Call for Proposals deadline extended to June 10, 2011 – CHCANYS Statewide Annual Conference and Clinical Forum CHCANYS’ Statewide Annual Conference and Clinical Forum will be held on October 16-18, 2011, at The Saratoga Hilton and City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. This is an exciting year as CHCANYS celebrates its 40th Anniversary. Invited speakers include: Tom Van Coverden, President & CEO, NACHC, and Dr. Nirav R. Shah, Commissioner, New York State Department of Health. The conference will address timely topics by taking an integrated approach to Health Information Technology, finance, policy, clinical quality areas of focus including behavioral and oral health, and more. Health centers are encouraged to submit proposals for workshops. For guidance and to complete an online proposal form, please click here.
News from Policy If you have any questions about any of the policy items below, or about any aspect of CHCANYS’ policy and advocacy work, please contact Ed Graham, egraham@chcanys.org, or Beverly Grossman, bgrossman@chcanys.org.
Federal Budget Update Last week we asked for your help in securing the support of your Members of Congress for a $200 million discretionary increase for health centers over the funding level that was passed in the FY 2011 spending bill. We also worked to secure signatures for the Pallone (D-NJ) and Bilirakis (R-FL) bipartisan sign-on letter indicating support to the House Labor-HHS Subcommittee on Appropriations for the Community Health Center Program.
Thank you for your efforts. We have heard from many New York State Members of Congress that they submitted program requests to support the community health center funding and signed onto the Pallone-Bilirakis letter. To see the most current signers of the Bilirakis-Pallone FY2012 Health Center Funding Letter click here.
Please remain ready to respond. We expect this to be a busy Federal Budget season and we will need to stay mobilized to avoid potentially devastating cuts. To ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date information, make sure you are signed up with CHCANYS’ Grassroots Action Network by clicking here.
Report and Hearing on Health Center Strategies for Reducing ER Use On Wednesday, May 11, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging held a hearing on a new report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) entitled "Hospital Emergency Departments: Health Center Strategies That May Help Reduce Their Use."
CHCANYS Testifies at Public Forum on Health Insurance Exchange CHCANYS recently presented testimony at one of a series of public forums on health insurance exchange co-hosted by the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Insurance Department. The forums were held in locations throughout the state between May 16th and May 23rd and provided opportunities for a range of stakeholders to give their input on the design of a New York exchange. CHCANYS’ complete testimony, which was presented by Ed Graham, Vice President of Policy, is available here.
Additional information on health insurance exchange and on the implementation of health care reform in New York State can be found here.
News from Health Center Support Funding Opportunity: Community Transformation Grants The Affordable Care Act set aside $100 million for the Community Transformation Grant program to empower communities to improve their health at the neighborhood level. Nonprofit organizations are eligible to compete for these grants. The deadline to submit letters of intent to apply for these funds is June 6, 2011. Click here for more information.
Apply for HRSA’s Patient Centered Medical/Health Home Initiative The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Patient-Centered Medical/Health Home (PCMHH) Initiative encourages health centers to gain recognition under the medical home program offered in partnership with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). To promote quality improvement, the PCMHH Initiative provides access to survey-related education, training, and technical assistance resources that highlight the benefits of seeking recognition and common barriers to success. The fee for gaining NCQA PCMH recognition is waived for health centers that participate in HRSA’s PCMHH Initiative. For more information on the Initiative and how to apply, click here.
New NACHC Resources on 340B NACHC has just completed two papers on the Section 340B drug discount program that will be of value to health centers. The first, Understanding the 340B Program: A Primer for Health Centers, contains a great deal of current information on the operation of, and issues concerning, the 340B program—particularly those relevant to health centers. The second, NACHC Study on the Benefits of the 340B Drug Pricing Program for Health Centers, describes a study that NACHC conducted several months ago to gauge the use and value of the 340B program for health centers. The study indicates that the 340B program has been of great value to participating health centers and suggests that those who are not currently using the 340B program should consider doing so.
Capital Link Releases Capital Guidance A new edition of Capital Ink, Capital Link's quarterly newsletter, is now available for download, here. This issue includes:
“Tips for Putting Together a Winning Capital Development Grant Application”
Final FY11 Federal Budget Review, which includes an overview of the impact of the budget on health center funding
Opinion: "Will We Face Higher Interest Rates?"
