Organizations from Western Tidewater and across Hampton Roads gathered at Suffolk’s Department of Social Services on Friday to learn the ins and outs of the newly expanded Medicaid program.

The Virginia Healthcare Foundation provided the training for the day-long workshop for almost 55 organizations. The Obici Healthcare Foundation requested and sponsored the training to support organizations that will help educate or enroll their clients in Medicaid.

This training marked one of more than 30 the Virginia Healthcare Foundation has done since October after the state’s General Assembly voted in May to expand Medicaid to an additional 400,000 Virginians.

“It’s fabulous to see so many people here,” Virginia Health Foundation’s Director of Administration and Technology Kim Bemberis said. “We are hoping to capture a lot of good will. There are people at these organizations willing to help those enroll in Medicaid. They can help their clients apply.”

Educating organizations about the Medicaid process is equally important to educating those that are eligible for the health care, because the organizations present regularly deal with those that qualify for coverage but wouldn’t otherwise know how to apply.

Bemberis spent a majority of the morning diving into the physical application line by line to ensure that the organizations present would have the ability to answer questions should a client need help with the process.

Organizations like Suffolk’s Meals on Wheels have the opportunity to spread valuable information to the people they serve.

Meals on Wheels isn’t directly associated with the health care of their clients, but the volunteers are the only people they might see regularly. According to Executive Director Roseland Worrell, the people they serve largely live alone and don’t often get information outside of their own homes.

“We send fliers out with their meals and even copies of the Suffolk News-Herald, and they really love and appreciate that,” Worrell said. “This is incredibly educational, and it gives us the opportunity to teach others.”

Worrell has plans to make copies of the information she received at the workshop so they can be included with the meals they serve the community. She knows once she distributes the information, people will want to know more.

The afternoon continued with information about eligibility requirements and even post-enrollment information for the program. Some of the information was even as simple as explaining the difference between Medicaid and Medicare, because Bemberis said people regularly get the two health care options confused.

Bemberis, along with the rest of the Virginia Healthcare Foundation, is happy to see the increase in care for Virginians as well as the other benefits that come along with the expansion.

“It makes a real financial difference for the state, and it even creates jobs for the state,” Bemberis said. “These people’s tax dollars pay for the program, and now they can benefit from the coverage.”

Virginians can begin enrolling in Medicaid now, and they have the opportunity to enroll on a rolling basis. New coverage will begin Jan. 1, 2019.