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Please send items you would like to have included in future issues of NCC News to: cjohnson@prevent.org. |
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Dear Colleague,
Welcome to NCC News. This online newsletter was created to keep you up-to-date on all things chlamydia, and related areas of interest. We hope you will find it useful and informative. Please feel free to share this with your colleagues who may also find it of use.
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Promoting Chlamydia Screening HEDIS Measure and Provider Resources
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| The addition of the chlamydia screening HEDIS measure to the set of measures scored in the NCQA health plan accreditation process provides an opportunity to inform health plans, healthcare providers, and purchasers of the importance and benefits of chlamydia screening for sexually active young women.
In order to help you promote the new measure with your constituents, we've developed a sample letter for you to share with members and others who might find the information useful. This is also an opportunity to send out information about the resources ( Why Screen for Chlamydia? and Resources for Healthcare Providers) the NCC has developed to help providers increase their knowledge and learn more about improving screening rates. Please feel free to edit the letter as needed for your particular uses. |
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Coming Soon from NCC
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On behalf of the members of the NCC, and those who care deeply about the health and well-being of young people, the NCC News wishes to acknowledge with gratitude the continued funding for our activities from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's STD Prevention Division.
CDC leaders have a vision that working together we can reduce the rates of chlamydia and its health consequences and they have backed that up with continued funding for the NCC. For the funding year that began October 1, CDC is providing seed money for a handful of small local projects and coalition building involving NCC member affiliates; and for roundtables to address key issues in chlamydia screening and prevention. More information will be available in the coming months. Susan Maloney and Christianne Johnson from Partnership for Prevention look forward to continuing to work with you in the coming year. |
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CDC Announces Shortage of Erythromycin Opthalmic Ointment |
CDC recently announced a shortage in erythromycin (0.5 %) ophthalmic ointment, a recommended prophylaxis outlined by the 2002 STD Treatment Guide. Currently, both tetracycline ophthalmic ointment (1%) and silver nitrate (1%), two additional treatment options for STDs, are unavailable in the U.S. In Conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CDC has took measures to address the shortage. Companies, including Bausch and Lomb, are in contact with both the CDC and FDA, and working to increase manufacturing.
In dealing with the shortage, providers should consider the following recommendations: review supplies of erythromycin routinely, conserve supplies for neonatal prophylaxis, contact wholesale distributors directly in cases of shortage, in extreme cases of supply depletion contact wholesale distributor or call Bausch and Lomb customer service at 1-800-323-0000 directly, and explore alternative care options including screening and treatment for Chlamydia and gonorrhea prior to delivery while providing prophylactic treatment for high risk infants. For more information, you can view CDC's Dear Colleague letter here.
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Guide to Clinical Preventive Services Updated |
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AHRQ has released the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2009, which highlights recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
The guide contains evidence-based recommendations that have been adapted for a pocket-size book, making it easier for clinicians to consult the recommendations in their daily practice. Recommendations are presented in an indexed, easy-to-use format, with at-a-glance charts. To access the guide, please visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/pocketgd.htm. |
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Resource Corner |
Online Professional Development Workshop on STD Basics
Answer, part of the Center for Applied Psychology at Rutgers University recently launched their second online professional development workshop, STD Basics. It's an informational, dynamic and entertaining educational experience that is appropriate for burgeoning educators who teach about sexuality, as well as more seasoned educators looking for a content refresher and/or new ideas for teaching this topic to middle and high school-aged youth. For more information, or to register, please visit the Answer web site at https://answer.rutgers.edu/course/70.
Guide on How to Start a School-based Chlamydia Screening Program
The Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (ReCAPP)recently posted a guide, Starting a School-Based Chlamydia Screening and Treatment Program, that focuses on halting the spread of chlamydia among young people. This publication provides a step-by-step guide for schools to begin, implement and maintain a school-based chlamydia screening and treatment program. Although it was originally designed for chlamydia diagnosis, the step-by-step process can also be used to set up gonorrhea and HIV testing programs in schools.
This guide is in ReCAPP's Theories and Approaches section at and is 72 pages.
Publication on Pediatricians' interest in Improving Adolescent Health Care
The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health announced the availability of a fact sheet on pediatricians' interest in expanding their clinical capacity to serve adolescents. This fact sheet presents data from a recent national survey of pediatricians' willingness to strengthen preventive and primary care for adolescents if payment barriers were removed. The data show a significant interest among pediatricians in offering or expanding preventive services for adolescents. |
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Funding Announcement
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| The National AIDS Fund (NAF) and Johnson & Johnson are pleased to announce the availability of funds through GENERATIONS: Strengthening Women and Families Affected by HIV/AIDS. This third grant round ("GEN III") will award 6-8 grants to community based organizations to create or adapt evidence-based HIV/AIDS prevention interventions that reduce the spread of HIV among at-risk women/girls.
GEN III funds will be targeted toward geographic regions with high HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence rates in women based on state or local epidemiology, and in areas with emerging epidemics. Priority areas include urban epicenters and other highly impacted regions including, but not limited to, New York; New Jersey; Florida; Puerto Rico; California; Michigan; Illinois; Washington, DC; and the Deep South (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina).
Applications are due November 2, 2009. Visit http://tiny.cc/YP3e7 for more information.
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