Weekly E-Blast:
Voicing the latest news on Communities in Need
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COUNTDOWN TO ENROLLMENT
53 Days
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Have news to share with us? Want to be featured on our next E-Digest? Want to read about something in particular? Please email us at aneeqa@machc.com.
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Community Health Center Spotlight
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NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK is just 16 DAYS away.......!!!!
NHCW is just 2 days away - August 11-17!
All health centers are encouraged to post Health Center Week celebration and event details on the website here - the password to post events is: healthy. While NHCW 2013 is August 11-17, events occurring anytime during the entire month of August are welcome to be posted on the website.
PLEASE make sure to support your community events by attending National Health Center Week at a Health Center near you!Amongst Mid-Atlantic Health Centers, we have events taking place at the following health centers.Wilmington, DE - Henrietta Johnson Medical Center will be hosting a National Health Center kick-off on August 12, 2013 at their main center location.
Henrietta Johnson will also host a Staff Recognition Day on August 16, 2013 (held at main center location)
Greenbelt, MD - Community Clinic, Inc will be holding an Opening Ceremony on August 7th from 10:30 am - noon. Folks interested in attending, please RSVP to 301-340-7525 or THI.NGUYEN@CCIWEB.ORG.
Conowingo, MD - West Cecil Health Center is also hosting their new Site Opening on August 7th. Interested folks, please get in touch (410) 378-9696 or visit West Cecil's website for updates.
49 Rock Springs Road, Conowingo, MD
Frederalsburg, MD - Choptank Community Health Systems Inc. is hosting an Open House at their site on Tuesday, Aug. 13th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm.
There will be a wide range of services and informational available that include (but are not limited to) free cancer screenings, blood pressure tests, skin cancer screenings, information about diabetes, school-based health clinics. Moreover, there will be a tour of the center along with a chance to meet the staff.
Hagerstown, MD - Walnut Street CHC will hold its 10th Annual Community Health & Resource Fair on Saturday, August 3, to commemorate National Health Center Week.
Walnut Street will also host a roundtable with NACHC on August 28th starting at 11:30 am.
The day will include free health screenings, food distribution courtesy of the Maryland Food Bank, and representatives from 25 local and state social service agencies and organizations on site to answer questions and provide information. Children's activities, fitness demonstrations and free prize drawings will make the day a festive event. T-shirts decorated by children who attend the Health Fair will be displayed during National Health Center Week.
Federalsburg, MD - Open house at Choptank Community Health Sytem at the Federalsburg office. Come meet our providers and staff on August 13th from 5:30-7:30 pm.
Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Medical System is hosting a roundtable discussion with NACHC where Senator Cardin will be present. This event will take place on August 12th from 2 pm - 4 pm.
Baltimore, MD - Greater Baden Capital Heights will have a roundtable discussion with NACHC with the presence of Lt. Goveernor Brown. This event will take place on August 23rd from 1 pm - 3 pm.
IF YOUR HEALTH CENTER IS HOSTING AN EVENT DURING NHCW, PLEASE CONTACT US ASAP!
We will continue to highlight and support all the wonderful achievements of Health Centers!
Invite Your Legislators during NHCW!
NACHC strongly encourages Community Health Centers nationwide to celebrate National Health Center Week (NHCW) in August by holding events, inviting Members of Congress to visit health centers in the districts, and hosting events, such as health fairs, community celebrations, or media events to educate the public about the mission and value of health centers. The theme for this year's NHCW is: Celebrating America's Health Centers: Transforming Health Care in Our Local Communities.
You could be next! Please contact Aneeqa Chowdhury at aneeqa@machc.com to be placed on the SPOTLIGHT!
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Chase Brexton Health Services began renovations this week on a new location in Mt. Vernon that will allow it to see four times as many medical patients.
The expansion into the 95,000-square-foot building will allow the 35-year-old organization to offer more services, including dental care to two times as many patients and behavioral health care to four times as many patients.
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Negotiate Managed Care Contracts
Did you know that many managed care contracts:
- Contain provisions which permit managed care organizations (MCOs) to pass any fines imposed on them by state and federal agencies to providers?
- Recoup payments through off-set so that they are rarely noticed?
- Bar health centers from waiving patient cost-sharing amounts?
For more on these and other managed care contract issues, register for one or more of NACHC's Managed Care Contracting series webinars. Click here.
WEBINAR II:
ACA Outreach and Enrollment Strategies and how your health center can brand itself in light of ACA.
The presentation will include an overview of the statewide outreach and communications campaign scheduled to launch in August 2013 that will raise awareness of the new health coverage options available through the Affrodable Care Act. Specific tools and resources available through Maryland Health Connection for community-based organizations and stakeholders will be shared.
