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NCHN eNews
May 8, 2012
This issue's highlights:
  • NCHN News: NCHN Executive Director and NCHN Member Attend White House Community Leaders Briefing
  • Member News: Member Newsletters
  • National News: HHS announces $10.4 million to enhance rural health care
  • Funding: SAMHSA is Accepting Applications for Up to $35 Million in Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grants

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NCHN NEWS

MEMBER BLURBS

PARTNER BLURBS

UPCOMING EVENTS

NATIONAL NEWS

FUNDING

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NCHN Executive Director and NCHN Member Attend White House Community Leaders Briefing

Dr. Rebecca J. Davis, Executive Director of the National Cooperative of Health Networks  Association and Tim Size, Rural Wisconsin Hospital Cooperative attended the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) sponsored Community Leaders Briefing . Approximately one hundred fifty cooperative leaders from all sectors of the economy and corners of the nation met with top policymakers at the White House on May 4 to discuss how their organizations spur economic recovery through job creation and ongoing investments in their local communities.

The event began with a briefing by senior Obama Administration officials including Jack Lew, White House Chief of Staff; Judy Canales, Deputy Under Secretary, USDA, Danielle Gray, Deputy Assistant to the President, National Economic Council; Carlos Monje, Chief of Staff, Domestic Policy Council; and Jon Carson, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement.; and Greg Nelson, Deputy Director for Private Sector Outreach, White House Office of Public Engagement. Following the briefings four breakout sessions were conducted so that the cooperative leaders could meet with members of the Administration to discuss small business development, job creation, innovative programs and financial cooperatives.
During the Briefing, Dr. Davis had the opportunity to describe the work of NCHN and its members and introduce Tim Size, Executive Director of the Rural Wisconsin Hospital Cooperative as one example of the cooperative health organizations that has been in operation since 1979.  

“Every day cooperatives around the United States are stimulating the economy and we are pleased to have the opportunity to discuss our successes In job creation and ways to use the cooperative model to continue to strengthen communities large and small, said Liz Bailey, interim president and chief executive officer of the National Cooperative Business Association. According to Ms. Bailey, two million jobs are generated each year as a direct result of cooperatives, which illustrates the incredible impact that these organizations have on local economies.” The NCBA reports there are currently 29,000 cooperative businesses nationwide spanning most industries, including agriculture, energy, financial service and credit unions, food distribution, healthcare, housing retail and telecommunications. United States cooperatives account for more than $3 trillion in assets, over $500 billion in total revenue and $25 billion in wages and benefits.

The White House Community Leaders Briefing is a weekly program that provides a unique opportunity for community leaders to have a dialogue with the White House about issues that are affecting their communities as well as to ensure that they are well informed about government policies and programs and how they can use or maximize these resources.

NCHN is a national level professional membership organization of health network leaders across the nation. Its mission is to support and strengthen health networks through collaboration, networking, leadership development and education. The Association has members in 33 states.

» VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE MEETING
» Rebecca Davis is interviewed by the National Cooperative Business Association and discusses her thoughts on the briefing (link to photo)

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      from BrainBoggled.com

Suppose you want to send in the mail a valuable object to a friend. You have a box which is big enough to hold the object. The box has a locking ring which is large enough to have a lock attached and you have several locks with keys. However, your friend does not have the key to any lock that you have. You cannot send the key in an unlocked box since it may be stolen or copied. How do you send the valuable object, locked, to your friend - so it may be opened by your friend?

» VIEW THE ANSWER

Upcoming NCHN Calls & Events

Online Evaluation for 2012 Conference
closed May 4th @ 5:00 PM EST
Congratulations to Chris Hopkins who completed the survey and won a free registration to the 2013 NCHN Conference in New Orleans

2012 Annual Conference Planning Committee Close-out Call
Tuesday, May 8 @ 2:00 PM ET

RHNR Consulting Task Force Call
Wednesday, May 9 @ 12:00 PM ET

Program Development Committee Call
Tuesday, May 15 @ 1:00 PM ET

» VIEW THE NCHN CALENDAR

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MEMBER BLURBS  

Member Newsletters

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PARTNER BLURBS  

NRHA's Rural Roads shares texting tragedy, telehealth resources and more

Check out the latest issue of NRHA’s Rural Roads magazine for these stories, member updates and much more:

  • a young doctor’s personal account of caring for a community – and himself – after a school shooting
  • personnel working for the rural hospitals where they were born
  • telehealth funding resources
  • how one student’s decision to text and drive changed a small town and inspired her family to educate others

» VIEW RURAL ROADS ONLINE

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UPCOMING EVENTS  

Take Action: Work Together
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

Webinar: May 8, 2012 @ 3:00 PM CDT

Communities vary widely, and as a result, community health improvement efforts also vary. In the midst of all this variety is one constant: people working together. With a shared vision and commitment to improved health, working together can yield better results than working alone. Learn about guidance, tools and resources for building and maintaining a diverse, multi-sector team of partners (including business, healthcare, education, government, public health, funders, community leaders/advocates).

