February 17, 2015
February is Children’s Dental Health Month! This month-long national health observance brings together thousands of dedicated dental professionals, healthcare providers, and educators to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their caregivers, teachers and many others. You can download FREE dental posters and activity sheets here!
In This Week’s Issue
Announcements
Trainings, Webinars & Conferences
Funding Opportunities
Ask CHCACT!
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
Resources
This Week in Health Policy News
Events/Educational Opportunities
Announcements
The New England Rural Health Roundtable has issued a call for proposals for its annual conference, to be held November 5-6th in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Specifically, presenters are being sought for sessions on health care delivery models, potential ideas and the needs of rural areas. Learn more here!
Tweet of the Week
Exercise, eat right and get it checked: keep your heart healthy so it can help you spread your love! #healthpolicyvalentines
— CHCACT (@CTHealthCenters) February 14, 2015
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New on Get-Centered
Our Get-Centered Blog features a new post reflecting on the Community HealthCorps’ Day of Service on MLK Day!
SBIRT in Your Corner
Learn more about CT SBIRT here!
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Trainings, Webinars & Conferences
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is seeking participants in a 6-month Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative, focused on three areas from the Connecticut Healthy People 2020 State Health Improvement Plan: Healthy Hearts, Obesity and Healthy Aging. Deadline to apply is March 6th. For more information, email Joan Ascheim.
Have you registered for NACHC’s Policy & Issues Forum yet? Click here to see the program agenda, register, book rooms and more!
The Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut Community Partners invites applicants for Connecticut nonprofit leaders to attend the Harvard Business School Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Program being held July 12-18, 2015. Click here to learn more about the program and scholarship.
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership Summit will be held April 8-10, 2015. Click here for more information about this summit, which will focus on medical-legal partnerships in community health centers this year.
Have you checked out the MyNACHC Learning Center? It’s full of webinars, courses and other training/assistance opportunities!
Be sure to check the Events/Educational Opportunities calendar at the end of this newsletter for more webinars and trainings!
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Funding Opportunities
NEW! Hartford Hospital Community Benefit Grants: Hartford Hospital has issued an invitation to apply for its community benefit grants, to address obesity, access to health care or behavioral health in the Greater Hartford area. Deadline to apply is March 13th. Learn more here.
NEW! HRSA has announced an RFP for its Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Program, to support the development of formal, mature rural health networks that focus on care coordination activities for diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Closing date for applications is April 6th. Learn more here.
BD Helping Build Healthy Communities: BD, Direct Relief and NACHC are offering up to 7 awards nationally of up to $100,000 each to NACHC-affiliated FQHCs for prevention and treatment programs for patients with diabetes. Please note: the deadline to apply is March 9th. Learn more here.
Oral Health Advocacy Funding: The Connecticut Health Foundation will make two awards of up to $40,000 to diversify and strengthen oral health advocacy in Connecticut. The deadline to apply is March 17, 2015. Learn more here.
Hypertension Disparities Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA): NIH has released two FOAs for trials aimed at reducing disparities in hypertension, trials that would likely be of interest to health centers. The FOA for the 2 trials, and the research coordinating unit FOA, were published in the NIH Guide: RFA-HL-15-021 RFA-HL-15-031 . Applications are due February 19th.
AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health℠ program awards Foundation grants of $150,000 to $180,000 annually to U.S.-based, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or similar nonprofit organizations working to improve cardiovascular health in their communities. 2015 applications will be accepted from February 2-February 25th. Learn more.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2015 Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) grants. Applications are due February 27th.
New Markets Tax Credits Allocation Awards Announced. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced $3.5 billion in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation awards aimed at revitalizing low-income communities and increasing economic opportunity nationwide. More information is available here. Applications for CDFI & CDE Certification are being accepted on an ongoing basis. Click here for application trainings and deadlines.
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Ask CHCACT!
“Ask CHCACT” features Outreach & Enrollment questions from health center staff, answered by your favorite CHCACT staff members! Send your questions to ask@chcact.org! Ask CHCACT columns are also archived on the Outreach & Enrollment Resources section of the CHCACT web site. This site is now available to the public, with no log-in requirement!
Sam Pach
Community Health Corps Member
Sam Pach answers this week’s question:
Q: I tried to enroll this weekend but ultimately I was not able to submit my application by the February 15th deadline. Is there anything I can do now to get coverage even though Open Enrollment is over?
A: Yes!
This is the official statement from Access Health CT:
“As the midnight deadline for enrolling in quality, affordable healthcare approaches, we are experiencing a substantial surge in the number of people who are trying to sign up. We will make sure anyone who made a good faith attempt to enroll does not miss out on being enrolled. If you have started an application but have been unable to complete the enrollment process, please call us at 1-855-805-4325. If necessary, you will be prompted to leave your name, address and a phone number in a secure voicemail where an Access Health CT employee will get back to you over the next few days to complete your enrollment. All messages left before midnight tonight, February 15th, will be considered as meeting the enrollment deadline.”
