Rebecca Mendoza, MA
Rebecca Mendoza is the Director of the Division of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) at the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and serves as the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Director. As Director of the MCH Division, Ms. Mendoza oversees the health care programs for children and pregnant women enrolled in the Medicaid and CHIP programs, which cover one in four children in Virginia. She is also responsible for administering Virginia’s EPSDT program for well-child visits and services for children with special needs, the BabyCare program for high risk pregnant women and infants, and the Plan First family planning program. In addition, she oversees Virginia’s Maximizing Enrollment: Transforming State Health Coverage grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Prior to her current position, she served as the Marketing and Outreach Manager for the Maternal and Child Health Division for four years. Before joining DMAS, she worked for six years with Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), a DMAS contractor managing the state’s CHIP Central Processing Unit and Medicaid Managed Care Helpline contracts. In addition, she has five years management experience working in non-profits serving low-income communities in Virginia and Tennessee.
Ms. Mendoza also serves on the Virginia Commissioner of Health’s workgroup to reduce infant mortality and on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Children’s Coverage Technical Advisory Group (TAG). She received her B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from University of Tennessee.
Webinar:
Building Partnerships: State Officials and Advocates Working Side by Side on Health Care Reform
May 11, 2011, 3:00-4:00 pm (EST)
View Full Webinar Here
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
