CHCANYS' 2012 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum – June 15th Proposal Deadline CHCANYS is accepting proposals from health centers and partner organizations through June 15, 2012. To review proposal guidelines, deadlines and recommended topics, please click here. The conference will take place October 24-26, 2012 at The Saratoga Hilton Hotel and City Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. Register today! Experts Jacki Leifer, Senior Partner, Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP and Peter Epp, CPA, Managing Director, J.H. Cohn LLP will be among this year's presenters. The conference is geared to CEOs, CMOs, CIOs, CTOs, COOs, board members, Finance Directors and fiscal staff, Human Resource Directors and staff involved in recruitment and retention, clinicians of all disciplines, senior and middle managers, and all those interested in primary care. To register for the conference and take advantage of the best registration and hotel rates, click here.
News from Policy If you have questions about CHCANYS' policy and advocacy work, please contact Beverly Grossman, bgrossman@chcanys.org.
National Health Center Week is August 5-11, 2012 National Health Center Week 2012, scheduled for August 5 – 11, is right around the corner. Start planning your events now!
National Health Center Week is a prime opportunity to both celebrate our work and educate others about the vital role health centers play in creating and maintaining healthy communities. It is also an opportunity to engage policymakers and and show them how your organization has positively impacted the patients it serves. Host a health fair, a clinic tour and/or a reception and invite your public officials and members of your community to participate! Please remember to let us know about any events you are planning via our online form so that we can include them in the list of statewide celebrations on the CHCANYS website.
Both NACHC and CHCANYS have set up online resource centers for National Health Center Week. You can access the NACHC resource center here and the CHCANYS resource center here.
CHCANYS staff look forward to supporting you with National Health Center Week and are available to assist you with ideas and technical support. Please contact Kate Graetzer at kgraetzer@chcanys.org or 518-434-0767 ext. 10 with any questions.
NACHC to Offer Two Exciting Voter Engagement Opportunities for New York Health Centers - Sign up Today! Marc Wetherhorn, National Advocacy Director at NACHC, will be facilitating two informative training sessions on voter engagement for New York-based health centers in the coming weeks. The first, hosted by Lutheran Family Health Centers, will be an in-person session geared towards health center staff located in New York City. The second will be an online webinar, easily accessible from anywhere in the state.
Are you interested in civic engagement, but unsure of how to integrate it into the work of your health center? Do you have questions about what kinds of activities your health center can engage in legally? Need to know where to get your voter registration applications? If so, these training sessions are for you! Each session will include ample time for Q&A as well.
NYC In-Person Voter Engagement Training Session Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Time: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Hosted by: Lutheran Family Health Centers; exact location TBA. To register: Please e-mail Kate Graetzer at kgraetzer@chcanys.org to sign up for this session.
Voter Engagement Webinar Date: Friday, July 13, 2012 Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. To register: Please click here to register online for this webinar.
News from Health Center Support If you have questions about CHCANYS' health center support, please contact Rebecca Gaige, rgaige@chcanys.org.
New York State Medicaid Update - May 2012 – Now Available The New York State Department of Health has approved the release of the May 2012 Medicaid Update. Please click here to access it.
CHCANYS Community HealthCorps (CCHC) Participates In Urban Health Plan Fun Day On Saturday May 19, CHCANYS Community HealthCorps (CCHC) members participated in Urban Health Plan's Family Fun Day Luau in the South Bronx. Over 800 people attended the annual event, which invites community members to enjoy a day of fun in the sun while learning about the benefits of an active lifestyle.
CCHC was critical to the success of the Luau, which was largely organized by member Shanelly Singh and site supervisor Vonetta Dudley. Members manned the face painting station, applied temporary tattoos, made hula hoops and animal balloons, and provided health and nutrition information aimed at families. In addition, Affinity Health Plan, Healthfirst, and Urban Health Plan staff were on hand to provide information on affordable health care options, WIC, and other available services and community resources.
The event was a huge success! CCHC looks forward to continuing to serve the needs of our communities and our community health centers.
HRSA Issues Instructions on Health Center Budget Period Progress Report Requirements The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) has released fiscal year 2013 Budget Period Progress Report (BPR) instructions, including frequently asked questions and a slide presentation. Health Center Program grantees that do not have a project period end date in FY 2013 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013) are required to submit a BPR. Approximately three months prior to their submission deadline, grantees will receive email notification from the HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) announcing the availability of the report for completion and may refer to Table 1 in the BPR instructions for the submission deadlines. For detailed information, click here.
