Healthy Blue to host ribbon-cutting for reopening of Cape Girardeau Welcome Center

Healthy Blue is celebrating the reopening of its Cape Girardeau Welcome Center with a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, July 25.

According to www.HealthyBluemo.com, “Healthy Blue is a Medicaid product offered by Missouri Care, Inc” and its Cape Girardeau Welcome Center is located at 272 S. Mount Auburn Road.

Healthy Blue community relations representative Zedrick Mitchell said the building had a grand opening before Missouri Care's name changed to Healthy Blue.

He said there have been some changes to the building since its renovation.

"We now have two what we call collaboration rooms," Mitchell said. "Maybe you have some PHI information you want to share but you don't want it to be heard by, you know, people in the welcome center, so that you can go out to these two collaboration rooms that have doors and allow a little more privacy."

He said they've also added two 65-inch TVs to the facility, as well.

At the start of the reopening ceremony will be a welcome from Mitchell and director of Medicaid plan marketing Ken Nichols, then greetings from state Rep. Holly Thompson Rehder.

Mitchell said Thompson Rehder will also be there to share part of her story from her book "Cinder Girl: Growing Up on America's Fringe".

"She will also be having a book signing. They have some books here that'll be available for the public to receive and have her sign," he said.

Mitchell said they will also present checks to two community members involved with business organizations Healthy Blue works with at the ceremony. After the ceremony, Mitchell will host a tour of the welcome center for the public.

Mitchell said while the tour will go on, there will be a live broadcast from River Radio, on 103 FM and 93.9 FM.

He said at the event there are "no more" than 200 people expected.

"It's not a very big area to have, you know, (300) to 500 people here; that would be overwhelming," Mitchell said. "We don't want to overwhelm the plaza."

There will be food vendors at the event, including Smoke Shack BBQ and Ty's Summer Sno, with entertainment provided by Kelli The Event Clown.