Mano en Mano Hosts ReINFORMA Charla

Mano en Mano Hosts its First Charla!

We were very pleased to host a ReINFORMA Charla last Friday, September 23^rd at Mano en Mano in partnership with the Maine Migrant Health Program (MMHP), Maine Health Access Foundation, and Maine Equal Justice Partners. This ReINFORMA charla(or chat) is a project to inform immigrants to the U.S. about the recent changes to federal and Maine health care laws, and most importantly to provide information about how the changes affect them. In total, 24 people (parents and children) attended our evening charla.

 

Executive Director Ian Yaffe presented in Spanish on the changes in benefits to MaineCare, Emergency Medical Assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Familes, and Food Supplements. Our presentation included 3 information sheets in Spanish and a flowchart that detailed the changes from the recent

healthcare reform and the qualifications for benefits. Outreach Worker Edith Flores assisted Ian in the Q&A session following the presentation, where they fielded a number of questions from attendees. The overwhelming benefit of the charla was giving clear information so that our clients understand what the new changes in state healthcare laws mean, and where their families now stand.

 

“As an employee of Mano en Mano, I feel like we accomplished something very big and important,” commented Edith. “Even though it may seem small, it’s important for us to let the community know what’s going on and any changes happening in the area that apply to them. Hosting a charla or similar event is important for us at Mano en Mano, because it’s another way to serve our resident community and assist in explaining these often complicated and confusing changes in healthcare laws.”

We’re grateful to all of the individuals that attended our presentation, and appreciate the support of the Maine Migrant Health Program, Maine Health Access Foundation, and Maine Equal Justice Partners in sponsoring these sessions.