By the Summit Daily News
Summit Community Care Clinic, along with Colorado's other community-funded safety net clinics, is celebrating Safety Net Clinic Week through Friday. And, as part of the celebration, state policy makers and candidates for office will visit the Care Clinic facility this week in Frisco.
“Our facility is a critical part of Colorado's medical safety net and Safety Net Clinic Week provides us with a welcome opportunity to proudly share our contributions and commitments to the Coloradans we serve,” said Sarah Vaine, executive director of the Summit Community Care Clinic.
Due to complexities of the federal funding for safety net providers, non-federally qualified clinics often struggle for resources, and their role and contributions are commonly undervalued. ClinicNET's executive director Sharon Adams said people often think all parts of the critical health-care safety net are supported by federal funds.
To access the complete article from the Summit Daily News, click here.
CO Benefits from Affordable Care Act
From Colorado's Public News Service
Federal health care reform provided by the Affordable Care Act is helping increase access to medical care for the nearly 15 percent of Coloradans who live in rural communities. Dr. Amy Barton, associate dean of clinical and community affairs at the University of Colorado School of Nursing, says the San Luis Valley is one model of excellence.
"If we could replicate that with some of these moneys in areas across the state, it would enhance health care in those regions."
Part of an $11 billion fund will be used to strengthen 160 community health centers across Colorado, such as those in Limon and Aurora, which received grants last week. Another chunk of the federal funds will be used to train advanced nursing techniques for those working in rural areas. Barton oversees that training at CU.
"As we increase access to primary care, it's important that we also increase the number of primary care providers that are available."
One type of primary care worker being trained via the Affordable Care Act is the nurse practitioner - an advanced practice nurse who can handle routine checkups and certain emergency care, Barton explains.
"Oftentimes in rural areas, there's not a physician. A nurse practitioner is available to see patients within that community."
More than 720,000 Coloradans live in rural communities, and nearly 10 percent of them have no regular source of health care or health advice.
Click here to access the article and the audio that accompanies it.
Federal health care reform provided by the Affordable Care Act is helping increase access to medical care for the nearly 15 percent of Coloradans who live in rural communities. Dr. Amy Barton, associate dean of clinical and community affairs at the University of Colorado School of Nursing, says the San Luis Valley is one model of excellence.
"If we could replicate that with some of these moneys in areas across the state, it would enhance health care in those regions."
Part of an $11 billion fund will be used to strengthen 160 community health centers across Colorado, such as those in Limon and Aurora, which received grants last week. Another chunk of the federal funds will be used to train advanced nursing techniques for those working in rural areas. Barton oversees that training at CU.
"As we increase access to primary care, it's important that we also increase the number of primary care providers that are available."
One type of primary care worker being trained via the Affordable Care Act is the nurse practitioner - an advanced practice nurse who can handle routine checkups and certain emergency care, Barton explains.
"Oftentimes in rural areas, there's not a physician. A nurse practitioner is available to see patients within that community."
More than 720,000 Coloradans live in rural communities, and nearly 10 percent of them have no regular source of health care or health advice.
Click here to access the article and the audio that accompanies it.
$32 million awarded to support rural health priorities
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Monday $32 million in funding for rural hospitals, workforce, veterans and telehealth to increase access to healthcare for Americans living in rural areas. The funds reach across seven programs administered by the Office of Rural Health Policy in HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
The Colorado Rural Health Center received $566,000, which will go to supporting Critical Access Hospitals and HIT implementation. Another Colorado facility, Plains Medical Center in Limon, also received a grant of $199,897 for rural health workforce development.
Lists of awards from HRSA’s 2010 appropriation can be found here.
The Colorado Rural Health Center received $566,000, which will go to supporting Critical Access Hospitals and HIT implementation. Another Colorado facility, Plains Medical Center in Limon, also received a grant of $199,897 for rural health workforce development.
Lists of awards from HRSA’s 2010 appropriation can be found here.
2010 Seasonal Influenza Q&As
The Colorado Immunization Program has released a list of 2010 Seasonal Influenza Q&A’s. To access the document, click here.
Safety Net Provider Story in the Denver Post Deserves a Read
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| by Lou Ann Wilroy, CEO |
The article focuses on the eight urban Community Health Centers owned by Denver Health. There are many Community Health Centers (also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers - FQHCs) in our urban and rural areas and they are quite deserving of appreciation and concern for the burdens they face trying to accommodate uninsured and underinsured patients, and the growing number of newly insured in search of medical homes. However, at CRHC we are acutely aware that the state’s safety net facilities that run from border-to-border come in all shapes and sizes and, unlike the federally-qualified urban centers that were the focus of this article, do not have the federal qualification that entitles them to increased funding levels.
As health reform implementation begins to provide coverage to more Coloradans, “non-federally qualified” providers such as Rural Health Clinics and Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics are going to be even more challenged to meet the needs of their growing patient populations. As mentioned in the Denver Post article, FQHCs such as those operated by Denver Health, often have long waiting lists. When these lists get lengthy, patients in need understandably migrate to other safety net facilities. This includes family medicine residency training programs, faith-based clinics, free clinics, and Rural Health Clinics with a variety of ownership structures such as privately owned, county owned, or governed by a special district.
