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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Evidence Tools
MCHbest. Adequate Insurance.

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Strategy. Outreach Using Mini-Grant Opportunities

Approach. Provide small grants to community-based organizations to improve enrollment and utilization of Medicaid and CHIP

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Overview. Small grants to community-based organizations can be effective in garnering the involvement of the local community in health promotion efforts. A mini-grant program in Georgia leveraged modest funding and resources to promote community involvement efforts in order to improve enrollment and utilization of Medicaid and CHIP services for children.[1]

Evidence. Emerging Evidence. Strategies with this rating typically trend positive and have good potential to work. They often have a growing body of recent, but limited research that documents effects. However, further study is needed to confirm effects, determine which types of health behaviors and conditions these interventions address, and gauge effectiveness across different population groups. (Clarifying Note: The WWFH database calls this "mixed evidence").

Access the peer-reviewed evidence through the MCH Digital Library or related evidence source. (Read more about understanding evidence ratings).

Source. Peer-Reviewed Literature

Outcome Components. This strategy has shown to have impact on the following outcomes (Read more about these categories):

  • Cost. This strategy helps to decrease the financial expenditure incurred by individuals, healthcare systems, and society in general for healthcare services.
  • Health Outcomes. This strategy helps contribute to reducing avoidable differences among socioeconomic and demographic groups or geographical areas in health status and health outcomes such as disease, disability, or mortality.
  • Social Determinants of Health. This strategy advances economic, social, and environmental factors that affect health outcomes. SDOH include the conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

Detailed Outcomes. For specific outcomes related to each study supporting this strategy, access the peer-reviewed evidence and read the Intervention Results for each study.

Intervention Type. Community Organizing (Read more about intervention types and levels as defined by the Public Health Intervention Wheel).

Intervention Level. Community-Focused

Examples from the Field. Access descriptions of ESMs that use this strategy directly or intervention components that align with this strategy. You can use these ESMs to see how other Title V agencies are addressing the NPM.

Sample ESMs. Here are sample ESMs to use as models for your own measures using the Results-Based Accountability framework (for suggestions on how to develop programs to support this strategy, see The Role of Title V in Adapting Strategies).

Quadrant 1:
Measuring Quantity of Effort ("What/how much did we do?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Number of mini-grant funding opportunities announced to community-based organizations. (Shows the level of outreach to involve local partners)
  • Number of mini-grants awarded to community-based organizations, disaggregated by key community characteristics. (Measures distribution of resources)

Quadrant 2:
Measuring Quality of Effort ("How well did we do it?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Percent of mini-grant recipients serving communities experiencing challenges in health insurance access. (Evaluates focus on reach)
  • Percent of mini-grant project plans incorporating evidence-based outreach strategies. (Assesses use of proven best practices)

Quadrant 3:
Measuring Quantity of Effect ("Is anyone better off?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Number of community-based organization staff and volunteers trained on Medicaid/CHIP outreach through mini-grants. (Measures capacity building enabled by grants)
  • Number of new partnerships for referral linkages made between mini-grant recipients and Title V agencies. (Indicates mini-grants connecting organizations)

OUTCOME MEASURES:

  • Number of children in Medicaid/CHIP who receive well-child visits. (Measures utilization of services)
  • Number of families enrolled in other public assistance programs by mini-grant recipients. (Shows linkages to additional supports beyond insurance)

Quadrant 4:
Measuring Quality of Effect ("How are they better off?")

PROCESS MEASURES:

  • Percent of focus population reached through mini-grant recipient outreach. (Measures saturation in communities of focus)
  • Percent of families that report satisfaction with the enrollment assistance provided by mini-grant recipients. (Indicates family-centered quality of outreach)

OUTCOME MEASURES:

  • Percent decrease in the uninsured rate among children in communities served by mini-grant recipients. (Measures coverage improvement in focus areas)
  • Percent reduction in gaps for Medicaid/CHIP enrollment and renewal between population groups in mini-grant areas. (Evaluates impact)

Note. When looking at your ESMs, SPMs, or other strategies:

  1. Move from measuring quantity to quality.
  2. Move from measuring effort to effect.
  3. Quadrant 1 strategies should be used sparingly, when no other data exists.
  4. The most effective measurement combines strategies in all levels, with most in Quadrants 2 and 4.

Learn More. Read how to create stronger ESMs and how to measure ESM impact more meaningfully through Results-Based Accountability.

References

1 Phillips MA, Rivera MD, Shoemaker JA, Minyard K. Georgia's utilization minigrant program: promoting Medicaid/CHIP outreach. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved. 2010;21(4):1282-91.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.