Guest Speaker Danielle Davis and Leslie Lyles Smith from Maryland Exchange
*Registration information to come next week!
Date: To Be Announed--emails will be sent out with info.
WEBINAR III:
ACA: The National Perspective
TBA
Has your Health Center been attending the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) monthly calls and Regional Meetings?!
Attending HPP Meetings will not only keep you and your health center on top of the latest Emergency Preparedness requirements and news, but there are other great incentives for those health centers who attend!
For a list of other EP events, please visit this url.
Registration is Now Open!!!
MACHC's 31st Annual Meeting & Conference "Strategic Perspectives on Reform, Innovation and Accountability" September 19th & 20th, 2013
Turf Valley Conference Center
Ellicott City, MD
Join us at MACHC's 31st Annual Meeting & Conference, where you will receive the latest information on all areas relevant to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. There will be much to learn for individuals of all positions, including but not limited to: CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Site Administrators, and Board Members of your health center!
The full implementation of the Affordable Care Act by the Obama Administration is already underway. Health Care Reform is now the law of the land. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act is perhaps the most revolutionary health reform breakthrough to occur in the healthcare sector since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.
Community Health Centers are being challenged to combine efficiency and innovation in order to deliver quality health care in an increasingly competitive environment. However, there remains much speculation and uncertainties about what the ACA will do this fall.
Join us at MACHC's 31st Annual Conference where we will discuss some of the hottest subjects surrounding the ACA:
- Best practices on how to market your Health Center and the FQHC brand
- How to conduct an Organizational Readiness Assessment
- Maryland and Delaware from each State's perspective in readiness for ACA implementation
- Preparing for the new complexities in billing in order to receive maximum compensation
- The importance of board member preparation and participation in the new healthcare paradigm
Click here to register!
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Policy, Advocacy and Legislation
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McCarrel opposes Obamacare-even though he's uninsured and can't find affordable coverage as a result of his artificial hip and knees. But the former junior high principal is looking forward to shopping on the Obamacare online insurance exchange starting in October to see if he can get a plan he could afford. McCarrel, 55, is thankful the Idaho legislature - prodded by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and powerful employer groups -- decided to have the state operate the exchange rather than leave it to the federal government
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The federal government is open to expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act in a way that is more tailored to Texas' preferences, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday while visiting Austin City Hall. 'We are eager to have discussions with Texas about a program that could look uniquely Texan," Sebelius said. "But as far as I know, those conversations, at least with the state officials, are not taking place right now.'
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House Republicans have certainly tried to repeal or dismantle Obamacare - they've passed 40 bills to do that. The idea doesn't seem to be gaining traction. One problem is that repeals can take a long time. ... Though it may take years, Bill Galston, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, says repealing laws isn't always a fool's errand. He pointed to the relatively quick repeal of the law Congress adopted in 1988 providing catastrophic health-care coverage for seniors, which led to a catastrophic moment for Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, then chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. What led to such a fast about-face was that the law was targeted, and it ticked off the very people it was supposed to help
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| Covered CaliforniaBacks Dental Plans For 2014, Eyes Future Changes |
The Obama administration has made numerous adjustments and tweaks to the Affordable Care Act as the law has come into effect. Two recent decisions - one to delay enforcement of the employer mandate until 2015, and another to allow Congress to continue paying for health benefits - have raised questions about how far that discretion should go, whether the White House has overstepped its executive authority 
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Amid criticism from the state insurance commissioner and some children's advocates, California's health insurance exchange is moving ahead with a controversial approach to children's dental coverage for next year while vowing to pursue changes for 2015. At issue has been whether pediatric dental care should be part of the basic health insurance package sold through the exchange or be sold separately. The exchange, called Covered California, will be offering it on a stand-alone basis to parents next year .
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When it comes to securing energy savings, Wilmington officials are preparing to act fast.
City Council will consider a proposed ordinance later this month that would empower the public works commissioner to strike a deal with an electricity provider - at what city officials hope is a favorable rate.
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Hopkins patient marks 30-year anniversary of heart transplant
If Baltimore County resident Orlando DeFelice hadn't had a heart transplant, doctors told his wife, Pam, he would have likely died within four days. Even after the surgery, doctors told him he had 50/50 odds of dying within five years. But that was three decades ago. DeFelice, the second patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital to receive a new heart since the procedure was modernized in the 1980s, on Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of his life-saving surgery. The milestone makes him one of the longest-living heart transplant patients in history.
