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February 5, 2010
Vol. 4 #5 Michigan Primary Care
Association
517.381.8000
Upcoming MPCA
Events
MPCA Healthy Policy
Committee Conference Call
February 15
3 pm
Pediatric Integrated Pilot
Conference
February 19 MPCA
Lansing, MI
Click here to learn about more MPCA
events.
Upcoming State & National Events Click here for a list of upcoming events to be
held by other organizations in Michigan and across the
country.
The MPCA e-Update is a weekly e-bulletin
intended to keep MPCA members updated on issues important to
Community Health Centers. Please feel free to forward this to
interested individuals, or they may request to be added to the
distribution list by registering here. Information from outside
organizations does not represent an endorsement by MPCA, and
opinions expressed by outside authors are not necessarily official
positions or policies of MPCA.
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STATE
NEWS
Health Center advocates
descended on the State Capitol on February 2 to discuss with
legislators issues that impact the ability of Michigan Community
Health Centers to fulfill their mission of providing comprehensive,
accessible, quality primary and preventive health care for all of
the state's residents. MPCA has outlined five legislative
priorities it would like to partner with the State of Michigan in
achieving during 2010:
At its Legislative Forum held
February 2 MPCA presented Senator Deborah Cherry (D-District 26) and
Representative Gary McDowell (D-District 107) with the Champion for
the Medically Underserved Award.
Governor Granholm used her
final State of the State address on February 3 to urge lawmakers to
make some last-minute fixes to state government, while trying to
convince residents that Michigan's evolving high-technology
economy is taking off. Unfortunately, in her speech and of
interest to the Michigan Primary Care Association, there was
absolutely no mention of anything related to health - not Medicaid,
public health, mental health or any other health issue.
Click
here to read the text of the
speech. Click
here to watch streaming video of
the address. MPCA was proud to be a co-sponsor of the address
for the second year, broadcast by WKAR-TV.
The View of a Better Michigan
Future
On February 2, a coalition of organizations called "A Better Michigan Future", of which the Michigan Primary Care Association is a member, held a press conference to kick off a public information and legislative advocacy campaign that calls on policymakers to address the state's structural deficit. They defined a structural deficit as one created by tax policies that cannot, DESPITE WHETHER THE ECONOMY IS GOOD OR BAD, keep up with inflation. It is because of outdated tax policy, NOT THE ECONOMY, that the state legislature faces budget deficits year after year. MPCA Joins in Celebrating
One-Year Anniversary of the Children's Health Insurance Program
Reauthorization
MPCA joins the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act. Under this historic legislation MPCA received $915,079 in grant funding to launch a community-based initiative to enroll children in two health insurance programs recently expanded through CHIPRA. Both HealthyKids and MIChild offer families comprehensive health coverage including regular check‐ups, dental care, immunizations and prescription drugs. MDCH Launches State's Black
AIDS Awareness Campaign
In an effort to improve the overall health of all Michigan residents, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is holding its 6th Annual Black AIDS Awareness Campaign in February and March, supporting this year's theme, "HIV/AIDS Prevention - Black Life is Worth Saving!" The campaign includes the 10th Annual Observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7, a national HIV testing and treatment mobilization initiative that is designed to build the capacity and increase awareness, participation, and support for HIV prevention, care, and treatment among Black Americans. Reminder: Nominations
for 2010 Innovations in Health Care Awards Being
Accepted Applications for the Innovations in Health Care Award 2010 - awarded by the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan in partnership with MPCA and other partners to organizations and legislators who strive to improve the health of Michigan residents with diabetes, kidney, or cardiovascular disease - are being accepted until February 19. The awards will be distributed at the Champion of Hope & Diabetes & Kidney Day on April 28. NATIONAL
NEWS
Among the
highlights in President Obama's FY 2011 budget proposal is the
investment in Community Health Centers. Included in the
proposal is $290 million in additional funding for Health Centers -
that's a 13% increase over the FY 2010 appropriation level - which
will allow for creation of new access points in communities without
access to a Health Center, integration of behavioral health into
existing Health Centers' primary care system, and the ability of
Health Centers to serve a total of more than 20 million patients in
fiscal year 2011. Click here to access the White House
state-by-state fact sheets on the budget. Click here to read a NACHC blog post
that provides more detail about what the budget means for Health
Centers.
NACHC, MPCA, and
other Primary Care Associations are among more than 175
organizations that signed a letter sent to President Obama and
Congress yesterday in strong support of health reform efforts,
emphasizing the need to modernize and increase funding for disease
prevention, wellness, and public health in the
U.S.
