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              This Week in CHCACTion       

May 21, 2018

This Week in CHCACTivities

Project ECHO

Mollie Melbourne
Chief Operating Officer

Opioid abuse has emerged as a pressing public health emergency.  According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, deaths from drug overdose are the number one cause of injury death in the United States. In 2016, 116 people died somewhere in the United States every day from opioid-related drug overdoses. As noted by the Capital Area Substance Abuse Council, Connecticut has seen a dramatic 35% increase in fatal overdoses from 2015 to 2016. This same trend is mirrored in Connecticut’s opioid death rate, jumping from 50th in 2012 to a ranking of 12th in 2016. Two people on average die in Connecticut every day from drug overdose. In 2016 there were 723 deaths, twice the number only 3 years ago. There is no evidence to suggest that this trend is slowing, as the Chief State’s Medical Examiner released data showing that there was a 21% increase in overdose deaths in 2016.

In response to this dire situation, CHCACT is implementing a project to build capacity at the primary care level in CT’s federally qualified health centers to not only address opioid addiction but also focus on the chronic pain that often leads to the use of these medications in the first place. This will be accomplished through the development of a Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Hub at the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, Inc. (CHCACT). The initial year of this project has been supported through a Quality Grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Project ECHO is not just a means to bring information from the specialty level to primary care providers; it is a movement designed to democratize knowledge and spread evidence-based, best care practice for underserved populations. As shown in numerous studies, this model leads to a cascade of positive outcomes, such as care that is as safe and effective at the primary care setting as that of a specialist. CHCACT will weave together project staff, subject matter experts, and teams of primary care providers at federally qualified health centers across the state in bi-weekly video conference clinics. Experts and primary care providers will review the case specifics and determine the best course of treatment for each of the patients discussed.

This will accomplish a number of positive outcomes:
1) improve access to specialty care for underserved patients through expert consultation during the video conference clinic;
2) develop subspecialty expertise and confidence at the primary care level to address chronic pain and/or addiction; and,
3) build joy in the workplace by enabling access to a learning network and reducing feelings of isolation among provider staff.

CHCACT staff Marlene Moranino and Christina Del Vecchio traveled to Albuquerque, NM last week for an immersion training session hosted by Project ECHO. Through this training, the team learned about the ECHO model, recruitment of participating health centers (called spokes), IT best practices, curriculum development, and evaluation tools.

We are very excited to kick off the first clinic this July!

- Mollie

This Week in Social Media

Twitter

Retweeted CT Health Foundation

Great report on the impact of #MedicaidExpansion here in #CT! Health centers are proud to enroll thousands of people each year into @HUSKYHealthCT! https://twitter.com/CTHealth/status/996402359361261568 …

CT Health Foundation @CTHealth
The uninsured rate among adults in states that did NOT expand Medicaid rose to 21.9% by 2018. Read about Connecticut's Medicaid expansion, #HUSKYD, and the critical role it's played in reducing CT's uninsured rate to 4.9% 🙌…
11:08 AM - 21 May 2018

 

Recent News

  • Announcement of Appointment of Interim CEO
  • Connecticut Health Centers Applaud Medicare Decision to Permanently Cover Audio‐Only Behavioral Health Service
  • Community Health Center Association of CT Partners with UConn Health to Study Impact of Telehealth During Covid‐19 Pandemic
  • Fair Haven Community Health Care ranked as a top 10 quality leader by federal agency
  • Fiscal Year 2021 Health Center Program Funding

This Week in Funding Opportunities

No items found

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

5.18.18 New Haven Independent — Dads Dealt Into Baby Showers (feat. Fair Haven Community Health Care)
5.18.18 New Haven Register — Sen. Murphy Calls Trump’s Health Care Policy “Sabotage” (feat. Cornell Scott-Hill)
5.15.18 Society of General Internal Medicine — Hurricane Maria – A Clinic Response to a Surge of Displaced Puerto Rican Patients (feat. Fair Haven Community Health Care)
5.15.18 Norwich Bulletin — UCFS Announces Partnership with myStrength

State Health News

5.21.18 CT Health Notes Blog — Updated Data from DSS Call Center – Wait Times are 107 & 105 Minutes
5.18.18 Universal Health Care Foundation Blog — Guest Blog – We Did It! Full Restoration of Medicaid Cuts
5.17.18 Hartford Courant — Mark Jenkins Helps Addicts Be Safe Until They Can Get Drug-Free
5.16.18 Hartford Business Journal — Report – CT’s Medicaid Expansion Increased Coverage, Care Access

Health Insurance / Health Reform News

5.21.18 Kaiser Health News — When is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care
5.19.18 NY Times — As an Insurer Resists Paying for Avoidable ER Visits, Patients and Doctors Push Back
5.15.18 CT Mirror — Dems Predict “Eye-Popping” Health Premium Hikes, Blame GOP

National / Other Health News

5.21.18 NY Times — What Barbershops Can Teach About Delivering Health Care
5.18.18 Vox — The New Trump Plan to Defund Planned Parenthood, Explained
5.17.18 Kaiser Health News — Opioid Overdoses are Rising Faster Among Latinos Than Among Blacks or Whites

Events & Educational Opportunities

Filed Under: News, This Week in CHCACTion!, Uncategorized

Community Health Center Association of Connecticut
1484 Highland Avenue
Suites 2 & 3
Cheshire, CT 06410

About CHCACT

CHCACT plays an active role in health policy discussions by participating on key advisory councils. We provide on-going information on community health center programs and clinical performance to Connecticut's decision-makers, elected officials and residents.

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