Photo Provided OhioRISE care coordinators accept a donation from HealthMarkets Insurance of 10 beds for children. Pictured from left are care coordinator Jeremy Miller, OhioRISE Director Lindsay Brandon, HealthMarkets licensed sub-agent Christina Smith, HealthMarkets office manager and senior agent Michaela Williams, and care coordinators Vicky Filtz and Michelle Wells.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — OhioRISE was able to help provide beds to area children, thanks to a new partnership with HealthMarkets Insurance and its local offices in Jefferson and Belmont counties.

HealthMarkets donated beds and bedding to 10 OhioRISE members. A bed is something many people take for granted, but the need is real, and this lack is something OhioRISE’s care coordinators see too often among the families they serve.

Jefferson County Educational Service Center OhioRISE is a Medicaid managed care program for children and youth with complex behavioral health and multisystem needs in Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Stark and Tuscarawas counties. OhioRISE was formed to coordinate resources and put families in touch with what is available.

OhioRISE members and care coordinators stopped by HealthMarkets’ St. Clairsville office a few weeks ago to pick up the beds.

Christina Smith, licensed sub-agent for Serena Heckathorn of HealthMarkets, said the company is committed to giving back to the community and found OhioRISE the perfect collaborator. Smith added she has been aware of OhioRISE since its inception several years ago and has seen the dedication of the care coordinators and the range of services and resources they can provide.

“I just absolutely loved what they were doing,” she said. “The growth that I have seen with OhioRISE from a few years ago when I first learned about them to now is phenomenal. They are doing great things. They are supporting the youth and families in crisis.”

Smith said HealthMarkets was happy to make a difference to the bed recipients.

“They’re going to be able to leave here with everything they need for a good night’s sleep.”

Smith foresees continued partnerships with OhioRISE as HealthMarkets looks for more ways to give back.

HealthMarkets office manager and senior agent Michaela Williams also welcomed the opportunity to help.

“I’m so proud of the idea. It definitely makes you realize how much we do take for granted,” she said. “It makes me feel glad we’re able to do this for a lot of families.”

OhioRISE Director Lindsay Brandon said building a network of community partnerships was central to OhioRISE’s philosophy. Businesses and organizations such as HealthMarkets want to help, and OhioRISE is positioned to identify common gaps in necessities that they might not consider, and to find families that most need those resources. She was grateful for HealthMarkets’ commitment to extending a helping hand.

“They had called and asked if there was a way that they could partner with us so that we could make sure that we’re meeting the needs of our families, and this was something that we identified as a need that maybe wasn’t something that was on the forefront of peoples’ minds, but we hear it a lot when we’re working with our members, so it was a good way for us to be able to meet that need that couldn’t be met otherwise.”

Through OhioRISE, families are eligible for “flex funds” for a variety of services. OhioRISE puts families in contact with services such as counseling and respite care to help those families in meeting goals and needs in their home.

“We’re just really excited that we were able to partner with HealthMarkets today so that we can make sure we’re meeting the needs of our kiddos. We do have a need for this particular item, and unfortunately it’s not something that can be met through Medicaid dollars, so this is a way that we can make that happen.”

Brandon said OhioRISE welcomed this new partnership.

“We’re always looking to partner with our local providers and other folks who support and are able to work with the same groups of people that we work with, making sure that we’re meeting the needs of those members in every way that we possibly can.”

Care coordinator Jeremy Miller, also one of the executive directors of the Eastern Ohio Aspire adult education program, thanked HealthMarkets for its generosity to families facing barriers to a decent place to rest. Miller said the family he works with was overjoyed.

“They are very appreciative of everything we’ve done with their child in the home, and this has been one of his goals, to improve his sleep,” Miller said.

Care coordinator Michelle Wells said it is rewarding to help make a difference in families’ lives, and 10 children will no longer have to sleep on the floor or an air mattress, thanks to this donation.

“Two beds will be going to one family that I have, and the brother and sister are really excited to have a bed to sleep in,” Wells said.

Care coordinator Vicky Filtz agreed, adding that a bed is something many people have never experienced being without.

“We are so thankful to Christina and HealthMarkets for stepping up and wanting to help give back to their community.”

To learn more about OhioRISE, call 740-792-4011, email ohiorise.info@jcesc.org or visit OhioRISE online at jcesc.k12.oh.us/CareManagementEntity.aspx.

OhioRISE is also on the lookout for more care coordinators. Anyone interested in becoming a care coordinator can apply at jcescvla.bamboohr.com/careers/23.