2011 VRHA Annual Conference
The clichés are everywhere. Doing more with less, operating on a shoestring, stretching dollars, making the most of what we have, feeling the squeeze, wearing multiple hats. Whichever phrase you want to use, everyone is dealing with the results. More competition for grant funding, cuts in government funds, hiring freezes and other financial restrictions are limiting what services can be provided to those in need.
And in the current economy, the need is great. Healthcare safety net providers may have smaller budgets, but more people than ever are requesting their services. What can be done?
Models & Money: Finding Solutions with Limited Resources is the theme for the 2011 VRHA Annual Conference. Again this year, the event will focus on providing a forum for interactive discussions between participants to encourage the development of creative ideas.
The six key focus areas from the 2010 conference will return in 2011: Aging in Place, Behavioral Health, Care Coordination, Maternal Health, Oral Health, Veterans Health.
Breakout sessions will feature a model program for each of the six areas. Speakers will provide an overview of the program then contribute to a facilitated discussion on how the program could be adapted in Virginia's rural communities. Click the conference logo below for additional information.
Back to the top
You Are Pioneers
By Collaborate for Healthy Weight
“Imagine a rural county with no cell phones, no Nintendos, where you can actually see children outside.” Kay Matlock, from the St. Charles Health Council in Lee County, Virginia, helped set the tone for the first Learning Session of the Healthy Weight Collaborative by envisioning the kind of change she’d like to see for her region.
Matlock was joined by representatives from each of ten teams from diverse communities across the country, who will be working to improve obesity prevention and outcomes in their own geographic regions. Each was there to share their hopes and goals, but most of all, to learn from one another. “We’re here to be a sponge,” said Sonny Shields, from ARcare, based in Woodruff County, Arkansas. “We’d like to learn as much as possible.”
Collaborate for Healthy Weight is a project of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ). The goal is to create partnerships between primary care, public health, and community organizations in ten HRSA regions to discover sustainable ways to promote healthy weight and eliminate health disparities in communities across the United States.
Read the full article.
Back to the top
Dental Care Workforce in Southwest Virginia
The Center for Economic and Policy Studies at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service has released "Oral Health and Dental Care Workforce in Southwest Virginia".
This study examines the health impact of a proposed dental school in Southwest Virginia. Resident oral health has been identified as a major problem by community leaders and citizens in the region and is featured prominently in the Southwest Virginia Health Authority’s Blueprint for Health Improvement and Health-Enabled Prosperity. The Blueprint recommends establishing a dental school in the region as part of strategy to simultaneously improve oral health outcomes and boost economic development.
In setting the stage for an evaluation of the dental school impacts, this study first assesses the economic, social, and health context for the Southwest Virginia region. It also presents a summary of research regarding the causes of differences in oral health, demand and supply for dental care services, the uneven geographical distribution of the health care workforce, and the regional labor market consequences of expanding area training and educational opportunities. The study provides a descriptive analysis of national, state, and regional oral health needs as well as pertinent national, state, and regional dental care resources and analyzes gaps in the existing and future provision of regional dental services. It assesses how a new dental school could affect the availability of dentists, utilization levels of dental services, and quality of care. Lastly, it discusses alternative policies and programs, including variants of the dental school model, for improving access to dental care and oral health outcomes in the Southwest Virginia region.
Click here to review the study.
Back to the top
Group Expands Focus
By Jessie Pounds - News & Advance
A newly revamped regional health coalition has added obesity prevention to its goals. Healthy Individuals through Prevention & Education is a partnership formerly known as Gain Independence from Tobacco and other Substances (GIFTS). The group changed its name in August and held an information session on Wednesday in Lynchburg to recruit new members.
In the past, GIFTS focused on prevention of tobacco use and substance abuse, but members re-evaluated the mission this summer and chose to also add obesity prevention, due in part to regional trends. In 2010, Lynchburg ranked in the top 10 most obese metropolitan areas in the country, said HiPE’s treasurer and CVCS prevention program manager, Stephanie Martin.
Read the full article.
Back to the top
Congressional Action Kit
Through your advocacy efforts, NRHA was successful in stopping immediate cuts to rural hospital programs. However, the Budget Control Act (the debt ceiling bill) may still produce significant cuts for your facilitiy in the future. Your advocacy efforts are needed now more than ever, and there are opportunities to make an impact right now.
