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January 2009
In this Issue:
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Congratulations to…Rosa Browne from the Yale New Haven Hospital. She is the winner of our survey raffle, and will attend our conference this month. Thank you to all who completed our survey. Your feedback is much appreciated as we strive to make our newsletter better fit your needs and interests. We do hope you join us at our Health Action Conference January 29-31, 2009!
Activities in the Field
Policy Updates
NEW MEDIA:
- The National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities recently hosted the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) research summit on The Science of Eliminating Health Disparities. The three-day meeting highlighted the progress of NIH minority health and health disparities research activities; identified current gaps in health disparities research; and showcased best-practice models in research, capacity building, and outreach. To view a webcast of this summit, click here.
- The Disparities Solutions Center hosted a webinar, Improving Quality and Achieving Equity: A Guide for Hospital Leaders, to announce the release of a new guide designated to help hospital leaders address racial/ethnic disparities in health care. The goal of this seminar was to highlight the important features of the guide which includes a discussion of the evidence for racial and ethnic disparities in health care and the rationale for addressing them; a survey of model hospitals and leaders who are actively addressing disparities; and resources that can help hospital leaders initiate an agenda for action in this area. To view this webinar, click here.
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
The Disparities Solutions Center 2009-2010 Disparities Leadership Program
The Disparities Solutions Center’s Disparities Leadership Program is a year-long executive education program designed for hospital, health plan, and health care organization leaders who wish to implement practical strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities in health care, particularly through quality improvement. Interested parties should submit an Intent to Apply by February 9th, 2009 prior to submitting a complete application, which is due March 27th, 2009.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Communities Creating Healthy Environments
Communities Creating Healthy Environments (CCHE), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), will provide training, technical assistance and three-year grants of up to $250,000 to ten local advocacy groups working in communities of color and indigenous nations to develop effective, replicable policy initiatives that achieve food and recreation equity in the communities where they work. In the first phase, applicants must submit a brief proposal to the RWJF Grantmaking Online system at http://grantmaking.rwjf.org/cche. The deadline for submitting brief proposals is February 26, 2009, at 3:00 PM EST. Brief proposals will be reviewed and scored according to the criteria listed in the Call for Proposals brochure. Approximately 40 applicants will be invited to submit full proposals.
PUBLICATIONS:
- Families USA published Squeezed! Caught Between Unemployment Benefits and Health Care Costs. This report examines COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) coverage and unemployment benefits and finds that families devote a high percentage of their unemployment checks to COBRA. Additionally, rates of unemployment are disproportionately higher for minorities, and continue to rise. Among Hispanics, the unemployment rate rose from 6.3 percent in December 2007 to 8.5 percent in November 2008, and among African Americans the unemployment rate rose from 9.0 percent in December 2007 to 11.2 percent in November 2008. To view this report, click here.
- The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health at Georgetown University has released a new edition of its Knowledge Path: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health. The updated guide provides a list of current resources for consumers and health professionals about preventing, identifying, and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health. To view this guide, click here.
- The California Medicare Part D Language Access Coalition released Please Hold: Medicare Plans Leave Limited English Proficient Beneficiaries Waiting for Access. The report finds that non-English speaking beneficiaries have difficulty getting Medicare information. To view this report, click here.
- The Disparities Solutions Center recently published, Improving Quality and Achieving Equity: A Guide for Hospital Leaders, a guide designed to convince hospital leaders to take specific action to address disparities. The guide includes a thorough review of the peer-reviewed literature, and case studies of innovative approaches that hospitals are undertaking to identify and address disparities and achieve equity. To view this guide, click here.
- The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has published online snapshots highlighting state activities that promote health equity. Nearly every state is represented. This online tool features an overview of each state’s health priorities, a flowchart outlining the organization and infrastructure of state departments of health, each state’s activities and/or organizations that address the social determinants of health. To view these briefs, click on different states here.
