HQAH is a quality and performance improvement project for Kansas Critical Access Hospitals funded through the Rural Hospital Flexibility (FLEX) program and supported by the Kansas Rural Health Options Project (KRHOP), a partnership of the Kansas State Office of Local and Rural Health, the Kansas Hospital Association, the Kansas Board of EMS and the Kansas Medical Society. The project in Kansas is in its fourth year and continues to grow, and in 2007 the project was expanded to become a 5-state initiative.
This presentation provides an overview of HQAH, including a historical description of its goals and objectives, its beginnings and program growth, and lessons learned from the project participants and leaders. Participants will discover why this unique approach has been successful among Kansas CAHs and will have the chance to learn about anticipated future growth of the program.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Patrick Hamilton
Brief overview of the major initiatives at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), with an in-depth discussion of the recent CAH relocation interpretative guidelines that were released in September.
Scott W. Goodspeed, DHA, FACHE
This session will describe how rural hospitals are coming under the same level of scrutiny found in the corporate world. Best practices for building a better rural hospital board will be described and practical tools for building a high performing board will be distributed and shared with the participants. In addition, the “Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Rural Hospital Governance” and the “Seven Essential Behaviors of Rural Hospital Boards” will be reviewed and discussed in detail.
Dr. Brand will discuss the factors that limit access to oral health care and the related implications and the Campaign for Dental Parity.
Elizabeth Merwin, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Merwin will discuss how national policies and research can be translated into effective programs at the state and local level.
Roanoke Times journalists Josh Meltzer and Beth Macy discuss their yearlong 'Land of Opportunity' series about Roanoke's growing Hispanic population.
As Virginia becomes increasingly diverse, communicating in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner, especially in the health care setting, becomes that much more important. This presentation starts with a review of the policy relating to culturally and linguistically health care and continues with a description of current initiatives at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) towards culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS). This presentation will provide a look at VDHs effort towards providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health care.
Outreach & Interpretation
will have three sections:
Advocating for Hispanic Immigrants - Jeanne Roush
This presentation will focus on practical strategies for helping low income Hispanic immigrants access health care and other community resources. Cultural, legal, financial, and language issues can present obstacles, not only for the immigrants, but also for those trying to assist them. How do we reach the immigrant population? For what assistance programs, both public and private, do they qualify? What about those who are undocumented? As the Hispanic population increases throughout Virginia we are faced with new considerations. Our role becomes even more complex as local governments are considering measures to deny services to those who are undocumented. Only by knowing the types of issues surrounding immigrants in our community will we be able to give assistance in a humane and responsible manner.
Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center - Christopher Nye
Access to health care services for Limited English Proficient persons through the use of community health workers. The development of a language assistance (interpreter) and lay health promoter program in Harrisonburg, Virginia where over 40% of students in Harrisonburg public schools are enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
Migrant Health Network - Howard Chapman, Jr.
This presentation is notes the development and progress of an experienced network that has provided outreach services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in rural southwest Virginia for the past 10 years. The Migrant Health Network (MHN) was initially established by a group of community volunteers to address the health care needs of migrant farmworkers. It received federal funding through HRSA in 1997 and now serves nine counties in southwest Virginia. The MHN outreach staff provides interpretation, transportation, case management, and initial health assessment screenings. The MHN is a collaborative network of community health centers and other providers in the nine county service area.
Dr. Brenda Alston-Mills, Harvey Lineberry
Dr. Alston-Mills and Mr. Lineberry will provide a discussion of the many aspects of diversity, to include an interactive exercise and group discussion.
Dental Health Community Programs
a panel discussion including:
Dental Outreach with the Tooth Fairy - Rhonda Seltz
A 10 minute overview will be presented of a unique approach to recruiting dental providers for the Free Clinic of the New River Valley 's dental program.
The Mission of Mercy project - Dr. Carol Brooks
The presentation will give the history of the Mission of Mercy projects. Including: caring, cause, "the greater good", serving the community. How the project works with the private sector of dentistry in Virginia, the involvement of the dental school, the general assembly. What does it take to put on a MOM project and more importantly, what does it take to keep the MOM projects going! How can we meet the needs of underserved, uninsured populations in Virginia? Who are the underserved, uninsured? Who can serve?
Bland Ministry Center and Dental Clinic -
David Plott
A discussion of how mission teams, churches and indviduals from several states actively support the efforts of the dental clinic.
