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Important Dates
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6/14-15- Helena Program Review
6/30- End of Fiscal Year
7/15- Health Education Progress Reports due
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Quote of the Week
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.
~Russell Baker
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| Collaborate with NFPRHA and other Members in Monthly Calls | |
 Collaborate with NFPRHA and other Members in Monthly Calls
Have staff at your organization experienced barriers when submitting claims to insurance for family planning services on behalf of patients? NFPRHA is looking for members who are interested in engaging in monthly discussions with other NFPRHA members, as well as service delivery and policy experts, about how to address issues related to confidentiality, religiously affiliated health plans, low reimbursement rates, medical management techniques, and managed care. This opportunity is in collaboration with the National Health Law Program (NHeLP). Interested individuals must be a current NFPRHA member and meet the following criteria:
- Provide family planning services;
- Bill commercial and/or public insurance; and
- Have the capacity to spend two to three hours each month participating on calls and tracking barriers by entering cases into NHeLP's cases database
Participating members will be invited to participate in monthly calls with opportunities for collaboration and technical assistance beginning later this summer through the summer of 2017.
If you are interested in this opportunity, or want to learn more, contact Julie Lewis, a Policy Director at NFPRHA, at jlewis@nfprha.org or 202-293-3114 ext. 214.
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| CDC Releases YRBS Data | |  CDC Releases YRBS DataThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS, which is released biennially, tracks a variety of health behaviors, 118 in 2015, including sexual health behaviors. The 2015 national YRBS data is based on 15,713 usable questionnaires completed in 125 public and private schools with students in at least one of grades 9 through 12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. While the data is an invaluable tool in determining the health and well-being of students across the nation and in highlighting disparities, it is also important to recognize that the behaviors are a reflection of inequities young people face in accessing information and care related to their sexual health. The majority of high school students report having had sex; by the time students are high school seniors, 57% of females and 59% of males report having had sexual intercourse. There has, however, been a decrease since 2013 in the number of students reporting they have ever had sexual intercourse (a 6% decrease) or are sexually active (a 4% decrease). The 2015 YRBS showed a 4% increase since 2013 in the reported use of birth control, though discouragingly, it also showed decrease in the number of sexually active young people reporting condom use, a decrease of 6% since 2003. In addition, the number of students reporting having been tested for HIV dropped from 13% to 10% since 2013. Also disturbingly, more students who are dating reported being forced to engage in sexual activity against their will, 11% in 2013 compared to 10% in 2011. Females are far more likely, at 16%, to report being forced into sexual acts against their will than males, at 5%. |
| HIV Testing & PrEP Services in Title X | | Title X Grantee Essentials: HIV Testing & PrEP Services in the Title X Family Planning Context (301)
Date: June 21, 2016
Time: 1:00 - 2:00PM EST
Target Audience: Title X Grantee leaders and staff responsible for setting priorities for and supporting their provider network in the delivery of HIV-related services.
This webinar will provide Title X Grantees with the most up-to-date information and guidance about HIV testing technologies and the use of PrEP in their provider network.
Objectives:
- Review the role of the Title X Grantee in ensuring access to HIV testing, linkage, and prevention services in the Title X setting
- Consider policies and tools that set the stage for quality HIV testing, linkage, and prevention services in the Title X setting
- Increase awareness and knowledge of available HIV test technologies
- Increase awareness of the use of PrEP to prevent HIV transmission
Register here
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| Federal PrEP Resources | |  "What's Up with PrEP?" webinar was co-hosted by the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy and the HHS Office of Minority Health. Improving access to PrEP and PEP is such an important issue, and making sure that federal staff have access to the same info and know about available resources is essential for achieving the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The slides from the webinar are now available for you to view, as well as, information on selected Federal resources on PrEP and PEP. Also available is a list of PrEP and PEP activities from the NHAS Federal Action Plan. You may also find useful the following links to the CDC Vital Signs, "A Daily Pill Can Prevent HIV" and to the updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
As we learned on the webinar, there are many efforts underway across the federal government to expand the use of PrEP and PEP. We encourage you to take the information presented and think about ways in which you can improve knowledge of and access to these tools in the programs and services you support and the networks you influence.
- If the programs you're part of provide HIV testing, substance abuse treatment, housing, or other services to people at high risk for HIV infection, do they include information about PrEP and PEP? Are you able to provide referrals or assistance navigating reimbursement for PrEP and PEP?
- If you work with health care providers, have you worked to ensure that they know about PrEP and PEP, who might benefit from it, how to prescribe it, and the clinical practice guidelines?
- If you work with people living with HIV, do you provide information about PrEP to those who have sex or inject drugs with HIV negative partners?
Federal PrEP Resources.pdf
Federal PEP Resources.pdf
NHAS Federal Action Plan PrEP and PEP Activities.pdf
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| New From the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) | |  OAH has released five new resources to help programs reach and engage more young fathers; influence research, practice, and policy to better address young fathers' needs; and improve the lives of young fathers and their families. These resources are now available on the OAH website:
- Young Fathers: Important Things to Know and How They Make a Difference
- Recruiting Young Fathers: Five Things to Know
- Retaining Young Fathers: Five Things to Know
- Young Fathers: A Workbook of Activities
- Young Fathers: An Assessment and Checklist for Grantee Organizations
OAH is hosting a Twitter chat on Thursday, June 16, 2016 at 1:00pm ET to discuss ways to support the engagement of young men of color in their communities, and help foster opportunities for them to become leaders. The chat will be co-hosted with the HHS Office of Minority Health, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, and the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics. Participants will have the opportunity to share best practices, challenges, lessons learned, and resources for working with young men of color. Follow the conversation and participate using#ServingYMOC. |
| Show Your Love | | |
The First National Consumer Preconception Health Resource & Social Media Campaign Launched Yesterday. Show Your Love resource & social media campaign seeks to promote healthy behaviors & provide young adults with tools needed to achieve optimal health & access care.