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According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), average Medicare Part D monthly premiums
that insurance companies are boosting their social media activity "in an effort to amp up their customer service and capitalize on a platform that can serve to mediate, inform and advertise." In an age where content can go instantly viral, the insurance companies are also finding social media proactivity can help them manage their brands and do quick damage control, especially when someone has taken to Twitter or Facebook to complain about service or the product. Interestingly, these social media accounts are separate from the larger company accounts that tow the straight corporate marketing message. And because of that, these accounts carry a distinctly different conversational flavor. There is two way engagement -- customers' feedback or complaints are actively fielded and questions are answered. Does this mean communicating via social media would be a valued tool for your health center?
Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos will buy The Washington Post for $250 million in a surprise deal that ends the Graham family's 80-year ownership and hands one of the country's most influential publications to the tech entrepreneur.
Powerball ticket worth $1 million sold in Maryland
One lucky Powerball player in Maryland is among those raking in the cash after Wednesday night's $448 million jackpot drawing, according to Maryland Lottery officials.
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What's the LATEST
on the ACA this week?
Aetna pulls health plans from state insurance exchange
Aetna Inc. said Friday it canceled plans to sell insurance on Maryland's new health insurance exchange, set to open Oct. 1 as part of the federal health care reform law, after regulators cut the rates it could charge consumers for its plans. Aetna was one of several carriers poised to sell on the state's exchange, along with Coventry Health Care, which Aetna acquired this spring. But Aetna told Maryland Insurance Commissioner Therese M. Goldsmith in a letter this week that cuts regulators made to the rates the companies had proposed "would not allow us to collect enough premiums to cover the cost of the plans.
If every state expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, at least 85 percent of the residents in each one would have some form of health insurance, according to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute. Current health coverage rates vary from more than 90 percent in Massachusetts, Hawaii and the District of Columbia, to less than 75 percent in Texas and Nevada
*Reach the Uninsured!*
Enroll America's research found that more than three out of four Americans lack knowledge about the health insurance options that are coming, so Community Health Centers , as key partners with the Department of Health & Human Services in getting the word out about the new Health Insurance Marketplace have both a tremendous opportunity as well as challenge. There is much riding on our success - for currently uninsured individuals, for individual health centers, and for the future of the Health Insurance Marketplace. So how can health centers make the most of this opportunity? Engage best practices and use proven key messages. Enroll America found that four key messages will work for most of the uninsured, regardless of their demographics or past experiences seeking coverage:
- All insurance plans will have to cover doctor visits, hospitalizations, maternity care, emergency room care and prescriptions.
- You might be able to get financial help to pay for a health insurance plan.
- If you have a pre-existing condition, insurance plans can no longer deny you coverage.
- All insurance plans will have to show the costs and what is covered in simple language with no fine print.
For more guidance on what works, see Enroll America's Best Practices for Outreach & Enrollment for Health Centers (Click here).
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Grants & Funding Opportunities
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HHS/HRSA Care Counts Challenge
Application Deadline: August 30, 2013
$7500 for First Place Winners, $5000 for Second Place Winners in English and Spanish categories. This Challenge calls for the creation of an innovative, educational Tool that informs women about enrollment in their State's Marketplace as well as key provisions of the Affordable Care Act designed specifically to improve their health and that of their families. Sponsored by the Office of Women's Health at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee on Women's Health, the Challenge aims to reach all women, but particularly those in medically underserved communities.
Debunk the Myths: Grant Application Video Series
Federal grants can be excellent funding opportunities for your project, but not understanding the process can lead to a great deal of frustration. This video series will debunk common myths and assist you with your grant applications.
FY 2014 Service Area Competition (SAC) Technical Assistance Service Area Competition - New, Competing Continuation, and Supplemental (HRSA-14-021, HRSA-14-022, HRSA14-023, HRSA-14-024, HRSA-14-025, HRSA-14-026, HRSA-14-027, HRSA-14-028) Through the Service Area Competition (SAC), HRSA will award approximately $468 million in funding to an estimated 310 SAC applicants. A SAC application is a request for Federal financial assistance to support comprehensive primary health care services for a competitively announced underserved area or population. All available service areas (see below) are currently served by Health Center Program grantees whose project periods are ending in FY 2014. Application Deadlines | Project Period Start Date | HRSA Announcement Number | Grants.gov Deadline (11:59 PM ET) | HRSA EHB Deadline (5:00 PM ET) | | November 1, 2013 | HRSA-14-021 | July 24, 2013 | August 7, 2013 | | December 1, 2013 | HRSA-14-022 | July 31, 2013 | August 14, 2013 | | January 1, 2014 | HRSA-14-023 | August 14, 2013 | August 28, 2013 | | February 1, 2014 | HRSA-14-024 | September 11, 2013 | September 25, 2013 | | March 1, 2014 | HRSA-14-025 | October 9, 2013 | October 23, 2013 | | April 1, 2014 | HRSA-14-026 | October 30, 2013 | November 13, 2013 | | May 1, 2014 | HRSA-14-027 | December 4, 2013 | December 18, 2013 | | June 1, 2014 | HRSA-14-028 | January 8, 2014 | January 22, 2014
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*Please click on the title for more information regarding the various grants.