If you started an Access Health CT application but for some reason were unable to finish it we suggest you call the number above. Each person will be considered on a case by case basis. If you started an application in the Access Health CT system there is a chance that you will be allowed to complete it. If you would like additional guidance please contact me or the enrollment center at your local community health center.
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
Coffee and EnRolls. Weekly Coffee & EnRolls calls occur every Tuesday from 9-10:00 am. All CACs and supervisors are invited to join, every Tuesday morning. Please call 866-670-8282, participant passcode 240 419 3770#.
HR Directors’ Workgroup. HR Directors will meet by conference call on Tuesday, February 17th from 10:30-11:30 am. Please call 888-994-2509, participant passcode 519603#. Contact Tasheenah Brown with questions.
All CHCACT Staff can be reached by calling 860.667.7820.
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This Week in Health Policy News
Here is a sampling of health policy news from around the state. If you see something in your local newspaper that you would like featured here in future weeks, please contact Deb Polun at dpolun@chcact.org.
Featured Stories
2.16.15 Channel 12: Optimus Health Care Gives Kids Free Dental Check-Ups
2.13.15 CT Post: Deadline Sunday for Enrolling in Health Coverage (feat. Southwest)
State Health News
2.17.15 CT Mirror: Medicaid Rate Hold-Up Costs Mental Health Providers
2.16.15 CT Mirror: Six Health Care Things to Watch For in Malloy’s Budget Proposal
2.16.15 Hartford Business Journal: Intercommunity and Alcohol & Drug Recovery Centers Join Forces
2.16.15 CT NewsJunkie Op-Ed: School-Based Health Centers Must Be a Budget Priority
2.15.15 CT Mirror: Rehmer Stepping Down as Mental Health Commissioner
2.15.15 New Haven Register: Efforts to Regulate E-Cigarettes in CT Grow
2.13.15 CT Mirror Op-Ed: Preserve Connecticut’s Medicaid Funding
2.12.15 CT NewsJunkie: Malloy Looks to Curb Heroin Overdoses
2.12.15 CT Mirror: 5 Things to Know About Medicaid Spending in Connecticut
2.10.15 CT Mirror: Hospital Seeks to Phase Out a Growing Provider Tax
ACA/Health Reform News
2.17.15 NY Times: Enrollment Period Ends; Now the Tax Penalties Start
National/Other Health News
2.11.15 Wall Street Journal: Republicans Eye Changes to Food Stamps Program
2.10.15 CT Mirror: Murphy Pushes Bill that Would Prod Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids
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Resources
CHCACT maintains and regularly updates resources on clinical issues, human resources, HIPAA, SNAP and more! Click here to check out CHCACT’s Resources!*
The Connecticut Department of Public Health has new resources, including data, for chronic diseases on its web site. Check out the information here!
Blueprint for Impact is a database designed to help nonprofits demonstrate their impact. Check it out!
The United Ways of Connecticut have released a report on low-income families in our state. “ALICE” is a study of “Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed” families. Get the report here.
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has created a resource page with information about the potential health center funding cliff, which could cut FQHC federal grants by 70%. The page has background information, talking points, external analysis, sign-on letters and more. Check out NACHC’s page to arm yourself with the tools you need to advocate for Congress to “Fix the Cliff!”
The CT Health Foundation has created “Covering Connecticut 2014: Because Coverage is the Foundation for Good Health,” a resource packet providing town-by-town information about health insurance coverage and health care access.
Weekly Outreach & Enrollment Newsletter. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) produce the CMS Weekly Assister Newsletter. This weekly Newsletter is the best resource for O/E staff to stay up-to-date on information on health insurance marketplace changes, frequently asked questions, and general advice. To sign up, email CACQuestions@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line: “Add to listserv”
Scope of Project Webpage: HRSA has released a new “Scope of Project” Page on the BPHC website. This page provides a “one-stop-shop” for Health Center Program Scope of Project and Change-in-Scope policy, process, and resources. View the new Scope of Project webpage.
Capital Link Publications. As part of their assistance to health centers, Capital Link has developed a collection of resource publications to assist health centers in accomplishing specific tasks related to the capital development process. These publications are provided to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Primary Care Associations (PCAs) free of charge. Their resources, including publications, reports, and past webinars are available here.
* Some Resources are password-protected. If you would like a password for www.chcact.org, please contact Deb Polun.
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Events/Educational Opportunities
Click here to view our full events calendar. Click here for NACHC Seminars/Conferences/Webcasts.
Welcome to our events calendar! The calendar is updated on a regular basis with upcoming events, webinars, educational opportunities, outreach activities and more. You can sort the calendar by category and subscribe to calendar updates by clicking here.
Categories
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