Join the Conversation: A Colorado HealthStory Community Forum

Nothing is more important than your health and the health of your family. But the decisions you make as a community shape the health and health care experiences of individuals living here. We invite you to join us at a community forum to hear the health stories of fellow Aurora residents and join the conversation about health in your community.

Light refreshments will be provided. Please contact joe.campe@ccmu.org or 720-987-9570 for more details.

Thursday, July 14, 6-8pm
The Aurora Room
Aurora Municipal Center
15151 East Alameda Parkway

Healthy People 2020 Community Innovations Project

This project, administered by John Snow, Inc. (JSI) as part of a contract it has with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), will fund non-profit, community-based organizations with budgets less than $750,000 to implement projects that address Healthy People 2020 overarching goals, topic areas and objectives and integrate at least one of the following Healthy People 2020 Community Innovation Project priorities: environmental justice, health equity, and healthy behaviors across all life stages. As many as 170 projects will be given between $5,000 to $10,000 to conduct projects between December 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012.

The deadline for submitting an application in response to this Request for Proposal (RFP) is Friday, August 5, 2011. Click here for more details including the Healthy People 2020 Community Innovations Project RFP.

A Bidders Conference will be held on Monday, June 27, 2011 as follows:

Eligible applicants in Mountain and Pacific time zones:
12:00 p.m. MDT/11:00 a.m. PDT
Please follow this link to register:  https://jsi.webex.com/jsi/j.php?ED=150472232&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiM2
Dial: 1.877.223.6135; Conference I.D.: 705.32.378

During this one hour conference call and webinar, JSI and ODPHP will describe the Healthy People 2020 initiative, review the Healthy People 2020 Community Innovations Project Request for Proposal (RFP), and address any questions that bidders may have.

2011 C3 Forum

Presented by Colorado Association of Funders, Colorado Nonprofit Association, and Community Resource Center

Tuesday, July 12, 8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Check-in opens at 7:30 a.m.)
Embassy Suites Hotel Conference Center, 4705 Clydesdale Parkway, Loveland, CO 80538 

Networking and dialogue with Colorado funders - hear about the grantmaking process from funders' perspectives. Choose from skill-building sessions like Finding the Right Funder or Corporate Philanthropy, and join discussions with grantmakers on focus areas such as Arts & Culture, Education, Health, Environmental Sustainability, and more. 

Registration is $55 for members of the Colorado Association of Funders and Colorado Nonprofit Association; $75 for nonmembers.

Visit http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=n4k9wccab&et=1106047762818&s=14578&e=001tsGT3IZB5Z7VUzhUZTxzcZZH5R5fHL6g7D5cBzKrtJlAQShSY9hT1xdBBmPX3hOD7zQsdmFuL9BETuT0BLgGDmUE4ExwPn8E0061p5DDP01BXZ5zhLSJsur6sxoPnIOImBosmdjCuUM= to learn more or register now.

Premier Cares Award

The Premier Cares Award was established to recognize exemplary programs nationwide that have made health services more accessible to the medically underserved, particularly as demonstrated in superior health outcomes. The award spotlights innovative programs that support people excluded from or underserved by the mainstream health delivery system, including farm workers, homeless children, pregnant teens, low-income mothers and infants, and individuals who don't have the strength or means to reach a clinic or hospital. The winning program must be able to show measurable benefits/outcomes covering a full two-year span and must be capable of being replicated. The award winner receives $100,000, with an additional $120,000 divided among five runners-up. The nomination deadline is July 29, 2011. Visit the Premier website for nomination guidelines.

2nd Annual Safety Net Clinic Week, August 22 - August 26!

In an effort to raise awareness of Colorado's healthcare safety net providers, ClinicNET and the Colorado Rural Health Center are sponsoring the second annual Safety Net Clinic Week, August 22-26, 2011. The week will be devoted to educating the public and policy makers about often overlooked, but vitally important health care clinics - Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs) and federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs.)

There are currently 33 identified CSNCs in Colorado; they are free clinics, community clinics and family medicine residency clinics. They provide primary care and chronic care services to low-income, uninsured and underinsured Colorado residents. Colorado has 52 federally certified RHCs that provide health care in some of the most rural and remote areas of Colorado.

