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ACU Celebrates 15 Years 
ACU was founded in 1996 by National Health Service Corps (NHSC) alumni who wanted to continue to support each other and share knowledge, resources and expertise about practicing in underserved communities. Today the NHSC had more than 8,000 active clinicians, the highest number ever. By September, 2011 the goal is to have 10,500 clinicians in the field. ACU celebrates the work these clinicians are doing. If you are one of them, contact us at acu@clinicians.org. |
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The demand for health care workers has increased 40 percent in the last two years. Find well-qualified candidates, search jobs or post your resume on the ACU career center.
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JHCPU
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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May Is National Mental Health Month 
Do More for1 in 4 is a call to action to help the 1 in 4 American adults who live with a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition and the fact that they can go on to live full and productive lives. Click the image for more information.
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New tool for simple medication instructions
A new online resource for clinicians helps you provide patients with simpler, easier to understand medication instructions. Meducation, a web-based program for healthcare providers developed by Polyglot Systems, creates simple, easily readable medication instructions. Meducation addresses low health literacy, prints in large font sizes for elderly and visually impaired patients, supports a dozen languages and includes online demonstrations of proper medication techniques to increase medication compliance and improve health outcomes.
"Meducation has been smoothly incorporated into our Center's clinical pharmacy program; patients leave consultations with the pharmacist understanding exactly how to take the medication they've been prescribed," according to Michelle Blanchfield, MPH, at Zufall Health Center. "As manager of our Health Literacy program, Meducation makes my job easier; providing patients with access to simple, easy to read medication instruction in a language they can understand was one of our program's primary goals."
You can sign up for a free trial of Meducation. ACU has partnered with Polyglot to offer a 15 percent discount off the monthly subscription cost for ACU members who want to subscribe. For clinics and health centers, Meducation costs $5 per day for unlimited use at each location. |
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'Starting Insulin' series available on CD-ROM
 ACU's series of low and very low literacy patient education materials on using insulin is now available on CD-ROM. There are 10 titles in the series, including information on why insulin is needed, how to inject it, needle safety, monitoring blood sugar, diet and exercise and tips for managing insulin when traveling. The handouts are free to use and are available in English and Spanish. To request a free copy of the CD, please email Jennifer Buck at jbuck@clinicians.org and provide your complete mailing address. Supplies are limited. |
Tobacco survey results
Thanks to all who responded to ACU's quick survey on tobacco cessation. Fifty-eight percent said they were fairly or extremely confident they were up-to-date with current approaches to treating tobacco dependence; 74 percent said they were not aware of an online resource for treating tobacco use among underserved communities. Counseling (either Quitline or group) was the intervention most frequently offered to patients who want to quit, followed by over-the-counter pharmacotherapy and prescription-based pharmacotherapy. Clinicians from than 15 professional disciplines responded to the survey. ACU will use the survey results in developing a web-based resource on tobacco treatment for clinicians working with underserved populations. To participate in this project, please email Jennifer Buck, jbuck@clinicians.org. |
HHS action plan on disparities
The new Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in April reveals the goals, strategies and actions HHS will take to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. It builds on provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are expected to bring down health care costs, increase investments in prevention and wellness, support improvement in primary care, and create linkages between health and social services. A related report, the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity provides a common set of goals and objectives for public and private sector initiatives and partnerships to help racial and ethnic disparities. |
Call for NHSC bloggers Are you a current or recent member of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) interested in reaching out to other Corps members? ACU is helping identify people who want to share their experiences in health care for the underserved via PrimaryCareforAll.org, a new online community for NHSC members. Whether you feel isolated, ecstatic, overworked, or are simply willing to share your best practices and success stories, we'd like to hear from you. Compensation is available to those who can provide an average of two posts a week. The post must be short, concise and generate discussion/responses among the readers. Interested? Know someone who might be? Contact acu@clinicans.org for details. |
ACU informs IOM agenda
 Katherine Brieger, RD, CDE, represented ACU during an Institute of Medicine (IOM) meeting on Integrating Primary Care and Public Health on May 2. Brieger focused on the need for a diverse, well-trained workforce to address public health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. She emphasized using a transdisciplinary team approach to care. The IOM will develop recommendations for HRSA and CDC to better align their funding strategies. Brieger, a dietitian, diabetes educator and vice president of the ACU board, serves as chief operating officer at Hudson River Health Care. Check link above later this week for Brieger's statement. |
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Conferences and E-Learning
June 2-4, the Christian Community Health Fellowship Annual Conference in Nashville. The conference is a time of training, fellowship and worship with other likeminded professionals serving among the poor through healthcare.
June 9-10, Communities in Action National Asthma Forum in Washington, D.C. Discover, learn, be inspired and network with your peers and other asthma care experts. Register by May 11 for a discount on hotel accommodations.
June 23-25, the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC. The conference is broadly inclusive of health care for the homeless staff, consumers and board members, providers of health care and support services to homeless people, government officials, academicians, health professions students and advocates. Pre-Conference Institutes will be held June 22.
June 26 - 29, National School-Based Health Care Convention in Chicago focusing on School-based Health Care and the Community: a partnership that works. Register by May 20 for a discounted rate.
July 13-15, the Health Care for Residents of Public Housing National Training Conference at the Fairmont Hotel, Washington, DC.
On Demand, a podcast on How You Can Use Community Health Workers to Help Control Asthma in Your Community by Dr. Tyra Bryant-Stephens, Director, Community Asthma Prevention Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She discusses the role community health workers play in improving community health and creating healthy homes for people with asthma. Click this link and scroll to Podcasts, then click the play button.
Save the date: Sept. 22 - 23, 11th annual primary care and prevention conference: Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care in the Patient Centered Medical Home, sponsored by Morehouse School of Medicine at the Atlanta Marriot Gateway Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia. |
Scholarships and Fellowships
For a more complete list of scholarships and fellowship opportunities, visit the ACU website.
The Nursing Scholarship Program (NSP) sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides scholarships to students enrolled or accepted for enrollment in accredited RN training programs. Scholarship recipients receive tuition, fees, other educational costs and a living stipend in exchange for at least 2 years of post graduation service at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses. Program and application details are available online. Application deadline is 5:00 p.m. EDT June 1, 2011.
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New National Coordinator for Health IT  ACU executive Director Kathie Westpheling met Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at a graduation ceremony for the first class of health IT graduates at Northern Virginia Community College. Mostashari previously served at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Assistant Commissioner for the Primary Care Information Project, where he facilitated the adoption of prevention-oriented health information technology by over 1,500 providers in underserved communities.
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ACU urges funding for primary care
ACU joined the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative in urging Congress to support funding for primary care, especially the patient-centered medical home model. In a joint letter, ACU said, "The medical home model is a key construct to focus care coordination resources, advance the meaningful use of electronic health records, enhance access to the variety of services available to providers and patients and reduce health disparities." Nearly 70 organizations co-signed the joint letter. |
Health care workforce: supply vs. demand
A new issue brief from the Alliance for Health Reform explores options for growing the health care workforce, noting that 40 percent of practicing physicians are older than 55 and about one-third of the nursing workforce is over age 50. The report notes that, "Models of care that rely on primary care playing a greater role in chronic care management are beginning to show evidence of increasing quality of care and containing costs." To download the report, click here. |
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