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Community Health Center Week, Aug. 5 - 11 
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Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is Sept. 10-16 
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The August 2012 issue of the JHCPU issue is available online 
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IHI Quality Conference: Attend Free  ACU has a limited number of scholarships available for members who wish to attend the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI's) 24th Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care, December 9-12 in Orlando, Florida. This event is a chance to be part of hundreds of defining moments that will shape the future of health care quality and safety. "The National Forum sparks a surge of new ideas and allows attendees to think through the whole process of change, with a focus on doing it well," said Lander Cooney, CEO, Community Health Partners, Montana. ACU scholarships cover the cost of registration fees, but not travel. Apply online here by Sept. 15.
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Call for Abstracts on Health IT
 ACU is calling for abstracts for posters and presentations for its first-ever conference on Health IT and the Underserved in Poughkeepsie, NY on March 7-8, 2012. The conference promises opportunities for you to network with successful leaders in health care, learn from top executives, discover how to transform yourself and your organization and emerge empowered with best practices.
The planning committee seeks presentations on the use of health IT to improve patient care and outcomes, including, but not limited to, health technology tools, workforce training, patient engagement, team-based technology, patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) and meaningful use (MU), mobile technology, telehealth, and programs for special populations, such as migrant, homeless, or those living in public housing. The deadline for submitting abstracts is September 1, 2012. Use the online submission form, available here. See next month's newsletter for a full conference prospectus.
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Featured Mobile App
 Mobile apps are nifty tools for smart phones that help users manage their health. This month's featured mobile app, UMSkinCheck, is designed to facilitate regular skin checks for cancer screening.
UMSkinCheck was developed at the University of Michigan in a joint effort involving clinical and technology experts. It is available for iPhones and iPads and downloadable from iTunes. Read more about it here.
Here's a short list of mobile apps featured in last month's article by Anna Gard on Bridging the Disparities Gap with Mobile Technology:
- Txt4Health - a diabetes initiative available in the greater Cincinnati, Detroit and New Orleans areas.
- SmokeFreeTXT - a smoking cessation service from smokefree.gov for young adults.
- Fitbit - a wireless pedometer that tracks activity and free smart phone apps that track food and activities.
- iBGStar - a blood glucose monitor device that connects to the iPhone and iPod touch.
- Comfort Zone - a web-based GPS location management service that can aid persons with early dementia
- Pocket Health Mobile - a mobile personal health record platform.
What are some of your favorite mobile apps? We'd like to hear your suggestions for mobile apps to feature in this column. Send an email to acu@clincians.org with "Mobile App" in the subject line.
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Welcome New and Renewed Members!
ACU reached out in June to former members and those whose membership had lapsed. We are pleased to have 23 members who joined or renewed their membership in June and July, including, Frederick Anderson, Cregg Ashcraft, Chiquita Briley, Monica Diamond-Caravella, Linda Flake, Gilbert Kaats, Christine, McFarlin, Patricia Mendoza, Robin Moore, Ken Ruby, Ben Skinker, Carl Taylor, Elizabeth Zeidler Schreiter, Judith Flores, Eric Goldlust, Victoria Gorski, Brigitte Klement Moyer, Suzanne Minor, Laura Peoples, Frederic Schwartz, Wesley Sowers, Iris Wagman Borowsky, and Terry Yonkers.
Congratulations to Chiquita Briley, who won a Flip Video Camera as part of our renewal contest. Her name was selected at random from those whose membership dues were paid during the contest period. Anyone who still wants to renew can do so using this link .
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Panel Defines Cultural Competencies
 What does it take to prepare culturally competent clinicians? In their report, Cultural Competence in Education for Students in Medicine and Public Health (July 2012), an expert panel convened by the Association of American Medical College (AAMC) and the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) identified a set of core competencies necessary to prepare culturally competent practitioners. The report provides tools for faculty to integrate cultural competency education into the curriculum to prepare a workforce suited to meet the demands of diverse communities. Many of the tools and resources in are available at www.mededportal.org.
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Former ACU Intern Now at Brookings
 Former ACU intern Christine Dang-Vu has recently returned to Washington, DC, as a Project Manager at the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform with the Brookings Institution. She recently completed her Master's in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Administration at Yale University. While a student, she completed a health policy practicum at the Connecticut Department of Social Services and another at the Office of Health Innovation and Reform. She was also actively involved in local food policy with the Community Economic Development Clinic at Yale Law School.
As an ACU intern, she gained valuable experience and insight that shaped her graduate training and education. She's excited to be back in DC and hopes to contribute to ACU's advocacy efforts.
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Conferences and E-Learning
Aug. 15, 2 - 3 p.m., ET, Enhancing Eye Health among Hispanics/Latinos, a free webinar sponsored by the National Eye Health Education Program. Registration required.
Sept. 6 - 7, Plain Talk in Complex Times, an annual health communications conference sponsored by the Center for Health Literacy, an ACU Sponsor Member, in collaboration with the American Public Health Association in Arlington, VA. Intended for public health professionals, educators, medical practitioners, community advocates, writers, designers, translators, and anyone else who must communicate effectively with health consumers.