We will be posting more information on Safety Net Clinic Week soon, including ideas and resources to assist clinics that would like to participate. If you are interested in hosting a site visit with policy makers, we are here to help and will have more information coming soon.

Low-Cost Computers Available

Community Based Organizations interested in setting up computer stations in their lobbies or reception areas can apply for reduced price, refurbished computers through the Community Computer Connection (CCC). The computers can be used by CHCs to provide patients with waiting room access to tools such as the PEAK, the online application for individuals to check their eligibility and apply for benefits, or to complete voter registration. CCC, which is funded in part by the Polis Foundation and started by Rep. Polis, is just one of several computer refurbishers statewide. Here is more information about how CCC operates:

·       CCC accepts donations from businesses and other organizations for computers they no longer need/want.

·       CCC then refurbishes the machines and offers them to local organizations – schools, nonprofits, etc. Because of licensing issues, such as loading computers with Microsoft operating programs, CCC charges a small fee per computer. Depending on the quality of the computer and number of programs loaded onto the computer, the fee can vary. Fees start around $20 and go up to about $200.

·       Computers are supposed to be used for the purpose designated in the application form. However, CCC has no set rules on what the computers can be used for – so if a CBO wants to use the computer only for voter registration that is okay. Or if the computer is designated as a community resource that patients can use for whatever purpose they need, that is fine too.

·       Organizations interested in receiving these computers must fill out an application form and also sign a donation agreement. A breakdown of how this all works can be found here.

·       The organization applying for computers is responsible for picking them up. CCC will not ship them to organizations.

Ensuring Access to Care in Medicaid Under Health Reform

Kaiser Family Foundation Offers Strategies To Ensure Medicaid Access to Care Under Health Reform. Click here to read more.

IHI New Models for Patients with Multiple Health and Social Needs

WIHI is an exciting "talk show" program from Institute for Healthcare Improvement, connecting you to the cutting edge of health care improvement. It’s free, it’s timely, and it’s designed to help dedicated legions of health care improvers worldwide keep up with some of the freshest and most robust thinking and strategies for improving patient care. A 60-minute program is offered live every other week, or you can listen to recordings of the broadcast later at your convenience. WIHI is your opportunity to meet up with colleagues who want to improve patient care and shape a true health reform agenda.
New Models for Patients with Multiple Health and Social Needs
June 23, 2011, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time

To enroll, please go to IHI's webpage:  www.ihi.org

Guests:

• Catherine Craig, LMSW, MPA, Director of Health Integration – National Programs, Common Ground
• Maria Raven, MD, MPH, MSc, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, NYU School of Medicine
• Geraint Lewis, MA, MSc, FRCP, FFPH, Public Health Physician and Senior Fellow, The Nuffield Trust, UK

There isn’t a health care provider anywhere in the US who hasn’t witnessed the disconnect between a patient with multiple health and social needs and the systems available to help that individual. The gap between what’s needed and what’s available (and what’s paid for) is often staggering. Stories abound of doctors and nurses and social workers painstakingly trying to patch together services that might function as an alternative to the hospital’s emergency department, get a prescription filled, get someone a hot meal… and on it goes. There are communities in the US and other countries that have worked for years to do things better but, wherever you go, patients with multiple illnesses combined with a lot of instability in their lives present challenges far beyond the capability and current design of most health care systems.

Nothing like a challenge! WIHI has been tracking some timely work and research that goes by such exotic names as “predictive modeling” and “virtual wards” – or is as basic as care coordination and supportive housing – and key experts leading the way in these areas will be guests on the June 23 WIHI. Catherine Craig, Maria Raven, and Geraint Lewis are all at the sharp end of identifying new ways to work with patients to address underlying needs and manage chronic health problems that lessen dependence on expensive health care services.  The good news is that wherever new models are being tried, they’re making a real, tangible difference.

To get ready for the June 23 WIHI, we invite you to read a brand new IHI white paper on innovations in care coordination, co-authored by Catherine Craig. You might also want to read (or reread) Atul Gawande’s article, “The Hot Spotters," from the January 2011 New Yorker. Some of you may recall that Dr. Gawande was on the hunt for solutions. That’s what we’ll be discussing on this next WIHI. Please join us!

