Autism: Get Involved and Get Informed

April is Autism Awareness Month
As the month of April winds down it is not too late to show your support and help spread awareness of autism spectrum disorder. In this blog you will find a myriad of resources around to spread awareness, toolkits, parental tips, hand-outs, children books and a free webinar on an autism screening tool for toddlers.

Here are some tools to help spread awareness for the few days of April left (and after):

The Autism Society has a lot of good materials. Such as facts, awareness toolkits and more!

The CDC provides many materials, such as information of the milestones to look out for as your baby ages.  They also provide many free materials, parenting tips, and ways healthcare providers can better identify autism.

Here is the CDC's children's book, "Amazing Me, It's Busy Being 3", which is about the developmental milestones of 3 year old toddlers.  It also has a parental checklist and tips at the end. Download the book here.

Autism Webinar

We are continuing the support of Autism awareness by hosting a webinar with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  This webinar is now open for registration and will be held May 11th at 11am.  “Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers M-Chat Revised” webinar by Dr. Karen Ratliff-Schaub This webinar will discuss an autism screening tool designed specifically to identify children 16 to 30 months of age who should receive a more thorough assessment for possible early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or developmental delay.  This screening tool is called the M-CHAT-R/F.

Dr. Ratliff-Schaub will discuss:
1.)    the latest statistics on age of ASD diagnoses, to include gap in diagnoses among white and minority populations
2.)    Recommendations from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics to monitor, screen and refer during well child visits.
3.)    The latest revision of the M-CHAT-R, to include the online version available to parents.
The webinar will also address the M-Chat usage and cultural competencies.

Register Here

The Free CRC Project

GET PAID TO LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE THE OUTCOME OF COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENINGS

This June OACHC along with the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians are taking part in the 2015 Colorectal Cancer Screening Improvement Project.  This will present a unique opportunity for OACHC members to take part and help to reach our Quality Improvement goals of increasing colorectal screening in Ohio patients to help reduce colorectal cancer deaths. 

When you register for this project, you will be allowed to take three members from your practice to learn with you.  You will exercise teamwork in an effective and efficient way, which you can take back to the rest of your team at your practice.  The three team members will learn the benefits of team-based approaches to care and gain insight on the importance of having an office protocol in support of colorectal cancer screening improvement. 

This project offers CME credits, team training, and credit toward your Maintenance of Certification Part IV requirements from American Board of Family Medicine.  Another big perk to this project is, it’s FREE! Not only is it FREE but your practice will get paid $300 to help cover travel expenses!

Don’t miss this opportunity to get paid to improve your health center, improve your quality and more efficiently help your patients in detecting cancer early! Hurry, because this project is limited and only has 17 spots left!

Learn More Here 

Health Center Funding Cliff

Up to the Minute Info to Fix the Health Center Funding Cliff:  Take Action Now!

At the close of March, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 2 containing a two-year fix to the Primary Care Funding Cliff (including Community Health Centers, National Health Service Corp, Teaching Health Centers).  Unfortunately the Senate recessed without a vote on HR 2.  The Senate is expected to return April 13th and between now and then, we need your help (see below) to solidify support and ask for a commitment to vote to pass H.R. 2. 

The following are the key action advocacy action items we can and should all take between now and the Senate vote on H.R. 2:

1.    Email House members and/or use social media to say THANK YOU for YES vote on HR 2!  Click here to send a ‘Thank You’ email to House members for their YES vote on H.R. 2.  Additionally, here are the twitter handles for the Ohio Delegation voting YES on HR 2; tweet them a note of thanks:

• @SpeakerBoehner 
• @RepMarciaFudge
• @RepDaveJoyce
• @TiberiPress
• @RepSteveStivers
• @RepBeatty
• @RepBobGibbs
• @RepBillJohnson
• @RepJimRenacci
• @RepSteveChabot
• @RepBradWenstrup
• @RepMarcyKaptur
• @BobLatta
• @RepTimRyan
• @RepMikeTurner

2.    Health Center Advocates should continue reaching out to Senators Brown and Portman to ask for their “yes” vote on H.R. 2 when they return to Washington on April 13th. The Senate still needs to vote to pass H.R. 2 in order for the bill to become law and move Health Centers closer to a fix for the Funding Cliff.  Click here to email Senators Brown and Portman and request their YES vote on H.R. 2 when they return to Washington.
                          
3.    Prepare NOW for the final national Cliff Call-In Day slated for April 13th when the Senate will take up and vote on H.R. 2!  Call-in Information coming soon, but NOW is the time to start planning how best to turn up the volume and turn out the calls on April 13th – perhaps a phone bank in your lobby, social media posts, outreach to staff, board members, and partners etc. With over $7 billion for the Community Health Center Program alone in H.R. 2, our Senators need to hear loud and clear from us back home!  

The call-in number is 1-866-456-3949

To ensure you receive the most up-to-date information, as well as critical Calls to Action, sign up to be a Health Center advocate here if you are not already!  It only takes seconds to sign up! 

Spring in to Healthier Habits

It’s National Nutrition Month!

