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July 18, 2012 

Fewer Doctors Accept Medicaid Patients

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) reports that the percent of Texas physicians willing to accept new Medicaid patients has fallen to an all-time low of 31%. Bureaucratic red tape and low Medicaid reimbursement rates are cited as reasons for the decline in physicians willing to accept this federal insurance program that serves the people with very low incomes. 
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Source: Texas Medical Association
According to the TMA, the state cut physicians' already-meager Medicaid payment rates another 2 percent in 2010 and 2011. Then, at the start of this year, doctors who care for the state's poorest elderly and disabled patients (dual-eligible patients) were cut another 20 to 100 percent.

Medicare, a federal health program that insures seniors and people with long-term disabilities, has also seen a decline in physician acceptance rates.  Read more about the survey.

Texas "Weak" on National Health Report Card

TX Health Report CardA new government report card on health care quality rates Texas as "weak" overall and gives it the lowest score in the nation. The quality measures include disease prevention efforts; how well  health care providers - from doctors to hospitals to home health agencies - care for patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, and how well they manage patients with incurable conditions; and health disparities among racial and ethnic groups.

 

Learn more about the national healthcare dashboard at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website

Medicaid/CHIP Regional Advisory Committee

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is accepting applications for membership to the Medicaid and CHIP Regional Advisory Committees for 13 service delivery areas, including the 30-county Region 7, which includes the Capital area. The committees will discuss and provide recommendations related to Medicaid and CHIP.  Applications will be accepted through August 3, 2012.

 

Membership on the committee requires regular participation in committee meetings four times per year.  Committee members will not receive compensation for participation on the committee and will be responsible for their own travel expenses. Learn more.

In This Issue
Texas "Weak" on Health
Medicaid/CHIP Advisory Committee
New School Attendance Campaign
Multi-State Workforce Initiative
Austin ISD Graduation Rates Increase Third Year in a Row
New School Attendance Campaign
2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Planning for Colony Park
Help Out with National Voter Registration Day
Getting Out the Nonprofit VOTE
Community Health Assessment
Public Hearing on City of Austin Bond Election
Does Transit Connect Jobs and Workers?
2-1-1 Training
Applications Open for CAN Community Council Members 
CAN Senior Research Analyst Receives National Award
CAN Events Calendar
Follow CAN's Tweets

 

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Health Reform - the Basics   

Health Reform Explained Video:
Health Reform Explained Video: "Health Reform Hits Main Street"
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, we thought we would share this video by the Kaiser Family Foundation that explains the basics of health care reform. 

The Affordable Care Act calls for expanding Medicaid eligibility to all citizens living below the Federal Poverty Level.  Governor Rick Perry has said that Texas will not expand Medicaid eligibility.This American Statesman article discusses the consequences for Texas and other states that "just say no" to health care reform. 

According to Texas Well and Healthy, expanding Medicaid would bring  $76 billion over six years to the Texas economy to pay for patient care, hospitals, and health provider services.  Fully implementing health care reform would also mean that as many as 2 million Texans who currently have no health insurance would have public health insurance.

Multi-State Workforce Initiative

workforce_solutions_logo Workforce Solutions Capital Area Workforce Board is a part of a multi-state consortium recently awarded an $11.8 million Workforce Innovation Fund grant by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant will support the Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program. The goal of the ACE program is to help low-income, low-skill job seekers efficiently earn the skills and credentials needed to compete in high demand industries in their regions. 
 
Led by Baltimore County's Department of Economic Development Workforce Development Division, ACE will be administered in nine Maryland counties, Baltimore City and by partner organizations in New Haven, Connecticut, Atlanta, Georgia and Austin. The Annie E. Casey Foundation will also provide major project support. The ACE program will incorporate basic skills, occupational skills, work ready skills, and job readiness training; support services; an optional internship or clinical placement; job placement support; and long-term career navigation for meaningful employment.
 
Workforce Solutions Capital Area will partner with Austin Community College as the provider of workforce training and education. The Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas will serve as the project evaluator.  

Austin ISD Graduation Rates Increase Third Year In a Row 

AISD grad ratesAustin ISD's four-year graduation rate increased for the third year in a row.  The four year graduation rate for the Class of 2011 was 80%. 
 
With 86,697 students, Austin ISD is the largest school district in the five county Austin MSA.  Almost 64% of all students attending AISD are low-income.

Get Schooled: Increasing Attendance 3 Days = $34 Million  

The E3 Alliance announced a new school attendance campaign that will use on-line and cell phone trivia games, incentives and wake up calls from well-known celebrities to improve school attendance.  At a forum today, E3 noted that Central Texas' 307,000 students had a total of 2.4 million absences in the last school year.  Since schools receive state funding for each day a student attends school, increasing attendance results in increased funding. Reducing the average absence rate by 3 days would translate into an additional $34 million for schools in Central Texas.

Partners in the "Get Schooled" campaign will include local radio stations and businesses.  The campaign will run from October through early December and will target students in 7th through 10th grades.

Learn How Texas Kids Fare in National KIDS COUNT Data Book 

With one of every eleven kids in the U.S. living in Texas, it is clear that how we support our children today will drive not only the future of Texas, but the future of our country.