Yesterday, The National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative (PCHHC), a public-private partnership of over 70 organizations working to promote preconception wellness and life planning, launch Show Your Love, the first national consumer preconception web resource and social media campaign. Show Your Love encourages young adults to show love to themselves, their loved ones and future families by educating themselves about optimal preconception health practices, available health care resources and tool and practical ways they can take an active role in achieving their health and life goals through daily deliberate decisions.
THis new resource center, www.ShowYourLoveToday.com, is a clinically-reviewed hub for overall health improvement. The entire resource features one-click, easy-to-share facts, multimedia and resources that encourage positive daily choices before pregnancy. The site highlights physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health topics, as well as tools to help young adults take strides to achieve educational, financial, family and life goals. The Wellness Visit section includes resources to help consumers better understand how to access health care, what to expect before, during and after a clinic visit, and how to make the most of health provider face-time
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| 2016 National Reproductive Health Conference - Chicago - Early Bird Registration Extended | | |
 Early Bird deadline extended to June 17, 2016! Join us in Chicago, IL for one of the largest Title X conferences in the nation, the 2016 National Reproductive Health Conference.
This is an all-encompassing reproductive health conference that presents national speakers and quality topics for an affordable price.
2016 Global Conference Objectives:
- Describe current scientific evidence and nationally recognized standards of quality improvement initiatives for reproductive health care(e.g., risk and disease screening, contraceptive counseling and medical management of common reproductive health care issues).
- Identify strategies for enhancing the delivery of family planning and reproductive health services for diverse clients.
- Implement evidence-based recommendations and insertion/removal techniques for long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC).
Learn more about the conference
Register for the conference
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| ARHP In-Person Trainings | | |
Association of Reproductive Health  Professionals
Did you know our educational programs aren't just online? We offer them in person, too. ARHP's accredited activities include opportunities for providers to participate in both hands-on and didactic trainings all across the country. And they are completely free. We are currently offering sessions on a range of health topics, including:
- Diabetes and Reproductive Health
- IUD and Implant Hands-On Training
- Permanent and Reversible Contraception
- Osteoporosis Across the Lifespan
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
- Contraceptive Risk Counseling
If you and your team are interested in scheduling a training session, we've got you covered. We'll bring our expert presenters, training kits, and rigorous CE-accredited curricula right to your door.
Contact us at arhp@arhp.org to schedule a training today.
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| HIV Prevention Toolkit to Promote Gender Responsiveness in HIV Prevention Programs for Women and Girls | |  One in four people living with HIV in the U.S. are women or girls. There are significant differences in the underlying causes and consequences of female HIV infections that reflect differences in biology, sexual behavior, societal attitudes and pressures, and economic power.
At the Office of Women's Health (OWH) and the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy (OHAIDP), we recognize that gender-related issues are a key driver of this epidemic among women and girls. That's why OWH developed the HIV Prevention Toolkit: A Gender-Responsive Approach. What's in the Toolkit and how does it work? The Toolkit is composed of six sections. Section 1 through 4 provide background on gender as a social determinant of health and the impact of gender on HIV risk and vulnerability. Section 5 and 6 explain how to conduct a gender analysis read more... |
| CMS Issues Guidance Strengthening Medicaid Family Planning | | |
 On June 14th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) and Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services (CMCS) issued guidance to states on Medicaid family planning services and supplies designed to reinforce Medicaid Program rules, strengthen delivery of high-quality family planning services and supplies in Medicaid, and encourages states to implement approaches to ensure timely access to care.
The State Health Officials letter provides welcome guidance on family planning services provided under both fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems. The new guidance follows other recent actions by CMCS to support and improve access to family planning services and supplies in Medicaid, including the April 19th State Medical Directors letter clarifying Medicaid's "free choice of provider" requirement (also known as "freedom of choice") in conjunction with state actions against Medicaid providers.
The new family planning guidance includes provisions: - Clarifying that family planning services and supplies delivered during a medical visit in which family planning and non-family planning services are provided are eligible for the enhanced 90% match rate;
- Clarifying that state and/or managed care plan policies that interfere with a Medicaid beneficiary's ability to freely choose their method of family planning or the services or counseling associated wth choosing that method - such as therapy, restricting the removal of particular methods, and prior authorization - are prohibited;
- Recommending that states better ensure access to family planning services and supplies by better aligning their state plan family planning benefit with their Alternative Benefit Plans, which are required to cover all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved contraceptive methods;
- Clarifying confidentiality protections that make both states and managed care plans responsible for ensuring that Medicaid beneficiaries are informed of their right to have their reasonable requests to receive communications by alternative means or at an alternative location accommodated; and
- Reinforcing strategies for improving access to long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs); clarifying that reimbursement to providers must include the LARC itself, insertion, and removal; and encouraging states to adopt policies that facilitate insertion of LARCs immediately after delivery.
NFPRHA released a press statement today commending CMS for its efforts in protecting and presercing the publicly funded family planning provider network and improving access to family planning care. |
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