Sept. 6 - 8, Registration is now open for the second annual Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4Us) conference in Santa Clara, California, with early registration discount until Aug. 15. CME is available. Preconference options on Sept. 6 are also available.
Sept. 23 - 25, Communities Joined in Action's 7th Annual Conference, Community Collaboratives Transforming Health through Innovation, Achieving Better Health and Lowering Costs, at the Los Angeles Conference Center at the Center for Healthy Communities.
Sept. 25 - 26,The Healthcare Quality and Equity Action Forum offered by the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Cambridge, MA.
Sept. 30 - Oct. 9, the 2012 National Primary Oral Health Conference, sponsored by the National Network for Oral Health Access, in San Diego, CA.
Oct. 13, DiversityDoctor 2012: Remaining Competitive while Reducing Healthcare disparities and Improving Patient Satisfaction sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. More information and registration online.
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Scholarships and Fellowships
Georgetown University Department of Family Medicine is recruiting applicants for the Community Health Center Director Development Fellowship and the Primary Care Health Policy Fellowship. Community Health Center Fellows gain administrative and executive experience working with the leadership of Unity Health Care - DC's largest consortium of CHC's. Fellows develop skills in CHC advocacy, research development and public health policy through collaboration with the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved and National Association of Community Health Centers.
Primary Care Health Policy Fellows work throughout the year with partners at the Robert Graham Center on developing personal and group research projects relevant to health policy. All fellows have published and presented their work at national or international conferences. Fellows are introduced to various local and national organizations focused on public policy research, planning and implementation, including health care leaders and community activists.
These fellowships are for board-certified or board-
eligible physicians who have completed family medicine residency and are committed to advocating and caring for the underserved. Competitive salary and benefits. Additional details are available online.
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Motivational Interviewing Webinar Series
The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions is offering a three-part webinar series on "Helping People Embrace Behavior Change in Healthcare Settings." The series is designed to provide primary and behavioral healthcare staff strategies to support individuals' readiness for health-related behavior change using motivational interviewing. Registration for each webinar is free, but space is limited, so register early.
Aug. 15, 2-3:30 pm (ET), Engaging People in Discussions about Health-related Changes. Presenter: Jeremy Evenden, MSSA, LISW-S, Consultant and Trainer, Center for Evidence-Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University. Register today.
Sept. 5, 2 - 3:30 p.m. (ET), Enhancing Strategies to Promote Individual Change in Primary Healthcare Settings. Presenter: Deborah Myers, M.Ed., PCC-S, consultant and trainer, Center for Evidence-Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University and its Ohio Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Coordinating Center of Excellence initiative. Register today.
Sept. 19, 2 - 3:30 pm. (ET), Enhancing Strategies to Promote Individual Change in Behavioral Healthcare Settings. Presenter: Jeremy Evenden, MSSA, LISW-S, consultant and trainer, Center for Evidence-Based Practices (CEBP) at Case Western Reserve University. Register today.
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Participate in Community Health Vote
A new nonpartisan initiative called Community Health Vote aims to encourage clinicians and patients to participate in the upcoming elections. The goals of the Vote are to boost voting and public engagement by health centers including board, staff, volunteers, and clients, and to help health centers increase voter participation in their communities through activities such as voter registration and education.
If your health center is already participating in Community Health Vote this year, please consider using these tools to enhance voter engagement.
To learn more, please click here. Remember that by participating in Community Health Vote, you can help protect community health centers as well as your own health!
This initiative was founded under theCampaign for America's Health Centers, a project under the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
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Special Invitation to ACU Subscribers
Have you ever cared for a patient whose most pressing problem was substandard housing, hunger or unemployment, but you felt unsure how to help? Join HealthBegins.org, a new online platform founded by NHSC alumni and ACU members. Connect with innovators, experts and colleagues and learn how your clinic can address patients' social needs, while earning recognition and meaningful rewards!
In a special partnership with ACU, HealthBegins is offering ACU members early access to the beta site. Visit www.healthbegins.org to sign-up to be a beta user. Sign-up by Monday, August 20th to be eligible for a special giveaway worth $125. (HealthBegins will donate $125 to a randomly selected winner to help pay a portion of his/her student loans -- it may not be used to pay off the loan -- or as an in-kind gift to a nonprofit of the winner's choice.)
Many clinicians understand that health problems are linked to social issues. Yet four out of five physicians don't feel equipped to address patients' social needs. And health care systems often treat patients only to send them back to the conditions that make them sick. We can do better. HealthBegins.org is an online platform that transforms healthcare with the latest knowledge and tools to address the social determinants of health.
As an ACU member, you are invited to join the HealthBegins beta user team and share feedback, questions, or ideas. Members are already using the site to connect with other health professionals and with innovators and experts in population health. They're learning about other clinics that have developed solutions to address patients' health and social problems. As they learn, users earn points which they can redeem for rewards, like donations to local nonprofits, gift cards, or for paying off student loans. Sign up today!
Questions? Email rishi@healthbegins.org
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