As part of the debt ceiling bill, a 12-person "super committee" was established and tasked with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in cuts to the deficit by Thanksgiving. If Congress deadlocks and fails to pass the plan or enacts less than $1.2 Trillion in cuts by Dec. 23, across-the-board spending cuts would be triggered to make up the difference between the committee number and the $1.2 trillion savings goal, largely affecting Medicare.
Now is a critical time in the budget negotiation process, and it is vital that NRHA members take this opportunity to engage elected leaders. Interested parties on all sides of the deficit debate will be extremely active during this period, so rural hospitals, health clinics and health centers must continue to make their voices heard.
NRHA strongly encourages everyone to create constructive opportunities to engage you senator and House member. Invite them to your facilities and attend town hall meetings.
- Schedule district meetings with members of Congress. Invite the member to tour your hospital or clinic. For tips to arrange or conduct a meeting, click here.
- Visit your member's district or state office. A short trip to these offices is a great way to share information, connect with legislative staff, and advocate for your facility. Information for your member can be found here.
- Send a letter to the editor. Here's a template you can customize highlighting the importance of access to health care for rural America.
Back to the top
Homegrown Solution for Physician Shortage
By the University of Missouri School of Medicine
MU has turned Missouri students into physicians for its state, especially rural areas, with a comprehensive Rural Track Pipeline Program created in 1995. Since then, nearly 65 percent of students who participated in three of the pipeline’s four components have stayed in Missouri, and more than 57 percent of those same students also practice in rural areas. In comparison, fewer than 9 percent of physicians practice in rural areas nationally.
MU’s pipeline begins with a medical school preadmissions component for undergraduate college students who have a rural background and an interest in becoming a physician in a rural area. Ninety percent of students who participated in the preadmissions program are now physicians in Missouri. The rest of the pipeline provides multiple opportunities for medical students to train and live in rural communities.
Read the full article.
Back to the top
Rural E-Prescribing Lag
By Ken Terry
InformationWeek
Rural emergency departments were much less likely than those of urban hospitals to have computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, according to a study of EDs in four states that used 2008 data.
Doug Hires, a partner in health IT advisory firm Santa Rosa Consulting, noted that rural and critical access hospitals (CAHs) have long been behind in IT. Part of that has to do with a lower level of resources compared to their urban counterparts, which tend to be larger organizations.
In addition, he pointed out, it's harder for rural facilities to find or afford trained technical staff. Whereas a big urban or suburban hospital may have a sizeable IT department, a small critical access facility is lucky to have one or two technicians to maintain its billing and lab systems.
Read the full article.
Back to the top
For more information about these and other events, visit the VRHA Calendar.
October 4: Creating Better Grant Budgets - webinar
October 4-5: Weight of the State Conference - Richmond
October 5-7: International Rural Nursing & Rural Health Conference - Binghamton, NY
October 11-12: Rural Broadband Summit & Hearing - Whitesburg, KY
October 14-15 - Choose Virginia Recruitment Conference, Richmond
October 21: Virginia Oral Health Summit - Richmond
November 3: Best Practices for Tobacco Control & Prevention, Richmond
November 9: Best Business Practices for the Dental Safety Net, Henrico
November 13-15: Virginia Association of Free Clinics Annual Conference - Staunton
December 7-9: Virginia Rural Health Association Annual Conference - Staunton
December 7-9: NRHA Rural Multiracial and Multicultural Health Conference - Daytona Beach, FL
National Rural Health Day is November 17th!
- Rural hospitals are sources of innovation and resourcefulness that reach beyond geographical boundaries to deliver quality care. They are also typically the economic foundation of their communities – every dollar spent on rural hospitals generates about $2.20 for the local economy.
- Twelve percent of rural hospitals indicate they are not considering HIT investments because of cost concerns compared to 3 percent of urban hospitals.
- Critical Access Hospitals care for a higher percentage of Medicare patients than other hospitals because rural populations are typically older than urban populations.
Back to the top
Community Health Workers Toolkit
Contains eight modules about community health worker programs, how the programs work and how to use community health workers in the local community.
Economic Impact Analysis Tool
Generates summary reports showing how grant spending can benefit a local, rural economy. Reports can reflect past, current and future grant spending.