H1N1 & SEASONAL
FLU
Please continue to
vaccinate patients against seasonal and H1N1 influenza. Remember
that the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will not protect against
seasonal influenza, and seasonal influenza vaccine will not protect
against H1N1 influenza. Providers who don't have seasonal
influenza vaccine or H1N1 influenza vaccine can direct patients to
the new Google Flu Shot Finder at http://www.google.com/flushot.
Children Need
Second H1N1 Vaccination
Children under the
age of 10 years need two doses of the H1N1 vaccine in order for it
to be effective. Over half of children living in Michigan who
have been vaccinated this flu season only got one dose, and most are
overdue for the second dose. Please tell parents that it's not
too late for their children to get the second dose.
Continue to check
the following web sites for up-to-date information: www.michigan.gov/fllu, www.cdc.gov/flu, www.flu.gov, www.mpca.net.
HEALTH CENTERS IN THE
NEWS
Hearth Home
HIV/AIDS Awareness & Counseling Center, operated by Health
Delivery Inc. in Saginaw, is one of the community-based
organizations that recently received funding from the HIV/AIDS
Prevention & Intervention Section (HAPIS) within MDCH's Division
of Health, Wellness and Disease Control section to provide highly
targeted evidence-based HIV prevention services.
Covenant Community
Care is hosting a benefit concert on February 20 in Farmington Hills
to kick off its newly announced Covenant Cares for 10,000
Campaign. Click here to learn more or to buy a
ticket to the concert.
A new teen Health
Center planned for Jackson High School that will be run by the
Center for Family Health will be located in a two-story facility
with a fitness center for staff and students.
New Health Center Opening in
Upper Peninsula in Spring
A new Community Health Center will soon be launched to improve access to a variety of health care services for residents of the Copper Country. The Quincy Hill Health Center is a collaborative effort of the U.P. Association of Rural Health Services with Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital and other area health providers. This letter to the
editor written by a pre-dental student who volunteered at Hackley
Community Care Center and Muskegon Family Care this past summer
comments on the effects of the Medicaid adult dental benefit
elimination that he observed. Click here for more about CHCs in the News. Do have news or testimonials from patients, board members, or staff to share? Please e-mail information to dhughes@mpca.net. REPORTS &
RESOURCES
A report published
in the journal Health Affairs released just as President
Obama proposed increased federal funding for Community Health
Centers shows that Health Centers can help fill gaps in the U.S.
health care system.
Nurse
Practitioners in Women's Health has developed HPV testing toolkits
as part of its new program, HPV Testing: Know it. Use it. Talk
about it.
Nonprofits Count!
Campaign, a nationwide effort of the Nonprofit Voter Engagement
Network to get nonprofits involved in the 2010 Census, has made new
resources available for nonprofits including an online
toolkit. Remember, at stake is 10 years of federal funding,
public and private investment, and political representation.
Constituents of nonprofit and social service agencies are at the
greatest risk of an undercount.
According to a new
report released by Trust for America's Health, the Infectious
Diseases Society, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, millions
of adults living in the U.S. are not up-to-date on needed
immunizations, leaving them at risk for preventable illnesses and
death.
Separate web pages
are designed for pre-teens, teens, their parents, health care
personnel, and schools. Information about vaccine safety is
also included. MDCH is urging organizations to add a link from
their web sites to this new website. FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
This selective
program helps alleviate the critical shortage of registered nurses
currently experienced by certain types of non-profit health care
facilities by helping nurses working at them to repay their student
loans. (Funder: HRSA; due March 4)
This funding
initiative will support organizations funded under Parts A-D of the
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment and Modernization Act of 2006 that
will promote the development of standard electronic client
information data systems to improve the ability of grantees to
report client level data to HHS. (Funder: HRSA; due
March 22)
Expanded Availability of NHSC
Loan Repayment Awards
A document from HRSA's National Health Service Corps (NHSC) was sent to all NHSC sites and clinicians, as well as other partner organizations to help spread the word about the current availability of funding under the NHSC Loan Repayment Program. Please note the change in messaging: the NHSC is now focusing on up to $145,000 for five years, rather than up to $50,000 for two years. It is still a 2-year contract with amendments; the change in messaging highlights the total funds available for a 5-year commitment. (Source: NACHC) This 2-year
national grant program will build the operational capacity of
charitable health clinics, public health clinics, and those
designated as FQHC 'Look-Alikes'. Please note that FQHCs are
not eligible to apply. (Funder: Kresge Foundation;
letters of inquiry due March 1)
Awards will be
granted to nonprofit organizations to support grassroots efforts
which increase awareness on critical health initiatives through
health walks, health fairs and health education outreach.
(Funder: Aetna; due: ongoing) Click
here for a
list of funding opportunities posted on the MPCA web
site. CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
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