WS Chronicle

Above: Photo illustration

Special to The Chronicle

Segmented Marketing Services Inc. (SMSi) and Urban Call Marketing Partners, two minority-owned companies, have partnered with Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina Inc. to support the community effort to help people sign up for affordable health insurance.

The Goodwill Retail Stores at 2701 University Parkway, 514 Waughtown St. and 2760 Peters Creek Parkway will host Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment agents onsite Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday 2 – 6 p.m. through Sunday, Feb. 15.

“We are delighted to partner with Goodwill for the second year on our Affordable Care Act outreach initiative. At each enrollment center, qualified agents will be able to enroll residents, help them determine if they qualify for a subsidy and which insurance plan best fits their needs,” said Sandra Miller Jones, founder and president of SMSi.

The enrollment centers are part of a statewide community outreach initiative spearheaded by SMSi and Urban Call Marketing Partners and in conjunction with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.  Local community ambassadors across the state have partnered with more than 200 community leaders representing churches and civic organizations to host over 300 community enrollment events.  Also, consumers have access to the customized website, www.SMSiUrbanCallHealth.com to find information about affordable health insurance.

“This is the second year we have partnered with SMSi to host enrollment centers for the Affordable Care Act,” said Jaymie Eichorn, Goodwill vice president of Marketing and Communications. “We appreciate the opportunity to make this resource available to our customers at three of our locations in Forsyth County.”

Also, as part of the initiative, SMSi Partners developed and launched a comprehensive marketing campaign – including a customized Urban Call print and digital edition – to reach consumers.

“The customized Urban Call publication themed “Healthy Living Every Day!” reaches up to 50,000 households and covers topics ranging from the importance of an active lifestyle, Affordable Care Act timeline, resources directories and glossary terms,” said. Lafayette Jones, president of SMSi-Urban Call Marketing and publisher of Urban Call.

Last year, SMSi and Urban Call Marketing Partners launched its affordable healthcare community outreach efforts and were responsible for 3,000 sign-ups.

Anyone interested can either make an appointment by calling 866-341-5283 or droping by any of the participating Goodwill stores.