“Health Center Project Highlights,” describing the varied financing structures of four health centers
Information on three new Capital Link resource publications, including Estimating Capital Project Costs for Health Centers, the latest in a series of resources designed to assist health centers in the capital development process. This publication outlines the main components of a capital project budget and provides assistance in estimating top-line construction costs. (See Capital Ink for information on ordering this and other Capital Link resource publications.)
New Report: Developing Federally Qualified Health Centers into Community Networks to Improve State Primary Care Delivery Systems By fostering connections between federally qualified health centers and other private primary care providers, states may be able to connect Medicaid beneficiaries with services needed to help them manage their health and reduce costly visits to hospitals. A new report released by the National Academy for State Health Policy looks at innovative partnerships in Montana, North Carolina, and Indiana, and discusses how select Affordable Care Act provisions may encourage similar innovations going forward. You can download the full report here.
NY Medicaid Update If you are not already receiving the New York State Medicaid Update via email, you can sign up to receive this valuable monthly publication from the Department of Health by clicking here.
THINC Meeting will focus on Hudson Valley ACO Opportunities Taconic Health Information Network and Community’s ACO Insights, an initiative to provide education and technical assistance related to accountable care organizations, is hosting a day-long meeting on June 22, 2011. "ACO Insights: A Trajectory for Improved Health Care Delivery" is designed to answer many of the questions Hudson Valley providers have about ACOs, including those related to legal, regulatory and payer issues. Featured speakers will include representatives from Carilion Clinic, the American Medical Group Association, the New York State Health Foundation, MVP Healthcare and Crystal Run Healthcare. Past events are also now available for download. Click the following links for the meeting agenda or registration, or to find past webinars.
News from Clinical Quality Initiatives Visit CHCANYS’ Online Clinical Library! Don’t forget to visit CHCANYS’ newly launched Clinical Library, a repository of clinical guidelines and best practices. The Library is a living record that is cultivated and maintained by CHCANYS’ Clinical Quality staff. More importantly, the best practices link for each condition will be updated by our members. Many of you have implemented some amazing systems, tools and processes at your health centers and we encourage you to share these with your colleagues! Please visit our library on a regular basis to use the resources and to help us build a first class collection for our clinicians, as well as our patients. To go directly to the Clinical Library page, click here.
Vision Health and the Aging Vision impairment is a serious public health concern among older adults, affecting more than 2.9 million people in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a brief on the prevalence of vision loss and eye diseases reported by people aged 65 or older. The brief also provides information about access to eye care, health status, and comorbid conditions among older adults. Click here to see the brief in its entirety.
FREE STD Pocket Guides available A comprehensive pocket guide on STDs is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Quantities are limited. To place your order click here.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Observance Package For the past several years, the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) has observed World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on June 15th. This year, in recognition of WEAAD, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, UC Irvine Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect, Casa de Esperanza, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders invite you to listen to a blogtalkradio session and participate in a webinar to learn more about this issue. You will be able to participate in one or both activities from the convenience of your desk!
For more information and to register for these events please, click here.
Joint Commission Accepting Applications for Primary Care Medical Home Option Click here to review requirements, request an application and register for the June 21st webinar, Joint Commission Designation for Your Primary Care Medical Home.
EVENTS and HAPPENINGS in HIV
June 8th 2011 is Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day To learn more, click here.
The 14th Annual Clinical Conference for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinical Program June 27th to June 29th, Tampa, FL
June 27th 2011 isNational HIV Testing Day For more information, click here.
CDC Launches Online Social Network, “30 Years of HIV/AIDS” It has been 30 years since the first report on HIV in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). To mark this anniversary, the CDC has launched the 30 Years of HIV/AIDS online social network, a unique community allowing members the opportunity to share personal stories, videos and much more from the past 30 years. For more information, click here.
Onandaga County Launches “One Decision” Campaign to Fight HIV and STDs ‘One Decision’ is the theme of a new social marketing campaign—Your Choice, Your Life, Your Call—that aims to prevent infection with HIV or an STD. The One Decision campaign encourages individuals to visit the campaign’s Facebook page and post the one decision they have made to help them avoid infection. For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/OneDecision.
CONFERENCES and TRAININGS
Free Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) Recertification & Certification CHCANYS’ partners at the New York City Business Solutions and Workforce 1 Healthcare Career Center are offering free Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) recertification as well as new certification training in June 2011. Details for this training can be found here.
