Pursue a Healthcare Career at The Children's Hospital

The Medical Career Collaborative or MC2 program is for high school students interested in the health and medical professions. Through real life hands-onexperiences students gain valuable exposure to and experience in the healthcare field. All this happens at one of the nation’s top pediatric institutions, The Children's Hospital. Simply stated, our goal is to help high school students interested in a career in health or medicine get on the path to success. Through the following activities – students get a jump start on their future.

Students will participate in:

• Medical Field Trips
• Workshops and Trainings
• Career Exposure Opportunities
• Mentoring
• Potential Internships at The Children’s Hospital
• Service learning experiences
• Post secondary assistance and guidance

MC2 is a two year program for high schools students. Sophomores apply for the program and if
selected, participate during their junior and senior year of high school. MC² gives priority to applicants in their sophomore year of high school who attend public high schools in the counties of Denver, Arapahoe, Adams and in some cases Douglas and Jefferson. The program places great emphasis on including students of diverse backgrounds and socio-economic groups.

Applications are to be postmarked by March 15 or hand delivered by March 16, 2010. Selected students begin participation in August of 2010. Access the registration materials on The Children's Hospital website.

Interested in Health Careers?

2010 Summer Health Careers Institute is designed to:

• To encourage high school students with interests and abilities in math and science to pursue health careers.
• To provide these students with information and experience that will help them make intelligent educational career choices.

During this six-day program students from all over the state will come together to explore various medical health professions as well as have the opportunity to tour health care facilities; discuss career options with professors and health practitioners; and shadow a health professional during the trip to the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus "job shadow day" in Aurora.

How to Apply: Applications are available on the AHEC website. Applicants must be 16 years of age as of June 1, 2010 to participate in the institute. Applicants choose one week to participate--either June 6-11, 2010 or July 18-23, 2010.

Note: Applications require teacher/counselor recommendations – do not delay! Applications must be submitted by March 31, 2010.

Now Hiring

CRHC is hiring for Recruitment Specialists for the CPR program. To apply, visit the CRHC website. The deadline for applications is February 8th.

Meeting Space Available

CRHC is offering our classroom as an affordable alternative to meetings held in busy hotels or crowded educational institutions. Visit the CRHC website for details.

Small Provider Funding Opportunity

ORHP announces the guidance release of the Small Healthcare Provider Quality Improvement Program. To search for this opportunity, please go to http://www.grants.gov/, Find Grant Opportunities and do a Basic Search by typing in the CFDA number: 93.912 or the Announcement Number: HRSA-10-045. The deadline to submit an application is March 15th, 2010. For further information, please contact Elizabeth Rezai-zadeh, erezai@hrsa.gov.

HCPF Outreach Conferences

Register now for the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing Outreach Conferences 2010.

Individuals interested in better assisting Coloradans in applying for public health insurance, and stakeholders interested in providing input on the new programs for Adults without Dependent Children and People with Disabilities (expansion populations under the Colorado Health Care Affordability Act) are invited to attend this training. Dates and locations are available throughout February and March, and topics include: Family Medicaid and CHP+ Policy, the Redetermination, Recertification and Reassessment (RRR) process, HIPAA, Colorado PEAK, the Colorado Health Care Affordability Act (House Bill 09- 1293), Medicaid Buy-In Program for people with disabilities and the Adults without Dependent Children expansion populations, and more.

Contact outreach@hcpf.state.co.us with questions, or visit http://hcpftraining.gosignmeup.com/.

New Staff: Michelle Mills

As Director of Programs, Michelle Mills comes to CRHC with over 18 years of healthcare experience in quality improvement and patient safety. Michelle has worked extensively with hospitals, nursing homes, and physician offices. Through her partnerships both locally and nationally, she has been a catalyst for creating synergy for quality improvement and patient safety efforts. Michelle is responsible for the oversight of the CAH, RHC, IPIP, and EMS/Emergency Preparedness programs.

Annual Conference: June 30-July 2, 2010

What: The 19th Annual Colorado Rural Health Conference will provide participants with statewide networking opportunities and a variety of session topics from healthcare reform to recruitment and retention.

