Medicaid Information Session
Residents that are on Medicaid or may soon be eligible for Medicaid will have an opportunity to hear about the options and how certain organizations work within the system to provide for the aged population. Next Wednesday, February 7th, officials from Trillium Community Health Plan and PacificSource Community Solutions will be in Florence to discuss coordination of care. Dominique Lopez-Stickney is the senior director of Medicaid for Trillium and Kelli DeVore is the Lane County CCO for PacificSource. They will be providing an overview of Health Related Social Needs and the services available to Community Based Organizations. The Florence Area Community Coalition will be hosting the event. The in-person portion will be at the Bromley room of the Siuslaw Public Library and begin at 10:45 and will be over at noon. There is also a zoom option which can be accessed at florenceareacc.org.
Foster Care Numbers Declining
The Oregon Department of Human Services is reporting a steady decline in the number of children in foster care. At the end of 2023 there were 4,597 children in the foster care system, down from 7,908 in 2018. One of the reasons for the steady decline according to ODHS is the efforts being made to keep the family unit intact. ODHS has increased the number of service sites that parents can access when having difficulties. While decreasing the number of children ODHS has also received monies from the state to increase reimbursement to resource families which added an additional $241.00 per month.
Business Opportunity
If you have thought about opening a small business or are just looking for something exciting to do the the US Department of Agriculture has announced the concessionaire facility at Devil’s Churn will become available this summer for the sale of Food and Beverages under a special use permit. Thise interested have until April 3rd to submit documentation. Information about the facility and the requirements are found at a special website set up by the USDA. The address can be found on the Coast Radio Website with the online version of this story.
Tax Season
Tax season is officially underway and if it is your first time to file or if you have been filing for years the IRS wants to remind you of important information. Beginners should make sure that they have all the social security numbers for everyone listed on the tax return, bank and routing information, w-2’s, 1099s, 1098s and other income documents along with form 1095-a the Health Insurance Marketplace statement. Those earning less than $75,000 per household are also able to file for free. More information is available at irs.gov.