» MORE INFORMATION

AgriSafe Webinar: Mental Health & Aging Farmers

Webinar: May 9, 2012
12:00 - 1:00 PM CDT

» REGISTER

Engaging the Safety Net in Health Care Reform
National Academy for State Health Policy

Webinar: May 9, 2012 @ 3:00 PM ET

This webinar will summarize the deliberations and results of NASHP’s National Workgroup on Integrating a Safety Net into Health Care Reform Implementation. Over the course of nearly a year, this group of state and federal officials, national experts and associations, and safety net systems worked to identify issues and develop policy options, focusing on integrated delivery systems, workforce, and financing. The National Workgroup and this webinar are made possible by a grant from The Commonwealth Fund.

» MORE INFORMATION

Find Health IT Talent for your Health Center
National Association of Community Health Centers

Webinar: May 10, 2012 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT

This one hour webinar is geared towards NACHC members and HRSA grantees to become familiar with HIMSS offerings and free services in support of HIT workforce development programs and initiatives to help expand the IT workforce in Community Health Centers.  The Health IT Workforce Development Program Job Board (powered by HIMSS JobMine) is open to all NACHC members and HRSA grantees to post job openings, search resumes of the ONC Community College Consortia program graduates, and take advantage of career development services.  Job postings and resume searching are provided free of charge exclusively to NACHC members and HRSA grantees, compliments of HIMSS through a limited time introductory period.

» MORE INFORMATION

2012 National Association for Rural Mental Health Conference

May 15 - 18, 2012
Anchorage, AK

» MORE INFORMATION

Implementing Care Coordination within the PCMH Model

Webinar: May 17, 2012 | 1:30 - 3:00 PM EDT

Improved care coordination is a critical success factor for medical homes. In this webinar, we’ll review models and effective implementation practices. In addition, we’ll take a close look at Geisinger’s team approach to achieving improved care across the continuum and how it’s program, established in 2006, improves quality and reduces total cost of care.

» MORE INFORMATION

HRSA Health IT and Quality Webinars

Using Health IT for Care Coordination Across Inpatient and Outpatient Settings
May 18, 2012 @ 2:00 PM

» MORE INFORMATION

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NATIONAL NEWS  

HHS announces $10.4 million to enhance rural health care

May 2, 2012 (HRSA News Release) - Rural health providers across the nation will receive more than $10.4 million to provide direct health care services to their communities.  The funding announced today by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be used to meet a broad range of health care needs in rural areas, from health promotion and disease prevention to expanding oral and mental health services.

“Access to quality and affordable health care should not be determined by where you live,” said Secretary Sebelius.  “These grants are a continuation of our effort to ensure that rural providers are able to meet the needs of their communities.”

Each of 70 grantees will receive approximately $450,000 over a 3-year project period to address the needs of a wide range of population groups including, but not limited to, low-income families and individuals, the elderly, pregnant women, infants, adolescents, minorities and individuals with special health care needs.  Funding is distributed through HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the primary federal agency for improving health care access for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.

» CONTINUE READING

Telehealth brings the virtual classroom to rural providers
by Gienna Shaw

May 7, 2012 (FierceHealthIT) - New research shows a telehealth network is an effective way to conduct certification courses in chemotherapy biotherapy to oncology nurses living in rural areas--but most say they'd rather do their training in-person.

In Kansas, certified chemotherapy/biotherapy trainers are only available in metropolitan areas, according to Oncology Nurse Advisor. To meet the growing demand for chemotherapy certified nurses, The Midwest Cancer Alliance, The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and The University of Kansas Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth partnered to deliver a chemotherapy/biotherapy training course using interactive tele-videoconferencing.

» CONTINUE READING

Finding the broadband pipes for rural telemedicine
by Don Fluckinger

May 4, 2012 (SearchHealthIT) - At this year's American Telemedicine Association's annual meeting, many new topics governed the conversation, such as how remote patient care via live video streams will fit into accountable care organizations and their patient-centered medical homes. But an old topic -- getting rural telemedicine practitioners access to broadband pipes that will support this mode of care -- lingers on.

» CONTINUE READING

Data: Small Hospitals Slow to Adopt EHRs
by Marty Stempniak

May 4, 2012 (Hospitals & Health Networks) - Hospitals increasingly are using electronic health records to improve health care. But smaller, rural or nonteaching hospitals are trailing the big boys, and the gap is growing larger, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs and co-authored by the American Hospital Association.

The AHA analyzed national survey data on U.S. hospitals from 2011, when federal incentives started to kick in for the meaningful use of electronic health records. They found that the number of providers using EHR systems increased from 15.1 percent in 2010 to 26.6 percent last year.

