masthead
 April 2014
In This Issue
FEATURE STORY

2014 ANNUAL MEETING CONFERENCE SESSIONS POSTED

The daily schedule for the 2014 Annual Meeting and Health IT Forum is now posted on the ACU website. The conference, to be held June 25-27 at the Westin Alexandria in Alexandria, VA, will bring clinical leaders and top government officials together to focus on improving access to care for millions of people living in underserved areas of our country. We have designated tracks which include Health IT, Clinical Quality, the National Health Service Corps, selected "Hot Topics" and now 340B University (a nationally recognized track for those interested in enhancing access to pharmacy through the federal 340B program)!

 

Register Today, and make sure to Reserve a Room as well!
Advocacy & Education

ACU'S HOTZ TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

On Wednesday April 9th, the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Care and Aging will be holding a hearing on "Addressing Primary Care Access and Workforce Challenges: Voices from the Field." ACU's Jim Hotz, MD has been invited to testify about the importance of the National Health Service Corps program and the recruitment and retention challenges in shortage areas. Dr. Hotz recently joined ACU's Board of Directors and is the Clinical Services Director at Albany Area Primary Health Care in rural Georgia. Look for updates on Dr. Hotz's testimony on our website!

 

ACA ENROLLMENT SURPASSES 7 MILLION

March 31 marked the official end of open enrollment on the exchanges, though the Obama administration has granted a reprieve for those who have attempted to obtain coverage by the deadline. Last-minute registrants experienced long waits on HealthCare.gov, at enrollment centers and on phone lines. Regardless, the White House reported that enrollment surpassed the 7 million mark, which was the original estimate for enrollment before the early website problems reduced those projections. Even if you missed the deadline, there are still some options for those who want to gain coverage, read more here!

Clinical News & Resources
ACU's Anna Gard, FNP will be presenting at the Centricity Healthcare Users Group meeting in Las Vegas, NV April 3-5. The presentation focuses on the asthma clinical decision support tool ACU developed in conjunction with the Alliance of Chicago. The project was done in concert with EPA's Office of Indoor Air Quality.

 

National Public Health Week 2014 is April 7th -13th.  This year's theme is Public Health: Start Here, including a daily theme on April 8th of  Don't panic: Disaster preparedness. The American Public Health Association (APHA) has made a toolkit available, including "fact sheets, media outreach materials, suggested community events, legislative information, resources and activities." 

 

Peers for Progress and the National Council of La Raza have released a report "that examines how peer support programs improve health outcomes by boosting outreach and education for disease prevention and management." The report, Peer Support in Health - Evidence to Action "is a guide for health care organizations developing peer support programs that will help people with health problems live healthier lives. Peer support programs are located throughout the U.S. and are included in the ACA as a way to improve health care quality and reduce costs."

EPA's Office of Indoor Air Quality is hosting a webinar on May 1 entitled "Closing the Gap: Addressing Asthma Disparities in Schools." The webinar will feature two school districts and how they used a comprehensive, partnership-based approach to reduce the burden of asthma in their school systems. To register for this webinar, click here.

 

The Clinical Directors Network is hosting a webinar on April 28th entitled "Resilient Active Vibrant Elders (RAVE): A Community-Engaged Approach to Designing Health Programming for Urban Elders of Color."  To learn more about the webinar and to register, visit the CDN website.

"I used to be a doctor, now I'm a clerk." Read the Washington Post article on primary care provider burn-out and what some practices are doing to address the problem.

Member's Updates
journal

Mental Health Article in February Journal Issue

An article in the February issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved focuses on the status of health center patients, utilization of mental health services, and factors associated with unmet need for mental health treatment. "About half of the United States population will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, and major depression is the leading cause of disability."  How are health centers providing mental health treatment to their patients and what challenges remain to address the unmet need? Use this link to see the table of contents for the issue. Or, you can download the column to read more: "
Access to Mental Health Services Among Patients at Health Centers and Factors Associated with Unmet Needs."

Careers

APRIL SPECIAL - Get 20% off your job posting for the month of April. Just enter the discount code ACUAPRIL20 when you checkout.

ACU Career Center

Search more than 1,900 healthcare jobs posted in the ACU Career Center, including these: 

There are many opportunities for primary care providers in Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, and more. Search the ACU Career Center today.  

Conferences and Webinars

This is a partial listing of upcoming conferences and webinars. For a more complete list, visit the ACU website.  

 

Centricity Healthcare Users Group 

April 3-5, 2014

Las Vegas, NV. 

ACU's Anna Gard, FNP is presenting on the asthma clinical decision support tool ACU developed in conjunction with the Alliance of Chicago.

 

37th Annual Rural Health Conference

April 22-24, 2014

Las Vegas, NV, sponsored by the National Rural Health Association.

 

Promising Practices, Tobacco-Free Living and Health Eating in Low Socioeconomic Status Communities 

April 28-29, 2014

Sponsored by the Break Free Alliance.

 

National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium

May 28-30, 2014

New Orleans, LA. 

 

Design with People in Mind: How Open Spaces Can Improve Health 

Sponsored by Leadership for Healthy Communities

Wednesday, April 9th, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (EDT) - webinar 

To register  

 

Reduce Tobacco Use Conference 2014

Sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Health Youth and Prevention

April 10th - 11th

Sheraton Pentagon City

For more information and to register

 

Easing the U.S. Healthcare Crisis:  The Role of Integrative Healthcare

Sponsored by the Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium and the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine 

Thursday, April 10th, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., 421 Cannon House Office Building  

Thursday, April 10th, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

To RSVP  

 

2014 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit

April 22nd - 24th

Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, GA

For more information


Society of Behavioral Medicine's 35th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions

April 23th -26th

Philadelphia, PA

To register

 

2014 National Oral Health Conference

Sponsored by Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and
the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD).
April 28th - 30th (pre-conference sessions, April 26th - 27th)
Fort Worth, Texas

For additional information  

 

Promising Practices 2014: Promoting Tobacco-Free Living and Healthy Eating in Low Socioeconomic Status Communities

Sponsored by the Break-Free Alliance and Health Education Council 

April 28th - 29th

Hyatt Crystal City, Arlington, VA

To register

 

2014 NNPHI Annual Conference: Leading Change Through Innovative Solutions

Sponsored by the National Network of Public Health Institutes 

May 19th - 21st

New Orleans, Louisiana

Register Now!

 

12th Annual Unity Conference - Community Health Workers: Innovative Solution to Addressing the Triple Aims (Access to Care, Reducing Costs, and Promoting Healthy Communities)

Sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Health Outreach  

May 20th - 22nd

Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Baltimore, MD 

For more information and to register 

 

Focus on Eye Health: A National Summit

Sponsored by Prevent Blindness 

June 18th

National Press Club

To register

 

Call for Abstracts - GLMA 32nd Annual Conference

Sponsored by GLMA:  Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality

September 10th - 13th  

Baltimore, MD

For more information  

(abstracts due March 10th)
 

 
Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn   
Join Our Mailing List
Association of Clinicians for the Underserved | ckennedy@clinicians.org |  http://www.clinicians.org
1420 Spring Hill Rd.
Suite 600
Tysons Corner, VA 22102