November 17, 2014
Happy Open Enrollment!
Selected pictures from Open Enrollment events on Saturday, November 15th at Cornell Scott-Hill,
Fair Haven and Norwalk Community Health Centers!
In This Week’s Issue
Announcements
Trainings & Webinars
Funding Opportunities
Ask CHCACT!
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
Resources
This Week in Health Policy News
Events/Educational Opportunities
Announcements
Love CHCACT? Check out the Job Bank, including two jobs @ CHCACT: a Workforce Development Program Manager and a Behavioral Health Program Manager. Spread the word!
The Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellowship in Minority Health Policy: Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Medical School’s Office of Diversity and Community Partnership invite applications from eligible dentists dedicated to improving health care delivery for vulnerable populations through leadership roles in health care delivery systems and health policy. Fellows will complete a one-year intensive academic program leading to a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health. Fellows will participate in leadership forums and seminar with nationally recognized leaders in health care delivery systems, minority health and public policy. APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, December 15, 2014. For more details and to apply, please visit: http://www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu/oral_health. Any questions contact Peggy Timothe at peggy_timothe@hsdm.harvard.edu
CHCACT has centralized many helpful Ebola preparation resources into one place. Check out CHCACT’s Emergency Preparedness page, which will be updated frequently with guidances, protocols, signs/symptoms and more.
Tweet of the Week
#CT #FQHCs are getting ready for #OpenEnrollment – check out our new infographic & spread the word! #ACAWorks for CT pic.twitter.com/cVlwyJJLw6
— CHCACT (@CTHealthCenters) November 11, 2014
Follow Us
New on Get-Centered
Our New Get-Centered Blog features a round-up of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day by CHCACT Program Coordinator Jennifer Succi!
SBIRT in Your Corner
Learn more about CT SBIRT here!
Back to Top
Trainings & Webinars
CT Health Policy Project Webinar on Payment Reform. Join this webinar, November 18th @ 1:00 pm to learn about shared savings models and other health care payment reform options from Bob Berenson, MD of the Urban Institute. Click here to register.
Capital Link’s Health Center Webinars. Capital Link will offer two webinars on the use of performance-enhancing tools
11.18.14 from 2-3:00 pm: Part I – Staff and Board Education. Click here to register.
11.19.14 from 2-3:00 pm: Part II – Strategic Growth Readiness Assessment. Click here to register.
BPHC Thursday TA Sessions: The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)’s Project Officers will be offering technical assistance sessions every other Thursday @ 1:00 pm, beginning September 25th, by webinar. Contact David Dietz for details. The tentative schedule of sessions is
9.25.14: LCDR Bryna Forson – Behavioral Health Integration among FQHC
10.9.14: Erica Clary – Community-Based Information Sharing – Community Circles
10.23.14: Su Walter – Current Models at CHCs that Reduce Preventable Hospitalizations and ER Visits
11.6.14: Melissa Howard – Best Practices and Effective Health Center Leadership
11.20.14: Sam Price – UDS Data Trends in New England Health Centers – Best Practices in Improvement
UDS Training: Friday, December 5th from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. Please see the Calendar for details.
Back to Top
Funding Opportunities
REMINDER from HRSA: There are several critical actions you must take to ensure competitive Health Center Program applications can be submitted successfully. First, your organization must have an active SAM.gov registration at the time of application submission. Second, you must have an active AOR (Authorized Organization Representative) in Grants.gov that is approved to submit an application. As a matter of HHS grants policy, without a current SAM.gov registration and a registered AOR, your application will be rejected in grants.gov without further consideration.
Click here to view all of HRSA’s open funding opportunities.
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.
Back to Top
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 answers this week’s question:
Q: Will the Access Health CT Call Center run the same way as last year?
A: No, it was just announced that there will be two new dedicated phone lines, one for Certified Application Counselors and one for Assisters, in addition to the already-existing Maximus call center.
To decide whom to call:
1) For assistance with password resets, ID proofing and weekend assistance, call 1-855-805-4325 (Access Health Call Center)
2) For everything else – eligibility, income questions, networks, IRD updates, etc – call either the dedicated CAC support line at 860-757-5334 or the dedicated assister support line at 860-757-6831. These lines are open Monday-Friday 9-5.
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
Coffee and EnRolls. You asked, and CHCACT answered! Weekly Coffee & EnRolls calls will 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 Conference Call. Tuesday, November 18th, 10:30-11:30 am. Dial 888-994-2509, participant passcode 519603#. Contact Katie Henley with questions.
