Technical assistance calls for grantees are generally held every other Thursday from 2 to 3 PM EST. The schedule for July appears below. To register, search for summaries or materials from prior calls, or download materials for upcoming calls, please go to the grantee 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 you should immediately receive a confirmation note by email that includes the call-in number. Please be sure to download the materials that will be used. If you have difficulty registering or do not receive the call-in number, please contact Latonya Dunlow at ldunlow@mscginc.com  or call 301-577-3100.

	CAP TA Calls
	Date		Topic
	July 22nd		340B Pharmacy Options    This call will feature Dr. Katheryne Richardson, a consultant who has worked with many HRSA funded grantees on implementing a 340B program. The call will cover 340B basics, including updates on state and federal regulations; the policy issues surrounding the legislation; key areas that impact HCAP's, including the definition of a patient and hospital involvement; and highlight some HCAP success stories.
	August 5th		End of Year Grants Management Open Session     Do you have questions about filling out your FSR? Do you know if you are eligible to request carry-over dollars or a no cost-extension? Still not sure how to correctly fill-out a 424a? If any of these questions have crossed your mind, join us for this TA Call that will feature Mike Rowland from the Division of Grants Management office to answer any grants-related questions in an open phone session.

With the exception of calls related to legal issues, TA calls are summarized and posted on the grantee 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 Latonya Dunlow at the email above.

Congratulations to Dr. Pradeep Pradhan, the Board Chair of Project Access of the Dan River Region, who was awarded the 2004 Provider of the Year award from the Virginia Primary Care Association. Community health care leaders from around Virginia were honored during an awards ceremony at the Virginia Primary Care Association 2004 Annual Awards Luncheon held at the Sheraton Park South in Richmond, Virginia on May 19. The awards luncheon was held to honor those that have shown outstanding qualities and exceptional service in community health centers throughout the year. Dr. Pradhan was honored for his outstanding service as a health care provider to community health centers. Before Dr. Pradhan was given his award, a brief video presentation was shown. Kay Crane, Executive Director of Project Access of Danville, noted that Dr. Pradhan was the influential force in the creation and development of the Project Access model for that area. "Dr. Pradhan took time away from his practice and his family to be a part of this effort." For more information about Project Access of the Dan River Region please contact Kay Crane at 434-791-3630 or by email at kcrane@projectaccessdan.org.

Congratulations to HCAP grantee, Muskegon Community Health Project's Access Health, which received national coverage in the May 2004 issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine. The issue focused on health coverage issues facing the small business sector. The article, entitled Home Remedies, focused on promising innovations for covering small business employees at the local level. The article noted, "Small businesses looking for the best new health plans are in for a dizzying experience. Rules, regulations, and offerings differ from state to state, city to city, and insurer to insurer. Most innovation takes place locally. Luckily 'a growing number of states and communities around the country are trying to come up with answers,' says Rick Curtis, president of the Institute for Health Policy Solutions in Washington, D.C. 'It's clear that a priority for a lot of states and localities is to come up with health-care solutions for small employers."

The article profiled a number of firms that have taken advantage of some of the country's most exciting programs promoted at the local level by nonprofits and government agencies. Access Health of Muskegon was featured for Michigan. The article profiled a small business owner's struggle to provide health care to employees until the Access Health program began in 1999, when Muskegon County came up with the cost-sharing program. In Access Health, employers, employees, and the county all contribute to the $154 premium (employers and employees pay $48 each, and the county kicks in $58), compared with a typical 80-20 plan, which runs $280 to $300 a month per employee. The nonprofit Muskegon Community Health Project created Access Health to encourage small businesses to start providing health care. (To take advantage of the plan, a business must pay a median hourly wage of $11.50 or less and cannot have offered any coverage in the previous 12 months.) Other states, including Illinois and Florida, have created similar plans. For the full article while available, please visit: http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/articles/0,15114,614378,00.html . For more information on the Muskegon Community Health Project please Contact: Laura Fitzpatrick at: lfitzpatrick@mchp.org or visit the MCHP website at: www.mcph.org.

Congratulations to Mississippi grantee Jackson Medical Mall Foundation/Hinds County Health Alliance for their many achievements and state-level recognition. The consortium recently collaborated with a statewide RWJF Covering Kids and Families grant, and SCHIP/Medicaid-sponsored blitz that successfully enrolled 5,000 children in SCHIP, 15,000 children in Medicaid and another 5,000 parents and children in available community health centers/FQHCs within the Alliance network of providers. This effort successfully linked 55 percent of the original uninsured population to predictable primary health services.

