October 20, 2014
October 19-25th is International Infection Prevention Week! “Infection Prevention: It’s in Your Hands!”
Learn more about infection control here.
In This Week’s Issue
Announcements
Trainings & Webinars
Funding Opportunities
SBIRT
Ask CHCACT!
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
Resources
This Week in Health Policy News
Events/Educational Opportunities
Announcements
A reminder to all CEOs of CHCACT-affiliated FQHCs: CHCACT Board meetings are now the first Wednesday of the month @ 3:00 pm. Information will be sent prior to each meeting.
Tweet of the Week
“The people who need the help – they will thank you EVERY time they see you” – #FQHC #CAC #ACAWorks for CT @CTHealth @AccessHealthCT
— CHCACT (@CTHealthCenters) October 17, 2014
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New on Get-Centered
Our New Get-Centered Blog features a Back to School message about SNAP from SNAP Program Coordinator Leah Tully.
SBIRT in Your Corner
Learn more about CT SBIRT here!
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Trainings & Webinars
Health Care Options for Nonprofit Organizations. The Governor’s Nonprofit Liaison and Access Health CT, in partnership with the CT Insurance Department and the Office of the Healthcare Advocate are offering several sessions for nonprofit organizations to learn about healthcare options available for their employees. Click here to learn more and register for one of the sessions.
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.
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 FQHCs
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
COPE (Collaborative Opioid Prescribing Education) for REMS. Prescribing opioids safely ultimately depends on the trust between prescriber and patient. Training can enhance trust by improving communication and collaborative skills. COPE-REMS is an interactive, self-paced, online training developed at the University of Washington-Seattle. This no-cost, online CME course is aimed at opioid prescribing providers—including physicians, registered nurses, ARNPs, physician assistants, psychologists—and other care managers who are involved in treating patients with chronic pain. Click here for more information.
40th Yankee Dental Congress. The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) is preparing for this annual event, which will be held January 28th- February 1, 2015 at the Boston Convention Center. The Yankee Dental Congress is a conference of continuing education courses, workshops and exhibits geared specifically for oral health professionals. MDS is waiving the general registration fee ($295) and offering 3 free CEU courses geared specifically for community health center oral health staff in New England on Saturday, January 31, 2015. All CHC dentists, hygienists, assistants, externs, residents and office staff can attend for FREE. To register now, simply visit yankeedental.com and input priority code: 15CHCCT before check out.
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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.
The Office of Rural Health Policy has released a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Rural Healthcare Services Outreach. The goals for the Outreach program are to: 1) expand the delivery of health care services to include new and enhanced services exclusively in rural communities; 2) deliver health care services through a strong consortium; 3) utilize and/or adapt an evidence-based or promising practice model(s) in the delivery of health care services; and 4) improve population health, demonstrate health outcomes and sustainability. Deadline to apply is November 14, 2014.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released a Funding Opportunity Announcement that invites applications from clinical investigators to participate in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN). Letters of Intent to apply are due November 3, 2014.
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 questions from health center staff, answered by your favorite CHCACT staff members! For the first several months, the column will focus exclusively on Outreach & Enrollment. 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: As a certified application counselor re-certifying for the upcoming year, do I have to take every quiz or can I just skip to the final exam?
A: You must first take and pass all of the quizzes with 80% or better. You then can take the re-certification exam. To pass, you need a score of 80% or better. You are only allowed two attempts to pass the exam. If you do not pass in two attempts you must wait until next year to become certified.
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
ICD-10 Clinical Workgroup Meeting: Wednesday, October 22nd from 10-11:00 am. The meeting will be held at CHCACT, 100 Great Meadow Road, Ste 400, Wethersfield. Email Katie Henley to RSVP.
ICD-10 Financial Workgroup Conference Call: Wednesday, October 22nd from 2-3:00 pm. Please call 888-994-2503, participant passcode 519603#. Email Katie Henley to RSVP.
Health Care for the Homeless Training: Thursday, October 23rd from 10:00 am-1:00 pm. CHCACT will be featuring guest presenters during this meeting who will focus on youth engagement, youth homelessness, current trends in the State of Connecticut and available resources to the health centers. Email Jennifer Succi to RSVP.
HR Directors’ Meeting: Thursday, October 23rd from 10:00-3:00. The meeting will be held at Southwest Community Health Center (46 Albion Street, Bridgeport, CT 06605). Email Katie Henley to RSVP.
Marketing/Communications Meeting: Friday, October 24th from 10:30-12:00. The meeting will be held at CHCACT, 100 Great Meadow Road, Ste 400, Wethersfield. Please note – this is a rescheduled meeting. Email Deb Polun to RSVP.
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
10.15.14 PR Web: Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Wins Verian Innovator Award
State Health News
10.20.14 Hartford Business Journal: Growing Pains – Fledgling Marijuana Industry Searches for Footing
10.17.14 CT Health I-Team: Federal Funding for Cancer Research Plummets in State
ACA/Health Reform News
10.20.14 CT Mirror: Obamacare, Discontinued Plans and Sticker Shock, Round 2
10.17.14 NY Times: Unable to Meet the Deductible or the Doctor
10.16.14 CT NewsJunkie: Health Care Tax Credit Available This Year
National/Other Health News
10.20.14 Kaiser Health News: What CDC Can Do to Fight Ebola
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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 CT Department of Insurance has published its annual report card on health insurance carriers, which is found here.
The CT Department of Social Services has published “A Precis of the CT Medicaid Program,” an excellent resource that includes an Executive Summary and issue briefs on the Administrative Services Organization model, use of data analytics to improve care, activities in support of improving access to primary care, efforts to support integration of all types of services, initiatives designed to “re-balance” spending on Long-Term Services and Supports, and efforts to promote the use of Health Information Technology.
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.
CT Voices for Children’s latest report, “Poverty, Median Income and Health Insurance in CT: Summary of 2013 American Community Survey Census Data,” is now available.
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 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.
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