YouthCare HealthChoice Illinois

Congratulations to Cristal Gary, Plan President and CEO of Meridian of Illinois! YouthCare is managed by Meridian of Illinois, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation. Earlier this week, Crain's Chicago Business announced Cristal is one of 100+ C-suite executives and investors on its prestigious list of 2024 Notable Black Leaders. Thank you to Crain’s for recognizing Cristal’s ongoing contributions to health equity and commitment to the members we serve throughout Illinois. See the list: https://bit.ly/4gw6v9c

YouthCare and our parent company, Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, sponsored the Downtown Family Funfest on September 7 in Springfield. Our team was there to provide health education and resources, while the kids played and soaked up the sun. Thank you to Prevent Child Abuse Illinois for hosting this wonderful event!

Yolanda has been with YouthCare for two years now. In her role as a Foster Care Liaison, she educates various stakeholders in the community on what YouthCare provides for children in foster care. She is able to connect children in the foster care system with the appropriate services and benefits within YouthCare. When she is not at work, Yolanda loves watching college basketball and football on TV. In addition, she enjoys sharpening her home improvement skills. Her current projects are installing ceramic tile and completing small plumbing jobs all on her own! John Hall, Supervisor, Foster Care Liaison says, “(Yolanda) is an excellent Foster Care Liaison as evidenced by her strong ability to develop relationships, accelerate communication, and facilitate training for Illinois Child Welfare stakeholders. She is a superlative representative of YouthCare in the community as demonstrated by her enthusiasm for community relations and her advocacy efforts on behalf of Illinois youth in care. Yolanda has established herself as a dependable asset for her supervisor, teammates, and this organization.”

On Saturday, August 24, we joined more than 1,200 attendees at the Foster Family Picnic at the DuQuion State Fair. Each child in attendance received a ride armband for the fair, $10 to spend, a gas card, ice cream, and a free lunch provided by the Elks Club. DCFS Director Heidi Muller and various DCFS staff were thankful for YouthCare’s presence at the event. We were able to connect with so many foster families downstate, giving them valuable information about the services YouthCare offers. We appreciated the opportunity to partner with DCFS for this fun event for children in foster care.

YouthCare is committed to making trainings available to providers throughout the state. As part of this commitment, the Heritage Behavioral Health Center in Decatur hosted two in-person YouthCare trainings on Monday, August 26, facilitated by Gary Pate, YouthCare Senior Trainer. Topics covered were “Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Study and Beyond” and “Trauma Informed Interventions.” Among the 63 attendees were therapists, health educators, family and community engagement specialists, home health providers, and school-based services coordinators. To view YouthCare's schedule and register for upcoming trainings, visit https://bit.ly/3ZbIZIr.

Register for the September 5 town hall on provider revalidation in Illinois. CBHA, the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, a statewide organization that represents the interests of community behavioral healthcare agencies, is offering a town hall on provider revalidation. All Medicaid providers must revalidate. Register today to learn more: https://bit.ly/4e0dF3n

Did you know that YouthCare provides free in-person and online trainings? The training uses state and national expertise to help providers and guardians care for foster children and teens. In addition, we offer a child welfare webinar series. These no-cost trainings are open to any in-network YouthCare provider, and are offered throughout the year on a variety of topics. View the current schedule and register for upcoming trainings: https://bit.ly/3XiIvyV For specific CE board approvals and information, refer to each training’s registration page.

Heather Souba, Youthcare’s Vice President of Population Health, recently spoke at the Kinship Families Resource Conference in Springfield. This conference was specifically for grandparents who are foster parents or guardians. Heather’s presentation provided insight into everything YouthCare offers for youth in foster care. Grandparents in attendance learned how to access healthcare for their foster youth, as well as connect with their foster child’s care coordinator. Every YouthCare member is assigned a care coordinator to help them navigate services and get individualized care.

Backpacks filled with school supplies were handed out to foster children at a series of back-to-school events earlier this month. Held in partnership with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the events strove to ensure that every child is prepared for the new school year. Families with foster children were also invited to participate in activities such as face painting and raffles, and enjoy live music and free food! Children received free haircuts, dental exams, and health screenings, and were connected to community resources.

9 stops down. 2 to go. Join us in Marion or O’Fallon. We are wrapping up our statewide provider Meet & Greets with new dates for our Marion and O’Fallon events, which were rescheduled due to historic flooding. These in-person forums offer a chance for you to meet Meridian leaders, provide honest feedback, and share your ideas to make our health plan better. Providers in the Carbondale area: Register to join us in Marion on Tuesday, August 20, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. https://bit.ly/3WTnWHF Providers in the East St. Louis area: Register to join us in O’Fallon on Wednesday, August 21, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. https://bit.ly/46TAF1R