Chris Harman will provide brief history of the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic from inception to present day. His presentation will discuss the clinic's plans to address the long term and overall health of patients and will include a short Power Point slide presentation that shows former and current patient's dental problems (not for the weak of stomach).
Dental disease is simultaneously the most prevalent and the most preventable disease in the United States today. Dr. Pratt's presentation will touch on systemic disease and oral health and will emphasize dental decay and how to prevent it in every age group.
Representatives from VA Medicaid/FAMIS and Doral Dental, USA will present the Smiles For Children dental program which was implemented on July 1, 2005 and is becoming a national model for state dental programs. Presenters will provide information on the structure and benefits of the program and how to utilize the new program features to best serve Medicaid/FAMIS enrollees. Information related to locating a participating dentist, billing for services, patient non-compliance and transportation will be discussed during the session.
DMHMRSAS - Frank L. Tetrick, III
The DMHMRSAS Assistant Commissioner, Division of Community Services will discuss the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services;
Virginia's mental health system transformation; and
how DMHMRSAS is changing the service environment and culture.
Innovations in Community Mental Health
a panel discussion including:
Blue Ridge Mental Health Initiative - Dr. Emily J. Hauenstein, PhD, LCP, MSN, RN and Peggy Whitehead will present on the Blue Ridge Mental Health Initiative, a joint venture of the Blue Ridge Medical Center and the University of Virginia School of Nursing, the aim of which is to disseminate quality mental health services to fill gaps in services available to low-income rural residents. The presentation will include the history of the collaborative, current activities, and plans to fund and sustain the work of the collaborative over time. Dr. Hauenstein and Ms. Whitehead as the primary representatives of their respective agencies will discuss some of the difficulties inherent in forming and sustaining this type of work as well as the anticipated gains both short and over the long-term.
E-Screen-Developing and Using Technology to Improve Care - Sarah Farrell, PhD, APRN-BC
The development of an electronic screening tool in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team will be discussed. Future plans and innovative ideas for future development and use will be explored.
Telepsychiatry: Prior Experience and Future Potential for Improving Rural Mental Health Care
Larry Merkel, MD, PhD
The Mental Health Association of the New River Valley was involved in one of the nation's largest community disaster mental health responses following the Virginia Tech tragedy. Patrick Halpern, Associate Director of the Mental Health Association, will discuss the community's coordinated response to the tragedy and what rural communities can do in the face of crisis. A discussion of a new community program, the Center for Community Healing After Tragedy (CHAT), will highlight how the community is moving forward in the wake of this national tragedy.
Susan Austin from the Mount Rogers Community Service Board will share the CSB Response Plans which are being developed state-wide.
Aryana C. Khalid
Ms. Khalid will discuss the work of the Governor's Health Reform Commission. The Commission focused on 4 topic areas, Access to Care, the Healthcare Workforce, Long-Term Care, and Quality, Transparency, and Prevention.
Ryan Rinn
Mr. Rinn will provide information on the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's state-wide Health Care Listening Tour including; process and tour description, report of findings & paper/policy recommendations.
Michael O. Royster, MD, MPH
Dr. Royster will provide an overview of the changes in the OMHPHP over the past year and their vision for the future.
Dr. Royster - will lead an advanced viewing of an excerpt from the upcoming PBS Documentary Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
The U.S. is one of the richest countries on the planet. Yet, we rank 30th in the world for life expectancy, worse than every other industrialized nation - and even less developed countries like Cuba, Malta, and Costa Rica. Why? Because inequality in America is - literally - taking years off our lives. This affects not just the poorest among us, but the richest too.
Unnatural Causes will, for the first time on television, sound the alarm about America's glaring socio-economic and racial inequities in health - and search for root causes. The four-hour series (for PBS broadcast and DVD release) sifts through the evidence to discover there is more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our health and longevity.
Participants will preview a 26 minute segment of the documentary that investigates the reasons African American women have more than twice the risk of pre-term birth and infant death than the general population. Then, participants will engage in a discussion about the issues raised and other social determinants of health relevant rural communities (e.g. economic development, educational opportunities, transportation, discrimination). Finally, participants will discuss strategies to incorporate this new information into their efforts to improve health in rural communities.
Objectives:
At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to:
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Explain the importance of the social determinants of health in influencing health inequities
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Identify strategies to use within their organizations and work settings to promote health equity using a social justice framework
For more information, go to www.unnaturalcauses.org
