September 10, 2010
Vol. 4 #31
Michigan Primary Care
Association
Health Policy Committee
Conference Call
Executive Committee
Conference Call
September 21, 3:30 pm
Membership Committee Conference
Call
September 23, 10:30 am
Budget & Finance Committee
Conference Call
October 4, 2010
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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Michigan
Legislative Leaders Sign Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Agreement
On Wednesday, September 8, Governor Granholm, House Speaker Andy Dillon,
and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop signed a target agreement for an
$8.3 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 General Fund budget. The budget
for the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is targeted for a
cut of $54 million below the Governor’s recommended budget level.
Since the Governor’s budget DID NOT include restoration of the Medicaid
adult dental benefit, securing restoration will be an uphill battle for
certain. Please call your State Representative and Senator
next week and ask them to support restoration of the Medicaid adult dental
benefit. Also ask them to encourage their colleagues on the
conference committee to maintain the restoration. The House
conference committee members are Representatives Gary McDowell, Kevin
Green, and George Cushingberry. The Senate conference committee
members are Senators Roger Kahn, John Pappageorge, and Deb Cherry.
MPCA
Back-to-School Campaign Receives Media Attention
The Detroit
Free Press featured a story last weekend about the Connecting Kids
to Coverage Challenge, an initiative of HHS, and Michigan Primary Care
Association’s efforts to boost enrollment in the state’s MIChild and
Healthy Kids Insurance Programs. Several other media outlets across
the state also picked up the story. Click
here to read more about MPCA’s efforts.
Have
You Registered for the 2010 MPCA Annual Conference?
The deadline for registering for the 2010 MPCA Annual Conference at the
earlybird rate is next Friday, September 17. Click
here for the conference agenda and registration form.
Is
Your Health Center Interested in Registering/Educating Voters?
Health Centers are ideal places to educate patients about voting, and to
register voters. MPCA is working with NACHC on an initiative called
Community Health Vote to assist Health Centers in implementing ongoing
voter engagement activities. MPCA is hosting a free webinar next
Tuesday, September 14 at 10 am to introduce Community Health Vote. Click
here to register for the free webinar.
School Health Centers Paying Off for Students
Michigan State University researchers released this week the first
long-term statewide study of the impact of School-Based Health Centers
(SBHCs) on the health and health behaviors of children and youth in
Michigan. The Michigan Evaluation of School-Based Health shows that
SBHCs in schools provide a long-term positive impact, ranging from better
health to greater academic performance. Michigan has the fourth
largest SBHC program in the U.S. Following the release of the report,
the Lansing
State Journal ran a front page story on the benefits of SBHCs.
MDCH Issues Recommendations for 2010-11 Flu Season
For the first time, it is recommended that everyone 6 months of age and
older receive a flu vaccine for the 2010-2011 flu season. This year’s
flu vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2
virus, an influenza B virus, and the H1N1 virus that caused so much illness
last season. For the most up-to-date flu information, visit www.michigan.gov/flu
and www.cdc.gov/flu.
Meanwhile, the American
Academy of Pediatrics and the Society
for Healthcare Epidemiology of America joined the Infectious
Diseases Society of America and the National Patient Safety Foundation
in calling for mandatory influenza vaccination for health care workers.
Reminder:
Be Sure to Register for a 2010 Fall Immunization Conference
If you haven't registered yet, you are encouraged to get registered soon!
The East Lansing conference is almost filled up, and the remaining
locations are getting more and more registrants signed up every day. The
registration fee ($50) is due by September 30. The conference dates are:
October 5 (Grand Rapids), October 6 (Kalamazoo), October 12 (Gaylord),
October 14 (Marquette), October 26 (Bay City), November 12 (East Lansing),
November 16 (Troy), and November 17 (Dearborn). Information about the
conferences is posted on the registration website at http://register2010.mihealth.org.