Three major cost savings measures have also been initiated for the uninsured:

• An Emergency Room (ER) Redirect Program: Consortium hospitals staff case managers in ERs to advise uninsured patients seeking routine care that there are better primary care alternatives available to them. A patient's basic intake information is electronically transmitted to the Alliance staff who contact the person within 12 hours of the ER visit to assist the client with assignment to a medical home, discounted prescription drugs and continuity of care. It is estimated that the ER Redirect Program has the potential of saving the state $75 million/year for both the uninsured and Medicaid beneficiaries.
• A Pharmacy Assistance Program: This program maximizes the use of the 340B drug discount programs offered through HRSA in addition to Med Assist programs offered by private pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Eli Lilly & Co. Such programs allow a month's supply of some prescription drugs to be available to needy patients for $12-15/month.
• A Disease Management Program: This is for patients identified through the ER Redirect Program diagnosed as having diabetes and/or hypertension. If these uninsured patients are not being followed by a specialty clinician they are offered the opportunity to enroll within the University Metabolic Clinic for specialty medical care, prescription drugs, nutritional and exercise counseling, and home visits by a specialty nurse to assess the home environment for suitability of the care regimen proposed. Patients who accept the referral are seen within 5-7 business days after being seen in the ER.
• A "3-Share" Health Coverage Program is Being Planned: This is a strategy that has been successful in other HCAP communities. The program is generally funded by a 30% payment by the employer, 30% by the employee and 40% by outside public funding.

It is expected that 464,000 uninsured and 720,000 Medicaid beneficiaries, or 44 percent of the state's population, can be positively impacted by this collaborative effort among the providers and payers for health services. The overall goal is a Program for Affordable Health Services for All Mississippians by the end of 2005.

An additional congratulations to Project Director Jim Malloy on his recent receipt of a Distinguished Service Award from the Yale University School of Public Health for the work he has done on behalf of the uninsured in Mississippi. Jim will be accepting the award on behalf of the dozens of colleagues in Mississippi who have a similar commitment to the uninsured and have worked with the Jackson consortium so effectively. For more information on this program, please contact James Malloy at jmalloy@son.umsmed.edu.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the availability of grants for programs to improve minority and women's health. HHS' Office of Minority Health plans to award an estimated $3.4 million in fiscal year 2004 grants under its Community Programs to Improve Minority Health, $2.5 million under its Bilingual/Bicultural Service Demonstration Program, and $3 million under its HIV/AIDS Health Promotion and Education Program. HHS' Office of Women's Health plans to award several new five-year grants of up to $750,000 under its National Community Centers of Excellence in Women's Health program to nonprofit hospitals, community health centers and other community-based organizations working to strengthen linkages between programs and activities to reduce fragmentation in women's health services. For more information please visit: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a040621c.html. 

In this, the ninth round of funding for this Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, up to $3.5 million will be available. Projects supported through the program are expected to increase understanding of public and private policy interventions to prevent, treat, and reduce the harm caused by the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs - including the advantages, disadvantages, and potential impact of these policies. For information, please visit: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=69000058. 

The National Eye Institute (NEI), through its support contractor Social & Health Services, Ltd. (SHS), has announced the 2005 round of the Healthy Vision Community Awards Program. This program provides funding for the implementation of health education activities that support the Healthy Vision 2010 objectives and the Healthy People 2010 goals to reduce health disparities and improve quality of life. 

The focus of the 2005 awards are: 28-5 Reduce visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy; 28-6 Reduce visual impairment due to glaucoma; 28-8 Reduce occupational eye injury; 28-9 Increase the use of appropriate personal protective eyewear in recreational activities and hazardous situations around the home; and 28-10 Increase the use of rehabilitation services and adaptive devices by persons with visual impairments.

Eligible organizations include nonprofit organizations, including but not limited to community-based organizations and groups, minority-based organizations, schools, faith-based organizations, civic and fraternal groups, and State and local health departments and agencies. Universities and university-affiliations, such as medical centers, are precluded from receiving an award directly, but are welcome as collaborators with community-based organizations. Each award is worth up to $10,000 per year. Applications must be postmarked by Tuesday, August 31, 2004; awards will be announced in December 2004. The final selection of award recipients will be based on the evaluation score, geographic and racial/ethnic representation, and documented financial sustainability. If you have questions about the application package (new and renewal) or eligibility requirements, you can call or e-mail your request to: Jan Kelley, jkelley@shs.net, 240-747-4756 or Saundra A. Townsend, stownsend@shs.net, 240-747-4757. Application forms and program information are available at www.healthyvision2010.org/funding or by contacting SHS staff.

The Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program (CHLP) honors 10 people each year for creating or enhancing health programs serving underserved communities. If you know someone who finds creative ways, despite complex odds, to bring health services to the community, he/she may be eligible for this award. The candidate must be working full-time at the grassroots level; may not have received significant national recognition; and must be in "mid-career," with at least five and no more than 15 years of community health experience. Nominations are open and can be made by consumers, community health leaders, health professionals and government officials who have been personally inspired by the nominees.

The CHLP Letter of Intent (LOI) must be received by September 22, 2004. For more information or to download the LOI, visit the CHLP Website at www.communityhealthleaders.org or call the program office at 617-426-9772.

The HRSA Third Party Reimbursement Training and Technical Assistance Program will present a webcast for HRSA grantees and subgrantees on Eligibility & Outreach: Helping Patients to Help Themselves. This webcast will share with HRSA grantees and subgrantees techniques that can be employed and resources that are available to educate patients about publicly funded health insurance programs and to aid in their enrollment as appropriate. Participants will learn: basic eligibility information about publicly funded health insurance programs; how to integrate eligibility determinations into the patient registration process; how to assess, at least preliminarily, whether uninsured patients might be eligible for coverage; techniques to encourage uninsured patients to apply for coverage available to them; where to get information about publicly funded health insurance programs that are available generally in the community; available resources that will help promote enrollment in publicly funded health insurance programs for eligible individuals; and how to work collaboratively with program administrations to facilitate eligibility determinations and enrollment of eligible uninsured and underinsured patients.

There is no registration fee for this training which is sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services for organizations that currently receive grant funds directly from HRSA (i.e. HRSA grantees) and organizations currently funded by States and localities using HRSA grant funds along with State or local funds (i.e. HRSA subgrantees.) Pre-registration is required by July 16, 2004. Register on-line at: http://www.hrsa.gov/tpr/audio-conferences.htm.

Drug manufacturers provide free and reduced cost medications to eligible patients through charitable programs commonly known as patient assistance programs (PAPs). Drug manufacturers have designed these programs to serve the neediest patients, those who have exhausted other options and have no health insurance to cover needed medications or money to purchase them. Community health clinics, multi-service organizations, prescription access advocates, private physicians, and hospitals across the U.S. have started or are considering starting programs that make use of these PAPs.

Although patient assistance programs provide many benefits, locating information on these programs, navigating the application process and setting up a system that works as efficiently as possible can be complex and overwhelming. Volunteers in Health Care will host a July 27, 2004 teleworkshop on Getting Started: Enrolling Patients in Pharmaceutical Company Assistance Programs. Panelists during this call will include Katheryne Richardson, PharmD and Stephanie Geller, EdM, co-authors of Using Pharmaceutical Company Patient Assistance Programs: A Volunteers in Health Care Guide.  

Participants in this teleworkshop will learn about: PAP eligibility, statistics, benefits, and how the programs work; eligibility challenges, denied applications, streamlining the process, safety issues, JCAHO/regulatory issues, and Medicare drug benefit implications; and effective solutions -- sample models that work

The cost to participate in the teleworkshop is $50 per phone line, which can be payable by check, VISA, or MasterCard. To register for the call, please visit the VIH website (http://www.volunteersinhealthcare.org) to fill-out the registration form. Registrations and payment must be received by July 26. For more information, please contact Volunteers in Health Care, toll-free at 877-844-8442.

The goal of this conference is to showcase the products, tools and findings of AHRQ's patient safety researchers, and to help clinicians, administrators, patients, managers, purchasers, and providers across the health care system learn practical and innovative ideas for safety improvements.  

The conference will offer over 30 breakout panel discussions across the spectrum of safety issues; a Town Hall meeting, Translating Systems Into Improvement: Where Do We Go From Here; and two energetic and committed speakers in patient safety, Sister Mary Jean Ryan, President and CEO of SSM Health Care in St. Louis, and Gregg S. Meyer, Medical Director of Massachusetts General Physicians Organization in Boston. New this year is the Product Café, featuring posters, products, tools, and demonstrations from researchers' portfolios.

For more information about the conference and to link to the registration site, please visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/ptsafconf.htm.

