Technical assistance calls for grantees are generally held every other Thursday from 2 to 3:30 PM EST. The schedule for December 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
	December 1st		To Be Announced
	December 15th		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.

Two weeks after Katrina's impact on New Orleans and Louisiana, the staff of Catholic Charities and the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) were on the ground in New Orleans and the state's capitol, Baton Rouge, working on the immediate response to the disaster as well as collaborating on a long term recovery plan that continues the mission of the New Orleans community, even though all the region's systems for healthcare have suffered a severe setback. Staff of LPHI were engaged in drafting an initial 2 week recovery plan for health services in New Orleans, with additional plans for 60 days, 1 year and 5 years to follow shortly thereafter. This was done in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Public Health Service, the State of Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals and the New Orleans Health Department. The plan is intended to form a portion of the region's formal request for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Health and Human Services and other sources. It is envisioned to not just rebuild what was there before; but to restore health services for the community as well as position it to improve upon previous systems by incorporating efficiency improvements like health information technology and the most current evidence based practices.

The Recovery Plan became the starting point for the convening of the Health Recovery Planning Group in early October. The group is a coalition of city, state and federal officials, health leaders and community members who will work to refine and make specific the plan's recommendations. The group will continue its working meetings, with public presentation and review of the plan by the end of October.

The communications staff of LPHI has also been working closely with all levels of government on its public information Web site: http://www.StayHealthyLA.org. The site is delivering updated health information online, with printed brochures also being distributed throughout the area. LPHI's offices in Baton Rouge have become a temporary organizational and staffing hub for the various workgroups.

In addition to staff from CDC, faculty of Tulane University's School of Public Health Community Health Sciences Department is on site, working closely with the members of the Planning Group. In addition to the work being done "on the ground," LPHI staff continue to work on initiatives to build capacity within our medical, social services and behavioral health community. This work is being done with resources directed to organizations providing referrals to the community as well as ongoing research and development of an integrated information and referral system. For more information please contact Edward Melendez at emelendez@lphi.org.

As Hurricane Katrina rapidly approached land, the Atlanta Community Access Coalition (ACAC) in Fulton County, Georgia began making preparations to serve potential evacuees from the Gulf Coast. The established collaborative relationships of the Coalition eased preparations as everyone worked toward the common goal of providing health care services to the displaced individuals who were relocated to Fulton County.

The Coalition members' combined efforts made services available to more than twenty-six thousand evacuees needing medical assistance at Fulton County shelters and processing centers. Participating Coalition members included the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness, Grady Memorial Hospital, West End Medical Center, Southside Medical Center, Oakhurst Medical Center and the Morehouse School of Medicine. Services provided included expedited Medicaid processing for medical attention, prescriptions, dental care and mental health consultation.

The first endeavor of this magnitude faced by Coalition members also inspired some creative methods to ensure the provision of thorough health care. Daisy Harris of the West End Medical Center stated that, "In addition to providing services to large numbers of Katrina victims, the Center also provided them with "Medical Passports" small enough to carry in their wallets." The Passports contained medical diagnoses, medications and physician telephone numbers so that the information would be readily available regardless of their final destination.

The Atlanta Community Access Coalition achieves its goal of providing access to health care to the uninsured and underinsured through the use of an advanced case management system that allows the partners to share health and psychosocial information for each client. The ACAC links clients and their collective services to tear down barriers that have historically hindered people from receiving care. The cohesiveness of Coalition members proved that shared resources allow every citizen to access and utilize appropriate, affordable healthcare.

The ACAC has worked to provide health care services to the uninsured and underinsured for over 4 years. The Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness has served as the Lead Agency to provide a solid foundation and strong leadership for members. To learn more about the Atlanta Community Access Coalition and its contributions to servicing Hurricane Katrina evacuees, visit www.acac.us or contact Oliver Delk at (404) 730-1238 or email at odelk@dhr.state.ga.us.

Every core service element established by HCAP funding has played a key role in allowing Harris County to respond to the 150,000 + people displaced into Harris County due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The 24/7 telephone triage service component, Ask Your Nurse, has been the focus for helping the displaced population find primary care. The additional 10 clinics that were developed as FQHCs or Look-Alikes as a result of HCAP funding have played an essential role in providing primary care.

The Navigation Service utilizing Promotoras has been key in helping people locate Health Homes. In addition, the Medical Reserve Corps which was partially funded by HCAP has been essential in the recruitment and placement of over 3,000 physicians, nurses, EMTs, and other health care personnel that staffed the clinics at the two large shelters and are now helping staff community clinics to provide continuing care.

Almost all of the 150 member and affiliated organizations within the Collaborative participated in the response by providing volunteers, donated supplies, additional clinics, case management and a whole range of other activities.

