Will you be our social sweetheart?
Are you on Twitter? Facebook? Blogging about your experiences in the field? We're building our ACU social army. We'd love to connect with you. Email your contact info and any links to your media to
psimpson@clinicians.org. If you're a lurker, like us on Facebbok or follow us on   |
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Winter Special Employers may post up to 3 positions in February and receive 25 percent off the cost of each listing at the ACU Career Center. Use promo code ACUwinter. 
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JHCPU The February 2011 issue is available online now. Online access to the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved is an ACU member benefit. Click the image to learn more about JHCPU.
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Application deadline: Feb. 28
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Postal Delays  Many ACU calendars and renewal notices were delayed in the mail and are being resent. Watch for yours. |
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Our Sponsors
Partnership Level
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ADVOCACY ALERT - health center funds in jeopardy!
The House Appropriations Committee will be sending a bill to the House floor this week that includes $1.3 BILLION in cuts to health center funding this year. It is critical that you let your representative know as soon as possible how this would affect your community. Visit the NACH advocacy center for more information and to email your representative, Or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 1-202-224-3121 to speak to your representative.
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 Member rewards in February - enter to win! Members are at the heart of everything we do at ACU. To share our appreciation for our members, ACU is giving away one $50 and two $25 American Express gift cards in February. Members can enter to win a gift card in one of two ways: either recruit at least one new member at the individual rate ($125) or higher OR make a tax deductible donation of $100 or more to ACU.
If you recruit a new member, send an e-mail identifying the member you recruited to kathiew@clinicians.org. We will verify that the member is paid and enter you into the drawing. Donations can be made securely online through Network for Good, or by mail to ACU to 1420 Spring Hill Road, Suite 600 Tysons Corner, VA 22102.
Only members whose 2011 membership dues are paid are eligible. Don't wait - enter to win by February 28. |
Mental health leader honored
 Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, a NHSC alumna, charter member of ACU and chief medical officer of Pfizer, was named 2011 "Woman of the Year" by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association. Dr. Lewis-Hall has a strong record of patient advocacy and has spoken extensively on the impact of mental illnesses on patients, families and communities. She is a vocal champion of the imperatives to break down cultural barriers and eliminate healthcare disparities. She has held leadership positions in patient care, academics, media, government, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Congratulations, Freda! |
Help for patients starting insulin
New low literacy and very low literacy patient education handouts The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) and the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation (NPHF) announce a new series of low literacy and very low literacy educational handouts for patients who are starting insulin. "These handouts are important tools to strengthen teaching done by clinicians, diabetes educators and health promoters in the community," said Lois Wessel, RN, CFNP, ACU Associate Director for Programs. The handouts are available in English and Spanish and are free to download and distribute from the ACU website.
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Meet Nicole Holland, new ACU board member
 Dr. Nicole Holland, DDS, a graduate of the New York University College of Dentistry (2010) and candidate for a master of science in health communication at Tufts University (2012) recently joined the ACU Board of Directors. In addition to her studies, Holland is a staff dentist at On-Site Dental Care of New England and a supervising dental consultant for the Oral Health in Community: At-Risk Elder Population Screening Study. "Much of what causes dental diseases is preventable, and health providers are becoming increasingly aware of the effects of oral health on overall systemic health," said Holland. "I would like to work with ACU to focus on how we can tackle our oral health problems on the front end, specifically via prevention." Dr. Holland is one of two dentists on the ACU board of directors. She can be reached at nholland@clinicians.org.
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Two ACU members named 'teaching health centers' The Erie Family Health Center in Chicago and the Institute for Family Health in New York were among 11 new teaching health centers announced in January by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. They will receive funding to support community-based training for primary care physicians and dentists. According to Dr. Lee Francis, president and CEO of Erie Family Health Center, "The need for primary care physicians, especially family physicians, is expected to blossom as more and more community members seek primary health care services over the next few years." Erie Family Health will partner with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago to train family physicians who are expert and leaders in delivering high quality primary care to urban underserved communities.
