Newsletters
April 2023
Spring has finally sprung in Indiana! Greener landscapes and blooming daffodils bring hope and remind us that the seeds of change take time to sprout. From knocking on doors to launching new campaigns, we’ve spent the last month cultivating change in Indiana! Check out what we’ve been up to and learn how you can get take action with us this spring.
Protecting Hoosier Healthcare: Preparing for Changes to Medicaid
Starting this month, changes are coming to HIP, Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect, CHIP, and Medicaid in Indiana could put the healthcare of over 2 million Hoosiers at risk! Hoosier Action members and leaders have been working hard to get the word out about what’s coming and building accountability with state administrators to protect Hoosier healthcare. We know that by talking to our neighbors and taking action together, we can protect and improve the care available to Hoosier families.
For the past year, Hoosier Action leaders have been coordinating outreach and building new relationships with over 25 other faith, provider, and community organizations. Together, our coalition’s work has had an impact: we’ve significantly improved the state’s plan, built out a toolkit to support communicating changes to Medicaid, and held monthly meetings for the past year–including an in person meeting last month with Indiana Medicaid Eligibility Director Nonis Spinner.
Over the next year, Hoosiers enrolled in any of Indiana’s Medicaid programs will need to renew their health coverage to keep it. To protect their care, Medicaid members should make certain that the state has up to date contact information.
If you need help navigating Medicaid in Indiana, have questions about what’s happening, or want Hoosier Action to support you talking about these changes, we are here for you. Simply reply to this email, and we’ll get back to you.
We’ve also partnered with Indiana Legal Services for a Medicaid Know Your Rights Training on Zoom on April 19th to learn what you need to do to keep your coverage and what your Medicaid rights are if you need to fight to keep it.
Fighting to Save Our Seniors at Crawford Manor
When Bartholomew County Organizer Stephanie Zhang found out last month that “non-profit” Baptist Homes of Indiana (BHI Senior Living Inc.) was trying to kick her 82-year old grandma and 100 other low-income seniors out of their apartment complex she knew she had to take action. She and her grandma started talking to other residents, and they made a plan together.
More than half of the residents at Crawford Manor have now signed onto a letter demanding a meeting with BHI, and their fight has garnered multiple news stories. We’ve also discovered that BHI has not notified residents of all their rights and has asked them to leave earlier than federal law stipulates.
Despite their non-profit status and explicitly stated Christian values, BHI is acting like far too many landlords in Indiana: more concerned with maximizing profit and providing luxury housing to the wealthy few, rather than keeping their properties safe and serving all of their tenants. Crawford Manor residents need your help to stay in their homes: take action by signing and sharing our petition at hoosieraction.org/sos.
Ohio River Valley Outreach
Spring season is door-knocking season! Hoosier Action’s Ohio River Valley Chapter has been doing TONS of community outreach in preparation for the upcoming municipal elections. We’re asking our neighbors what they want to see changed in the community, and using those responses to create our 2023 New Albany Local Elections Agenda. Our goal for the next month is to collect 250 community surveys!
Leaders are also organizing a community listening session on April 15th where we will discuss with our neighbors what we want to see changed in our town and envision the future of New Albany together. If you are a New Albany resident, join us for our Lunch & Listen session on Saturday, May 13th from 12:30 -2:30 pm at Division Street School at 1803 Conservative Street.
Learning Our Rights & Building Power Together in Bartholomew County
Bartholomew County leaders organized a powerful Know Your Rights Training for Renters on March 25th! Over 30 Columbus residents joined us, along with Indiana Legal Services who lent their expertise to the training. Learning our rights is the first step toward ensuring all Hoosiers have a safe place to live and raise their families.
Morgan County Leaders Fight for Mental Health Funding
Morgan County members took the fight to fully fund SB1, an essential mental health bill, to the Statehouse on March 14th! Hoosier Action members met with legislators and joined leaders from Faith in Indiana for a press conference calling on legislators to allocate $130 million toward mental health centers and crisis response.
Although the session is drawing to a close soon, we still don’t know how much money–if any–will be allocated for mental healthcare. Help ensure Indiana’s new mental healthcare system is fully funded by emailing your elected officials TODAY!
Upcoming Events
In Person Meetings
- Bartholomew County Chapter Meeting April 6th 6:00 PM ET in Columbus
- Ohio River Valley Chapter Meeting April 13th 6:30 PM ET in New Albany
- Lunch & Listen: Community Listening Session May 13th 12:30 PM ET in New Albany
Online Events
- Medicaid Know Your Rights Training Zoom Call April 19th 6:30 PM ET
Join us!
Hoosier Action is a community organization made-up of members from local chapters and across the state. We work to build an Indiana where regular people have a say in the decisions that affect their lives. We have hundreds of members from South Bend to Seymour and everywhere in between. We run campaigns, hold trainings, and develop local leadership in the areas where we work; changing hearts and minds (and winning!) along the way.
Change both lives and politics in Indiana: become a member of Hoosier Action today!
Hoosier Action
PO Box 469
New Albany, IN 47150