These different types of safety net facilities are extremely important in serving across Colorado’s diverse geographic and cultural landscape. The FQHC model is not a fit for every community. The federal regulations can be daunting, if not impossible, to comply with in some cases, especially in isolated rural and frontier communities. It is extremely important for communities to become educated on the different options for delivering primary care and strategize to best meet the needs of the population. Recently, the Health Resources and Services Administration released a new funding opportunity for creating new FQHC access points. Interested community leaders and healthcare facilities should contact CRHC to explore the feasibility of applying for this funding. We are making every effort to collaborate with the Colorado Community Health Network, Colorado’s Primary Care Association, to identify opportunities.
Additionally, CRHC is continuing to actively advocate at the state and national levels for increased funding and additional resources and support for the non-FQHC safety net clinics that are extremely crucial components of the healthcare infrastructure.
Announcing Safety Net Clinic Week: Aug. 30 - Sept. 3
There are currently 26 identified Community Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs) in Colorado. These clinics tend to be nonprofit, rural & urban, privately funded and provide primary care services to uninsured and underinsured individuals. Colorado has 52 federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) that provide primary care services in some of the most rural and remote areas of Colorado. During 2009, CSNCs and RHCs collectively provided services to approximately 250,000 inidividuals in Colorado.
If you are a CSNC or an RHC and are interested in participating in Safety Net Clinic Week, please contact Brooke Powers at brooke.powers@clinicnet.org.
Apply now for the Marva Jean Jackson (MJJ) Scholarship!
CRHC created the Marva Jean Jackson (MJJ) Rural Community Health Scholarships Program in 2003 to encourage rural facilities and communities to develop or support local scholarship programs. Evidence shows that one of the factors that can influence a provider’s decision to practice in a rural area is if he or she grew up in a rural area. Programs that support healthcare training and education for students from rural areas have proven to be effective tools in addressing rural workforce shortages. Small grants that help pay for the training and/or education of a local healthcare provider are available for rural facilities or community groups. CRHC will match the support provided, two-to-one, up to $1,000 a year.
Eligibility & Application: Download Application
Only rural facilities and communities are eligible to apply, meaning facilities located outside one of Colorado’s 17 metropolitan counties. The Board of Directors will occasionally consider compelling applications from smaller, isolated communities within the larger metropolitan counties. Awards are made for one year, but applicants may reapply in subsequent years. The scholarship recipient must be either currently enrolled in classes or start training within three months of the application date. Applications are accepted year-round. For additional information or with questions please contact:
Eligibility & Application: Download Application
Only rural facilities and communities are eligible to apply, meaning facilities located outside one of Colorado’s 17 metropolitan counties. The Board of Directors will occasionally consider compelling applications from smaller, isolated communities within the larger metropolitan counties. Awards are made for one year, but applicants may reapply in subsequent years. The scholarship recipient must be either currently enrolled in classes or start training within three months of the application date. Applications are accepted year-round. For additional information or with questions please contact:
Cherith Flowerday
303.996.9698
303.832.7493
cfl@coruralhealth.org
Renewed effort to lure doctors to rural areas faces obstacles
This is an excerpt of an article in the Washington Post. Click here to access the full article.
Sarah Carricaburu slipped her sleek new iPhone into her purse for the day. With no signal here deep in the woods, it's useless. She swiveled away from her desktop computer, which can't access the Internet, and glanced at the manila folders of patient records neatly stacked on a shelf by nurses.
But after facing decisions similar to the one Carricaburu is weighing, several young doctors who were interviewed said they are struggling with whether to spend a career in rural settings. Experts said they expect retention to be a problem.
Read the rest of this article on the Washington Post's website.
Sarah Carricaburu slipped her sleek new iPhone into her purse for the day. With no signal here deep in the woods, it's useless. She swiveled away from her desktop computer, which can't access the Internet, and glanced at the manila folders of patient records neatly stacked on a shelf by nurses.
"I grew up in the age of electronic medical records," said Carricaburu, 33, a primary care physician who was raised in the Washington suburbs. "Coming here was like stepping back in time. I would like to stay in a community healthcare setting, but here I didn't feel like I had the resources to do my job. You're cut off."Carricaburu's choice of whether to stay or go is not just about her own career satisfaction. Her 12 colleagues at the Southern Albemarle Family Practice have a vested interest in her staying on, as the clinic's director and its one full-time physician, beyond the three years that she is under a contract with the federal government that will help pay off school loans. She is also a test case for the Obama administration's goal, under the new healthcare law, to bring thousands of young primary care doctors to underserved areas such as this unincorporated town of 1,200 -- and keep them there.
But after facing decisions similar to the one Carricaburu is weighing, several young doctors who were interviewed said they are struggling with whether to spend a career in rural settings. Experts said they expect retention to be a problem.
Read the rest of this article on the Washington Post's website.
Video: The Country Doctor of Today
Being a healthcare provider in rural Colorado is both challenging and rewarding. Check out this video of Dr. Donald Regier and his work in Sedgwick, CO.
Climbing for Wellness: Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center
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