This Week in CHCACTion! June 13, 2016

June 13, 2016

Announcements

• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Corps: The MHFA is expanding! This is your opportunity to join this exciting program as an AmeriCorps member host site. The MHFA Corps is an innovative AmeriCorps program that supports implementation of Youth MHFA in communities across the nation. To learn more about this program, click here.

Trainings, Webinars & Conferences

• Please check our Calendar of Events for upcoming trainings!

Funding Opportunities

• Check out the CHCACT Funding Opportunities page here!
• NEW! The CT Health Foundation announces the availability of funding to continue to increase the diversity of consumers participating in health reform engagement and advocacy. To qualify, organizations mustbe 501 (c)(3) and meet two or more of the following criteria (learn more!):
  • Nonprofit is led (e.g., executive director, CEO) by a person of color (PoC); and/or
  • Nonprofit is governed by a board composed of a majority (51%+) of PoC; and/or
  • Nonprofit serves populations/communities of color.
• NEW! The NBC 21st Century Solutions grant is seeking organizations that are implementing progressive programs that address emerging or ongoing community challenges in the areas of: Civic Engagement, Education, Environment, Jobs and Economic Empowerment, Media, and Technology for Good. Learn more!
• The State of Connecticut has released its RFP for participating entities in the State Innovation Model (SIM) Medicaid Quality Improvement Shared Savings Program (MQISSP). This program is open to FQHCs and “advanced networks.” Learn more!
• The HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau is pleased to announce a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for Leadership Training for People of Color living with HIV. Learn more!
• The Miscarriage Care Initiative is an effort by the Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP) to expand access to evidence-based, patient-centered miscarriage care in primary care settings. Through the Miscarriage Care Initiative, five organizations will receive intensive support from RHAP to integrate and expand miscarriage treatment into a primary care practice site. Learn more!
• The RGK Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations in the general areas of education, community and health/medicine. These grants are not geographically-restricted and are awarded on an ongoing basis. Learn more!

Ask CHCACT!

“Ask CHCACT” features Outreach & Enrollment and other questions from health center staff, answered by your favorite CHCACT staff members! Send your questions to ask@chcact.org!

Arianne Cacciatore answers this week’s question:

Q: Can you tell me more about how veterans can utilize FQHC services?

A: Yes. The Veterans’ Choice Program was created to help veterans receive care in more settings, outside the VA, to reduce wait times and improve access. To learn more about this program and how to determine if veterans are eligible, click here.

Upcoming CHCACT Meetings

Community HealthCorps Monthly Member Meeting. The Community HealthCorps Monthly Member meeting will be held on Friday, June 24th, 2016 from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm as part of the Connecticut Multicultural Health Partnership Annual Meeting, which is at the Lyceum Resource and Conference Center, 227 Lawrence Street, Hartford. For more information, please contact Rashad Collins.

All CHCACT Staff can be reached by calling 860.667.7820.

This Week in Health Policy News

Here is a sampling of health policy news from around the state. If you see something in your local newspaper that you would like featured here in future weeks, please contact Deb Polun at dpolun@chcact.org. Check out all the Health Policy News from the past month here!

Featured Stories 
6.11.16 New Haven Register: Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven to Showcase Pulitzer Prize Winner’s Play (feat. Fair Haven)
6.3.16 CT NewsJunkie: Malloy Vetoes Six Bills, Parts of Budget (feat. CHCACT)
6.3.16 CT Mirror: CT Towns Say They Aren’t Prepared for Last-Minute Cut to State Aid (feat. CHCACT)
6.2.16 Bristol Press: New Wheeler Clinic COO Named

State Health News
6.10.16 CT Mirror: Sharkey Calls for Wade’s Recusal, but Malloy Sees No Conflict
6.10.16 CT Mirror: CT Regulators Give Final OK to Sale of Manchester, Rockville Hospitals
6.6.16 CT NewsJunkie: Advocate Calls for Straightforward Approach to Loss of Insurance Coverage
6.6.16 Norwalk Hour: At Norwalk Hospital, Reducing Recidivism Through Community Care
6.6.16 CT NewsJunkie: Healthcare Advocate Resigns, Takes Job in Lieutenant Governor’s Office

ACA/Health Reform News
6.13.16 CT Mirror: Insurance Mergers Face Hurdles, Increased Opposition
6.6.16 Hartford Business Journal: Health Insurers Ask for 2017 Rate Increases

Resources

CHCACT maintains and regularly updates resources on clinical issues, human resources, HIPAA, SNAP and more! Click here to check out CHCACT’s Resources!*

• The Connecticut Department of Public Health has new information about the Zika Virus on its web site, including symptoms and testing guidelines.
• Scope of Project Webpage: HRSA has released a new “Scope of Project” Page on the BPHC website. This page provides a “one-stop-shop” for Health Center Program Scope of Project and Change-in-Scope policy, process, and resources. View the new Scope of Project webpage.
• Capital Link Publications. As part of their assistance to health centers, Capital Link has developed a collection of resource publications to assist health centers in accomplishing specific tasks related to the capital development process. These publications are provided to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Primary Care Associations (PCAs) free of charge. Their resources, including publications, reports, and past webinars are available here.

* Some Resources are password-protected. If you would like a password for www.www.chcact.org, please contact Tasheenah Brown.

Events/Educational Opportunities