Community Health Choice Partners With Blueberry Pediatrics to Bring 24/7 Virtual Pediatric Care to Medicaid Families Across Southeast Texas

HOUSTON, May 27, 2026 — Community Health Choice, a local nonprofit managed care organization serving more than 454,000 members, and Blueberry Pediatrics today announced a partnership to offer 24/7 virtual pediatric care to Community Medicaid members and their families.

Community Health Choice serves a large and diverse Medicaid population across Southeast Texas, where families often face persistent barriers to timely care, including scheduling delays, long wait times, and limited after-hours availability. As a result, many families rely on urgent care or the emergency room for conditions that could be treated in more convenient, lower-cost settings.

To address this gap, Community Health Choice is expanding pediatric care beyond traditional clinical settings and into the home through a new collaboration with Blueberry Pediatrics.

Blueberry Pediatrics provides 24/7 virtual care with board-certified pediatricians through secure messaging, video, and audio visits available in English and Spanish. The service is supported by in-home diagnostic tools that enable real clinical assessment from home. Every enrolled family receives a Blueberry medical kit, which includes a digital otoscope (earscope), pulse oximeter, and thermometer. These tools allow physicians to safely diagnose and treat a wide range of common childhood illnesses without requiring an in-person visit. Together, this combination of virtual care and at-home diagnostics helps families access pediatric care by giving them a convenient, cost-effective alternative to urgent care or emergency room visits.

“Community Health Choice is committed to improving access to care for the families we serve across Southeast Texas,” said Darrin Johnson, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer at Community Health Choice. “Our partnership with Blueberry Pediatrics expands our ability to deliver timely, high-quality pediatric care in a way that is convenient, accessible, and responsive to the real needs of our members.”

By addressing the gap between when children get sick and when care is available, the Blueberry model helps reduce avoidable emergency department utilization and lower costs while improving the overall experience for families. Instead of waiting days for an appointment or rearranging schedules and missing work, parents can connect with a pediatrician immediately and get answers in real time.

“Too often, families are forced into high-cost settings simply because they can’t access care at the right time,” said Rich Berner, Chief Executive Officer of Blueberry Pediatrics. “We are privileged to be working with Community Health Choice to change that by giving families in Southeast Texas immediate access to pediatricians who can diagnose and treat a sick child in real time, from home. This, in turn, reduces costs for the plan in reduced ED use.”

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to improving access, reducing avoidable costs, and delivering high-quality care for Medicaid families across Texas.

Eligible Community Health Choice members with children up to 19 years old residing outside of Harris County will have access to Blueberry as part of their benefits during the initial rollout phase. Learn more and enroll beginning June 1, 2026, at https://lp.blueberrypediatrics.com/partner/communityhealthchoice.

About Community Health Choice

Community Health Choice (Community) is a non-profit 501(c)(4) managed care organization licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance, serving the local community. Established in 1997 and based in Houston, Texas, Community provides affordable and no-cost health insurance plans for Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Plans (CHIP), STAR+PLUS Texas Medicaid for adults age 65 or older or adults with disabilities, Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) for eligible individuals who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Marketplace, to more than 454,000 residents of Texas. Committed to its mission, Community aims to improve the health and well-being of underserved Texans by opening doors to coordinated, high-quality, affordable health care and health-related social services. Community is URAC and NCQA accredited. For further information, visit CommunityHealthChoice.org.

About Blueberry Pediatrics

Blueberry Pediatrics provides 24/7 virtual pediatric care delivered by board-certified pediatricians using in-home diagnostic tools that enable real clinical assessment from anywhere. Blueberry partners with health plans to expand access, reduce avoidable emergency department utilization, lower costs, and improve health outcomes for children and their families.

Learn more at https://www.blueberrypediatrics.com/