Health Care Advocate Leadership Training Program

The Colorado Community Health Network's (CCHN) Health Care Advocate (HCA) leadership training program is open to community safety net clinics!

"The Health Care Advocate program is designed to develop a select cohort of effective CHC clinician champions who will successfully advocate within their organizations, communities and/or state for health care policies that support comprehensive, person-centered care. This hands-on learning opportunity will help clinicians discover how to advance the health of their communities through the power of advocacy and leadership. The training will have a rural focus and is open to all CHCs and select safety-net partners. Training will begin November 3, 2017, and will run through March 2019 which includes four in-person workshops, executive coaching, and webinar based training applications.  The training will be held in southeastern Colorado at Otero Junior College in La Junta, CO.

The cost of the training is $300 and a $1,200 travel stipend will be available to help offset costs.  Forty-two hours of Continuing Medical Education from American Academy of Family Physicians will be available. Interested clinicians will need support from executive leadership (CMO, CDO, Clinic Director, HR Director, CEO, etc.). CHC executives can also nominate clinicians who are passionate who have a desire to hone their leadership and advocacy skills.  Visit http://cchn.org/health-care-advocate-program/ for additional information, including application and a detailed schedule.  Don’t delay – applications are due by October 17, 2017.  

Please contact Kim Moyer at KMoyer@cchn.org with your interest level and if you have any questions."

Source: CCHN 

Legislation Introduced to Fund the NHSC - Take Action Now!

Urge your Representatives to cosponsor H.R.3862 & S.1899 to reauthorize funding for the NHSC!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Despite a tremendous level of grassroots advocacy, Congress did not take action to avoid the expiration of funding for the National Health Service Corps by October 1. Fortunately, our message has not gone unnoticed. Two bills have been introduced in Congress to reauthorize funding and strengthen the program:  In the House, Representatives G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Chris Stewart (R-UT) have introduced H.R. 3862, the "National Health Service Corps Strengthening Act of 2017." In the Senate, Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced S.1899, a bill to reauthorize and extend funding for Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps.  These bills would not only preserve the Corps, but also propose modest funding increases that will strengthen the field by enabling even more primary care providers to practice in underserved communities.  While these steps are encouraging, they do not offer any certainty that Congress will act quickly to resolve the NHSC funding cliff. We need every Member of Congress who supports the NHSC to cosponsor these bills.  Call, email, or tweet your Senators and your Representative today to let them know how important the NHSC is to your community. Urge them to cosponsor H.R.3862 and S.1899.  Source: Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU)

What's next at the national level with health care reform?

For now it appears attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act are dead, at least for this year. (There are however a few other things that need advocacy now at the national level - see the 2 posts below re: CHIP & the NHSC)

• A new blog from the Colorado Health Institute looks at the lessons from this year's repeal effort: Coverage matters. Read the blog here.

#FundCHIPColorado

On Sept. 30, funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which has allowed 8.9 million kids nationally to access quality affordable health care, ends. And with that end comes the end to access to quality, affordable health care.

In Colorado, about 90,000 kids and pregnant women use CHIP and our state agency that oversees the program reports that thousands will begin losing their health care early next year. Pregnant women shouldn’t have to worry about whether their health insurance will end in the middle of their pregnancy. Parents of kids with cancer shouldn’t have to worry about whether they will be able to get their kid’s medicine next year. Call and tell your Senators and Representatives that you expect action now. There’s still time for Congress to do the right thing. (Click here for social media content.)

Suggested talking points:

• We need Congress to get CHIP refunded by this Saturday.
• Pregnant women shouldn’t have to worry about whether their health insurance will end in the middle of their pregnancy.
• Parents of kids with cancer shouldn’t have to worry about whether they will be able to get their kid’s medicine next year.
• Extending funding for CHIP for five years will help ensure stable coverage for working families and greater budget certainty for states.
• Maintaining funding for the CHIP program is crucial to protecting Colorado’s budget.
• 90,000 children and pregnant women from working families in Colorado use CHIP for their health insurance every year.
• Kids with health coverage are less likely to drop out of high school, more likely to graduate from college, and have higher incomes as adults.

Contact Information for Colorado’s U. S. Senators

Senator Michael Bennet

Local office (303) 455-7600 National office (202) 224-5852

Senator Cory Gardner

Local office (303) 391-5777 National office (202) 224-5941

Contact Information for Colorado’s U.S. Representatives

Representative Coffman

Call if you live in Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Brighton

Local office (720) 748-7514 National office (202) 225-7882

Representative Tipton

Call if you live in Grand Junction, Durango, Pueblo, Gunnison

Local office (970) 259-1490 National office (202) 225-4761

Representative Buck

Call if you live in Greeley, Fort Collins, Longmont, Brush, Burlington, Fort Morgan, Stratton, Julesburg, Holyoke

Local office (970) 702-2136 National office (202) 225-4676

Representative Lamborn

Call if you live in Salida, Buena Vista, Colorado Springs, Monument, Fountain, Canyon City, Woodland Park

Local office (719) 520-0055 National office (202) 225-4422

Representative Polis

Call if you live in Lafayette, Niwot, Boulder, Fort Collins, Lyons, Loveland, Granby, Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Kremmling  

Local office (303) 484-9596 National office (202) 225-2161

Representative Perlmutter

Call if you live in Lakewood, Arvada, Westminster, Thornton, Northglenn

Local office (303)274-7944 National office (202) 225-2645

Representative DeGette

Call if you live in Denver

Local (303) 844-4988 (202) 225-4431

Final Days to Take Action on the National Health Service Corps

"The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) is leading the effort to protect the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and push for its expansion to all underserved in the future.

