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July 2009
In this Issue:
Activities in the Field
Policy Updates
NEW MEDIA:
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Outreach and Enrollment Grants
On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) into law, reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through 2013. CHIPRA includes provisions to fund outreach and enrollment activities targeted at eligible, but unenrolled children, particularly those in underserved communities. The new law provides a total of $100 million for outreach campaigns aimed at reducing the number of uninsured children.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award a total of $80 million of the $100 million to eligible organizations that conduct targeted outreach to increase enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP of eligible but uninsured children. Eligible organizations include, but are not limited to, faith-based organizations, an American Indian tribe or tribal consortium, a federal health safety net organization, and public or private national, state, or local non-profit organizations. HHS will award $10 million of the $100 million in outreach and education grants to specifically target American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The remaining $10 million will be used towards a nationwide outreach and enrollment campaign.
There will be two application cycles to distribute these funds. In early July, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, announced the availability of up to $40 million in outreach grants for the first application cycle. In the first round, the electronic application deadline is August 6, 2009, and the mailed-in application is due August 10, 2009. Approximately 200 grants will be awarded before September 30, 2009. For more information about how to apply for these grants, click here.
Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism
The University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School of Journalism announced the launch of the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism. The Hunt Fund will support projects that examine the effects of a specific factor or factors, such as poverty, health disparities, pollution, and violence on the health of underserved communities. The fund honors the legacy of Dennis A. Hunt, a visionary communications leader at The California Endowment.
Print, broadcast, and new media journalists from anywhere in the United States are eligible to apply, as well as past fellows of the USC Annenberg/California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships. Special priority will be given to joint projects between mainstream and ethnic media.
The application deadline is July 22, 2009, and awards are announced on September 14, 2009. For more information, click here.
PUBLICATIONS:
- The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies recently published another brief, Trends in Child Health 1997-2006: Assessing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Diagnoses of ADHD/ADD and of Learning Disability, in its series of disparities reports focusing on children’s health. This brief examines disparities in diagnosing ADHD/ADD and learning disability among African American, Hispanic, and white children. Hispanic children were found to be less likely to have received a diagnosis of either condition than both their white and African American counterparts.
- The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute, in partnership with the Drexel University School of Public Health Center for Health Equality and Health Management Associates, will analyze major health reform bills in the 111th Congress to assess how they address racial and ethnic health and health care inequities. Click here for an analysis of the first health reform bill that has been introduced, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee's Affordable Health Choices Act
- The National Center for Service Integration (NCSI) Clearinghouse and the Child and Family Policy Center published Clinical Health Care Practices and Community Building: Addressing Racial Disparities in Healthy Child Development. The paper argues that addressing racial and ethnic disparities in child and adolescent health is essential, because a child’s health affects his/her health throughout his/her entire lifespan. In addition, addressing these disparities involves the combined responsibility of families, educators, health providers, and law and public safety enforcers.
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Multnomah County Health Department Health Equity Initiative, Oregon
The Health Equity Initiative was founded in June 2007 through the Multnomah County Health Department, based in Portland, Oregon. The Health Equity Initiative is a county-wide effort focused on addressing health inequities in the county, and it collaborates with local organizations to support policy change and monitor results. The Initiative focuses on the socio-economic factors that influence health, such substandard housing, education, environmental hazards, and income.
The initiative has three goals: 1) To create a common understanding of the causes of and the solutions to health disparities, with a focus on equity and justice through research; 2) To raise awareness of current community-based efforts and county departments that seek to reduce and/or eliminate health disparities; and 3) To advocate for policy solutions, which address racial and ethnic disparities in health care.
To achieve the first goal, the Health Equity Initiative has conducted extensive research into the health of the Multnomah County, and published “report cards” of the county’s racial and ethnic disparities and health outcomes. To read the Initiative’s 2009 Health Equity report, click here. To address its second goal, the Initiative was one of the first in the country to show the PBS documentary Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick? to Multnomah community members and follow the screening with a discussion among community members. In 2008 alone, it conducted over 60 local screenings of the documentary involving over 600 participants.
Finally, to achieve the third goal, the Initiative encourages community members to take action by contacting elected officials and staying informed of racial and ethnic disparities. In addition, it sponsors community sessions or workshops to collect community members’ ideas on policy changes and service improvements to make Multnomah County a healthier environment.
For more information about the Health Equity Initiative, please contact Chair Ted Wheeler at mult.chair@co.multnomah.or.us or 503-988-3030 ext. 22068.
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Update on Health Reform
Key committees in Congress are moving forward with health care reform discussions, with the Senate HELP committee recently passing its bill out of committee. The HELP Committee is one of two committees in the Senate that has jurisdiction over health reform. The Finance Committee is the other, which we anticipate will finalize their bill in the coming days. The two committees will then combine their versions into one single bill, which will then be reconciled and go to the Senate floor for a vote.
The three House committees with jurisdiction over health legislation released their health care reform bill this month, after conducting hearings and mark-ups on an earlier draft bill. The bill will likely be on the House floor before the August recess.
The Congressional Tri-Caucus (which includes the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus) released the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009 earlier this month. This bill includes provisions which address culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, workforce diversity, improved data collection and standardization, and accountability and evaluation.
- Congressional Briefing: Health IT, Health Reform, and Eliminating Health Disparities Creating Opportunities/Leveraging Advances
July 23, 2009, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Reserve Officers Association of the United States, One Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Sponsor: National Health IT Collaborative For the Underserved
For more information and to register, click here.
- 2009 National Medical Association Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly
July 25 – 29, 2009
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Sponsor: National Medical Association
For more information and to register, click here.
- 2009 Disparities Conference: Health Equity through the Cancer Lens
July 28 – 29, 2009
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Sponsor: American Cancer Society
For more information and to register, click here.
- Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) 2009 Conference
September 13 – 16, 2009
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Rd. Bethesda, MD 20852
Sponsor: Agency for Healthcare Research Quality
For more information and to register, click here.
- Health Policy Journalism Institute: Covering Health Disparities
October 8 – 9, 2009
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Sponsor: National Health Policy Alliance for Communities of Color
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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