Little Rock, Arkansas – Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas declared on Tuesday morning that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had authorized ARHOME, which includes a cutting-edge program called Life360 HOMEs.
According to a press release from Hutchison, ARHOME is still able to provide eligible Arkansans with health insurance by purchasing it with Medicaid funds.
The LIFE360 HOMEs amendment will deal with issues affecting Arkansans who are most at risks, such as those who are pregnant at high risk, those who live in rural areas and have serious mental illness and substance use disorders, and young adults who have been identified as being most at risk for long-term poverty and poor health outcomes.
“These Life360 HOMEs are a critical component of the ARHOME program, and the additional services and supports that they will make available to Arkansans across this state have the potential to make a profound impact on the health of our citizens,” said Gov. Hutchinson. “Thank you to our federal partners and the teams at the Arkansas Department of Human Services for making this program a reality. I am eager to see the positive outcomes it will bring when it is fully implemented.”
There are three different Life360s that will focus on different demographics to provide them with intense care coordination services and supports that are specially created to match their particular needs:
• Maternal Life360s will support women who have high-risk pregnancies.
• Rural Life360s will support individuals with mental illness or substance use disorder living in rural areas of the state, providing intensive care coordination through coaches employed by rural hospitals.
• Success Life360s will support young adults most at risk of long-term poverty and associated poor health outcomes due to involvement with the foster care system, prior incarceration, or involvement with the juvenile justice system, and young adult veterans who are at high risk of homelessness.
“Each of the three types of Life360s provides a connection to services that will make Arkansans healthier,” said Mark White, Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. “With today’s announcement that this innovative component of the ARHOME program has received federal approval, we are ready to deliver new supports that will lead to better health outcomes and stronger communities. These Life360s will mean intensive care coordination is available for a variety of Arkansans, including pregnant women and new moms, rural residents facing mental illness or substance use disorder, and young veterans, among many others. I’m grateful for the teams that have worked to make this announcement possible, and I’m truly excited for the potential of this transformative program.”