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The Puerto Rican Family Institute
The Puerto Rican Family Institute, founded in 1960, is a nonprofit, health and human service agency whose primary mission is to prevent family disintegration and enhance the self-sufficiency of the Latino community. The Puerto Rican Family Institute offers a comprehensive array of social and health care services that are culturally and linguistically relevant. Its core services include outpatient mental health treatment, crisis intervention, child foster care placement prevention, residential care, and HIV/AIDS mental health treatment prevention and education. The Puerto Rican Family Institute’s programs operate in the continental United States (primarily New York City, Jersey City, and New Jersey) and in Puerto Rico, serving a large immigrant population.
The Horizon Foundation recently awarded the Puerto Rican Family Institute with a $30,000 grant to help fund its health programs. Some of these funded programs include: a bilingual diabetes program, a weight management and depression program, which provides educational health and wellness workshops, and also follow-up treatment to help participants better manage their health.
For more information, visit the Puerto Rican Family Institute’s website or call (212) 924-6320.
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Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Moving in the 111th Congress
After voting 289-139, the House passed the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) bill (HR 2), similar to the bill President Bush vetoed twice. The House considered legislation as a stand-alone bill, rather than as part of an economic stimulus package. The bill includes these several key provisions: it expands coverage to children in families with incomes of up to three times the federal poverty level would qualify for the program, expanding CHIP enrollment from seven million to eleven million children; it extends federal support for CHIP through 2013 at a cost of $32.3 billion, on top of the current $25 billion cost of the program; and it is fully paid for with a 61-cent increase in the federal cigarette tax. The bill also includes a provision on ICHIA (Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act), taking out the arbitrary five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children and pregnant women seeking to receive public benefits. Reauthorization of this bill was particularly critical, given the nation’s economic crisis, to fortify an essential safety net for low-income children. The Senate Finance Committee (SFC) approved a similar draft bill and will soon hold a floor vote.
Economic Stimulus Package Includes Health Provisions
The House announced an outline of the economic stimulus package, including health provisions, such as $87 billion in Medicaid aid to the states (FMAP), $30.3 billion for COBRA health care coverage for the unemployed, and $8.6 billion for Medicaid coverage for the unemployed. The package also provides $1.5 billion towards the renovation of community health centers, $600 million for the reimbursement of physicians working in underserved areas, and $550 million to modernize rural clinics and update health care technology for underserved populations, such as American Indians.
- National Grassroots Meeting: Health Action 2009
January 29-31, 2009
Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Sponsors: Families USA
For more information and to register, click here.
- The Science of Cancer Health Disparities
February 3-6, 2009
Carefree Resort & Villas, 37220 Mule Train Road, Carefree, Arizona 85377
Sponsors: National Cancer Institute, Susan G. Komen, AACR Minorities in Cancer Research Council
For more information and to register, click here.
- U.S. Hospitals: Historical Legacies and Health Disparities Seminar
February 17, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 pm
Trustees Room, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford Street, 9th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
Sponsors: The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital
For more information and to register, click here.
- National Boricua Latino Health Organization 2009 Annual Conference
February 20-21, 2009
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Biomedical Research Building, BRB
421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Sponsors: National Boricua Latino Health Organization
For more information and to register, click here.
- Cultivating Healthy Communities: 20th National Conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control
February 23-25, 2009
The Gaylord National, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Maryland 20745
Sponsors: The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
For more information and to register, click here.
- Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health: A Blueprint for Change
February 25-27, 2009
The Gaylord National, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Maryland 20745
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health
For more information and to register, click here.
- 2009 Minority Health Conference: Our World, Our Community: Building Bridges for Health Equality
February 27, 2009, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
William and Ida Friday Center, 100 Friday Center Drive, CB 1020, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
Sponsors: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health Minority Student Caucus
For more information and to register, click here.
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We’d like to hear from you!
If you would like to see your organization or event highlighted in a future edition of our newsletter, please send us a brief description of your organization and its activities, as well as your contact information. We also welcome guest authors for the Activities in the Field section of the newsletter. This section provides members of the minority health field with the opportunity to share their experiences and insights with other advocates. Please send all correspondence to: minorityhealth@familiesusa.org.
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