December 19, 2024
On behalf of Champaign County Health Care Consumers, I want to share with you this special client story from Nicole Mitchell, our Senior Services Specialist. Nicole has been working at CCHCC for a year and a half, and she often encounters very daunting situations, where the answers are not easy or obvious. But Nicole is deeply compassionate and committed to her clients, and she works tenaciously to help her clients get the resources they need. This often involves collaborating with other organizations, and helping to facilitate “warm” referrals to those organizations.
A ”warm” referral is one where our staff contact the staff at another organization and help introduce the client to that organization, and help explain the client’s needs. This helps ensure that no one falls through the cracks.
This story illustrates the life-changing nature of the free services that CCHCC provides to some of our most vulnerable community members.
Here is Nicole’s story about her client:
One of my most favorite clients is Mr. S, and his situation really showcases how the right organization can really help improve a person’s life.
Mr. S came to me with questions about his insurance coverage, and he also had a medical bill that needed to be paid, but he did not have the means to do so. Mr. S had a Medicaid “spenddown” (a VERY complicated Medicaid benefit) and we just could not get around it. We had to figure out how to make this complicated benefit work for him. I worked with Mr. S to make his insurance, as it was, work the best for him. Unfortunately, it would not cover his whole medical bill. Fortunately, I was able to make a referral to Empty Tomb for the bill Mr. S owed, and it was paid with ease. I also helped Mr. S qualify for Carle Community Care, which helps cover his Medicare-related out of pocket medical expenses. Mr. S was happy to go to Carle for his medical needs, so I also made sure his Medicare was set up the best to meet his needs at Carle.
In his time with me since, I have been able to make a referral to PACE, as Mr. S is a disability Medicare recipient, for assistance with improving his independent living. Mr. S wants to be more independent and keep improving himself so he can improve his quality of life. He has also lost his job due to closure since having met with me, so we had to figure out some things with Social Security and his income reporting. We actually learned he can make much more than he thought he could previously, and he can now seek employment with more hours so he won’t have to struggle with bills as much.
For the moment, we reapplied him for Medicaid and recently found out he was approved. Now that Mr. S has both Medicare and Medicaid, he will not have to worry about out-of-pocket medical expenses.
We also consulted with my co-worker Shea, who is a Disability Specialist, and she helped answer some of his income reporting questions about Social Security.
And then we were able to refer Mr. S to LifeLinks, and they are currently helping him with his job search.
Thankfully, as a result of that first appointment with me, Mr. S has had many of his troubling issues resolved, and he now has consistent assistance from CCHCC and multiple other organizations that can help meet his needs as he goes through various changes in his life, including employment opportunities.
The team of people I was able collaborate with to help Mr. S – including my co-worker, Shea, and staff from PACE, DOHRS, Empty Tomb, Carle, and LifeLinks, have taken great care of Mr. S!
And everyone to whom I’ve referred Mr. S just love him and always comment about how sweet he is.
I am honored that Mr. S also asked me to work with him for his mother’s care needs.
Mr. S’s case is a lovely example of how life-changing it can be to find the right assistance.
The work we do is hard, but it is needed, and it is rewarding!
Mr. S’s case is a good example of a very complicated situation that required CCHCC’s help, both for providing direct services, but also for case-managing referrals to multiple organizations and agencies to meet Mr. S’s complex needs.
As this case illustrates, many community members come to CCHCC requesting help with one specific issue (in Mr. S’s case, it was help with a medical bill and a health insurance issue), but in the process of working with them, we learn about many other needs that our clients have. We work hard to meet as many of our clients’ needs as possible, including through referrals to organizations that specialize in other areas.
It is not always obvious where to turn for help, or even if a specific type of service is available. At CCHCC, we are proud to be connected with, and working with multiple organizations and agencies that are willing to collaborate with us to meet our clients’ needs. This is one of our areas of expertise – knowing what organizations are out there that can help our clients, and being able to make “warm” referrals for our clients.
Our work is often as complicated as our clients’ needs are, but it is rewarding! Not only do we see our clients’ lives transformed once they have been approved for various benefits, but we also receive so much sincere gratitude from our clients.
You can help CCHCC! Please consider making a financial contribution to support CCHCC’s work. You can also help spread the word to let community members know about the free services that CCHCC provides.
DONATE TO CCHCC!
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Claudia Lennhoff
Executive Director
Champaign County Health Care Consumers