Technical assistance calls for grantees are generally held every other Thursday from 2 to 3:30 PM EST. The schedule for September 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
	October 20th		To Be Announced
	November 3rd		To Be Announced

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 Midtown Community Health Center's Health Access Team for receiving local recognition in the Standard-Examiner newspaper. The June 17, 2005 article highlighted the services provided to a community member who suffered a serious injury that led to the loss of his job and insurance coverage. The Midtown Health Center connected the individual with the Health Access Team and a case management specialist got him the services that he needed. The Health Access Team is a department of Midtown Community Health Center and a private nonprofit organization. The HCAP grant has helped to fund the program. Over the last year they have served about 1,000 individuals and were able to get 120 doctors to donate over 120,000 hours of service. For more information contact Mike Baker at 801-395-8201 or by email at mike@ healthaccessteam.org. Visit the program's Web site at: www.healthaccessteam.org.

The State of Maine shares its Medicaid discount with others in the State so that 50 percent of its population has access to reduced-cost prescription drugs. In the past, information on these discounted drugs was not available to doctors in the exam room as they prescribe for their patients. This changed when the State of Maine put its discounted drug list online through Epocrates. In addition to getting real-time clinical decision support like drug interactions and cautions, doctors are now able to use palm pilots and Epocrates to give patients an idea of how much their scripts will cost to fill before they leave the office. This service is supported by Essentials software supplied through the Maine Health Alliance's HCAP grant. Those patients who cannot afford their prescriptions are immediately referred to an HCAP-sponsored nurse case manager who investigates discount plans and patient assistance programs. For more information please contact Nancy Morris at 202-799-1090 or email Nmtmha@aol.com.

Congratulations to the staff of Healthy Schools Healthy Families for receiving an award for $12,500. It will be used for the purchase of physical fitness equipment for our five schools to enhance the quality and scope of Physical Education. Carole Reiss will provide input and guidance on this effort. Some of the funding will be used to promote healthy lifestyle and good nutrition for children and families.

The Program Coordinator at PS 180 has been awarded a $3,000 grant from the Arnow Foundation to develop a Farmer's Market at the school. The Farmer's Market ran through August. Proceeds from the sale of vegetables will be re-invested to sustain the operation of the Farmer's Market and other program activities throughout the year. For more information please contact Anita Lee at 212-342-1362 or email alee3seung@aol.com.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (http://depts.washington.edu/ccph) is a nonprofit organization that promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. 

CCPH recently announced Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Schools and Graduate Programs of Public Health Respond as Engaged Institutions, a new initiative made possible by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (http://www.wkkf.org). Through this initiative, CCPH aims to pro-actively support schools and graduate programs of public health that are ready to take on the challenge of becoming engaged institutions focused on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities.

As part of the initiative, CCPH will engage in intensive consultation with 12 schools and graduate programs of public health selected through a Call for Applications. This program does not involve awarding grants, but rather providing consultation designed to respond to the needs and assets identified by the selected schools/programs in their applications. CEPH-accredited schools and graduate programs of public health in the United States are invited to apply to participate in the program. To learn more about the initiative, visit the CCPH Web site: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/5000086/ccph.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), announces its continued interest in supporting conferences through its Small Grant Program for Conference Support. AHRQ seeks to support conferences that help to further its mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.

For more information, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-123.html.  

The American Dental Association Foundation (www.adafoundation.org), the charitable arm of the American Dental Association, seeks innovative ideas to help strengthen America's dental education system and will award up to $25,000 in unrestricted grants. A total of $150,000 is available under the program. Dental schools, not-for-profits, and other organizations in the United States and its territories are eligible for the grants. Organizations submitting proposals should focus on future projects, existing ones, or projects that would be implemented if resources were available, addressing one or more of the following: new teacher training models; new faculty practice models; incentives or recognition programs, for teachers in dental schools; reformed business and curriculum structures at schools; innovative recruitment or retention programs for faculty; reformed business infrastructures at schools that enhance delivery of care; pooling various resources among dental schools or other institutions; and addressing financial problem of renewed capital for schools and high student indebtedness.

