February 12, 2010 Vol. 4 #6 Michigan Primary Care Association www.mpca.net 517.381.8000 Visit Our Blog Visit us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter 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.

STATE NEWS   Governor Granholm Proposes FY 2011 State Budget Governor Granholm presented her proposed state budget for Fiscal Year 2011 before a joint meeting of both Houses' appropriations committees yesterday.  She acknowledged that during her administration she has made cuts to the budget every year and those cuts have dramatically affected how the state does business.  Despite these facts, the state once again faces another projected deficit of $1.6 billion if nothing more is done.    Community Health Centers Mark Progress at One-Year Stimulus Anniversary People and communities are healthier thanks to the investment in America's Community Health Centers from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the "economic stimulus."  The law, enacted one year ago next week, provided funds that helped Health Centers expand care to the growing numbers of unemployed and uninsured people who were quickly filling up their waiting rooms.  To increase capacity and serve more people, many Health Centers were able to keep or recruit new staff, such as nurses, doctors and dentists, and renovate or even build new facilities.   MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  MPCA Hosting Annual Health Center Board Member Workshop in May All Health Center Board Members are invited and encouraged to attend MPCA's Annual Health Center Board Member Workshop on May 14-15 at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  This is an opportunity to gather new tools for being an effective governing voice, and to network with colleagues from across the state.   U.S. Representative Ehlers to Retire Michigan's U.S. Representative Vernon Ehlers (R-Grand Rapids) announced on Wednesday that he will not be running for re-election in the fall.  Ehlers served in Congress for the past 16 years.  It is expected that his decision will prompt a long list of Republicans from West Michigan to consider a primary bid.  U.S. Representative Peter Hoekstra (R-Holland) is also leaving his seat to run for governor.   House Committee Passes Crime Victim Fund Changes The State House Judiciary Committee passed this week a package of bills (HB 5661, HB 5666 and HB 5667) that call for increasing criminal fines paid into the Crimes Victim Fund that would provide funding for a statewide trauma system.  Specifically, $3.5 million would fund the trauma system after all crime victims' expenses have been paid.  Michigan is currently one of only six states without a coordinated trauma system.  The trauma center would provide more support for Michigan residents in need.  MPCA supports the passage of these bills.   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 next Friday, February 19.  The awards will be distributed at the Champion of Hope & Diabetes & Kidney Day on April 28.   NATIONAL NEWS   HHS Secretary Praises Health Centers In her remarks on the President's proposed FY 2011 budget, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the following points about Community Health Centers (Source:  NACHC's Health Centers on the Hill blog): She deemed Community Health Centers the "backbone of the American health care system," and said the $290 million increase the program received in the President's Budget would "provide high-quality primary care" for 3 million patients. She said Community Health Centers will use the increase to provide additional health care access to those Americans who are without it, but she was careful to point out that the budget, including the Heath Center increase, is not a substitute for health reform.   She called Health Centers a "platform" for health care reform, an example of what reform should look like in this country. Although the President has included a $290 million increase in funding for the Health Centers program in his proposed FY 2011 budget, now what?  Read this blog post, Don't Count Your Chickens, by NACHC's Marc Wetherhorn.   President Obama to Host Summit on Health Care In an effort to help Democrats and Republicans break their stalemate on health care reform, President Obama announced that he is going to hold a bipartisan health care summit at the White House on February 25. The summit will be televised live.      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.   Certain Lots of Sanofi Pasteur H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Have Shortened Shelf Life Sanofi Pasteur has notified CDC and FDA that some lots of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in prefilled syringes have a shorter expiration period than indicated on the label.  The lots should be used by February 15 regardless of the expiration printed on the package to ensure that the vaccine is used while it remains within its potency specification.  There are no safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine.  People who received vaccine from the lots with shortened shelf life do not need to take any action.    2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza and Hispanic Communities Q & A This document summarizes current understanding of the impact of 2009 H1N1 and seasonal influenza viruses on Hispanics, describes some of the barriers to uptake of the vaccines, and outlines strategies for improving health and increasing vaccine coverage in Hispanic communities.   Abbreviated Pandemic Influenza Plan Template for Primary Care Provider Offices This template published by the CDC provides guidance for integrating primary care providers into community pandemic influenza planning.  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   Kresge Foundation Donates $250,000 to Renovate Health Center The Troy-based Kresge Foundation has made a $250,000 grant to Covenant Community Care to support the renovation of a new, integrated Health Center in southwest Detroit.   Thousands of Jackson-Area Kids Learn Good Oral Health at Center for Family Health Ten-year-old Jenny Majchrowski of Jackson had a smile on her face after she left the dentist's chair Friday.  After her teeth cleaning, she learned her teeth were in good shape.  "It's my first time having no cavities," Jenny said at the Center for Family Health's dental clinic.  Jenny is one of thousands of Jackson County children who have learned the importance of good oral health through outreach efforts by the Center for Family Health.   Prevention is Key to Promoting Oral Health in Children Preventing dental disease is critical to maintaining overall health.  This is the message of National Children's Dental Health Month, an annual health observance of the American Dental Association to raise awareness among families and policymakers about the importance of good oral health habits for children.  Dental caries remains the single most chronic disease of childhood, with childhood dental decay being five times more common than childhood asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Michigan Community Health Centers are on the front lines every day, helping combat dental disease.    Wall Street Journal Features Video on Newly Uninsured Turning to Community Health Centers 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   Free Texting Service for Expectant, New Mothers Available Through the Text4baby program, at least three text messages can be sent weekly to pregnant women via cell phones, giving them friendly reminders appropriate to their stages of pregnancy on how to keep themselves healthy.  The service continues through their babeis' first year.  To sign up for the program, women can text "baby", or "bebe" in Spanish, and then 511411.    New Multilingual Resources from MDCH MDCH's Office of Public Health Preparedness has added 10 fact sheets and three posters to their list of translated materials. Topics include preparedness, mold, quarantine, power outages, sheltering in place and healthy workplace posters in six languages.   Healthfinder.gov Offers Free Website Resources Are you interested in providing actionable health and wellness information and tools on your organization's web site? The content is free, simple to add or delete, does not require maintenance, and can be customized to match your site's look and feel.  HHS' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion is offering public health agencies free syndicated web content from their Quick Guide to Healthy Living. Five topics are currently available to syndicate: Eat Healthy, Get Active, Get Screened, Quit Smoking, and Watch Your Weight. If you are interested in getting this free content or for more information and the HTML code, please email Rachel Langston at info@nphic.org.     FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES     Click here for a list of funding opportunities posted on the MPCA web site.     CAREER OPPORTUNITIES   Camp Health Aide Coordinator, Northwest Michigan Health Services, Inc., Shelby, MI    Click here for a list of career opportunities in Michigan Community Health Centers.