As a part of the nationwide educational effort to raise awareness on health care and the uninsured, Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor officially proclaimed March 22-28 as Cover the Uninsured Week for the City of Tulsa during a press conference at St. John Medical Center March 23. The declaration coincides with the national Cover the Uninsured Week effort to educate communities about the plight of the uninsured, generating both community and legislative support for action to improve the situation.
As a part of the proclamation, a coalition of Tulsa health care partners announced a special week-long Insure Oklahoma (O-EPIC) healthcare enrollment. The O-EPIC program is designed to help Oklahoma’s lower income, working adults obtain health care coverage. Insure Oklahoma enrollment specialists will be available at various locations throughout Tulsa March 23-28.
"Too many Oklahomans are living without health insurance and forced to risk every day that they will not get sick or injured,” says Charles Anderson, St. John Medical Center chief executive officer. “With the strain of a worsening economy, the plight of the uninsured becomes even more serious. Opportunities such as the Cover the Uninsured Week/Insure Oklahoma enrollment event will help to provide small businesses and qualified individuals access to a health plan that fits their economic needs.”
Individuals interested in enrolling in Insure Oklahoma or learning more are invited to attend one of the opportunities held during Cover the Uninsured Week.
Criteria for Insure Oklahoma enrollment (must meet one):
• Working adults who work for an Oklahoma business with 99 or fewer employees
• Temporarily unemployed adults who are eligible to receive unemployment benefits through the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC)
• Working adults with a disability who work for any size employer and have a “Ticket to Work” via Social Security Administration
• Self-employed individuals
• Full-time college students (19-22 years old)
Individuals interested in enrolling in the program are required to provide the following:
• If employed by a qualified employer:
--Pay stub from the most recent pay period in March
--W2, 1099 forms
• If self-employed: Most recent completed tax return with all schedules/pages
• If currently unemployed: Letter from Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission (OESC) explaining unemployment benefits (monetary determination letter)
• If disabled: Ticket to Work certificate and Social Security documentation
Qualification is subject to income guidelines, which are available at www.insureoklahoma.org. A letter will be sent for citizenship and identity documentation after pre-approval for all individuals.
Enrollment Locations*
Monday – Friday, March 23-27
OU Physicians Community Health Clinics
Sandy Park
6112 W. 11th St.
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Wednesday after 12 p.m.)
East Central Village
12301 - C. E. Archer
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Monday after 12 p.m.)
Turley Community Center
6514 N. Peoria Ave.
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Indian Health Care Resource Center
550 S. Peoria Ave.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (hours extended
to 7 p.m. on Thursday)
OSU Health Care Center
2345 Southwest Blvd.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 24
OU Family Medicine Center
1111 S. St. Louis
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
OSU Medical Center
Emergency Department
744 W. 9th St.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tulsa Health Department
315 S. Utica Ave.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday, March 25
Tulsa Health Department
315 S. Utica Ave.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, March 26
OU Schusterman Center Clinic
4444 S. 41st St.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
OSU Medical Center
Emergency Department
744 W. 9th St.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 28
St. John Medical Center
Mary K. Chapman Health Plaza Annex Room
1819 E. 19th St.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tulsa Dream Center Health Services
200 W. 46th St. N.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, please call the St. John PulseLine, (918) 744-0123.
About Cover the Uninsured Week:
Cover the Uninsured, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Cover the Uninsured Week’s goal is to work toward building and sustaining broad-based support for change. This includes raising awareness and building support among policy-makers, health care professionals, grassroots advocates, faith leaders, the business community and active citizens.
Partners in the Tulsa-area Cover the Uninsured Week effort include St. John Health System, Tulsa Health Department, Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Oklahoma State Center for Health Sciences, Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa, OU Physicians, Community Health Connection, Inc., Tulsa Dream Center, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Community Access Project and Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
*Click here to view information on area low-cost or free clinics.
