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Public Comment Sought on Long-Term Care Facilities and HAIs
On July 23, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began requesting public comments on a new Long-Term Care (LTC) chapter of the National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: Roadmap to Elimination. The chapter focuses on combating HAIs in nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities. It extends earlier efforts that focused on acute care hospitals (Phase 1), ambulatory surgical centers and end-stage renal disease facilities (Phase 2), and influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel (Phase 2). Comments may be submitted to OHQ@hhs.gov until 5:00 PM EDT on August 22. Please see the HHS website for additional information about the HAI Initiative and HHS' Partnership for Patients.
LHDs and Federal 317 Program Funds
After October 1, 2012, vaccines purchased through CDC's Section 317 immunization program cannot be used to immunize anyone who has insurance coverage. How are you preparing for this deadline? Will you be ready? What challenges are you experiencing? Please send feedback to Rebecca Gehring at rgehring@naccho.org.
Public Health Foundation Immunization Strategies Webinar
PHF will host a webinar titled Immunization Strategies: Using the Evidence and What Works to Improve Practice on August 22, 2012 (2:00-3:00 PM EDT). It will discuss evidence-based strategies to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. This program is the first from Public Health Works, PHF's new online training initiative.
Call for Abstracts for the 2013 Public Health Preparedness Summit
Abstracts are now being accepted for the 2013 Public Health Preparedness (PHP) Summit. This is the nation's largest gathering of public health preparedness professionals. The PHP Summit is an opportunity to showcase your best practice training models, tools, or other important resources that illustrate proven results in building and sustaining public health preparedness at the local, state, tribal, or national level. All abstracts must be submitted by August 31, 2012, at 11:59 PM EDT.
Call for Applicants: Training for New Local Health Officials
NACCHO will launch the third cohort of Survive and Thrive: Roadmap for New Local Health Officials for Fall 2012. Applications are now open and space is limited for this valuable learning opportunity. Individuals may apply as new local health officials, aspiring local health officials, or coaches. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and there are no application deadlines at this time.
AHIP Free Webinar Series on Third-Party Reimbursement for Vaccines
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and its member companies are collaborating with the CDC to improve public health third-party billing and reimbursement processes for vaccines provided to privately insured individuals. AHIP will host two webinars titled Third-Party Reimbursement for Vaccines: Effective Billing Strategies for Public Health Departments. On August 22 (2:00-3:30 PM EDT), the webinar will be on coding and electronic billing for vaccine delivery. On September 19 (2:00-3:30 PM EDT), the webinar will discuss how to navigate the credentialing process with health plans.
Free Broadband Adoption Training Program: eHealth Training
Califorina Telehealth Network (CTP) and the University of California at Davis have created a series of online classes to support model communities and others in learning about eHealth. This curriculum, available at no charge, includes lessons on change management, clinical health informatics, consumer health informatics, electronic health records/health information exchange (EHR/HIE), and broadband adoption. Register online at:http://ehealthtraining.extensiondlc.net/
Call for Health Impact Project Grant Submissions
The Health Impact Project will fund three HIA program grants to support organizations that have completed at least one prior HIA. This funding will enable organizations to conduct at least two HIAs, and to implement a plan that establishes the relationships, systems, and funding mechanisms needed to maintain a stable HIA program that endures beyond the conclusion of the grant period. Applicants may request grants of up to $250,000. Grantees will be asked to provide a minimum of $100,000 in matching funds, either through in-kind contributions of staff time, or through outside funding sources. The deadline to submit proposals is September 28, 2012.
Legal Pitfalls When Implementing Telemedicine Practices Webinar
Join the firm of Fulbright & Jaworski for a free webinar on August 16 (1:00-2:00 PM PDT) titled Avoiding Legal Pitfalls When Implementing Telemedicine Practices: Insights from the ATA Annual International Meeting and Exposition. Call for Abstracts for the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease North America Regional Meeting, February 28 - March 2, 2013 The 17th Annual Conference of the Union-North America Region is now accepting abstract submissions. The deadline is on October 5, 2012. Travel grants are available to individuals who are unlikely to attend the conference without the grant, or who reside or work in the Caribbean, Central or South America. Submission forms and other information are available here. Call for Health and Society Scholars The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced a call for applications for its Health and Society Scholars program. This provides two years of support for postdoctoral scholars at all stages of their careers for research on multiple determinants of population health and contribute to policy change. For more information, visit www.healthandsocietyscholars.org or contact Gerard Lebeda, the Deputy Director of the program, at hss@nyam.org or 212-419-3566. Submit a Tool to NACCHO's Immunization and Infectious Disease Toolkits NACCHO's Immunization and Infectious Disease Toolkits are intended to provide LHDs with resources related to immunization and infectious disease prevention and control practices. Examples of tools include templates, guides, community resources and much more. Log in to submit your own resources to the Toolkit to share with other LHDs. | 
