The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has named Lawanda Davis the new program director/principal investigator of the Connecting Kids to Coverage (CKC) program, housed within the USF College of Public Health.
The CKC program, which receives federal funding through CMS, is an education and outreach initiative designed to assist with enrollment for children and families in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) known as Florida KidCare. Connecting Kids to Coverage provides support in increasing access to quality, affordable health care.
Lawanda Davis, program director of Connecting Kids to Coverage (Photo by Caitlin Keough)
Davis, who previously was the CKC program manager, assumed her new role in July.
Davis said her role will involve comprehensive project oversight and contract management for CKC subgrantees’ activities. “Responsibilities extend to collaborating with state agencies, partner organizations, executing outreach and enrollment initiatives and managing all project reporting to state and federal agencies,” Davis said.
Part of the aim of CKC, Davis explained, is to support and educate people—particularly those in underserved, vulnerable populations—about health care insurance options as well as the health care system in general. This is particularly important as consumers find themselves without coverage or at risk of losing coverage as a result of Medicaid Unwinding (the process of reviewing the eligibility of those who use Medicaid insurance).
“Our focus extends beyond connecting families to care; we also emphasize the importance of access to health care and guide individuals in navigating the health care system,” Davis explained. “The strong community partnerships maintained by CKC subgrantees play a pivotal role in the successful enrollment and retention of individuals in Medicaid and CHIP. We aim to communicate the significance of CKC in our communities.”
Davis noted that the success of CKC is reliant on CKC subgrantees and the support it receives from its community partners.
“I seek to highlight the benefits of engaging with our partners to ensure the most valuable access for everyone involved,” she said. “I consider it a great honor to be in the position to further elevate this critical program in the state of Florida.”