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Webinar on Meaningful Use available
A 90-minute webinar on Demystifying Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records, co-presented by ACU and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council in January 2011, is now available online for anyone who missed the original broadcast. The goals of the webinar are to provide an overview of the Meaningful Use (MU) of certified Electronic Health Record technology as a means of supporting quality, safety, and efficiency in health care while reducing health disparities. Presenters included a clinician user, an industry expert, and a Federal representative of the Office of Health IT Adoption. Also provided are links to many federal and local resources to support EHR adoption.
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School food linked to child health
"You are what you eat," according to an old adage, which helps explain why the Office of Minority Health (OMH) is making school food programs the focus of National Minority Health Month in April. Minority children are more likely than white children to participate in free or reduced price school lunch programs; they also have higher rates of obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. Find information on activities for getting involved in improving school food programs on the OMW website.
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Free medicines available
AstraZeneca announced that it provided $947 million in savings last year to the more than 545,000 patients in the United States who participated in its AZ&Me prescription savings programs. Participation in the programs has steadily increased over the past three years. More information is available online on how individuals, Medicare Part D beneficiaries and healthcare facilities can qualify for free medicines. AstraZeneca is a Partnership Level sponsor of ACU.
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Conferences and E-Learning
For a more complete list of upcoming conferences and webinars, visit the ACU website.
Improvement Skills to Empower Front-Line Nurses, offered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, are one hour audio calls on advanced nursing skills. Each call will detail strategies to help nurses advance interdepartmental relationships, influence change, and lead improvement initiatives that will result in better patient care. Available topics include: - Pushing change from where you stand: Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. ET
- Getting more done in a clinical setting: Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. ET
Each call is $25 and provides an hour of continuing education credits. Click here for more information about the calls, featured speakers, and to enroll. A series of webinars on Health Information Technology (IT) and Quality is offered by the Health Resource Services and Administration (HRSA) for HRSA grantees and the safety net community. Intended for those who are using or planning to use health IT as a tool to improve quality in their delivery of patient care, each webinar features leading experts with hands-on experience from within the safety net community, as well as speakers with various grantee experiences and federal expertise. Upcoming topics and dates include:
Feb 24, Overview of alternate system solutions for health IT
March 25, Overview of health IT workforce training programs for the safety net
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Environmental grants available
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making $2 million available in 2011 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a community-based program that works with county and local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations and universities to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources to protect people's health. Get more information at this link.
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Diabetes toolkit focuses on eye health The Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit provides community health workers and health educators with unique tools to inform people about diabetic eye disease and maintaining healthy vision. The Toolkit is available in English and Spanish from the National Eye Institute and includes a flip chart, patient handouts, posters, and a guide for using the materials. Materials can be downloaded or ordered from the catalog.
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Brochure on Parkinson's early symptoms
A new brochure from the National Parkinson Foundation, 10 Early Warning Signs of Parkinson's Disease, reviews non-motor and motor symptoms that could indicate PD. The material is written at an 8th grade reading level, and is available online or as a rack-sized fold out brochure.
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Call for comments on prescription labels The US Pharmacopeia is seeking comments from pharmacists and other healthcare professionals on a newly proposed General Chapter <17> Prescription Container Labeling that codifies standards for patient-centered prescription container labels. The deadline for comments is March 31, 2011. Use this link to view and comment on the proposed chapter.
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Call for manuscripts on pharmaceuticals and
health
The Medical Care section of the American Public Health Association is sponsoring a special issue of Medical Care devoted to pharmaceuticals and the health of the public. Manuscripts are sought for a wide range of topics including comparative effectiveness, drug safety, regulatory sciences, and technology assessment. Letters of intent to submit a manuscript are due by March 30, 2011 and manuscripts are due July 31, 2011. For more information, contact Ms. Sue Houchin, Managing Editor, at
medicalcare@comcast.net.
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