Technical assistance calls for grantees are held every other Thursday from 2 to 3 PM EST. The schedule for April appears above. To register, search for summaries or materials from prior calls, or download materials for upcoming calls, please go to the CAP Website: www.capcommunity.hrsa.gov. Please remember that the site is password protected. Grantees should contact their primary contact to receive the password. Once you register for the call, please be sure to download the materials that will be used during the call. You should immediately receive a confirmation note by email that includes the call-in number for the call. If you have difficulty registering or do not receive the call-in number, please contact Shandy at scampbell@mac1988.com or call 301-468-6006 x437. 

With the exception of calls related to legal issues, TA calls are summarized and posted on the CAP website (www.capcommunity.hrsa.gov). Legal issue briefs are posted on the site under legal issues. You may also request an audiotape copy of any previous calls (up to one month after the call) by contacting Shandy Campbell at the email above.

An appearance by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro at a reception for Griffin Hospital's designation as a National Community Center of Excellence in Women's Health ushered in the Connecticut CAP project's weeklong series of activities (March 10-13) highlighting National "Cover the Uninsured Week." Griffin sponsored the event through the Valley Women's Health Access Program (VWHAP), which is dedicated to improving the health and well being of women and their families by increasing access to a network of health and human service providers.

Activities included: 115 free health screenings by Griffin Hospital Parish Nurses and Griffin medical staff and residents; Information and resources shared with over 300 individuals about programs in the Valley that assist the uninsured/underserved; Dialogue between the community and (health care/insurance providers) VWHAP's eligibility specialist; An advocacy workshop for health care consumers; Assistance from insurance eligibility specialists; and an inter-faith breakfast.

If you would like more information about Valley Women's Health Access Program or this event, please contact Susan Rosen at srosen@griffinhealth.org  or visit the Griffin website at: www.valleyhealthaccess.org.

The Gilead Outreach and Referral Center recently released a detailed analysis of their state's uninsured populations conducted by the University of Illinois-Chicago. The report, entitled "Illinois' Uninsured: Who They Are, Where They Live," was featured on the front page of the February 28th Chicago Sun-Times and received other widespread print and radio coverage. The report is available on the Gilead website: www.gileadcenter.org. For more information about the Gilead CAP project, contact: Margaret Schmid at mschmid@gileadcenter.org.

Nebraska CAP grantee, East Central District Health Department (ECDHD), raised awareness of the issue of the uninsured by adapting a national "Cover the Uninsured Week" information piece for publication in their local newspaper. The piece noted that six thousand uninsured individuals live in the four-county area serviced by the ECDHD and also provided information on services offered by ECDHD and other organizations for the uninsured.

ECDHD CAP Project Director, Rebecca Rayman, also appeared on Nebraska Educational Television in the "Statewide" program, a weekly news journal. The program focused on Nebraska district health departments and used the ECDHD as an example department that is well underway. To view a video or read a transcript of the piece visit http://netdb.unl.edu/statewide/. For more information about ECDHD, please contact Rebecca Rayman at rrayman@ecdhd.com.

Community Health Development's STNcap coalition has partnered with the Mental Health Association of Greater San Antonio and hundreds of community partners in launching a searchable database for mental health resources. The Healthy Mind ConnectionSM website, http://www.healthymindconnection.org/, is designed to provide online referral and access information to professionals and the general public throughout a 10-county region. The service is expanding daily and upon completion of the provider database in late Spring 2003, the service will offer the largest Internet-based, regional mental health professional referral resource of its kind in South Texas.

A unique feature of this website is its use of a business model for self-financing beyond grant support. The website will charge providers to list on the website and proceeds from these listings, banner ads and other listings will be used to perpetuate the project. Developed to ease the frustration and difficulty of searching for psychiatrists, psychologists, behavioral health services, psychotherapy, and support groups, users can use the site's database to locate mental health providers in 10 counties. Similar to physician referral models, users can complete an online preference questionnaire that helps match them to select service providers, or users may also query the database by personal preferences for gender, city or county location, language spoken, cultural expertise, service need, and the provider's willingness to accept sliding fees or health plan reimbursement.

Persons anticipating the need for mental health services can use the website to access self-assessment questions and guidelines to help them find the right services. They can also find practical information about the location of mental health providers; how to select a mental health professional; types of treatment; regional pricing for therapy; guides for assessing the service quality of mental health professionals; how to participate in self-help groups; and how to file a complaint when there is suspicion of wrongdoing. Additionally, there are over 35 mental health Internet sites listed to assist with additional questions or topics not otherwise covered on the website. For more information on STNcap contact, Debra Williams at arbedw@aol.com.

Letters of Intent Deadline: May 9, 2003  Application Deadline: September 12, 2003

The Pathways to Collaboration workgroup, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, will give up to 12 community partnerships from across the United States a unique opportunity to explore exactly what makes a collaborative problem-solving process successful. Letters of Intent are being accepted from partnerships that have a record of success in using collaboration to address problems (in any area) and have an interest in participating in a rigorous and provocative learning experience. Selected applicants will participate in a series of meetings and other activities over a three-year period to develop a proven road map of collaborative problem solving that can support practice, training, and evaluation. Each selected partnership will receive $50,000 per year for three years (beginning in January 2004) to support its participation in the workgroup. In addition to receiving funding, participating partnerships will benefit from the services of the workgroup's technical support team. For more information and to download the application, visit: http://www.pathwaystocollaboration.net/.

