Interns’ Reflection

Jul 31st, 2012 | by CareSource

By Mary Good and Elizabeth Stevens, CareSource interns

During the first few days as interns, we learned that CareSource not only “talked the talk” about serving others but would also have us (interns) “walk the walk” in terms of giving back to the community.  On Friday, July 13, we experienced CareSource’s values in action through a Community Day event with two local organizations – Clothes that Work and the Ronald McDonald House Charities – Miami Valley Region.

Four interns – Kevin Andrisek, Aaron Cyr, Mary Good, and Daniell Ross – helped at Clothes that Work. Since 1998, Clothes that Work has been providing Montgomery County residents with professional consultation and business interview attire for customers who have been referred by other not-for-profit organizations. The interns had two projects – organize the out of season clothing by size and category in warehouse and style the mannequins in the storefront.

Aaron Cyr commented on the day, “I’d say my favorite part was getting to see great people in our community who are trying to make a difference.”

Kevin said, “It was great to have an opportunity to help out in the community. I had a lot of fun working with the individuals at Clothes That Work and I will make sure to do volunteer work in the near future.”

Daniell explained, “I was able to use what I learned from my etiquette training to help make appropriate interview outfits that people can come in and either select or use to reference when finding their own outfit.”

The other six interns – Charlie Peppler, Carl Peyton, Lauren Piero, Joe Rowland, David Southam and Elizabeth Stevens – had the opportunity to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. They contributed to the organization by cleaning, organizing supplies, stocking items in the full-service kitchen, and preparing for the upcoming golf outing and silent auction. 

Ronald McDonald House is a charity that provides housing for families so they can stay near by their hospitalized child at little or no cost. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974. Now, there are over 300 chapters around the world.

“I learned a lot about the organization and was able to put my work skills toward a noble cause while enjoying the company of my fellow interns,” explained Carl.

David added, “It was a great experience not only working with the fellow interns at CareSource, but working with them for a good cause in our local community. During our trip we saw the important role the Ronald McDonald House plays in families’ lives, in giving them a place of comfort in a time of need.  It was satisfying to know our time helped out the volunteers and the people staying there. Though our contribution may have been small, I hope we left a footprint of not only ourselves, but the CareSource family.”

From day one of the internship experience people emphasized the importance of embodying the mission and vision of CareSource. Not only was the afternoon a great opportunity to serve, it was refreshing to see CareSource feel so strongly about making sure employees understood the culture to serve and the importance of valuing the culture beyond just the office.

Lauren summed up the day’s experience, “One thing I learned is the impact that organizations working alongside CareSource can have on the lives of our members. The love and support that Ronald McDonald House provides directly affects the health and wellness of our members. It’s empowering and reinforces the fact that as interns we do have the opportunity to make a difference while we are here at CareSource.”

Find out what Clothes that Work and the Ronald McDonald House do every day by following them on Facebook.

CareSource partners with Wright State University to employee interns every summer to gain real-world experience.

The Fight Against Hunger

Dec 19th, 2011 | by CareSource

Hunger is a growing issue nationwide. For one in six Americans, hunger is a reality. Those in the most need may be the people we know - our members, our neighbors and our friends.  The average food bank in the Midwest has seen requests for food assistance almost double in the last five years.  

We decided to join the fight against hunger. For the past few weeks, our employees in all four of our offices (Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and Lansing) have been collecting food for local food banks. We call it our holiday Giving Tree. Our goal was to donate at least 10,000 pounds of food.

One department in the Dayton office took this challenge a step further and collected money to buy peanut butter – the most needed item on the  food bank’s list. They collected $1,500 and purchased 900 pounds of peanut butter!

The final numbers are in… (drum roll, please!)

We are excited to report that we exceeded our goal and donated over two tons of food which will go to 80 food banks in Ohio and Michigan.

Our employees are truly amazing and are always willing to help others. Find your local food bank and join us in the fight against hunger.

Care Coordination In Action

Sep 17th, 2010 | by OurHealthCareSource.com

Last week, we posted a blog about our involvement in the Ohio Association of Health Plans‘ campaign – “Get Your Well On.” As part of this campaign, we developed a couple of videos that tell the stories of how care coordination is delivered. These videos reveal how real Ohio families have benefited as a result of Medicaid Care Coordination.

“Making a More Productive Family Future”
This is a wonderful, heart-felt story of a little girl who needed cochlear implants, and how our facilitation of the health care system resulted in a truly transformational experience for the family.

“Partnering with Providers”
A real look at how CareSource, and the Health Care Home philosophy of care coordination, enhances the patient-provider relationship.

So take a look, and let us know what you think.

The Rituals of Back to School

Sep 1st, 2010 | by OurHealthCareSource.com

Where did summer go? It’s back to school time once again. The “Back to School” season has almost become a holiday. There are so many rituals associated with back to school:

Buying new school supplies like pencils, notepads, crayons, calendars, folders…maybe a new backpack?

Examining the clothing situation–new shirts, pants, socks…perhaps replacing those shoes that were outgrown during the summer?

Checking your schedule twice to make sure you’re ready to adapt to a new normal for the next nine months!?!?!?

How about getting that doctor’s appointment for an annual check-up?
Unfortunately, this ritual doesn’t always seem to make the list, which is why we partnered with our state-level association, Ohio Association of Health Plans, to launch a statewide campaign called “Get Your Well On.”

The goals of the “Get Your Well On” campaign are simply stated:

• Promote the importance of having a consistent relationship with your primary doctor
• Encourage responsible health care engagement and healthy living

Simply stated…but profoundly inspiring. Frankly, it’s our responsibility as Medicaid Care Coordination plans to forever promote the benefits of good health to our members. But this partnership with our industry in Ohio has been an inspirational experience.

Our organization – OAHP – has partnered with associations and communities across the state to bring this message to the urban, suburban and rural. Organizations like the Ohio PTA, Ohio Benefit Bank, Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association, Ohio Council of Churches, Special Olympics Ohio, Family Children First Councils, Ohio After School Network, and many, many more have been instrumental in championing our cause.

We are meeting at a true grassroots level with people that are touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. And they are so appreciative of the materials we are giving to them:

We’ve been organizing events in Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, Akron and more…inviting the passionate agencies at the community level to hear our message. We’ve partnered with large conferences to voice our point of view to hundreds at a time.

The basic comment we get most often as we engage with communities—

“This information can never be promoted enough. Thank you for giving me the tools to help promote this to the people I work with.”

Medicaid Care Coordination plans are forever promoting healthy living and prevention to our members. It’s the philosophy of this type of health care delivery. Our “Get Your Well On” campaign is casting a larger net across Ohio, touching lives beyond the underserved.

So maybe a new back-to-school ritual for all of us should be a reflection on our health in general…and then the drive to take action. Our Governor made it official this week with his proclamation. Now we all have a friendly reminder to “Get Our Well On.”