UTAH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM WINS AWARD

The Utah Department of Health issued the following news release:

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) UtahCLICKS Webbased application program has been honored with the Council of State Governments (CSG) 2006 Innovations Award.

UtahCLICKS is a one-stop-shopping Web site where Utahns can apply for several public assistance programs at the same time. The programs include Medicaid, Baby Your Baby, Baby Watch, CHIP and others.

"The site allows individuals to complete and submit the paperwork for the programs they need--and they don't have to answer any question twice," said Adrienne Akers, director of UtahCLICKS. "It's available in English and Spanish and, since it's online, can be accessed 24/7."

The Web site has received 14,000 applications since its October 2005 launch. Clients appreciate its round-the-clock availability. "Nearly two-thirds of all the forms come in to us before 8 a.m., after 5 p.m. and on weekends," said Akers.

Clients are asked to fill out an optional online survey when they complete their applications. Ninety-eight percent of those who complete the survey say they would recommend UtahCLICKS to others. Many say they appreciate not having to drive or take a bus from office to office, and they don't spend time in agency waiting rooms any more.

"Spending hours filling out multiple forms isn't the best use of a busy family's time," said UDOH Executive Director Dr. David Sundwall. "It just makes sense to have the application process online, and we're very pleased UtahCLICKS is working for so many Utahns," he said.

UtahCLICKS is a joint project of the UDOH and Utah State University, which developed the software. "The technology behind UtahCLICKS is very sound and highly userfriendly," said Akers. "And it works just as well for the caseworkers who receive the data and use it to determine eligibility," she added.

Utahns who don't have home Internet access can apply online at libraries or from a computer where they work. The program is working so well, several other states like Indiana, Kansas and Arizona are looking at adopting the software for their own residents.

The CSG Innovation Awards were launched in 1986 to bring greater visibility to exemplary state programs and to help facilitate the transfer of those programs to other states. Eight winners are selected annually - two from each of four regions. The other Western region winner for 2006 is Washington's Spoken Language Brokered Interpreter Services, which improves access to interpreters for Low English Proficiency Medicaid clients and ensures the Medicaid program is billed correctly for services.

For more information on UtahCLICKS, please contact Adrienne Akers at Utah State University at adrienne.akers@usu.edu or at 435-797-3838.Contact: Adrienne Akers, 435/797-3838.

Adrienne Akers, 435/797-3838.