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The ACU HIT and the Underserved conference brings together leaders in government, the private sector, federally qualified healthcare centers, nonprofit organizations, and academia to harness the power of health IT for the underserved. |
Corps Community Day
October 11, 2012
Healthier Patients. Stronger Communities 
Nearly 100 National Health Service Corps Community Day events will take place across the country. Find out how you can get involved |
The August 2012 issue of the JHCPU issue is available online 
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Paula Reynolds Joins ACU Board
Paula Reynolds, MD, MPH,a community health physician of Savannah, GA, joins the ACU Board of Directors this month. She has devoted her career to health care for the underserved and brings expertise in health information technology and community-based health initiatives to the board. "'My thing' has always been access to care," Reynolds explained. Her experience working in a sickle cell research lab while in college taught her that, "It is not enough to open doors - you have to reach out to people and be accessible."
Dr. Reynolds serves as executive director of the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council (CCSNPC), a collaborative dedicated to finding efficient and effective ways to improve access to and the quality of health care for the underinsured in Chatham County, GA. Reynolds says their philosophy is that there is no wrong door. "If the emergency department is the only place someone can get care, then we have to be ready for them, " she said.
Like ACU, CCSNPC is a broad-based coalition involving health care, dental, pharmaceutical and other providers, advocates, academics and local government united in the goal of helping clinicians meet the needs of the underserved. "ACU is an organization with the same mission and ideals; I look forward to sharing ideas and expertise," Reynolds said.
Reynolds also serves as Director of ChathamHealthLink, a community-based health information exchange managed by CCSNPC, and Project Manager for Chatham Connect with Direct, a project selected by the federal Office of the National Coordinator for its Consumer Innovation Challenge. This project was a logical extension of their work. "The patient is part of the health care team, and a personal health record is an excellent tool for clinicians to help them engage patients and achieve better health outcomes," she said.
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ACU Co-sponsors Health Summit Dec. 1
You are invited to attend a luncheon and continuing education seminar on December 1 in Middletown, NY, featuring Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, an ACU charter member and current Chief Medical Officer at Pfizer, as the keynote speaker. The afternoon speakers will focus on HIV testing and health literacy.
ACU is cosponsoring the seminar along with the Mid Hudson Valley Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Hudson River Health Care (an ACU sponsor member), and the New York/New Jersey AIDS Education and Training Center. The event takes place at the Orange Regional Medical Center, 707 East Main St., Middletown, NY. It is open to all; there is a $50 registration fee. Please register online.
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Audio Story Bank Launches
Listen to ACU members tell their personal stories - including why they chose to practice with the underserved, their success and challenges, and lessons learned. The ACU Audio Story Bank includes short (5 minutes or less) edited interviews with our members who explain what health care for the underserved means to them. Members who have recorded their stories so far include nurse practitioners Kate Wilson of Virginia and Nereida Savoy of Florida, patient coordinator Vania Maldonado of Virgina and family physican Chris Echterling, of Pennsylvania.
ACU members come from all parts of the country and from urban, rural and suburban settings. They may have an MD, RN, NP, DDS, or behavioral health credential behind their name, but what they all have in common is a powerful sense of passion and purpose.
Listen to member stories here or learn more about the story bank and consider adding your story. If you are interested, email acu@clinicians.org and write "audio story bank" in the subject line.
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Welcome New Members!
ACU is pleased to have 8 new members who joined in September, including, Jackie Bensinger, Cherie Berman, Suzanne Hoban, Leslie McGuire, Martha Mutis, Danielle Robertshaw, Crystal shanks, and Yesenia Valdez, Welcome!
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Medicaid: A Matter of Life or Death
 Medicaid coverage "can make the difference between life and death," Dr. Janelle Goetchus, Chief Medical Officer of Unity Health Care, told policymakers at a Senate briefing on Medicaid September 28. "We cannot afford any more cuts or I will need to go back to 'begging' for care," she said
Dr. Goetchus represented front line clinicians at the briefing, organized by The Partnership for Medicaid, a non-partisan coalition in which ACU is an active member. The members of the Partnership are strongly committed to the Medicaid program: both to its foundation as a federal-state partnership and to its role in delivering high quality, efficient, and cost-effective care to millions of Americans. Speakers at the briefing offered a variety of "on the ground" perspectives on the state of Medicaid, including the impact of policy proposals under discussion on localities, states, providers, and patients. Read more
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Hurry! Renew your ACU membership by October 15 and you will be entered to win this pocket sized Flip Video Camera to take with you wherever you go!
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It is membership renewal time -most ACU memberships expire at the end of 2012. Since no one wants to receive (or send) renewal reminders over the holidays, we are offering an incentive for those who renew early. Don't worry -- since ACU membership is based on a calendar year, we won't cut short your benefits if you renew before your membership expires. Need more reasons to renew? Read more...
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Featured Jobs in the ACU Career Center
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Conferences and E-Learning
Oct. 16, 2:30 pm, ET, Cultural Competency and Child Passenger Safety, a free 1-hour webinar addresses the disparities in crash injuries in communities of poverty and cultural diversity. Offered by the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions.
Nov. 1 - 2, 2012 Health Care for the Homeless Regional Training in Orlando, FL, offered by the National Health Care For the Homeless Council. Registration is free. ACU's Anna Gard will present on "Building a Patient-Centered Medical Home with the Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records.
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Blue Button Video Challenge
 The Blue ButtonŽ is becoming a national concept and symbol for easy, electronic access to your health information. In an effort to increase awareness about the Blue Button the Office of the National Coordinator has issued the Blue Button Video Challenge . The challenge is simple: create a short, less than two minutes, video that mentions the "Blue Button" and encourages others to learn more about it by visiting www.healthIT.gov/bluebutton. The deadline for entering: November 13.
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 Ingrid Lifleur, a pharmacy student at Howard University, class of 2013, joins ACU for a 5-week rotation in which she will focus on working with other student members of ACU. Her goal is to organize a forum through which students can interact with each other as well as with clinicians working in our underserved communities. "I look forward to my time here at ACU and hope to brainstorm with students nationwide to really make an impact in our communities," Lifleur said. Student members should expect to hear from Ingrid over the next few weeks. If you are interested in the new student working group, please contact us at students@clinicians.org.
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PCORI Seeks Your Input
In order to refine its research agenda, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is seeking input on research questions of interest to patients, caregivers, and the broader health care community. PCORI focuses on questions about prevention, diagnosis and treatment options. Take their online survey to propose specific research questions that would help you improve care for your patients.
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Membership Committee Seeks Members
Are you interested in getting more involved in ACU? Meeting other members? Sharing your perspective on what makes this organization so unique? The ACU Membership committee is looking for a few good people to offer input on how to grow our organization. The Committee meets monthly via conference call. If you are interested, please email acu@clinicians.org and put "membership committee" in the subject line.
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ACU Member Benefit
ACU is a cosponsor of the Dual Eligibles Summit taking place 10/30 - 10/31 in Los Angeles, which means ACU members are eligible for scholarships which cover either the cost of registration to attend the conference in person OR to participate in the live Internet streaming of the event. The conference focuses on the 9 million people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Learn more about the summit and apply now for a scholarship to participate in person or via the Internet.
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