 

Texas KIDS COUNT Director Frances Deviney will host a webinar briefing on the release of the 2012 National KIDS COUNT data book. NEW this year, the national report will examine not only how kids are doing overall, but also how Texas' kids rank versus other states in the areas of economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. 

 

Click here to register for the webinar, which will take place Wednesday, July 25th from 10 to 11 a.m.

Imagining a New Colony Park
Imagine Austin logo The City of Austin seeks residents' help in creating a new vision for the Colony Park neighborhood using the lens of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan.  Austin has received a $3 million Community Challenge Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund a master plan for the Colony Park area to realize a community with housing that is affordable to people across the economic spectrum and is also connected to work, recreation and services. This "complete communities" concept is a key element of Austin's recently adopted Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan.

People are invited to the Overton Elementary School Cafeteria, 7201 Colony Park Loop, next Wednesday, July 25th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Senior planning staff with the City of Austin will share information about Imagine Austin and then engage participants in a planning exercise for the Colony Park area.  RSVP to Jessi Koch at [email protected] or (512) 974-3184.

Help Out with National Voter Registration Day
 
National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) will be taking place on  September 25, 2012.  The Texas Civic Engagement Table (TCET) will be partnering with Fair Elections Legal Network, the League of Young Voters, the League of Women Voters, Voto Latino, Head Count, Project Vote, Nonprofit Vote, the Voter Participation Center, and other national, state and local organizations to help register people to vote, educate voters about their rights, publicize the voter protection hotlines, and assist with other voter turnout efforts. 
 
If your organization is planning events or would like to participate in events being planned locally,  please contact Gillian Parrillo of TCET at [email protected]. For more information on National Voter Registration Day, you can download their two-pager  here. 

How to Get Out the Non-Profit VOTE
nonprofit vote
Nonprofit VOTE is a national organization that supports nonprofits in encouraging their clients, constituents, staff, board and volunteers to vote. The organization provides tool kits, webinars and other tools to help nonprofits empower the people they serve to make sure their voice
is heard on election day.  A webinar next Thursday, July 26th will share information on election protection and ensuring voters have access to tools to help protect their right to vote.

Together We Thrive:  Austin/Travis County Community Health Plan   

Over the past several months, the City of Austin, Travis County, Central Health, Seton, St. David's and other health care partners have gone into neighborhoods, community centers and schools throughout Travis County to find out from residents what they think the priorities should be for improving the health of their communities.  This information will be incorporated into a Community Health Assessment and will help inform a Community Health Improvement Plan.  Next Thursday, July 26th, the health care partners will share the results of these community listening sessions in two presentations.  Both presentations will be held at City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street.  One will begin at 3:30 p.m. and the second will begin at 6:30 p.m. 

Public Hearing on Possible November City of Austin Bond Election    

bond options
Citizen's Bond Advisory Task Force Recommendations

The Austin City Council will hold a public hearing on a possible Bond Election to be placed on the November 6th ballot.  The Public Hearing will be held on Thursday, August 2nd at 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers.

 

A Citizen's Bond Advisory Task Force has recommended two bond package options for Council consideration.  The  City Manager has countered with a $385 million bond package, which reduces the amounts for affordable housing and parks and open space.  

 

In addition to the size and content of the bond package, issues for the Council to consider are the term of the bonds - whether for 4, 5, or 6 years and whether a tax assessment will be required to the finance the bonds.

 

For more information, visit the City of Austin Bond Development website.   

How Well Does Transit Connect Jobs and Workers in Austin?    

A Brookings Institute report "Where the Jobs Are:  Employer Access to Labor by Transit" compares the nation's largest 100 metropolitan areas' transit connectivity between jobs and workers.  A closer look at the Austin-Round Rock Metro Area data shows that while 60% of the jobs in the Austin area are accessible by transit, only 30% of workers are able to get to those jobs via public transit within 90 minutes.  The disconnect is that more workers live further away from jobs. Also, as more jobs move into the suburbs, transit access is further diminished.  Less than 17% of suburban jobs in the five-county area are accessible by transit.
2-1-1 Training

Help2-1-1 Texas offers free monthly trainings on when to use 2-1-1 Texas and how to search the 2-1-1 Texas database to find information about available community resources. The targeted audience for these trainings is social services professionals and volunteers. Registration for the training sessions, offered the last Friday of each month, is not required.

 

Training sessions  are held on the last Friday of every month at  2 p.m. at United Way for Greater Austin, 2000 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and last about an hour and a half.  For more information, call 2-1-1 and select option 1 or email Amy Price at [email protected]. 

 
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    Working to promote equity and opportunity.

 

Community Action Network (CAN) is a partnership of government, non-profit, private and faith-based organizations who work together to enhance the social, health, educational and economic well-being of Austin/Travis County.  As a convener, connector and informer, CAN...

  • enhances awareness of community issues,
  • connects efforts and strengthens partnerships across issue areas, and
  • provides a collaborative forum for developing strategies that promote equity and opportunity for all.

CAN Partners:  Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Community College, Austin Independent School District, Austin Travis County Integral Care, Capital Metro, Central Health, City of Austin, Community Justice Council, interfaith Action Central Texas (iACT), One Voice Central Texas, Seton Healthcare Family, St. David's Foundation, St. Edward's University, Travis County, United Way for Greater Austin, University of Texas at Austin, and Workforce Solutions - Capital Area.

 

www.caction.org