The Colorado Health Foundation invites safety net organizations, including federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, community mental health centers and community-funded safety net clinics, to submit applications to increase the enrollment of eligible Coloradans in Medicaid and the Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Specifically, the Foundation seeks to fund two-year projects to create partnerships between safety net organizations and county departments of human/social services or other state-designated medical assistance sites to out-station enrollment technicians at clinic sites.
Applications will be accepted at each of the Foundation’s regular deadlines: July 15, October 15, January 15 and April 15. To apply, please use the Colorado Health Foundation’s online grant application, available here.
To access the full announcement, click here.
CRHC's CEO Invites you to attend the Annual Rural Health Conference
The conference is the only one in the State of Colorado that is focused exclusively on rural health care. I love that the conference’s attendees always provide such a great cross section of different CRHC member types. Of course the hospitals and clinics are well represented, but we also see county commissioners, city council men and women, nursing home and home health workers as well as officials from a myriad of different governmental agencies.
Our list of topics and speakers couldn’t be more relevant and timely. I can’t go into all the details here, but here are a few of the speakers I’ve highlighted in my conference agenda:
Joan Henneberry, Executive Director, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, is going to give everyone a status update on healthcare reform. Our state is so lucky to have Joan, and we’re doubly blessed to get to learn her insights on the crazy quilt that is healthcare reform.
Donald Rohner, CEO, Foothills Behavioral Health Partners is going to focus on the delivery of mental health services. As everyone reading this likely knows, this is an area that cries out for solutions. Getting mental health care is tough in Colorado’s urban areas, and downright impossible in many of the state’s rural regions.
David Ginsberg, Founder and President, PrivaPlan Associates, will be bringing folks up to speed on what is happening on the Health Information Exchange (HIE) front. There’s excitement that the Colorado Regional Health Information Exchange (CORHIO) has chosen a vendor – Medicity – to handle the infrastructure work for Colorado’s largest HIE.
Robert Wallace, Service Line Director, Centura Health, will discuss Connected Care, the project launched by United Healthcare, Centura, the State of Colorado and CRHC. This innovative program utilizes audio and video technology to give rural residents access to physicians and medical specialists when in-person visits are not possible.
Finally, Mark Earnest, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, will be discussing interdisciplinary health professions education. Thanks in part to some key grants, I feel we are starting to make real progress on this thorny issue. I’m excited to hear what Dr. Earnest has to say!
I hope you can join me at this great meeting.
Lou Ann Wilroy, CEO
Colorado Rural Health Center
Free Grant Writing Workshop in North Dakota
The Center for Rural Health, in partnership with the North Dakota Office for Elimination of Health Disparities will host a free grant writing technical assistance workshop presented by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Participants will learn about new and existing federally funded grant opportunities for health-related projects, as well as tips for writing successful proposals.
Choose from one of the following locations:
Choose from one of the following locations:
- Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Grand Forks, ND
- Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in Bismarck, ND
Register by sending an e-mail to knissen@medicine.nodak.edu by 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 18. Please include names of participant(s) with full contact information and the workshop location you plan to attend.
Pagosa Clinic Goes Live on EMR in Record 6 Weeks!
Congratulations to Pagosa Mountain Hospital for implementing a clinic Electronic Medical Records system in six weeks. As a brand new hospital-based Rural Health Clinic, Pagosa’s leadership had the vision to implement the clinic EMR before the Memorial Day holiday when their patient load increases significantly. Through the help of THE Consortium and strong internal management, the selection and implementation process were performed in record time. The clinic’s providers are currently using the system, eClinicalWorks, to make notes and do the majority of their charting. CRHC looks forward to continuing to provide assistance to Pagosa as they move towards going live on the clinic billing software August 1st.
Meet CRHC's new staff members!
CRHC has recently hired some excellent new staff members who are helping us improve access to healthcare for rural communities. Feel free to drop them a note and let them know how they can help your community!
