HELENA
The Children's Defense Fund opened an office in Great Falls Monday, said Jim Koppel, director of the CDF in Minnesota. Kristina Davis will be director of the Montana office, the eighth CDF office in the country. The Montana office will support Initiative 155, a ballot measure that would expand health care coverage to 30,000 uninsured children. The CDF will then work to get the state Legislature to allocate about $30 million to the project, Koppel said. "With a significant number of children and families in Montana facing poverty, lack of health coverage and inadequate child care, Children's Defense Fund saw an opportunity to have a positive influence in the state," Koppel said. CDF, along with Rural Dynamics Inc., is launching a Web-based project program called Bridge to Benefits, with a Web site that will allow families to determine what public assistance they are eligible to apply for, including medical Assistance, energy assistance, food aid, children's health insurance and low-cost school lunches. Schools and nonprofit agencies can also use the Web site. "This technology and outreach has already helped thousands of families in Minnesota, where it was launched last fall, and we think it will have a similar positive impact in Montana," Koppel said. "By bringing these underutilized programs to the attention of communities, schools, nonprofits and families, there has been great response and participation rates are going to increase as a result. "This not only helps families, but also brings resources to Montana and to communities across the state," he said. (AP)
