It is the formalization of a joint approach that already existed, behind the scenes. At the Restos du Coeur as at the Yvelines Health Insurance, employees and volunteers have known each other for several years. Exchanges, training, discussions, the fight against exclusion from care for people in precarious situations is at the heart of their concerns.
But, for the past two years, in the difficult context of the health crisis, restaurants have had to set aside social support to respond to the food emergency, beating their record with 2 million meals distributed in 2021. An agreement has just been be signed this week between the association, the CPAM (primary health insurance fund) of Yvelines and the regional health insurance fund of Île-de-France (Cramif). This relaunched a long-term partnership in the field.
“We are a bit under reconstruction in the field of personal assistance,” says the president of the local branch of Restos du Coeur, Emmanuel Lodé-Langlois. If we could reach, thanks to this agreement, 25% of the 5,500 families we support, that would already be very good. »
To identify people in need, “it’s a lot of work”
The objective is first to identify people who do not have access to care. In the department, it is estimated that 30% of policyholders – out of a total of 1.4 million – would give up at least one treatment per year for economic or personal reasons.
“It’s a lot of work to identify them, it requires talking to them at length,” says François Guérart, a volunteer for over twenty years. Sometimes you even have to convince them to agree to be taken care of or to see a social worker. »
Modesty, lack of confidence in public services and the digital divide are often the cause. “60% of our population doesn’t have the Internet, and they don’t know how to make an appointment with an agency. »
On the health insurance side, these profiles are even more difficult to detect, in particular because of the configuration of the premises which does not promote intimacy. “It’s a public who will not unpack their personal situation in our reception points, recognizes the director of CPAM 78, Cécile Alomar. Within the association, you initiate this relationship of trust which will help us to identify them. »
After the CPAM, soon the CAF
The process is simple: the volunteers make reports to the CPAM, which triggers a follow-up within five days, by telephone first, then by making an appointment when necessary. “We are going to help them access complementary health insurance or find mutual insurance,” explains Francine Collet, health support project manager. If necessary, we can come and present the device in the centers of the Restos du Coeur. »
The proposal is taken on the fly. These interventions hit the mark each time with the association’s volunteers. Because if there are volunteers to help the poorest in their administrative procedures, they still have to dare to take on these “very technical” subjects.
“If they don’t know how to do it, that discourages them, develops Emmanuel Lodé-Langlois. If we show the volunteers that, behind the scenes, people are present and want to create synergies, that helps to convince them. This convention is essential for that. »
In addition to food aid and access to social rights, the Restos du Coeur also support families in learning French, contracting microcredits or legal aid. The Yvelinoise antenna has an appointment on March 15 with the CAF (Family allowance fund) to sign a similar partnership agreement.
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