FREE Training: How To Speak To Your Patients About Nutrition: A Training for Primary Care Providers The importance of nutritional counseling in the primary care setting is well established, yet most providers report inadequate training in nutrition. To address this need, the Primary Care Nutrition Program was developed by Pam Darby, MS, MPH, RD, CDN, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. To help close the service gap, this nutrition training program was designed to: 1) provide a basic course in general nutrition, and 2) provide instruction and practical tools on how to communicate this knowledge to patients.
Since 2007, the program has trained over 2000 providers and care team members. Pre-post participant evaluation has demonstrated statistically significant improvements in self-report of nutrition knowledge, confidence in speaking to patients about nutrition, and likelihood of speaking to patients about nutrition after receiving the training. In addition, health care providers indicated after the training that they would be more likely to provide nutrition education materials and to use nutrition visuals and props with patients.
The New York State Health Foundation is offering this free, one-day training to health care teams. Two or more members from the same care team are encouraged to attend!
Tues., June 14, 2011, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Breakfast and lunch will be served.)
Where: New York State Health Foundation 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor New York, NY 10018
Space is limited so register today by clicking here.
2011 National TB Conference, Atlanta, GA, June 15–17. For more information, click here.
“Vaccinology 101”: Free Webcast to be presented by the Nurse Training on Immunization Project (Nurse TIP) Thurs., June 16, 2011, 12-1pm EDT Gary S. Marshall, MD, University of Louisville School of Medicine
This program will include a brief history of vaccinology and the fundamental immunological concepts that are necessary to understand how vaccines work: antibody and cytotoxic T cell responses, protein-polysaccharide conjugates, and adjuvants. It will also address the different types of vaccines, correlates of protection, herd immunity, and the goals of immunization programs.
This program is designed for those new to the field of immunization or as a refresher seminar. CNEs, CMEs and CHEs will be available. Register at www.nursetip.org.
2011 National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC), Chicago, IL, June 26–June 29. For more information, click here.
Public Health Webinar Series on Hemoglobinopathies Hosted by: The Division of Blood Disorders, CDC
4th Thursday of every month from 2:00PM – 3:00PM ET
The purpose of this webinar series is to offer a hemoglobinopathies learning collaborative platform for providers, consumers, educators, and scientists.
Note: Based on overwhelming response, the capacity limitations have been removed for the web and audio portions of this series. The entire webinar series will be recorded and made available for viewing.
Hemoglobinopathies Webinar Schedule 2011
6/23: --- No Webinar This Month ---
7/28: Transfusion Issues for Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia Patients Dr. Rebecca Kruse-Jarres, Tulane University School of Medicine
8/25: Administrative Data Sets Dr. Scott Grosse, CDC Division of Blood Disorders
9/22: Emerging Pathogens and Blood Safety for Transfused Populations Sean Trimble MPH, CDC Division of Blood Disorders
10/27: The Use of Hydroxyurea for Sickle Cell Disease Dr. Nancy Green, Columbia University Medical Center
11/24: --- No Webinar This Month ---
12/22: TBA
If you have ideas on topics for future webinars, would like the call-in number, or have any questions or comments about this series, please contact Shae Pope at spope@cdc.gov.
Call for Abstracts: 2011 National Primary Oral Health Conference The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) welcomes abstracts for its 2011 National Primary Oral Health Conference, which will be held in National Harbor MD, Oct. 23–26, 2011. The theme of this year’s conference is “Envisioning a Better Future for Oral Health Access.” The deadline for submitting your abstract is June 24. For more information on how to submit your abstract, click here. For details on the conference, or to register, click here.
Free webinars sponsored by TeenScreen National Center TeenScreen National Center at Columbia University offers a wonderful series of one hour webinars directed at non-mental health clinicians and pediatric primary care providers. The series offers a good overview on selected pediatric issues, including use of antipsychotic medications, reimbursement for services, and improving teen mental health.
For the upcoming webinar as well as all of the "archived" webinars, click here . If you are not able to watch the webinars live, you can always watch them once they are archived.
Dentist Seeking Position in New York City An NHSC Loan Repayor dentist is looking for re-placement into a new position in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn. Driven and enthusiastic with extensive experience in all phases of dentistry, this individual has trained under specialists, is open to new techniques and is flexible to work in all environments.