Kaiser Permanente Cares is awarding national community benefit grants to nonprofit organizations and agencies with national reach. Kaiser seeks long-term, high-impact partnerships -- programs that give individuals and groups the background, knowledge and skills to develop responsibility for their own well-being and are interested in involving Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians as volunteers.

Organizations whose focus falls within the following four areas will receive highest priority: Vulnerable Populations, Evidence Base, Education, and Public Policy. There are no limits on funding requests. For more information on guidelines, visit www.kaiserpermanente.org/about/community/brochure.pdf or contact Community Relations, Kaiser Permanente, by phone at (510) 271-5685.

Application deadline: July15, 2003

The Local Initiative Funding Partners program is a partnership between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and local grant makers that supports innovative, community-based projects to improve health and health care for the underserved and at-risk populations. Under LIFP, local grantmakers (such as community foundations, family foundations, corporate grantmakers, and others) propose a partnership with RWJF to fund a new initiative. Grants may be made to community nonprofit organizations or institutions. A local funder must nominate your project for this grant. Local Initiative Funding Partners provides grants of $100,000 to $500,000 per project over a three or four-year period which must be matched by local grantmakers. Up to $8 million will be awarded in 2004. For more information visit: http://rwjf.org/applying/cfpDetail.jsp?cfpCode=LFP&type=open.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson recently announced the creation of the "Su Familia" National Hispanic Family Health Helpline (866-783-2645/ 866-SU-FAMILIA). Su Familia will help Hispanic families get basic health information to help them prevent and manage chronic conditions, and will refer them to local health providers and federally supported programs including the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Su Familia bilingual information specialists refer callers to one of more than 16,000 local health providers, including community and migrant health centers. Callers can also request basic health information, referrals to information sources, or receive consumer-friendly, bilingual Su Familia fact sheets. Fact sheets are currently available for a wide variety of topics including: asthma, cancer screening, cardiovascular disease, child and adult immunizations, diabetes, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. The toll-free helpline is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

At this summit, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson will lay out the priorities and programs for Steps to a HealthierUS, the Department's initiative to advance President Bush's HealthierUS program. National summit presentations will highlight policies that promote healthy environments and model programs from communities across the country that use Healthy People 2010 as the basis for planning efforts. Join national, state, and local policy makers, health agencies, business and education communities, and leading health stakeholders at this pioneering national conference. For conference and registration information, visit: http://www.healthypeople.gov/summit/.

Public and private sector organizations are involved in a number of activities that seek to reduce cultural and communication barriers to health care. These activities are often described as cultural competency and/or cross-cultural education. A recent Institute of Medicine report recommended that the health care system pursue several of these techniques as part of a multi-level strategy to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in medical care. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has developed a compendium, as a first attempt to describe these activities in a single document. The initiatives included in the compendium are from 1990 to the present and are divided into two categories: Public Sector Initiatives (Federal/state/local) and Private Sector Initiatives (health care institutions or professional organizations, foundations, academic institutions/policy research organizations, and other). This resource also includes brief definitions for the major terms, organizational descriptions of initiatives, and a list of experts in the field. To view the compendium visit: http://www.kff.org/content/2003/6067/.

A Shared Destiny: Community Effects of Uninsurance, a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), is the fourth of a series of six reports on uninsurance in the United States and examines the issue from a community perspective.

The report shows how having a large or growing uninsured population can adversely affect the quality, quantity, and scope of health services within the community. It explores the overlapping financial and organizational basis of health services delivery to uninsured and insured populations; the demonstrated and hypothesized effects of community uninsurance on access to health care locally; and the potential spillover effects of uninsurance on a community's economy and the health of its citizens.

The report is available online or for ordering from the National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10602.html?onpi_webextra_030603.

Language Services Action Kit

The Access Project and the National Health Law Program have developed a Language Services Action Kit for advocates and others, working to ensure that people with limited English proficiency in their state get appropriate language assistance services in medical settings.

The action kit includes materials that explain relevant federal policies; describe how states secure federal funds to help pay for language services in their Medicaid and SCHIP programs; provide information to demonstrate the need for language services; and offer resources and suggestions for undertaking advocacy efforts. The action kit will be available in May 2003. If you would like to be notified about obtaining a copy, please send your contact information to LEPactionkit@accessproject.org.

The Uninsured: Updated National and State Data

A new report from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, "Health Insurance Coverage in America: A 2001 Data Update," offers data from 2001 on health insurance coverage, including trends and major shifts in coverage, as well as a profile of the uninsured population.

The 2001 data have also been added to the commission's recent fact sheet called "The Uninsured and Their Access to Care" and to the foundation's "State Health Facts Online" Web site: http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=profile  , which provides health insurance and demographic characteristics for every state. To access all of these resources, visit: http://www.kff.org/sections.cgi?section=kcmu