Aren’t there facilities and programs already in place that provide healthcare for uninsured kids?

Actually, when it comes to healthcare, there are no simple answers. In Walton County alone, 60% of working families have no dental insurance.  This percentage is increasing, as is the widening gap between those able to afford healthcare and those who are not.

The divide is causing many of our children to fall through the cracks in the healthcare system. Currently, the State of Florida offers a government-funded insurance program, HEALTHY KIDS, and a Medicaid-funded FLORIDA KID CARE. The cumbersome and intimidating application is not user-friendly and has a lengthy delay between the application and the approval decision. Some low-income families do not meet the criteria, and others do not qualify because of citizenship.  Those who have recently moved to the area may not be enrolled.

Children’s Volunteer Health Network is, for a great many children and families in our communities, the first and strongest line of defense against a vast array of childhood health complaints which, if left untreated, can become chronic, even life-threatening health problems.