The NHSC, established in 1972, is designed to incentivize primary care providers to work in the highest need areas of our country. Last year, more than 10,000 NHSC providers were placed in shortage areas of the country. These healthcare professionals served nearly 11 million people in every state and territory.

This effective program is set to expire October 1, 2017. We need to save and strengthen the program this year - and to be successful, we need your help! Click here to TELL CONGRESS TO SAVE THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS TODAY!"

Source: ACU

Congratulations on a great Safety Net Clinic Week!

Last week community safety net clinics & federally certified rural health clinics celebrated the 8th annual Safety Net Clinic Week! Many clinics hosted site-visits with public officials and some visits are still to come! The Governor proclaimed the week of Sept. 11-15 as SNCW17 and community safety net clinics received the proclamation with the Colorado Rural Health Center.

(left to right, State Rep. Lontine, Michelle Mills (CEO, CO Rural Health Center,) State Rep. Jackson, & Kraig Burleson (CEO, Inner City Health Center)  

Be sure to check out all the activities & social media from SNCW17 on the Safety Net Clinic Week Facebook page!

Did your clinic participate in SNCW17 and I am not aware of it? If so please let me know!

What's next at the national level with health care reform?

"Repeal is back, and this version is just as bad!

The Cassidy-Graham repeal bill came out last week and could be headed for a vote next week. We need to stop this bill now! The Senate has just two weeks left to use the reconciliation bill for repeal, which is why we need to pull out all the stops through September 30th. We do not expect there to be a complete analysis of this bill by the Congressional Budget Office before a vote. That means Senators would be voting on a bill when they don't have an understanding of its impacts on constituents. The Cassidy-Graham bill would:

• Rip coverage away from millions of Americans, including at least 600,000 Coloradans.
• Gut Medicaid for seniors, children, and people with disabilities, and ends the Medicaid expansion currently covering more than 400,000 Coloradans
• End financial assistance that helps working families afford health insurance and send insurers fleeing the individual market.
• Undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
• Take away $3.84 billion in funding for health care in Colorado in 2027 alone.
• Congress should not vote on a bill without knowing the effects it will have. The CBO won't have time to complete a full score of the coverage and premium impacts before a vote.
• Resurrect - and worsen - the devastating cuts in coverage and benefits that the American public and the majority of Congress have already rejected.

This bill disproportionately harms states like Colorado that have expanded our Medicaid program and worked hard to get as many Coloradans covered in private insurance as possible.

Call our Senators! Tell them to oppose Cassidy-Graham repeal bill!

Call your Senators:

Senator Gardner -  Denver: (303) 391-5777 DC: (202) 224-5941

Senator Bennet - Denver: (303) 455-7600 DC: (202) 224- 5852

Call your Representative too:
If there this bill passes the Senate, there may be very little time before the House votes on the bill.

Representative Coffman - Aurora (720) 748-7514, DC: (202) 225-7882

Representative Tipton - Durango: (970) 259-1490, DC: (202) 225-4761

Representative Buck - Greeley: (970) 702-2136, DC: (202) 225-4676

Representative Lamborn - CO Springs: (719) 520-0055, DC: (202) 225-4422

Representative Polis: Boulder - (303) 484-9596, DC: (202) 225-2161

Representative Perlmutter - Lakewood: (303)274-7944 DC: (202) 225-2645

Representative DeGette - Denver: (303) 844-4988, DC: (202) 225-4431

Health Care Rally this Friday!

Health Care Rally: Join us in sending a strong message to Senator Gardner to oppose this terrible repeal bill! 

Friday, Sept. 22nd 11am-1pm
Skyline Park (17th & Arapahoe, Denver)
RSVP Here!

Social Media:

• @SenCoryGardner You have a chance to save health care for 600k Coloradans #VoteNo on #GrahamCassidy #ProtectOurCare
• #GrahamCassidy will gut health care funding for seniors, people with disabilities, and kids. #ProtectOurCare and #VoteNo @SenCoryGardner
• @SenCoryGardner You said last week you want open hearings & bipartisanship on health care. Prove it and #VoteNo on #GrahamCassidy
• @SenCoryGardner You say you support Medicaid sustainability, #GrahamCassidy = CO can't cover seniors, people w disabilities, & kids #VoteNo
• @SenCoryGardner #GrahamCassidy will destabilize individual market and take coverage away from your constituents. #VoteNo & #ProtectOurCare
• @SenCoryGardner CBO won't have coverage/premium effects of #GrahamCassidy. Don't vote for something w/o knowing impacts on constituents!
• @SenCoryGardner Coloradans demand open hearings and normal order for health care legislation. #VoteNo on #GrahamCassidy
• @SenBennetCO The #ACA has helped 600k Coloradans get health insurance, thanks for your work to #RejectRepeal #ProtectOurCare

Every action counts! Make calls, tweet, email, use Resistbot (text "resist" to 50409 to send a fax to Members of Congress), and share on social media what impact repeal would have on you and the people you care about."

Protect Our Care Colorado is a coalition managed by the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative