According to Data USA, 10 percent of people living in Bath County receive Medicare benefits. Another 10 percent of citizens are uninsured. Because of the clientele we serve and the leadership of our Bath County Homemakers, a volunteer decided to host Medicare Minute through Family and Consumer Sciences Extension. Since the pandemic, even more people are uninsured or under insured and are looking for educational opportunities to learn how to move forward with planning. 

The Homemaker Volunteer, a certified health insurance broker, and the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent began their partnership with Medicare Minute at the beginning of spring to provide educational material that is pertinent to clientele. The decision to host this monthly program came from the Family and Consumer Sciences Council's recommendations for programming. The health insurance broker provides a nationally certified program that highlights different topics of interest to participants. Since hosting this program strictly through Zoom and Facebook live calls since the pandemic began, the Extension Office has been able to reach people in new ways. 

Since beginning the program February 2020, the program has reached more than 3000 people through Facebook and Zoom views and calls. The insurance broker has had several follow-up calls with individuals to explain specific scenarios and has mentioned that she is grateful for the partnership. A participant stated, "I am so glad for these monthly calls. They have helped me to plan my future in ways that I didn't know I needed."