Congratulations to Community Health Services & Adams County School District 14!

Click here to read a recent Denver Post article about Adams County school-based health clinics and the 2011 Magna Award.

HCPF Updates

Click here to view  the May At a Glance This publication provides updates from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Includes information on:

• Colorado Peak
• Provider Payment Delay update
• CO-CHAMP Funding

CLINICA COLORADO opens in Westminster

Clinica Colorado opened its doors on June 1, 2011 offering low cost health care for those without health care insurance.  Services include preventive health care, well-child care, well-woman exams, and mammograms.  Screening services will be available for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Minor procedures and casting will be available as well.

Clinica Colorado will provide an accessible community clinic with low cost resources to serve the population most affected by the high cost of health care and the shortage of existing safety-net clinics. There will be a $20 fee for office visits, testing will be discounted, and vaccinations will be free.

Clinica Colorado employs one physician at this time, and will rely on a volunteer network of skilled physicians, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants.    As growth permits, Clinica Colorado will expand.  According to Dr. Jim Williams, the clinic's founder, "There are 1.2 million people in Colorado without adequate health insurance. Clinica Colorado will help address this problem."

Clinica Colorado is located near St. Anthony's Hospital North at 8406 Clay Street, Westminster, Colo. The clinic is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling 720-443-8461. For more information see www.clinicacolorado.org

The MORE Grant Program Round 3 Application Materials Posted

The MORE (Maximizing Outreach, Retention, and Enrollment) Grant funds community organizations who wish to maximize their outreach, retention, and enrollment activities for Medicaid populations. The current round of the grant, Round 3, will fund activities from September 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, includes a focus on working on the adults without dependent children expansion as well as the Medicaid buy-in programs.

“Congregations, Health Care and the Common Good” seminar in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

A week-long program July 18-24 on how faith community leaders can become champions for effective health care and healthy living in their communities. It will be taught by Chris Adams and Dr. Mark Earnest, with guest faculty Gary Gunderson, whose work was recently cited in this White House blog. Full scholarships are available - click here for more information.

ClinicNET thanks Tony Prado-Gutierrez!

ClinicNET recognizes Tony Prado-Gutierrez, Executive Director, Colorado Association of Family Medicine Residencies for his years of service on the Board of Directors.

More than 150,000 New Adults to Qualify for Medicaid in 2012 - Are You Prepared?

In 2012, Colorado will be offering Medicaid for adults without dependent children, who have been categorically ineligible for the program in the past. According to the Colorado Health Institute, 157,805 Colorado adults without dependent children with incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level are currently uninsured and are likely to be eligible for this program.

Thanks to great foresight on the part of our legislature, an historic expansion will occur in the state’s Medicaid program to provide coverage for this population with funding from a hospital provider fee and federal matching dollars. When it is fully implemented, it will cover uninsured adults without dependents between 19 and 65 years of age with incomes of up to $900 a month (for a single adult).

In the interest of ensuring this expansion’s success, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved has established the Connect to Coverage, Connect to Care Campaign. The Connect Campaign is a group of stakeholder organizations working together to support the expansion as the state works to develop and implement it, and ClinicNET has been playing an active role in this group. The Connect Campaign is following the state’s progress to ensure effective decision-making. When the program goes live, we know we are successful when we see fully functioning systems, effective community outreach efforts, and ready and accepting care providers.

Safety net providers have been a great source of care for this population already, and will likely continue to be, albeit with a different payer source. There may also be some new patients who have never had a continuous source of care before, and may identify a local safety net clinic as such once they gain coverage.

Since we know that this expansion will be happening at some point in the next year, clinics should begin preparations for enrolling current patients who will become newly eligible for Medicaid as well as prepare for the possible influx of new patients. The latter could range from planning to hire new staff or collaborating with other resources in the region to distribute the burden.

By contributing our resources and knowledge ahead of the expansion implementation, we can ensure the successful connection to coverage and care for a good portion of Colorado’s uninsured population.

If you would like to follow the Connect Campaign more closely, you can check out its website, or get on the e-mail distribution list by e-mailing Aubrey Hill. You can also contact her if you have any other questions about the Connect Campaign.