When & Where: June 30—July 2, 2010 at the Beaver Run Resort, located at 620 Village Rd., Breckenridge, CO 80424.

More Info: Registration and other materials will be available soon on the CRHC website.

2010 Census Coming to Colorado

Census information affects the numbers of seats Colorado occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. uses census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more.

An accurate count of residents can do a lot for your community—better infrastructure, more services, a brighter tomorrow for everyone. In fact, the information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent. CRHC encourages you to take the 2010 Census seriously and return your form promptly. For more information, visit the Census website.

Workforce Summit Tackles Healthcare Provider Shortage

The Colorado Health Professions Workforce Summit was held on October 22, 2009 and brought together 150 healthcare providers, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to address the shortage of healthcare providers in Colorado. 2008’s Workforce Summit focused on primary care providers and developing policy recommendations to address the severe shortage, and this year’s event built on that momentum.

In 2009, the Colorado Health Professions Workforce Policy Collaborative used the recommendations formulated at the first event to create a potential policy agenda, and this year’s Summit engaged attendees in refining it. The second major outcome was the formulation of policy recommendations addressing the shortage of non-primary care healthcare providers.

Polling technology allowed attendees to actively participate in the proceedings. The polling results assisted the Collaborative in preparing their final draft of the policy agenda which was presented to the Governor and his cabinet. The immediate policy interventions they recommended were:

1. Collect key data through the State’s existing professional licensing and certification processes
2. Enact policies to increase the numbers of physician assistants and advanced practice nurses in primary care
3. Increase public funding for health professions education programs
4. Support policies to increase number of clinical experiences and residencies

Ultimately, the Summit demonstrated that there is strong consensus on ways to move forward and to address Colorado’s health professions workforce crisis. “The workforce shortage is the most critical issue for our rural constituents, and this Summit was an important opportunity to build on the momentum of last year’s event to ensure we real progress is made,” said Lou Ann Wilroy, CEO of CRHC.

The Colorado Rural Health Center, The Colorado Trust, and the Colorado Community Health Network came together to host the event. Many thanks to our other event sponsors, including The Colorado Health Foundation, Caring for Colorado, the Colorado Hospital Association, the Colorado Community Health Network, the Colorado Workforce Development Council, the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, and Kaiser Permanente.

To access materials and presentations from this event, please visit the Past Events webpage of the CRHC website.

CDPHE Emergency Medical Services Grants

Application Deadline: February 16, 2010

CDPHE has approximately $6 million in EMS grant funds, thanks to SB09-002, a bill supported by CRHC through the Policy and Legislative Council last session. Funds can be used to support any of the following categories: Ambulance/other vehicle, Communications, Data collection, Equipment, Injury prevention, Recruitment/retention, Personnel and Services, or Other. To access more information about the grant, visit the CDPHE website.

Winter AgrAbility Workshops

Plan now to attend a free workshop for farmers and ranchers; their family members with chronic conditions, injuries, or disabilities who want to continue or start farming and ranching; and professionals who work with agricultural individuals and families with disabilities (e.g.: extension agents, rehabilitation counselors, occupational therapists, county health nurses, home healthcare providers, etc.). Workshops are from 9am to noon and include lunch. Topics range from AgrAbility services and resources to available equipment modifications and adaptations.

Please register no later than one week prior to the workshop. If fewer than 5 people pre-register, it may be canceled. For more information, contact Bob Fetsch at 970.491.5648 or fetsch@cahs.colostate.edu, or his assistant at 970.491.5889.

CRHC Launches HIT Consortium

In January 2010, CRHC launched a new Health Information Technology (HIT) consortium, dubbed Technology for Healthcare Excellence (THE) Consortium. CRHC developed THE Consortium in 2009 to assist rural providers with the complex process of adopting technology. Federal HITECH Stimulus funds are available to providers and facilities who reach meaningful use of EHR beginning in 2011. Due to the short timeframe to adopt technology and be able to demonstrate "meaningful use”, the hospitals directed CRHC to develop economies of scale to support developing and maintaining infrastructure, planning, assessing, and adopting HIT through THE Consortium.

