Geelong-based health insurer GMHBA says it has been providing additional support to vulnerable members during the COVID-19 pandemic with check-in phone calls and hand-delivered care packages.
GMHBA’s said its Care Coordination Service (CCS) traditionally organises care for members who have complicated health problems to provide support, information and access to health services at no cost.
It said it expanded the CCS in response to the pandemic. CCS team members have been making contact with GMHBA members who may be elderly or live alone, to check-in and offer to provide ongoing phone calls and assistance.
The insurer said staff from its Eye Care and Dental Care practices were deployed to support the CCS expansion while operations at the practices were scaled back to provide only urgent care during the pandemic.
In addition to check-in phone calls, they have been hand-delivering care packs to local members in Geeloing. The care packs have included a morning tea from Café PALAT in Geelong, GMHBA toothbrush, lens spray, hand sanitiser, sunscreen and information packs about wellbeing at home.
It said more than 200 members have been contacted as part of the program. More than half of those have taken up the offer of ongoing support phone calls.
According to GMHBA general manager of health, people and community, Dr Sarah Leach,
“Now more than ever, GMHBA is here for our members. A lot has changed in the world over the past few months and we’ve been required to shift our focus to ensure we offer support and care to our members in new and different ways.
“We’ve received feedback from our members about how grateful they have been for the check in calls and how they feel they can really trust GMHBA for their care.”