If you have any interest in employing this dedicated clinician, please contact Dr. Kameron Wells, CHCANYS’ Vice President of Clinical Affairs, at 212-710-3814 or kwells@chcanys.org to discuss further. In addition, if you would like to learn more about the BCRS click here, and for the NHSC click here.
News from Emergency Preparedness 2011 Critical Asset Survey for CHCs The New York State Department of Health has initiated the 2011 Critical Asset Survey for Community Health Centers. You can access the invitation letter, with instructions for completing the survey, here. The survey results will provide the Department with important information regarding your needs in the event of a catastrophic accident or health emergency and will allow the Department to plan for deployment of emergency supplies and medicine to your health center. Please note: If you would like the assistance of a CHCANYS representative regarding the survey, please contact Matthew Ziemer at 212-710-3800 or mziemer@chcanys.org, as Mary Lou Caprara, the contact named in the invitation letter, is no longer with CHCANYS.
News from HIT THIS FRIDAY: Statewide HIT Call to Feature Webinar on the National Health Information Network This Friday, June 3, at 10 a.m., CHCANYS will host a Statewide HIT call that will include a webinar by Dr. Holly Miller, an expert on the National Health Information Network (NHIN). NHIN will soon offer a simplified means of health information exchange between providers that meets the requirements of Meaningful Use. Dr. Miller will provide background on NHIN and talk about a pilot in the Hudson Valley. For information on how to attend the webinar, click here.
News from Management, Finance and Compliance Technical Assistance Call for Program Assistance Letter 11-05 and CY 2012 FTCA Application The Bureau of Primary Health Care will host a technical assistance call about newly released Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 11-05 on the FTCA application process for Calendar Year 2012 coverage.
Date: Wed., June 8, 2011 Time: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
Please carefully read the PAL prior to the TA call, as there are several significant changes to this year’s FTCA application. This PAL can be accessed here.
The closing date for redeeming applicationsis July 11, 2012. Health centers submitting initial applications can apply at any time during the year while the EHB system is operational.
Questions and comments pertaining to the FTCA program or this PAL should be directed to the FTCA/BPHC Help Line at: Phone: 1-877-974-BPHC (877-974-2742)
News from Workforce Development If you have questions about CHCANYS’ Workforce Development Program, please email us at workforce@chcanys.org.
CHCANYS’ Workforce Development Program Off To a Great Start! CHCANYS’ Workforce Development Team is part of the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare, which convenes several partners to facilitate the creation of a workforce that fulfills the short- and long-term needs of a fast-changing healthcare industry. The members of the Alliance, which also includes the Greater New York Hospital Association of New York, Southern New York Association, the 1199SEIU Training and Education Fund, and the City University of New York (CUNY), will be working together as partners, many of them for the first time. For more information on the Alliance, please contact its director, Jenny Tsang-Quinn, MD, at jtsangquinn@sbs.nyc.gov or (212) 513–9224.
Highlights of the first month of CHCANYS’ Workforce Development Program include:
Workforce Needs Assessment Survey: In partnership with the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) at the University of Albany, CHCANYS launched the survey on April 26th 2011, to gather information regarding the workforce needs of community health centers. An amazing 65% of recipients completed the survey, which was sent to human resources staff across CHCANYS’ member organizations. The results will be analyzed by our partners at CHWS and will guide the efforts of our Workforce Development Program. Our thanks to all who participated in the survey. We look forward to sharing the responses with you soon!
Partnership Development: A central goal of CHCANYS’ Workforce Development Program is to enhance existing and develop new partnerships with educational institutions, job training programs, and other agencies to tap into existing workforce pipelines and draw new personnel into all areas of the health center workforce. To that end, initial meetings have been held with organizations that will be important partners, including Workforce 1/NYC Business Solutions Healthcare (online here), CUNY (which offers 39 healthcare training and certification programs through their Adult & Continuing Education division at 18 Colleges and 43 Health & Human Services degree programs at 19 Colleges), the NYC Metro Regional AHEC (which offers the SEARCH Program, a summer work opportunities program for students and community residents to experience work in community health to expand their career planning vision) and the Manhattan-Staten Island AHEC.
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.
Call for Proposals deadline extended to June 10, 2011 – CHCANYS Statewide Annual Conference and Clinical Forum