Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) and Coalition Partners Celebrate Passage of Medicaid ACO Demonstration Project Legislation

Health Care Access

September 13, 2011

New Jersey recently passed legislation that establishes a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Demonstration Project under the Department of Human Services.

The signing of the bill went largely unnoticed in mainstream media, however the leaders of Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) and their coalition partners are celebrating this victory  that allows  community-based non-profits across the state to apply to become state-recognized Medicaid ACO facilities.

"God desires healing and wholeness for all people... We knew the status quo was wrong and we fought to fix it.  Making this law work is the moral thing to do and it's the practical thing to do said Rev. Heyward Wiggins, pastor of CCOP-congregation Camden Bible Tabernacle.

This victory means that more communities can follow the example of CCOP, which worked with partners to improve health care access for the residents of the Northgate II, a low-income high-rise housing community in Camden. In March, a nurse practitioner's office opened at the 300-unit apartment complex.

"We envision our families and neighbors having access to good doctors and quality care," said Anthony Phoenix, a Northgate II resident and member of CCOP-congregation Ferry Avenue United Methodist Church.

When Dr. Jeff Brenner and the Camden Coalition's data analysis identified that residents in several high-rise apartments, including  Northgate II, were using the emergency room for routine care  such as head colds and  sore throats, CCOP leaders interviewed the residents. They learned that often  people had no other outlet for medical treatment. Yet the repeated visits to the emergency room generated more than  $17 million in hospital charges over six years.

The launch of the medical office in the Northgate II apartment tower is the result of a community-driven model designed to increase access to health care and focus spending on improved care.

The Rev. Edward Livingston, Executive Director of CCOP "CCOP and the Coalition have shared our community-driven patient-centered model with a host of groups, including the White House, the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Innovation and through national webinars, " said  Rev. Edward Livingston, CCOP Executive Director. " Our local CCOP leaders won the launch of an on-site medical office for quality primary care so quickly because of the organizing process and amazing allies like Fair Share Development, The Camden Coalition and Reliance Medical Group.

CCOP represents 20 congregations and is a non-partisan faith-based community organization working to transform conditions for individuals and families in the city of Camden, NJ through the skillful development of local leaders, a disciplined organizing model rooted in the democratic process, and a profound commitment to the values our leaders and community share. CCOP is a member of the PICO National Network, a faith-based organization comprised of more than 1,000 congregations and faith communities.