Success Stories

Health Care for Access for the Underserved

Community Action Partnership of Natrona County (CAPNC) has been a catalyst in increasing health care access to the underserved populations of Natrona County. In September 1998, CAPNC sponsored a series of "Social Reconnaissance" community meetings, for a team of visitors from both the federal government and the State of Wyoming. One purpose of these meetings was for the visiting team to listen to leaders, health and human service providers and residents of Natrona County to learn about the county’s health issues, the communities' history of working together and the resources available in the county. A second purpose of these meetings was to provide a forum for the community to advise the federal government, the state, and themselves about how to more effectively meet the needs of underserved persons.

Chapter 10 of "Winning in the Women's Health Marketplace" edited by Genie James describes our efforts:

"In Casper, Wyoming, the local convener of a Social Reconnaissance was CAPNC that has oversight responsibility for a Health Care for the Homeless Clinic, and a "self-assigned" leadership role in meeting the needs of underserved persons in the community. The Social Reconnaissance helped bring to the attention of the community the growing number of persons in jobs that do not provide health insurance, and that pay wages that do not allow people to purchase insurance. The follow-up component of this Social Reconnaissance consists of CAPNC's Executive Director meeting with local private physicians (with assistance from an outside, federal-level resource holder who is also a physician) to discuss an approach to serve this group of people, and bring other resource holders (from health care, government, education, and the private sector) in the community together to plan, develop and implement strategies that can improve access to care."

(permission to quote this article has been sought, permission request is pending)

Here are a few ways access to health care in our community as been addressed by the Human Services Commission:

  • In 1992, as part of a collaborative effort between several community agencies, obtained federal funding for a Health Care for the Homeless Clinic in Casper, Wyoming.
  • In 1998, sponsored Social Reconnaissance town meetings to assess health access issues.
  • In 1999, as a collaborative effort with the University of Wyoming Family Practice Residency Program, helped establish an independent private not-for-profit board and sponsored a federal Community Health Center grant application on behalf of this board. Funding was obtained and a new community health center was opened in October 2000.
  • In 1997, advocated for the approval of a Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Wyoming. We currently advocate for expansion of this program to support more uninsured children.
  • Since 1999, on behalf of the Natrona County Interagency Council we have served as one of five local pilot outreach projects for Wyoming's Covering Kids Project.

Continuum of Care for the Homeless

In 1996, the City of Casper donated the leasehold of the property of the former Wyoming Youth Treatment Center to the Casper Housing Authority for a 40-year period. The Casper Housing Authority renamed the property and buildings the "Life Steps Campus". The Life Steps Campus houses a number of transitional housing programs for the homeless, a residential substance abuse program, and Community Action Partership of Natrona County's ’s Health Care for the Homeless Clinic.

CAPNC through Natrona County sponsored Community Development Block Grant applications on behalf the Casper Housing Authority for rehabilitation of the Life Steps Campus on three separate occasions. A total of $650,000 was obtained to help in the renovation of buildings providing transitional housing to homeless families and children.

In 1996, Community Action Partership of Natrona County was asked by a group of local community agencies to facilitate the establishment of the Casper Area/Central Wyoming Homeless Collaborative. This group was formed to develop a local continuum of care for the homeless and to submit Continuum of Care applications to HUD to help fund several transitional housing projects located on the Life Steps Campus. CAPNC served as the application sponsor for the Collaborative.

In January 2000, the Wyoming Statewide Homeless Collaborative was formed to develop a statewide continuum of care for homeless services and to submit a statewide Continuum of Care funding application to HUD. This statewide group was developed as a confederation of four existing regional collaboratives. CAPNC provided a VISTA*Americorps volunteer to this group to help organize, facilitate and coordinate regional and statewide planning efforts. CAPNC has also served as the application sponsor for the Statewide Collaborative.

Through these efforts $1,344,372 in HUD Continuum of Care funds have been awarded to transitional housing programs located on the Life Steps Campus in Casper during the past four years. Twenty-two additional family units serving approximately 77 homeless persons have been added through this funding.

In 1996, the Casper Area Homeless Collaborative received a "Best Practices Award" from the HUD for the Life Steps Campus. In 2000, the Wyoming Statewide Homeless Collaborative received a HUD "Best Practices Award for Outstanding Achievement" for the development of the statewide continuum of care.