Molina Member Story

Molina Helps Six-Year-Old Boy with a Grim Diagnosis and a Grueling Four Month Hospital Stay go from Hopeless to Thriving

Imagine taking your six-year-old child to the hospital for a fever and pain. The hospital initially admits him for an appendectomy, only to later discover he actually has cancer.

Imagine being the mother of that child and having the hospital question whether your home is safe enough for your child to live in with his diagnosis. You have no means to move, no job, limited social support, and don’t even know where to start the process to improve your living conditions when you have three other children to take care of as well.

That’s what happened to one Illinois family, who through the help of Molina’s Managed Care Medicaid Program, was able to go from a grim diagnosis and a grueling four month hospital stay, to a stable and healthy new home - and life.

When a Molina case manager first spoke with six-year-old Jermaine Johnson’s mother, she didn’t know if her son would live another week. She told the case manager all she wanted was her son to be comfortable and at home.

A home that the hospital questioned was healthy and stable enough for her six-year-old son, now battling cancer. Jermaine shared a room in the family’s two-bedroom apartment with his three siblings, which greatly increased his risk of infection.

In addition to all of the difficulties the family faced, they had little social or family support, and Ms. Johnson was struggling to pay for transportation to and from the hospital to visit her son. Fortunately, doctors and nurses were able to stabilize Jermaine and his condition began to improve.

During his stay, Jermaine’s case triggered Molina’s discharge team to further investigate and subsequently refer him to a case manager. This care coordination connection would be the beginning of a new life for Jermaine and his family.

His case manager was able to connect the family with cancer resources, as well as apply for grant assistance to help with their financial needs. Additionally, social determinants of health (SDoH) experts at Molina worked to identify any other opportunities to further assist the family including securing SSI benefits for Jermaine, assisting with helping Ms. Johnson find employment and supporting the process of acquiring a four-bedroom home and furniture.

After four months, six-year-old Jermaine was discharged to a stable and healthy home where he now has his own bedroom. The case manager worked with the hospital to train Ms. Johnson to be his caregiver and since his discharge, he has yet to be readmitted. Jermaine continues to successfully keep up with his doctors appointments and treatments.