Celebrating NC Medicaid Expansion as a World AIDS Day Milestone
Celebrating NC Medicaid Expansion as a World AIDS Day Milestone
Durham, North Carolina — Latinos in the South, a program of the Latino Commission onAIDS, is proud to announce its selection as a Kate B. Reynolds grant recipient,funding continued investment into Medicaid expansion, enrollment, education, and outreach with an emphasis on North Carolina’s Latinx community and individuals living with HIV. Coinciding with World AIDS Day 2023,Medicaid expansion officially goes into effect on December 1st in the state, marking an advocacy milestone over a decade in the making. With enrollment initiation, 1000 individuals living with HIV have already moved to Medicaid coverage with Family Planning, and an estimated 4,000 additional individuals from the HIV Medication Assistance Program (HMAP) are newly eligible.
This initiative marks acrucial step forward in our commitment to fostering a community wherehealthcare coverage is not an impediment to health and quality of life andwhere our communities canpursue care and prevention resources with less stress, burden, and increased ease of access. The grant funds will beutilized to partner with 5 community organizations in strategic areas with establishedtrust-based community relationships to increase the availability and accessibility of Medicaid expansioneligibility and enrollment information and provide navigation support. We willalso continue to expand our partnerships with Spanish-language media fromacross the state to encourage coverage and elevate healthcare policy viatraining resources and community education events.
“Through this funding, we can increase knowledge and utilization of expanded coverage to drastically impact our community’s well-being and approach to holistic care. Medicaid expansion not only addresses care access and financial barriers, but broadens the available resources viatesting and prevention, substance use services, mental health resources, and more while providing holistic consistency of care,”stated Judith Montenegro, Program Director, Latinos in the South.
“Medicaid expansion was made a reality through community advocacy and the potential impact will only be fulfilled through continued community investments and partnerships. Our Latinx community and those impacted by HIV have been fighting for years in the face of restricted coverage and financial burden. They deserve to have a full range of care support so they can focus on their health and the health of their families,” stated Aleida Espinal, NC Community Organizer, Latinos in the South.
Latinos in the South express sincere gratitude to The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust for their support in making this grant a reality and their continued investment into Medicaid expansion efforts and healthcare equity.Together with our community partners, we are excited to continue building infrastructure and resources so that our Latinx and HIV-impacted communities may thrive.
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The Kate B. ReynoldsCharitable Trust was established in 1947 and is now one of the largest private trusts in North Carolina. Our mission is to improve the health and quality of life of residents with low incomes in Forsyth County and around North Carolina. The Health Improvement in North Carolina program area supports equitable access to care and equitable health outcomes across the state. The Local Impact in Forsyth County program area works to foster an inclusive economy and improve the quality of life in Forsyth County. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. serves as sole trustee.
Latinos in the South is a regional program of the Latino Commission on AIDS with avision to ensure health justice by disrupting systems that continue to impact Black, Latinx, Immigrants, LGBTQ, and PLWH (historically harmed communities)through innovation and community-empowering resources. The program accomplishes these goals through community building, policy and advocacy efforts, and language justice investments. For more information, please visit www.latinodeepsouth.org