THE Consortium provides numerous services including reduced cost access to assessment and roadmapping assistance, vendor selection and contracting guidance, group purchasing options for hardware and software infrastructure needs, trusted standardized security policies and protocols, and more. Over 20 rural and CAH hospitals are currently participating in the consortium, and all rural and partner providers are welcome to participate. For more information, please visit www.coruralhealth.org/programs/hit or contact Cari Fouts at cf@coruralhealth.org.

Colorado STRIDES in Crowley County

Colorado STRIDES (Sustainable Towns: Rural Innovation, Development, Expansion & Success) continues to work with rural communities to enhance their economies and amenities, with the goal of attracting and keeping more healthcare providers. Over the past year, STRIDES has been working with the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) on a community assessment for Crowley County.

The first step was an Economic Development Assessment, which is a 30-hour process with industry professionals who meet with community leaders and hold public forums to learn about the community and future development. The community receives a report of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats (SWOT) at the conclusion of the process, which provides recommendations to assist in planning their economic development future. A few months later, the team meets for Community Action Planning (CAP), which prioritizes the recommendations with action steps, responsibilities, timelines and resources needed to accomplish the top recommendations. Finally, after a few more months, the team visits the community for a Re-CAP, where the community has a chance to report on the status of the projects they’ve implemented.

Crowley County identified healthcare, community, and economic development as its priority areas. Clint Cresawn of Colorado STRIDES led the healthcare meetings, and partnered with other industry leaders to conduct the other meetings and compose the report. Because recruitment and retention of healthcare providers were areas which Crowley County identified as priorities, CRHC’s Colorado Provider Recruitment program provided technical assistance on workforce recruitment and retention, as well as regional approaches to assessing and addressing workforce needs.

Baca County begins a similar process with OEDIT this week. With healthcare already identified as a priority area, Colorado STRIDES will be integral once again. Cresawn says, “It’s a tough process for the team, working around the clock during the visit, but helping communities draw a map of their own for how to get where they want to be—that makes it all worthwhile!”

For more information on Colorado STRIDES, please contact Clint at clint.cresawn@gmail.com or 303.875.9554.

State Legislature Braces for 2010 Session

The General Assembly convened on January 13, 2010 and it is expected to be a very tough session due to the budget shortfall. According to the Colorado Legislative Council Staff, as of December 2009, Colorado’s general fund is $600.6 million short of what was originally budgeted for FY09-10. In addition to programs and services cuts, there are tax exemptions that are being proposed to provide the state with revenue options. The next state budget revenue forecast will occur in March. For the 2010 session, CRHC is involved with legislation that will directly impact rural healthcare workforce. The Health Care Jobs in Rural and Underserved Colorado bill will be introduced and will rebrand the State Loan Repayment Program to the Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC). The bill will improve the ability of the state to administer the CHSC and will expand the professions currently eligible.

For current 2010 legislative session news and how you can get involved, please visit the CRHC website. Also, visit The Rural Voice (the CRHC Policy & Advocacy Blog) for links to relevant articles and news items of interest. Once there, you can sign up to receive regular email updates with new posts.

The Forum: April 19-21, 2010

What: The Forum serves as an educational, training, and networking event for all safety net clinics, members of the clinic team, and other interested parties. This year, the event has expanded to include other states and clinic types in order to address the central issues facing us all. The Forum 2010 has a special focus on Health Information Technology. CRHC and ClinicNet have partnered to present this event.

When & Where: April 19-21, 2010 at the Red Lion Hotel Denver Southeast, located at 3200 S. Parker Rd., Aurora, CO 80014.

More Info: Special discounted hotel room rate of $89 is available to conference attendees. Call 303.695.1700 and ask for the CRHC group rate. Registration and other materials will be available soon at www.coruralhealth.org/programs/rhc/events.htm.

CRHCGP Grant Writing Workshops

Register now to attend one of three free workshops being offered to assist applicants in preparing their Colorado Rural Health Care Grant Program application.