Connecting Communities
Addresses the challenges rural communities face in adopting information technology tools and infrastructure. Curriculum is part of the National e-Commerce Extension Initiative Learning Center.
Promising Practices
This webinar (recording) provides an overview of a technical assistance guide for promising practices in rural mental health to learn more about the strategies, methodologies, and resources needed to become evidenced based practices. We will welcome feedback on how to make the guide more useful for rural mental health organizations that are developing new practices.
HRSA Integrates New Media
HRSA recently launched a “Find a Health Center” Android app. The Android app is the newest offering in HRSA Mobile. Also see “Find a Health Center” for all smart phones and our iPhone app.
To see what other government agencies are doing with mobile technology, view Federal mHealth projects on the mHealth page.
Social Media and HRSA
HRSA is also active on social media sites. Become a HRSA fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For Google Plus devotees, HRSA has integrated the +1 button throughout the HRSA.gov website.
New Electronic MLN Button for Provider Partners
As part of ongoing efforts to share information and updates from the Medicare Learning Network with our Provider Partners, the MLN has developed an electronic button graphic that you are encouraged to post to your websites. By posting this button, your membership will have quick access to the MLN General Information webpage—and you’ll be offering them the opportunity to access a variety of easy-to-understand products about Medicare changes, regulations, and new initiatives.
A Message from CMS:
Eligible professionals and group practices should determine if they are subject to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment by reviewing the MLN Article SE1107 . If you believe that you may be subject to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment, you should determine if you meet any of the hardship exemption categories specified by CMS in the 2011 Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program Final Rule. A Quick Reference Guide is available to help you understand the changes that the eRx Final Rule made to the 2011 Medicare eRx Incentive Program. As a result of changes to the program, eligible professionals and group practices have until November 1, 2011 to submit a significant hardship exemption request and rationale. Individual eligible professionals must submit their hardship exemption requests through the Quality Communications Support Page and group practices participating under the group practice reporting option (GPRO) must submit hardship exemption requests via a letter to CMS. Additional information and resources are available at www.cms.gov/erxincentive.
Back to the top
Integrating Oral Health in Medical Education Model Curriculum: A Call for Submissions
This initiative is designed to provide credible peer-reviewed oral health instructional resources for faculty to facilitate integration of oral health concepts into the medical education curricula.
Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: November 15, 2011
Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program at CDC
The Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program (PHIFP) is a 2-year applied fellowship for professionals with a master's or higher degree. Professionals are trained to apply information science and technology to the practice of public health.
Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: November 14, 2011
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
The purpose of the PCORI Pilot Projects Grant Program is threefold. First, the applications themselves will assist PCORI with ongoing development and enhancement of national research priorities for patient-centered outcomes research. Applicants will be expected to establish the significance of the proposed research and build a case for why it should be considered a guiding question for PCORI. Second, the PCORI Pilot Projects Grant Program will support the collection of preliminary data that can be used to advance the field of patient-centered outcomes research, providing the platform for a future PCORI research agenda. Third, the PCORI Pilot Projects Grant Program will support the identification of methodologies that can be used to advance patient-centered outcomes research as well as identify gaps where methodological research needs further development.
PCORI intends to commit up to $13 million under this program during the first year in support of approximately 40
awards. Funding may be requested for up to $250,000 in direct costs per year for up to two years, with
justification. Letters of Intent are required and must be received on or before November 1, 2011. Grant applications must be
received on or before December 1, 2011.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows
Application Deadline: January 18, 2012 3:00 PM EST
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program is a three-year advanced leadership program for nurses who aspire to lead and shape health care locally and nationally. Fellows strengthen and improve their leadership abilities related to improving health and health care.
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation works around the world to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and to help ensure that globalization's benefits are more widely shared. The Foundation accepts funding inquiries from nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and internationally that address one of the following targeted initiatives: Protecting American Workers' Economic Security: Campaign for American Workers; Promoting Equitable, Sustainable Transportation; Transforming Health Systems; Advancing Innovation Processes to Solve Social Problems; Harnessing the Power of Impact Investing; Developing Climate Change Resilience; Strengthening Food Security: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa; and Linking Global Disease Surveillance Networks. Funding inquiries are accepted throughout the year. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about each initiative and to submit an online funding inquiry.
Back to the top
|
