of NYC MCCAP was made possible by an increase
in funding granted by the New York City Council under the
leadership of Speaker Gifford Miller, and Councilmembers Christine
Quinn and Bill DeBlasio. NYC MCCAP is administered by the
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s
Division of Health Care Access and Improvement and is implemented
by CSS.
In FY 2005, the City Council increased funding to expand
NYC MCCAP services throughout the City. This increase made
it possible for CSS to add 8 new agencies in underserved communities
in Brooklyn and Queens, making grants of up to $70,000. In
addition, CSS increased funding to nine of NYC MCCAP’s
existing agencies to expand their services.
The new agencies add six new languages to the current capacity,
enabling the NYC MCCAP to provide services in twelve different
languages, including English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Haitian-Creole,
Korean, Arabic, French, Yiddish, Vietnamese, Ukranian, Polish,
Hebrew, Hindi and Bengali. As a result of this expansion,
the NYC MCCAP has now added the following communities, effectively
making it a Citywide program: Brownsville, Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant,
Canarsie, Kensington, Homecrteast, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn;
in Astoria, Ridgewood, Jackson Heights in Queens; and Soundview
in the Bronx.
The NYC MCCAP was established by the New York City Council
in 1998 in response to the NYC Council’s concerns that
the switch to managed care would be potentially harmful for
Medicaid beneficiaries. The NYC MCCAP is a resource that educates
New Yorkers about how to use their managed care health plans
effectively so that their health care needs are met; informs
consumers of their rights in managed care plans; and provides
tools on how to resolve problems with their health plans.
In its four years of operation, the NYC MCCAP has served more
than 250,000 New Yorkers and provides intensive advocacy and
counseling services to approximately 8,000 New Yorkers a year.
For more information about NYC MCCAP, please visit www.NYCMCCAP.org
or call the NYC MCCAP helpline (212) 614-5400
For over 150 years, CSS, an independent, nonprofit organization,
has tackled the complex issues of poverty by applying our
experience through three mutually supportive approaches. We
advocate for the poor and underserved; research and shape
public policy affecting them; and provide direct services
that improve their quality of life. For more information about
CSS, please visit http://www.cssny.org/
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