The purpose of Faces of a Healthy Future: National Conference to End Health Disparities is to create a vision for a healthy future, in which all citizens, regardless of race, gender, age, or socioeconomic status, receive quality health care:

This event will bring together over 600 health care providers, professionals, researchers, policymakers, community leaders, and program managers from across the nation to dialogue and share critical knowledge. The focus will be on best practices, model programs and successful community partnerships to: eliminate health disparities; share the latest research, information, prevention strategies and intervention methods associated with promoting healthy lifestyles; build partnerships among health care providers, professionals, policymakers, federal and state government officials, business executives, educators, and religious and community leaders; and explore innovative ways to recruit and advance career opportunities for minorities in health care professions.

If you have expertise, research, or a model program relevant to health disparities, please consider speaking or presenting at the conference. You can find out more about speaker and poster opportunities on the conference web site. For complete details on the conference, please visit the Conference web site at www.FHFConference.com and follow the links to the registration form, or call toll-free 1-877-669-1763.

The unique needs of culturally diverse populations are gaining prominence in national movements to improve the quality of health care. The Association of Community Health Improvement is a Conference Partner of the Fourth National Conference to support its objectives of highlighting the best of culturally competent programs, services, and policies to national health organizations and leaders; disseminating research and expertise to advance promising interventions; and developing partnerships to improve access to effective care for all Americans.

Since its first national meeting in 1998, the Conference has emphasized a public-private blend of community advocacy, service delivery, policy-making, civil rights enforcement, research, and leadership development to improve the health of diverse populations. The Fourth National Conference will continue to engage providers, communities, and policymakers to address the challenges of implementing culturally competent health care and will feature presentations on innovative strategies that span the spectrum of cultural competence policy, program, service, population, and research areas. For more information visit: http://www.diversityrx.org/ccconf/04/index.html.

Recent developments at the national, state, and local levels have focused attention on the higher charges for hospital care imposed on uninsured patients, and the great lengths some hospitals go to in order to collect payment from "self-pay" patients. As a result, Congress is now considering changes to how hospitals charge for care and collect payment - practices that are major contributors to medical debt. In an issue brief update from The Commonwealth Fund, researchers Carol Pryor and Robert Seifert of the Access Project highlight key developments at the state and national levels. Their piece updates the authors' earlier Fund issue brief detailing how federal regulations and hospital policies leave patients in debt. To access the brief visit: http://www.cmwf.org/programs/insurance/pryor_medicaldebt_749.asp.

Transportation Resources

Many HCAP grantees are addressing activities related to transportation, often a major issue to access to care. Nearly every human service program recognizes that transportation is important. In fact, there are 62 federal programs that fund transportation services. The Department of Transportation has recognized that a key aspect to using these services more efficiently is coordination.  

The Department of Transportation, with its partners at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Education, is launching United We Ride -- a new five-part initiative -- to break down the barriers between programs and set the stage for local partnerships that generate common sense solutions and deliver A-plus performance for everyone who needs transportation. For more information on this initiative and many useful resources please visit: http://www.fta.dot.gov/CCAM/United_We_Ride.html.

Another useful transportation link is the Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program: http://www.its.dot.gov. It's an electronic library on transportation, a resource for looking at the most current documents related to transportation research and its application to solve problems, such as coordination, congestion, and communications.

Caregiver Connection

The Caregiver Training Team associated with Houston, Texas HCAP grantee, Harris County Hospital District/Gateway to Care, has developed and launched a new website. This website was developed as a component of a contract with the Harris County Area Agency on Aging. Please visit the site at: http://hcpc.uth.tmc.edu/senior_health/index.htm  and feel free to send suggestions or links that will help to improve the site. Please send comments or suggestions to Jerry Collier, MSW, Manager, Gateway to Care, Care Giver Training Program, at Jerry_Collier@hchd.tmc.edu.

New Tool Helps Hospitals Assess Their Diversity, Cultural Proficiency

The "Diversity and Cultural Assessment Tool for Leaders," the latest publication in the AHA's Strategies for Leadership series, was produced in collaboration with the National Center for Healthcare Leadership, the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management. Based on an NCHL-commissioned study by Janice Dreachslin and Ellen Foster Curtis at the Penn State Great Valley School of Professional Graduate Studies, the tool includes an assessment checklist, action steps, case studies and a bibliography. To access this tool visit: http://www.hospitalconnect.com/aha/key_issues/disparity/resources/diversitytool.html.

AHC Educational Toolbox

The Association of Academic Health Centers (AHC) has released a new educational toolbox that explains major factors and highlights new demographics contributing to the plight of the uninsured in America. Based on the latest national data and statistics, the association has a customized Power Point presentation, fact sheets, and issue briefs available to the public on its website. To access this information visit http://www.ahcnet.org/programs/delivery/access.php.