As Director of Workforce Programs, Fabian is responsible for providing strategic direction to the workforce team to expand placement of physicians and mid-levels medical staff in rural Colorado to strengthen the healthcare workforce. Fabian is originally from the rural farming community of Casa Grande, Arizona. He holds a Masters of Science in Mexican American Studies Latino Health, a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition from the University of Arizona, and is a former NIH Project EXPORT Fellow. Fabian previously worked with the Arizona Primary Care Office (PCO) and has diversified experiences in program management, recruitment and retention, program innovation, strategic planning/analysis, and leadership. He previously served as a State AHEC Commissioner, Rural Health Association Board Member, Humanities Council Board Member, and as a big brother in the Big Brothers Program of Central AZ. Fabian enjoys being outdoors, involved in community activities, and maintains a passion to work diligently, professionally, consistently, and creatively.
Anne has been in healthcare administration for over 20 years as Executive Director of Doctors Care, a clinic for the low income and uninsured; Director of Physician Services for Porter Adventist Hospital and Administrator of DenverSpine. Anne’s passion for healthcare access directed her career path to gain a 360° view of healthcare as a whole and apply her experience to better serve those in need of healthcare services. She specializes in helping clinics become more operationally efficient to increase capacity and contain costs while keeping the delivery of quality healthcare a priority. Anne has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ohio State University.
Sara works as a Recruitment Coordinator in the Colorado Provider Recruitment (CPR) program, connecting physicians and other medical professionals with clinics and hospitals in Colorado’s rural and underserved regions. Prior to relocating to Colorado with her family and joining CPR, she worked in program development at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Sara also has experience in health policy advocacy and providing supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from DePaul University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago.
Congratulations to the 2010 Colorado Rural Health Care Grant Recipients!
Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that the Colorado Rural Health Care Grant Council has awarded $1.075 million in its third round of grant funding to strengthen health care delivery in rural communities. The Council awarded 28 grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to physical, mental and oral health care providers in 24 counties.
Grantees include Certified Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, public health departments, public and private health clinics, oral health clinics and mental health clinics. The grants will support health information technology, construction and remodeling projects, equipment, and staff training.
The Colorado Rural Health Center administers the grant program. For more information on the program, please contact Shelly Collings, sc@coruralhealth.org or 720.248.2742.
Check out the new Source for Healthy Living Website from CDPHE
It is a "one-stop source" for comprehensive information on chronic disease prevention and management in Colorado. The site provides opportunities for collaboration between public, private and nonprofit organizations working to address chronic disease prevention and management. Please view the video overview for a description of the new site's features.
Here you'll find relevant and timely news, events, updates and success stories on many fronts in the fight against chronic disease. You can explore the resource library for the latest research, training, and funding opportunities. You can also find information about related programs, partners and projects. Their interactive map can help you locate projects, partners or screening clinics across Colorado.
Check it out today!
CRHC Featured in The Colorado Trust's Annual Report
The Colorado Trust's 2009 Annual Report features commentaries by grantees and experts, one of which is CRHC's CEO, Lou Ann Wilroy. Read her article, Reversing the Shortage of Health Care Professionals in Colorado, by clicking here.
A report from CHI: 12,000 Colorado children newly eligible for public health insurance
In a report by the Colorado Health Institute's Center for the Study of the Safety Net, approximately 12,000 additional low-income Colorado children could be covered by public health insurance starting this year under a new state law passed in 2009. Children in families with incomes up to $55,125 for a family of four are now eligible for coverage under the Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act of 2009 (HB 09-1293) through a CHP+ expansion which went into effect on May 1.
Whether newly eligible families enroll their children in the CHP+ program is a separate but related issue. In 2008, an estimated 176,000 Colorado children did not have health insurance coverage. CHI estimates that of those children, approximately 65 percent—115,000 children—were eligible but not enrolled in the Medicaid and CHP+ programs.
For more information, see the CHI issue brief, Colorado Children’s Health Insurance Status: 2010 Update or contact Jeff Bontrager, program manager, CHI Center for the Study of the Safety Net, at BontragerJ@ColoradoHealthInstitute.org.
Whether newly eligible families enroll their children in the CHP+ program is a separate but related issue. In 2008, an estimated 176,000 Colorado children did not have health insurance coverage. CHI estimates that of those children, approximately 65 percent—115,000 children—were eligible but not enrolled in the Medicaid and CHP+ programs.
For more information, see the CHI issue brief, Colorado Children’s Health Insurance Status: 2010 Update or contact Jeff Bontrager, program manager, CHI Center for the Study of the Safety Net, at BontragerJ@ColoradoHealthInstitute.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)