Funding Opportunities
Kaiser Permanente Invites Applications for Community-Based Interventions to Increase HIV Testing and HIV Care Utilization Grant Program Kaiser Permanente has announced the Community-Based Interventions to Increase HIV Testing and HIV Care Utilization Grant Program. The program is designed to help improve early identification of new HIV cases and to increase HIV care access and maintenance of newly diagnosed individuals in minority communities disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. The program's three main goals are 1) to prevent new HIV infections; 2) to identify HIV positive patients sooner, get them into high quality HIV care sooner, and ensure they remain in such care; and 3) to reduce disparities among minority populations disproportionately impacted by HIV disease (particularly the gay, African-American, and Latino communities).
Awards will be made to community-based projects that focus on reducing new HIV infections through identification of HIV infection among recently infected adolescents and adults and on increasing access to and utilization of HIV care, particularly among newly diagnosed adolescents and adults. Four awards of $250,000 over two years ($125,000 per year) will be made.
For complete program guidelines and application procedures, contact the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Department:
John Edmiston National Manager, Community Engagement Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Department One Kaiser Plaza, 21B Oakland, CA 94612
Sponsor/Exhibit and Associate Member Opportunities Available for CHCANYS' 2012 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum CHCANYS' 2012 Conference will once again be held at The Saratoga Hilton Hotel & Saratoga Springs City Center October 24-26, 2012. This conference provides an opportunity to learn and network with 400 health center participants and partners serving 1.4 million patients annually. There will be one large exhibit hall this year, where some meals/breaks are scheduled to take place. Vendors will receive complimentary registrations to participate in sessions based on their level of support. Don’t wait – spaces are limited! Sponsors/exhibitors who become Associate Members will receive a special designation and additional benefits. To learn more about sponsor/exhibit opportunities and the new Associate Membership discount for first-time members, click here.
News from Clinical Quality Initiatives If you have questions about CHCANYS’ Clinical Quality Initiatives, please contact Kathy Alexis, kalexis@chcanys.org.
Upcoming Events
9th Annual Children's Sports and Fitness Expo Date: June 9, 2012 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Location: Boys & Girls High School, 1740 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY
CHCANYS Diabetes Learning Series – Diabetes and Vision Health Dr. Daniel Casper, Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia University and Director of Ophthalmology at Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, will describe the effects of diabetes on vision health and discuss the role of the primary care provider in screening.
Date: June 14, 2012 Time: 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Attendee URL:Click here to join the webinar. Meeting ID: RRDJ2M Attendee Entry Code: Diabetes
CHCANYS Diabetes Learning Series – Utilization of a Patient Health Portal in a NYS FQHC Cyndi Nassivera-Cordes, Vice President of Medical Support at Hudson Headwaters Health Network, will discuss the current use of a patient health portal and its influence on chronic disease.
Date: June 21, 2012 Time: 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Attendee URL:Click here to join the webinar. Meeting ID: DBT58K Attendee Entry Code: Diabetes
The NYS Diabetes Campaign The National Committee for Quality Assurance and the Bridges to Excellence (BTE) Diabetes Recognition Program (DRP) are voluntary programs for practices to receive recognition for delivering quality diabetes care. Recognized health centers enjoy benefits such as being acknowledged as leaders in the community of practice and leveraging NCQA DRP data abstraction efforts for incentives such as that received through the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition. CHCANYS staff is available until June 15th, 2012 to provide technical assistance to those submitting for these recognition programs and to explore opportunities to improve clinical care outcomes.
For more information regarding the Campaign and for tools and resources available, visit the Half the Care website.
To begin your application for Diabetes Recognition, contact Kathy Alexis at kalexis@chcanys.org.
National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) - Calling All Abstracts NNOHA's National Primary Oral Health Conference Planning Committee invites proposals for oral presentations and/or poster presentations for its 2012 conference. This year's conference will take place September 30 - October 3, 2012 at the Hilton Torrey Pines Hotel in La Jolla, CA. The theme is Collaboration: Strengthening the Safety Net.
Deadline: June 15, 2012
Click here for more information, to register for the conference and/or to submit your abstract.
