RALEIGH The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently received approval to use federal matching funds to expand services for the evidence-based early childhood program, Reach Out and Read. Research shows that children who Reach Out and Read have improved literacy and language comprehension, and clinics have improved patient-clinician relationships and well-child visit attendance. This partnership with Reach Out and Read is one of the first in the country among Medicaid programs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved the partnership through its Health Services Initiative that allows states to use federal matching funds to further an initiative in the state that improves the health of children, with a focus on low-income children that would be eligible for Medicaid or the Children s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).