» CONTINUE READING

Secretary Sebelius Statement in Honor of National Nurses Week 2012

May 4, 2012 (HHS News Release) -During National Nurses Week, we recognize the tremendous contributions that nurses make to keeping America healthy. As passionate advocates, leaders and innovators for better health, America’s nurses have demonstrated their commitment to meeting the public’s health care needs.

The health initiatives called for by the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, would not be possible without our nation’s nurses. By expanding investments in primary and preventive care programs in which nurses play a vital role, the Affordable Care Act strengthens the focus on keeping people healthy and managing chronic conditions. Through the law and other efforts, the Department of Health and Human Services is working to ensure that nurses get the support and training they deserve and need to do their job.

» CONTINUE READING

More Doctors on the Way, Higher Costs to Follow
by Merrill Boozner

May 4, 2012 (The Fiscal Times) - A major expansion is underway at the nation’s medical schools that will sharply increase the number of new physicians entering the workforce over the next decade to care for an aging baby boom generation. But critics say the move could backfire since medical schools are still channeling too many young doctors into highly paid specialties instead of primary care, which will exacerbate the problem of rising health care costs.

» CONTINUE READING

Health care practitioners short in supply in rural communities
by Elizabeth Stawicki

May 1, 2012 (MPRnews) - Rural health leaders from Minnesota told White House officials Tuesday that their communities not only face shortages of nurses and doctors, but of many other health care workers as well.

Mark Schoenbaum, who directs Minnesota's office of rural health and primary care, says rural communities also need rural areas need teams of health care workers that include nurse practitioners; physician assistants; dental therapists and community paramedics. Right now, the current system relies on too few physicians and nurses who are overtaxed and in short supply, he said.

» CONTINUE READING

How a Stanford dermatologist is using telemedicine to reach underserved populations in California
by Emily Hite

May 3, 2012 (HHS News Release) - Physicians in rural areas in California are in short supply, and some fear the scarcity could grow more severe. But telemedicine might prove beneficial in these parts: Research has shown increased use could help reduce health disparities between rural and non-rural areas.

David J. Wong, MD, PhD, a Stanford dermatologist and cofounder and CEO of Direct Dermatology, stands among health-care providers working to increase the reach of telemedicine. His company brings medical dermatology expertise to poor and underserved populations in California to treat serious and even life-threatening conditions including melanoma, psoriasis and problems of the skin, hair, and nails.

» CONTINUE READING

Alaska's Senators Welcome Agreement for Rural Health Care
by Ashleigh Ebert

May 5, 2012 (KTUU.com) - Alaska's Senators are welcoming an agreement by the Veterans Administration that allows Rural Alaska veterans to receive health care benefits at Native health clinics.

A release from Senator Mark Begich's office says the VA, 14 Alaska Native Tribal Health Programs and the Department of Veterans Affairs signed an agreement that allows Alaska Native veterans to get care at participating village clinics. The VA will then reimburse the clinics. Before the veterans had to travel to Anchorage or as far away as Seattle for health care.

» CONTINUE READING

Med school on the fast track: A 3-year degree
by Carolyne Krupa

May 7, 2012 (amednews.com) - In response to concerns about nationwide shortages of primary care physicians and rising student debts, several U.S. medical schools are experimenting with programs that allow students to obtain a degree in three years instead of four.

» CONTINUE READING

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FUNDING  

SAMHSA is Accepting Applications for Up to $35 Million in Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grants

May 7, 2012 (RAConline.org) - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for up to $35.78 million in Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) grants over the next four years. The purpose of this program is providing for the provision of coordinated and integrated services by co-locating primary and specialty care medical services in community-based mental and behavioral health settings. The goal is to improve the physical health status of adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) who have or are at risk for co-occurring primary care conditions and chronic diseases. The objective of this program is to: improve the health of those with SMI, enhance the consumer’s experience of care (including quality, access, and reliability), and reduce and control the per capita cost of care.

Applications due: June 8, 2012

» CONTINUE READING

Rural Health Initiative Grants
OffSite Image Management Solutions

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis

OffSite Image Management Systems (OIMS), based out of Kansas City, is launching the Rural Health Initiative, in which select rural hospitals, across the nation, will receive the technology needed to safely store, transfer, and exchange critical patient information with other healthcare providers within the respected region.

Amount: $500,000 in technology, software and support

» MORE INFORMATION

Small Research Grant to Improve Health Care Quality through Health Information Technology
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality

Deadline: November 16, 2012

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support a wide variety of research designs in order to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care through the implementation and use of health IT. These designs include: small pilot and feasibility or self-contained health IT research projects; secondary data analysis of health IT research; and economic (prospective or retrospective) analyses of health IT implementation and use. Through economic analyses estimates of health IT implementation and use costs and benefits will be generated.

» MORE INFORMATION

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