Covering Kids and Families of Indiana (CKF-IN) held their Annual Meeting and Award Luncheon on Tuesday, Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders, 15th U.S. Surgeon General and first African American woman to hold the post, presented “Making a Difference for all Children and Families.” Also as part of the program, CKF-IN recognized the efforts of local coalitions and celebrated a year of successes including expanding from 55 to 80 counties – a 45% increase.
In addition, two awards were presented. The Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Community Leadership Award recognizes an exemplary partner who serves as a model for effective practices, leadership, dependability, innovativeness, teamwork, and commitment to improving health care access and outcomes. This year two Community Leadership Awards were presented to the Volunteer Center (Fort Wayne) and to Kevin Evans, Center Township Trustee (Clinton County).
Since 2014, the Volunteer Center has been a licensed Application Organization dually training volunteers as tax preparers and as Indiana Navigators working closely with CKF of Brightpoint to support efforts to enroll consumers in healthcare coverage.
As Center Township Trustee, Kevin Evans has exemplified leadership, teamwork, innovativeness and dependability in accomplishing tasks through collaboration with community partners. He has been a key player in many efforts including the launch of CKF of Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition.
Covering Kids & Families will also present the Governor Frank O’Bannon Memorial Kids First Award which recognizes an individual who has exhibited leadership in improving statewide policies and processes, commitment to CKF-IN’s mission, and who serves as a champion for the health of Hoosiers. The 2017 award will be presented to Dr. Jennifer Walthall, Secretary of the Family & Social Service Administration. Both in her former role as Deputy Health Commissioner and Director for Health Outcomes and her current role as Secretary of FSSA, Dr. Walthall has been a tireless advocate for healthcare coverage for Hoosiers. Within FSSA, she is steadfast in her commitment to improve policies and procedures while adding value to coverage.
About Covering Kids & Families of Indiana
Covering Kids & Families of Indiana (CKF-IN) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring all Hoosiers have accessible healthcare coverage. CKF-IN promotes and facilitates healthcare coverage by building coalitions that enroll, educate, and support Hoosiers and by advocating for strong inclusive public policies. For more information, visit www.ckfindiana.org