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at-risk populations”. In California, the targeted at-risk populations are Latinos, African Americans, and children born to low income parents. Of California’s 2.5 million children under the age of 5 (2002 U.S. Census), approximately 750,000 live in poverty. African-Americans and Latinos are California’s largest at-risk groups. A line of consumer-based educational materials has been developed in Spanish using research findings with target audiences. Materials are culturally relevant, take into consideration health literacy levels and clearly illustrate and describe poison center services. Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hmong, Russian and Armenian brochures have also been developed. Materials are customized and culturally relevant to each group. A Community Health Worker Initiative directs efforts to the “hardest to reach” and “at highest risk” populations. Community health workers deliver the CPCS message through group education sessions, community health fairs, and local events, as well as informally, though one-on-one outreach in their neighborhoods, churches, and community gatherings CPCS advertises the national public toll free number and its own TTY toll free number in both the white pages and the “customer guide” (usually appearing on page 2) of all California telephone directories. Listings placed with the major local phone companies (SBC, Verizon) are applied to each directory they publish in California. CPCS also places these listings in the smaller rural phone company, as well as independent community directories. Healthy Families Purchasing Pool Delivery System. For the majority of eligible families, MRMIB will offer access to health plans through a subsidized consumer choice purchasing system. The pool will be built around the concepts used successfully by organized purchasers such as the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and HIPC -- price competition among managed care health plans, family choice of plans, performance based contracts with plans, and reliance on existing private sector delivery systems. In the purchasing pool, many of the same health plans and networks available in the employer market will be available to beneficiaries, providing broad access to health care providers. Most of the plans participating will be health maintenance organizations (HMOs), but it is possible that one or more preferred provider organizations (PPOs) will also participate. PPO’s participate in several of MRMIB’s Effective Date: Approval Date: November 1, 2009 HFP Family Contribution Increase November 1, 2009 HFP Co-Payment Increase November 1, 2009 HFP Limited Dental Plan Choice for New Subscribers

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