Evaluation Report

About The ACHB Evaluation

This evaluation was done by Nichols Applied Management Consultants during February and March 2003.

In cooperation with the department, the consultants were involved in the development of a questionnaire to measure satisfaction with the program by enrolled families and to probe how clients first became aware of the ACHB.

Once the questionnaire was developed and pre-tested, it was administered by telephone to a total of 397 households of clients of the program, selected at random from a list of all households served by the ACHB. A sampling of this size produces results that are accurate to within plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Telephone interviews were conducted over a two-week period ending March 4, 2003.

The evaluation found "the ACHB is making a difference to many Alberta families," and that "the program initiative is a valuable part of the services available to Albertans with low incomes." Virtually all clients are either "somewhat satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the program.

It also found that:

• 96% of current registrants said that the ACHB provided their children with the services they needed most.
• 40% of program registrants said access to dental care was most important for their child's health.
• 38% of current registrants felt that availability of prescription drugs was most important for their child's health.

The report goes on to say that the ACHB:

• will have positive long-term impacts on the health of children, reducing the need for more costly health services in the future,
• likely has a positive impact on school attendance,
• reduces financial stress among low-income families,
• and influences positively the decision of some parents to enter or remain in the workforce.

Document Title and Description	Date (dd/mm/yy)	Format
Summary	02/06/03
Final Report	02/06/03