Scholarships
As part of our commitment to build a stronger, more empowered workforce, the National Council has partnered with USC to offer a $2,500 scholarship ($1,250 for advanced standing) for your employees when they enroll in the MSW@USC program in 2013.
Program Start Date Application Deadline
August 7, 2013 June 25, 2013
September 3, 2013 July 22, 2013
September 3, 2013 - Advanced Standing July 1, 2013
Your employees can request more information by clicking here. They should mention their National Council membership to admissions counselors to qualify for the scholarship.
You can also sign up here to request a special onsite or virtual information session just for your staff.
AHRQ Disseminating Patient Centered Outcomes Research to Improve Health Care Delivery
Application Deadline: September 27, 2013
Grants to leverage the capacities of existing broad-based networks of providers and other key stakeholders to disseminate and implement existing evidence for improving the quality of care delivery. Spread of evidence to support change in care delivery requires coordination, buy-in and active participation by diverse providers across multiple settings of care, collaboration with other key stakeholders (including payers and consumers) who are instrumental in shaping care delivery, and adaptation of interventions to local conditions. In recognition of these well-documented challenges and needs, this funding opportunity requires that applicants represent existing networks of providers and other stakeholders that have the knowledge, on-going relationships, expertise, infrastructures, past experience and understanding of local needs and constraints to maximize buy-in, collaboration, and appropriate adaptation to local conditions.
Bureau of Primary Health Care Loan Guarantee Program
Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Loan program to Section 330 health centers to obtain a loan guarantee for the financing of a medical facility construction, renovation and modernization.
Application Deadline: Letter of Intent: June 28, 2013
Applications: August 15, 2013
Under this announcement, CMS will spend up to $1 billion for awards and evaluation of projects from across the country that test new payment and service delivery models that will deliver better care and lower costs for Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees. This round of funding will support public and private organizations in four defined areas that have a high likelihood of driving health care system transformation and delivering better outcomes:
- Models that are designed to rapidly reduce Medicare, Medicaid, and/or CHIP costs in outpatient and/or post-acute settings.
- Models that improve care for populations with specialized needs.
- Models that test approaches for specific types of providers to transform their financial and clinical models.
- Models that improve the health of populations - defined geographically (health of a community), clinically (health of those with specific diseases), or by socioeconomic class - through activities focused on engaging beneficiaries, prevention (for example, a diabetes prevention program or a hypertension prevention program), wellness, and comprehensive care that extends beyond the clinical service delivery setting.
All applicants must submit, as part of their application, the design of a payment model that is consistent with the new service delivery model that they propose.
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Has your FQHC joined the
National Branding Campaign?
With more than 43 billion people eligible to enroll in private insurance starting this October 1, FQHCs strive to create an identifiable unifying identity for themselves. This is where the National Branding Campaign for Our Health Centers comes into place.
The campaign is a national branding effort to strengthen recognition of our Health Centers as a unified and nationwide network of quality community-based primary care providers. Initially created at the state level by the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) and its membership, the National Association of Community Health Centers has expanded the campaign nationwide.
The FQHC Brand Components
MACHC recently hosted a Branding Webinar for MD and DE Health Centers with CEO of PACHC, Cheri Reinhart and Event and Communications Coordinator, Kirsten Keyes, as guest speakers. If you missed the webinar and would like access, please click here.
*MACHC will bring back Cheri Reinhart, CEO of Pennsylvania PCA present and lead a workgroup during MACHC's Annual Conference on Thursday - September 19, 2013! Look out for this session.
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Health Observances This Week
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 August 1-7th IS.............................National Immunization Awareness Month
Vaccines (shots) help prevent dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases. National Immunization Awareness Month is the perfect time to promote vaccines and remind family, friends, and co-workers to get caught up on their shots.
How can National Immunization Awareness Month make a difference?
We can all use this month to raise awareness about vaccines and share what we know with our community.
Here are just a few ideas:
- Talk to friends and family members about how vaccines aren't just for kids. People of all ages can get shots to protect them from serious diseases.
- Encourage people in your community to get the flu shot every year.
- Invite a doctor or nurse to speak to parents about why it's important for all kids to get their shots.
How can I help spread the word?
We've made it easier for you to make a difference! This toolkit is full of ideas to help you take action today. For example:
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4319 Forbes Blvd. Lanham, MD 20706 | www.machc.com | 301.577.0097
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