In addition, the fact the Collaborative exists made it possible to broadcast critical information about needs as they developed and resources as they became available. Due to the large number of additional uninsured and underinsured persons that have now been added to our population who have nothing to go home to, it is expected that the number of uninsured within our community has now been increased by 50,000 to 75,000 and that it will be necessary to continue to respond to this additional population for years to come.

For more information about this program please contact Ron Cookston at 713-783-4616 or via email at ron.cookston@gatewaytocare.org.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has designated up to $1 million to support the rebuilding efforts of non-profit institutions and providers of breast health and breast cancer care in areas affected by the hurricanes, as well as to provide funding to organizations offering patient services in communities responding to the needs of displaced populations. For more information please visit: http://www.komen.org/intradoc-cgi/idc_cgi_isapi.dll?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=katrina

As the average cost of individual health insurance premiums continues to increase, health coverage is becoming less affordable. To help develop actionable approaches that improve the affordability of health care, the California HealthCare Foundation will award up to ten grants to support initiatives that reduce rising costs in the short term. Instead of merely shifting costs from one part of the health care sector to another, the goal of these projects will be to achieve net cost savings for the overall health system. For more information please visit: http://www.chcf.org/grantinfo/rfps/index.cfm?itemID=115045

The goal of this program is to develop and demonstrate creative and innovative approaches that are effective in reducing the prevalence of overweight/obesity in women by increasing the number of women who adopt positive, healthy, lifestyles. The interventions implemented must be substantive in nature, incorporate nutrition, physical activity and health/wellness components, while also positively impacting knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Proposals must include women who are members of racial ethnic minority populations who are disproportionately affected by overweight/obesity. For more information please visit: http://tinyurl.com/bkzuv.

The purpose of this program is to translate the protocols for effective HIV prevention interventions and create curricula and technical assistance guidance materials for HIV prevention providers who want to adopt interventions that have already been developed, evaluated, and shown evidence of effectiveness. For more information about this opportunity please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/AA017.htm

Applications are now being accepted for the American Hospital Association's 2006 NOVA Award for collaborative programs focused on improving community health status. For more information and application details please visit: http://www.aha.org/aha/awards-events/awards/novaaward.html

The will be the third national conference hosted by ACHI and will highlight national and local best practices with real results and lessons in four topic tracks. These tracks will be Maximizing Access to Care; Innovating for Chronic Disease Prevention; Transforming Systems for Health Improvement; and Achieving Results and Demonstrating Value. This meeting will provide educational sessions and networking opportunities for community health professionals from around the country. For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.communityhlth.org.

This unique two-day event on child health promotion and disease prevention is intended for professionals and students in public health, maternal and child health, mental health, government, health policy, advocacy, and education, especially those for whom children are at the top of the agenda. For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.nemours.org/nhpsconfhttp.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced new regulations that support the adoption of e- prescribing and electronic health records. These proposals will speed adoption of health information technologies by hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers to improve quality and safety for Medicare beneficiaries and all Americans. Taken together, they represent a major step forward in meeting President Bush's goal of widespread adoption of electronic health records. Electronic prescribing enables a physician to transmit a prescription electronically to a patient's pharmacy of choice. It decreases prescription errors caused by hard-to-read handwriting and automates the process of checking for drug interactions and allergies. Not only is this easier than paper prescriptions, but it also can improve patient safety and increase efficiency. To view the October 5, 2005 press release please visit: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20051005.html.

Medical Records Access for Hurricane Victims

There is a critical need to provide Hurricane Katrina evacuees, as well as the clinicians who are treating them, access to their own prescription drug and dosage information, so that medications can be renewed and potential medication errors avoided. Together, federal, state and local governments and several private organizations have worked to make this information accessible in a secure and private manner through a free Internet Web site. For more information about this Web site please visit: www.KatrinaHealth.org. 

Factline: Tracking Health in Underserved Communities

The National Library of Medicine and Meharry Medical College have sponsored a web site that highlights health disparities in underserved communities and uses the framework of Healthy People 2010. Factline presents information about health disparities faced by women, members of minority groups, the elderly and others. The focus of the web site is two-fold: presenting significant findings from scholarly research in public health on the subject of health disparities and providing bibliographic references to the literature in which these findings are established. To access the Factline web site, please visit: http://www.meharry.org/Fl/

Online Cultural Competency Continuing Education Program

With growing concerns about racial and ethnic disparities in health and the need for health care systems to accommodate increasingly diverse patient populations, cultural competence has become more and more a matter of national concern and attention. Providers can take the first step to improve the quality of health care services given to diverse populations. By learning to be more aware of their own cultural beliefs and more responsive to those of their patients, providers can think in ways they might not have before. That can lead to self-awareness, and over time, changed beliefs and attitudes that will translate into better health care. To learn more about this program and earning CME's online, please visit: www.thinkculturalhealth.org.