BEND, OR -- Three local nonprofits - Mosaic Community Health, Latino Community Association, and Volunteers in Medicine got hundreds of immigrants on to the Oregon Health Plan over the last year.

Mosaic’s Strategy and Development Director Elaine Knobbs-Seasholtz tells KBND News $300,000 from an Oregon Health Authority grant supports local outreach, enrollment, and navigation activities, “Our three entities have worked so hard to build trust in the immigrant community and we know we're going to be stronger together to really get out this amazing opportunity into the community.”

The program started last year with some restrictions. As of July 1, those restrictions were lifted so Oregonians of all ages who meet income and other criteria are eligible to receive no-cost healthcare and other benefits.

“Our collective group has been able to provide navigation support to more than 400 eligible people. And our partnership has enrolled 300 individuals in Oregon Health Plan,” Knobbs-Seasholtz says, adding another grant awarded this year allows them to build on that success, “We've done lots of these presentations collectively LCA, VIM, and Mosaic, at churches, businesses, events... So being able to talk directly to people is so powerful and has been able to spread the word.”

They plan to ramp up OHP outreach efforts over the next year.