Workshop 1: Fort Morgan, February 4, 10am-3pm. Lunch provided.

Workshop 2: Gunnison, February 10, 8am-12:30pm. Breakfast provided.

Workshop 3: Denver, February 24, 10am-3pm. Lunch provided.

The registration deadline is January 27. Visit the CRHC website for more information and to access the registration form.

Four New CRHC Board Members

After a combined seventeen years serving on the CRHC board, Jim Brundige, Brenda Higgins, and Russ Johnson passed the torch to four new board members for 2010 and beyond: Arlene Harms, the CEO of Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte; Bryan Hess, the EMS Department Director for Gunnison Valley Hospital; Pam Nicholson, the Senior Vice President for Strategic Integration at Centura Health; and Karen Tomky, nurse practitioner at Centennial Family Health Center in Ordway.

Jim Brundige has served on the CRHC board since 1999, and has been a major part of CRHC’s growth over the past decade. Brenda Higgins served on the CRHC board since 2003 and served as President from 2004-2006, and Russ Johnson has been a member of the board since 2008. Their enthusiasm and dedication was a privilege to work with, and we appreciate all their hard work. Thank you Jim, Brenda, and Russ for your many years of service!

We eagerly welcome our four new board members, and look forward to learning from them and growing as an organization in 2010. They bring so much talent and passion for rural health to the table, that we are confident that the new decade holds great things for CRHC. We would also like to congratulate Randy Evetts on his continued tenure as President, and Vonie Weaver and Bob Omer on their appointments as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Connected Care Prepares Program Launch

UnitedHealthcare, Centura Health Systems, the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) and the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) are partnering to implement Connected Care, a telemedicine pilot program launching in four rural Colorado clinics in 2010. The initiative was created to expand telehealth capability across Colorado and nationally, and will connect rural residents to a wide variety of providers in metropolitan areas.

“With telemedicine, the local grocer in a rural community will not have to travel four or more hours round trip to have a 15 minute follow-up exam with a Cardiologist. These types of scenarios are happening all over rural Colorado right now and result in loss of productivity in the workplace and decreased quality of life for the patient and caregivers. With telemedicine, a community member can go to the local primary care clinic and be back at work or home in a fraction of the time it would normally take”, says Lou Ann Wilroy, CEO for CRHC.

UnitedHealthcare has partnered with technology giant Cisco Systems Inc. to implement Connected Care, which will feature the latest audio and video teleconferencing technology at four initial pilot locations: Del Norte, Buena Vista, Lamar and Leadville. The rural clinics will have access to specialty physicians remotely and the patient and on-site medical professional will have an experience remarkably similar to an in-person visit with a doctor. Centura, the state’s largest healthcare system, will staff the medical professionals remotely. For insurance purposes, telehealth is the same as an office visit, so the same costs would apply.

For more information regarding CRHC’s involvement in this project, please contact Cari Fouts, Director of Communication and Development at cf@coruralhealth.org.

Healthcare Reform Proposal Expected by Month-End

As of January 1st, reform proposals have been passed by both the House and the Senate. Originally, both chambers were going to hold a formal conference committee to iron out the differences between the bills, but now, in order to minimize the partisan fights, Democrats will be having informal negotiations to come to an agreement on a final healthcare reform bill.
Democrats are hopeful to have something on the President’s desk before the end of the month.

Grant Workshop: Proposal Writing I

Date: February 8-10, 2010
Location: Creighton University, Omaha, NE
Host: The Grant Training Center

This workshop is geared for those who wish to strengthen their grant writing skills and beginners who wish to acquire and master grant writing techniques. The focus will be on effectively telling the story that leads to funding. Participants will learn how to research and identify potential funding sources, effectively write the key elements of a proposal, develop focused and realistic budgets, package professional grants submissions, and more!

Space is limited. Workshop fee: $595.00, including tuition, materials, certificate of completion, and continental breakfast. Rebate of $50.00 per person is given for two or more registrants from the same organization. To register, visit www.grantsolutionsgroup.com or call (866) 704-7268.