CYFAN Steering Committee Conference Call. Friday, November 21st, 10-11:30 am. Dial 888-994-2509, participant passcode 519603#. Contact Jennifer Succi with questions.
All CHCACT Staff can be reached by calling 860.667.7820.
Back to Top
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
11.14.14 FOX-CT: CHCACT Appears on FOX-CT to Discuss Obamacare
11.13.14 CT Mirror: Four Things to Watch During Obamacare Open Enrollment (feat. CHCACT)
11.10.14 Norwich Bulletin: Plans for UCFS Facility Moving Forward with Bonding Request
State Health News
11.17.14 Hartford Courant: Malloy Will Be Cutting Budget This Week
11.17.14 CT News Junkie: United Way Says 35% of Households are Struggling
11.17.14 WNPR: Hartford Surgeon Discusses Disproportionate Barriers to Health
11.16.14 Bridgeport News: Health Group Works to Combat Diabetes Over Holidays
11.13.14 CT Health I-Team: Doctor-Dispensed Drug Prices Still Higher Than Pharmacy, Study Finds
11.13.14 CT News Junkie: CT Wins $5 Million Behavioral Health Grant
ACA/Health Reform News
11.17.14 They Paid How Much? How Negotiated Deals Hide Health Care’s Cost
11.14.14 CT News Junkie: Exchange Enrollment Opens Saturday
National/Other Health News
11.17.14 NY Times: Study Finds Alternative to Statins in Preventing Heart Attacks, Strokes
11.14.14 NY Times: One Drug or 2? Parents See Risk But Also Hope
Back to Top
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 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.
Back to Top
Events/Educational Opportunities
Click here to view our full events calendar. Click here for NACHC Seminars/Conferences/Webcasts.
Welcome to our new 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
CHCACT event
community/outreach
conference
Conference Call
local event
meeting
national event
tobacco
webinar
workshop/training
Tags
AAPC
aca
access health ct
aco
adolescent health
advocacy
ahec
ahrq
aids
ambulatory care
antibiotics
APHA
APHATobacco
baltimore
behavioral health
benefit
berlin
bloomfield
bod
boston
bphc
bridgeport
cancer
care management
ccpa
cdc
charter oak
chcact
child health
childhood obesity
children
chip
chronic disease
chs
CHW
chwc
cifc
citizen corps
cms
code
code-a-thon
community health workers
community healthcorps
connecticut
continuing education
corps community day
cpha
cromwell
CT AHEC
ct dph
ct health
ct nonprofits
cultural competence
CVS Health
danbury
danielson
data
dental
development
diabetes
dot
dph
east hartford
ebola
ecri
education
ehb
ehr
emergency preparedness
EMR
enrollment
enterovirus
esrd
exchange
fair haven
faith
families
farmington
fda
film screening
finance
fitness
florida
flu
FOM/IT
fqhc
ftca
generations
genetics
Get Ready Campaign
grants
greenwich
groundbreaking
guilford
hamden
hands on hartford
hartford
hccn
hcsmct
health disparities
health equity
health extension
health it
healthcare
healthy chat
healthy people 2020
hepatitis
hepatitis b
heroin
hhs
hipaa
hispanic health
hiv
holiday
homelessness
hospitals
housing
hrsa
human resources
hunger
hurricane sandy
icd-10
illinois
immigration
incarceration
influenza
insurance
integration
IT
joint commission
las vegas
leadership
lgbt
liver disease
look-alike
look-alikes
managed care
management
manchester
marketing
marketplace
maryland
massachusetts
maternal health
meaningful use
media
medicaid
medical
medicare
mental health
meriden
middletown
migrant and seasonal health
mlk day
mobile
mobile clinics
motivating interviewing
motivational interviewing
naacp
nachc
naugatuck
ncqa
nevada
new britain
new haven
new london
new york
nhcw
nhsc
north haven
norwalk
norwich
nursing
nutrition
older adults
online course
Open Enrollment
Operations
optimus
oral health
orlando
outreach
overdose prevention
parents
patient navigation
payment reform
payments
pcmh
pcpcc
pennsylvania
policy
Population Health Management
population management
portland
ppaca
pps
pregnancy
preparedness
prevention
primary care
primary care progress
prisoner health
privileging
Provider Productivity
public health
public hearing
quality improvement
quinnipiac
<a class="ai1ec-load-view ai1ec-tag" data-type="jsonp" href="http://www.chcact.org/calendar/action~agenda/tag