Congress Returning from August Recess
Congress will return from August recess next week, and still pending are
parts of the Health Center federal policy agenda. Included are issues
such as FTCA
for volunteers, HIT
incentives, and Health
Center appropriations. NACHC is asking that all Health Center
advocates be ready to respond when asked to contact legislators on any of
these important issues in the very near future.
The
Joint Commission to Launch Primary Care Home Option in 2011
Beginning in July 2011, The Joint Commission will expand the process of
accrediting ambulatory health care organizations to those who are also
interested in electing the Primary Care Home option.
CVS
Caremark, Direct Relief USA Offering Free Flu Shots for the Uninsured
CVS Caremark and Direct Relief USA announced this week that they will offer
$5 million in free flu shots to uninsured patients of participating
Community Health Centers and clinics beginning September 20. CVS
Caremark and Direct Relief USA will distribute vouchers redeemable for a
free flu shot at any CVS/pharmacy or MinuteClinic to the Health Centers and
clinics. Names and locations of participating Health Centers and
clinics will be made available on September 20.
New Funds Support Rural Hospitals’ Switch to Electronic
Health Records
HHS announced today, September 10, nearly $20 million in new technical
support assistance to help critical access and rural hospital facilities
convert to certified electronic health record technology. The Michigan
Center for Effective IT Adoption (M-CEITA) will receive $432,000.
M-CEITA is Michigan’s federally-designated Health IT Regional Extension
Center (REC), which offers technical assistance, guidance, and information
on best practices to support and accelerate health care providers’ efforts
to become meaningful users of certified EHRs under the Medicare and
Medicaid incentives programs. It is one of 60 RECs located across the
country, and is facilitated by Altarum Institute and supported by a consortium
of Michigan-based health care organizations including Michigan Primary Care
Association.
New
Health Information Technology Field Will Provide New Job Opportunities,
Improve Health Care
Eighty-four community colleges nationwide, including 17 Midwestern
community colleges, are now offering programs to train “health IT
practitioners” to facilitate the adoption and meaningful use of electronic
health records. In Michigan, Lansing Community College (Lansing),
Delta College (University Center), Macomb Community College (Warren), and
Wayne County Community College (Detroit) are participating. U.S. community
colleges are expected to train 10,500 students each year for the next five
years to meet requirements by the Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health Act, which was passed as part of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and mandates that every U.S. resident have
an electronic health record by 2014. Community colleges are
recruiting students for the first wave of classes.
HEALTH CENTERS IN THE NEWS
Please
share articles, photos, and stories of your Health Center with Dana Hughes
at dhughes@mpca.net.
Click here for stories about Community Health Centers.
Influenza
Vaccination Information for Health Care Workers (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention)
New
Spanish-Language Guides for Patients (AHRQ)
This series of free evidence-based guides are designed to help Spanish
speakers understand and compare the risks, benefits, and side effects of
treatments for eight health conditions.
Free Talk Early & Talk Often Parent Education Workshops
(MDCH)
The free 90-minute workshop is aimed at helping parents of middle school
youth talk with their children about abstinence and sexuality. It is
available to any parent group in the school, community, health care or
church setting. The deadline to request a workshop for the 2010-2011
school year is September 15. Click here for more information or to request a
workshop.
CuidadoDeSalud.gov
(HHS)
A new web site in Spanish to help connect Latinos with information and
resources to improve access to quality, affordable coverage.
Emergency
System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals
(HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response)
A new web site launched this week that aims to make it easier for health
professionals to volunteer in an emergency. The web site verifies the
identity, licenses, and credentials of health professionals before an
emergency happens. It connects registered volunteers with their
state’s program – in Michigan, that program is the MI
Volunteer Registry.
Budget
Cuts Hitting Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers Hardest (Michigan’s
Children, 9/7/10)
This new report shows that children under the age of 6 are suffering the
most in Michigan’s economic recession and resulting cuts to state-funded
programs and services for vulnerable families.
Click
here for a list of funding opportunities posted on the MPCA web
site.
Click here for a list of CHC career opportunities
posted on the MPCA web site.
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