NYPATH Presents Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Training NYPATH (New York Promoting and Advancing Teen Health), an exciting new initiative at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, has announced the availability of an introductory training entitled, “The Time is Now: Providing Adolescent Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.” The training is designed for medical providers throughout New York State who provide primary care services to adolescents. Funded by the New York State Department of Health, the training is free of charge and is appropriate for both large groups and smaller audiences – and NYPATH will travel to you!
Please click here for more information. If you are seeking additional information about NYPATH and/or are interested in arranging a training, contact Judy Lipshutz, Director, NYPATH via e-mail at jl545@mail.cumc.columbia.edu or by phone at 212-304-5237.
Reimbursement for Smoking Cessation: Every Smoker, Every Visit Most clinicians do not bill Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial carriers for the advice they offer to patients about quitting smoking. Click here for an explanation of physician reimbursement for smoking cessation interventions and tools to help optimize the use of physician and support staff time to deliver evidence- based smoking cessation interventions regardless of the patients’ readiness to quit.
NYC Health Department Surveying FQHCs to Learn about STD Diagnosis and Management The Bureau of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention and Control at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is surveying FQHCs to learn about policies and practices regarding diagnosis and management of STDs and other infectious diseases. Two online surveys are being administered via Survey Monkey, one at the organizational level and the other at the site level. All Medical Directors from FQHCs in NYC have been asked to participate in this important project.
Respondents will be compensated with a $75 (entity level) or $50 (site level) Barnes & Noble e-gift card, and will have an opportunity to request technical assistance or provider trainings from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The overall results, in aggregate only and without identifying information, will be provided to CHCANYS and respondents of the surveys. Please contact Sharon Abbott at sabbott@health.nyc.gov with any questions.
News from Emergency Management If you have questions about CHCANYS' Emergency Management work, please contact Matthew Ziemer, mziemer@chcanys.org.
Your Updates Needed: 2011-2012 Critical Asset Survey for Community Health Centers The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is requesting that all health centers update their information on the 2011-2012 Critical Asset Survey for Community Health Centers. Your Health Center’s HCS Director/Coordinator(s) need to either complete or update the survey annually. For those of you with multiple access points, a survey must be completed for each site. Although many of you completed this survey last year, the NYSDOH is asking that you again access the survey, verify the information that appears, and resubmit it so that the Health Commerce System is up to date with the latest information.
CHCANYS will provide outreach to assist the NYSDOH in tracking participation and the progress of the survey responses. The survey results will provide the NYSDOH with important information regarding your needs in the event of a catastrophic accident, disaster, or health emergency and will allow the NYSDOH to plan for the deployment of emergency supplies and medicine to your Center prior to or during an emergency.
To access the survey, please click here. Once logged in to the Health Commerce System, find the application Nursing Home Surveillance and Reporting System, select Community Health Center Critical Asset Survey 2012, and then locate the data entry menus.
For assistance with log in, requests for passwords or other technical issues, please contact the HCS IT Helpline CAMU at 1-866-529-1890. This unit will assist you with issues that you may have gaining access to the Health Commerce System.
Please report any problems you encouter to Mario Gonzalez, CHCANYS’ Emergency Management Program Manager, at 212-710-3810 or mgonzalez@chcanys.org so that they can be further addressed with the New York State’s HCS.
Emergency Management Online Training Is In Testing Stage The EM Team is excited to announce the release of its new online course, Community Health Center Emergency Management. This course will supplement the Emergency Preparedness Manual Template released last year, and it will facilitate the training of health center employees. Click here to access it.
News from HIT If you have questions about CHCANYS' HIT work, please contact Lisa Perry,lperry@chcanys.org.
CHCANYS Submits Comments on Meaningful Use Proposed Rule for Stage 2 Please click here to see comments submitted by CHCANYS to CMS on the Meaningful Use Stage 2 Proposed Rule. We appreciate the input of many of our FQHC clinicians in formulating these comments.
The Final Rule is expected this summer, and Stage 2 will begin in January 2014. For a good summary of the Proposed Rule, including comparisons to the Stage 2 requirements, please click here.
Both documents are posted on the Health IT pages of the CHCANYS website.
If your health center has a training or technical assistance program that you'd like to share with others around the state, or if you would like to subscribe others at your health center to Your CHCANYS, please email the pertinent information to Rebecca Gaige-Troxell at rgaige@chcanys.org. We welcome your feedback and comments.