For more information, please visit: http://www.adafoundation.org/prof/resources/pubs/adanews/adanewsarticle.asp?articleid=1532.

This event is about an innovation in community organization of health care: the move from funding service transactions to purchasing health and social outcomes. The focus will be on community organizations creating sustainable outcome-based care management systems. The Institute will show how State and regional outcome purchasing programs can lead to the restructuring of the local safety net for greater access, higher quality, and sustainable integration.

For more information and to register please visit the CJA Web site: www.cjaonline.net

Project Dulce: Culturally Competent and Financially Sustainable Diabetes Care in Uninsured Populations is an audio-conference offered by the Association for Community Health Improvement. Project Dulce has been improving diabetes care and health status among diverse uninsured populations - in an economically sustainable fashion - since 1997. Project director Chris Walker, MPH of Scripps Health's Whittier Institute for Diabetes will share program details and tangible results of their nurse case management/peer education approach. The cost-effective success of the program has led to peer-reviewed articles in Diabetes Care and The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, as well as the American Hospital Association's 2005 NOVA Award. For more information and to register visit: http://www.communityhlth.org/communityhlth/education/audio.html.

Due to the devastating situation in New Orleans brought on by Hurricane Katrina, the APHA Annual Meeting is being moved. The meeting will continue to follow the traditional Saturday through Wednesday pattern as in past years. Preliminary logistical information regarding the impact of the move on registrants is outlined at the APHA Web site. APHA members, Annual Meeting attendees and exhibitors will be updated as additional details unfold.

The Annual Meeting will provide an important opportunity for the public health community to collaborate, share across disciplines and construct long-term solutions to best address this tragedy.

For updated information please visit: http://www.apha.org/meetings/new_orleans_update.htm.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced the Federal government would speed up the award of grants to establish 26 new health center sites in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Approximately $2.3 million in fiscal year 2005 funds to these sites will get health care resources up and running quickly in disaster areas and neighboring States treating evacuees from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast. To view the HHS press release visit: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050909a.html  .

CDC Hurricane Web site

To meet the unprecedented need for resources and information in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has significantly updated all hurricane-related information on its Emergency Preparedness and Response Web site. Pages offer resources on hurricane preparedness, clean-up and recovery, in addition to general and clinical fact sheets for managing injuries that result from severe weather. For more information, please visit: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/index.asp.

Asthma Problem Solving Tools of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

The following resources are three brief problem-solving tools for health care professionals and parents.

1. When Should Students with Asthma or Allergies Carry and Self-Administer Emergency Medications at School? http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/emer_medi.htm;
2. Is the Asthma Action Plan Working? --A Tool for School Nurse Assessment: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_act_plan_frm.htm,
3. Breathing Difficulties Related to Physical Activity for Students With Asthma: Exercise-Induced Asthma: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/exer_induced.htm.

Healthy Literacy Resource

The Multi-Cultural Educational Services Web site offers interactive health literacy exercises that provide practice in 4 different skill areas: reading a prescription medicine label, reading an over-the-counter medicine label, reading special warning labels and information about side effects. They also have introductions spoken and printable on these topics in English, Arabic, Hmong and Somali. For more information, please visit: http://www.mcedservices.com/online.html.

United We Ride Transportation Assessment Tool

The Framework for Action and its accompanying Facilitator's Guide is a self-assessment tool to assist Federal, State and community leaders and agencies that want to strengthen or develop coordinated human service transportation services.

The Framework is a roadmap for successful coordination that helps to build a shared vision and encourages forward progress. The Framework can assist States and communities understand where they are with coordination, define their priorities and develop an action plan.

The Facilitators Guide offers detailed information on how to conduct the Framework in a community or State with either an existing or new coalition. To access the Framework for Action please visit: http://www.unitedweride.gov/FFA-Intro.pdf.