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February 2012

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In This Issue
Healthy Heart Campaign
Call for Committee Members
Pharmacists as Providers
Members-only Scholarships
Respiratory Therapists
Summer Internship
Featured Jobs
Conferences and E-Learning
National Nutrition Month
HIMSS Davis Award

 

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Join this healthy hearts campaign 

 

February is American Heart Month, a good time to commit to the Million Hearts™ campaign. This national initiative aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the U.S. over the next five years. How? Helping people avoid tobacco use and quit smoking are among the campaign's top priorities.  

 

You can help by accessing ACU's new TobaccoFree website. It is designed with underserved populations in mind and has all the tools and resources you need to help your patients quit tobacco.   

 

One reviewer said this about TobaccoFree: "Fabulous! I was especially impressed with how comprehensive it is and how much emphasis there is on systemization of interventions, as well as how much focus you put on referral to 1-800-QUIT NOW." See for yourself. Visit TobaccoFree and join the effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years. 

Call for committee members 

 

Serving on an ACU Committee provides an excellent opportunity for professional development, networking, and active engagement. ACU is currently seeking members to serve on several board-led committees. Committees meet via email and conference call, usually on quarterly basis. Committee membership is open to all ACU members. Take a step toward a leadership role in ACU - learn more about the ACU committees and fill out the applicant information form online.  

Member leads drive to recognize pharmacists as providers 

 

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Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE

Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE, a past president of ACU, has been instrumental in gathering more than 16,000 signatures on an online petition urging that pharmacists be recognized as health care providers under the Social Security Act and, therefore be paid by Medicare for therapy management and patient consultation services. Recently, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, an ACU Founding Member, wrote a letter of support. Dr. Benjamin was commenting on the report Improving Patient and Health System Outcomes through Advanced Pharmacy Practice by the Office of the Chief Pharmacist. U.S. Public Health Service. Congratulations, Sandra.  

Members-only scholarships available

 

ACU will award up to 20 scholarships to members to attend the  IHI Open School for Health Professions online courses free for one year. The IHI Open School is an inter-professional educational community that empowers you to become a change agent in health care improvement. Courses focus on skills like quality improvement, patient safety, teamwork, leadership, and patient-centered care. Courses are open to health professionals in nursing, health administration, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, policy, and other health professions.

 

The usual cost to attend the IHI Open School is $250 per year. The selected ACU members will receive a unique code to use to register for free. To apply, please complete the ACU application form. This is a pilot program, so we encourage you to apply early. Visit the IHI Open School website to learn more  about the courses.

Respiratory therapists: key players in asthma care

 

Recently, while conducting a training on asthma trigger management, Lois Wessel, CFNP, was asked about the role of respiratory therapists. To learn more, she interviewed Carole Dorr, RT, who practices at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Penn. If you have a suggestions someone we should interview about their role in a transdisciplinary team, email us at [email protected]

 

Carole Dorr
Carole Dorr, RT
Q. What kind of training do respiratory therapists receive?

 

A. Graduation from an accredited Respiratory Therapy Program is required to become a Respiratory Therapist (RT); more recently many RTs have a bachelor's degree from a four-year college. Management positions usually require a master's degree. All states except Alaska and Hawaii require reparatory therapists to be licensed. There are over 300 RT accredited RT program in the country. Read more 

Summer internship with ACU 

 

ACU is accepting applications for a paid 8-week summer internship position in our offices in the greater Washington, DC area. The intern will focus on health communications and be an integral part of ACU's communications team, which is responsible for developing content and messaging for our e-newsletter, website and social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube). The internship is open to full-time college undergraduates. See details online. To apply, send a cover letter, resume and writing sample to Kathie Westpheling. Application deadline: March 15.

Featured jobs in the ACU Career Center

To advertise a job opening, please visit the ACU Career Center. ACU members receive $70 off each job posting.  

  

oct career ctr image CEO, Health Access Network, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Lincoln, Maine

   

Regional Coordinator-Cancer Services Program at Hudson River HealthCare in greater NYC.

 

Conferences  and E-Learning 

For more upcoming conferences and webinars, visit the ACU website.

March 1 - 2, 12th Annual Patient Assistance and Access Programs Conference sponsored by CBI. Assess the impact of reform and discover new models for ensuring assistance, advocacy, continuity of care and access for your patients. ACU's Kathie Westpheling is among the speakers.

 

March 6, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. ET,  Medical Update on Ovarian Cancer, a free Connect Workshop offered by CancerCare. Listen over the telephone or connect to the webcast online. Registration required. 

 

March 8 - 9, Memphis Regional Training sponsored by the national Health Care for the Homeless Council. ACU's Anna Gard will present on patient-centered medical homes.


March 18 - 20,  13th Annual International Summit on Improving Patient Care in the Office Practice and the Community sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Washington, DC. The International Summit features the best ideas and faculty on areas that are ripe for improvement within the office practice and community-based care settings. ACU members are eligible for free registration. See the ACU scholarship application form

 

March 19 - 20, Cultivating Traditions of Wellness 2012: Advancing Community Leadership Conference and Gala sponsored by the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, in Washington D.C. Look for the ACU exhibit table.

 

April, 13 - 15, the Global Humanitarian Summit, an annual cross-disciplinary, festive conference gathering of humanitarians from all over the world to share and discuss with others what they do will be held at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

 

April 14 - 17, the 42nd National Council Mental Health and Addictions Conference in Chicago, IL, features a wide selection of sessions in the Behavioral Health/Primary Care Integration Track.

 

April 30, first annual National Primary Care Conference on Aging sponsored by the National Center for Health and the Aging at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, VA. ACU's Lois Wessel, CFNP, will present on health literacy, medication management and the elderly.

  

May 1 - 3, Health Care for Residents of Public Housing National Training Conference at the Westin in Alexandria, VA. ACU's Lois Wessel, CFNP, will present on smoking cessation for residents in public housing.     

 

Sept. 23 - 25, Save the Date, Communities Joined in Action's 7th Annual Conference, Population Health Improvement: Community Collaboratives Transforming Health through Innovation, at the Los Angeles Conference Center at the Center for Healthy Communities

 

Oct. 31 -  Nov. 3, the 2012 Summit on Science of Eliminating Health Disparities - Integrating Science, Policy and Practice: Building a Healthier Society, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, in coordination with the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Minority Health, and the National Institute on Minority Health Disparities at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. For more information, please contact  [email protected]. 

 

December 9 - 12, 24th Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care, the premier conference for people committed to the mission of improving health care, drawing nearly 6,000 health care professionals from around the world in person and thousands more via satellite broadcast. A limited number of scholarships are available for ACU members. Apply here.

 

March is National Nutrition Month 

 

With national attention focused on obesity, we want to know how you are incorporating nutrition counseling in your practice. What is working for you? Do you have a tip to share, a useful resource or an approach that is getting results? Share your insights with us. Write to [email protected]. We'll feature your responses in next month's e-newsletter.  

HIMSS Davis award

  

Davies_logo Is your health center making great strides in use of electronic health records? Consider applying for the HIMSS Ambulatory Davies Award, offered by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The application process is based on a case study format in which you describe how you used an Electronic Health Record to improve the healthcare outcomes of your patients, eliminate medical errors, and improve your bottom line.  

 

This year's Ambulatory Award will be presented to Hudson River Healthcare, a federal qualified health center in New York, and home to ACU President Katherine Brieger. The application deadlines are rolling. More information is available online.