Enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, jumped by 53 percent in the State of West Virginia in 2001, an increase Governor Bob Wise attributed in large part to the work of Community Voices West Virginia, the Healthy Kids Coalition, and other local groups.

"I made a commitment to make sure we were doing everything possible to sign up every child who needed health insurance," stated Governor Wise.

CHIP is a joint program of the Federal Government and the governments of each state to provide health insurance coverage for children in low-income families. The West Virginia CHIP program, created in 1998, provides free or low-cost health coverage for children from birth to age 19 years and covers preventive care, including well-child-visits and immunizations, prescription drugs, hospital visits, oral heath care, vision care, and mental health care.

The fifty-three percent increase in enrollment in 2001 represented 11,485 new children entering the program and ranked West Virginia thirteenth among all states in percentage increase in enrollment in 2001. There are currently 20,001 children enrolled in the West Virginia CHIP program and approximately 4.5 million children participating in the program nationwide.

"It is great to have a governor who is so committed and is ready to act," says current West Virginia Community Voices Project Director, Nancy Tolliver.

Community Voices was instrumental in the development of a one-page enrollment form to streamline CHIP applications. The forms were given to every public school student in the state through a partnership with the Charleston Gazette. The effort was buttressed by a public service announcement campaign sponsored by Community Voices West Virginia.

West Virginia has currently enrolled an approximate 93% of all children eligible for its CHIP program, a national model of success. Governor Wise attributed the increased enrollment to the both the efforts of private and public organizations in partnering with the state on an aggressive outreach and media campaign to schools and communities. "I know that many of our families who work hard still can't afford basic health care for their children," said Governor Wise. "This is why I'm going to continue to walk door-to-door and talk with families about the importance of CHIP."

"Enrolling eligible children in CHIP and Medicaid has been a high priority for the West Virginia Community Voices Partnership since the beginning of the program," says Renate Pore, former project director of West Virginia Community Voices and current Director of the Governor's Cabinet in Children and Families.

"With support from the Kellogg Foundation, the West Virginia Community Voices Partnership has worked to increase access by partnering with a variety of community organizations and by informing the debates over various access issues," Pore added.