Let’s face it, we all could be doing a little (or a lot) more to live healthier lives.  It’s good to know that there are people out there that want to help us get on the right path! Here are some organizations that are helping us get motivated and learn tricks and tips to getting healthier.

It’s been 5 years since First Lady Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” campaign.  This initiation encourages children (however, people of all ages should take up these healthy habits!) to get active and eat better for healthier lives. View their “Cheers to Five Years of Let’s Move!” blog post and also facts, ways to eat healthy, get active and more! 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is helping to celebrate National Nutrition Month by giving us “Ten Ways to Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle During [and after] National Nutrition Month”. They provide motivation to staying healthy such as, eating right and exercising to win a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.  Another motivator would be, putting yourself out there and using our First Lady’s “Let’s Move” #GimmeFive hashtag to document your healthy actions on social media.  Read the rest of the tips, motivators and nutrition advice here.

Don't think you have time to work out? The Columbus Dispatch demonstrates different ways to exercise at your desk while you are in the office.  View the article here. Maybe, you don't have a lot of experience exercising.  Today's Pulse lists the best low-impact exercises for beginners. Click Here.

Dentistry's Role in the PCMH Model of Care

Dentistry’s partnership role in achieving total health for our patients

By Theodore E. Wymyslo MD, FAAFP
Chief Medical Officer, Ohio Association
of Community Health Centers

Comprehensive, coordinated healthcare is the hallmark of the new model of care many of you have been hearing about around Ohio – the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). In this model of patient care, managing the patient’s total health means addressing their biological, psychological and social needs, many of which occur when the patient is not in your office. Being patient-centered entails designing your system to be available and easily utilized by patients according to THEIR needs, schedules and definitions – not around the convenience of the providers. The term “home” refers to where all the known health information on the patient resides – the collection of data and communications from ALL the points of health contact in the community. For the PCMH model to work, there must be a sense of TEAM among all providers so that each knows what the other is doing, and so they can effectively co-manage decisions with the patient as partner. In order to be effective, its communications must extend beyond its own walls and into the rest of the community into the Patient-Centered Medical Neighborhood.
 
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can be a useful tool for this information exchange, but only if the various health providers can push and pull information with the primary care office where the total health Dentistry’s partnership role in achieving total health for our patients information resides. This process allows the dental practice to reinforce health advice and plans of the primary care practice, inject their own oral health plan into the patient’s personal plan of care, and make joint health decisions with the primary care provider (PCP) to optimally benefit the whole patient. Similarly, the PCP reinforces the oral health plan of care to enhance patient adherence.
 
Many feel expanding the role of the dental office in the total health of patients presents a wonderful opportunity to more effectively address the cause of 70 percent of premature death and chronic disease prevalence in our population – lifestyle choices. All of us in health care need to be engaged in the solution to this problem if we hope to be successful. Indeed, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has undertaken a new direction with this challenge in mind … that of “Creating a Culture of Health in America.” They anticipate this will be a 20 year effort – one whole generation – to realize the culture change we need to get our entire population focused on optimizing health and well-being, rather than treating illness and trying to correct the adverse effects that poor lifestyle choices have had on our patients.

Unless the health professions all join together in this effort and utilize a system of care that facilitates patient co-management and care coordination, it is unlikely we will be successful in battling the epidemics of obesity, inactivity and addiction that plaque our population today.
 
So I will challenge dentistry to keep expanding its focus by joining with the PCMH model of care in addressing the total health of the patient – their biopsychosocial well-being. Help us reinforce the importance of good nutrition, encourage greater physical activity, confront and discourage addictions of all types, pay attention to the safety of relationships and housing, reinforce the importance of immunizations, be aware of fluoride in the water and lead in the paint in our patients’ communities, and be sure your patient is part of a coordinated health care delivery system. I will similarly challenge medical health care providers to increase their efforts to achieve good oral health, reinforcing your guidance given to your dental patients when they visit our medical practices. Only by all health professions working together as a team, with the patient, can we achieve the culture change we look for and need to achieve in America.
 
Dr. Wymyslo will present “Dentistry’s Role in the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model of Care” at the ODA Leadership Institute on March 28. Leadership Institute is March 27-28. Visit oda.org/events for more information and to register.

Oral Health Matters for Pregnant Women

The Importance of Oral Health: Pregnancy

During pregnancy, women have many things to think about, but it’s also important for them to “think teeth.” The health of a woman’s teeth is actually linked to the health of her child. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has an excellent, free-to-order flyer that can be used by dental clinics, community health centers, WIC clinics and other settings to educate women about protecting their teeth and gums.

Education is crucial because four out of 10 pregnant women have tooth decay or some form of gum disease. That decay and disease can impact her child. Some studies have found an association between periodontal (gum) disease and pre-term or low-birth weight babies. In addition, women with poor dental health have the potential to transmit cavity-causing bacteria to their children. Doing so raises kids’ risk of tooth decay.

Dental health for pregnant women is important, yet often overlooked. Some women mistakenly believe they should not receive dental care during pregnancy. Dentists may also believe that patient care should be delayed during pregnancy. In a survey of obstetricians and gynecologists, 77% said their patients had reported being declined dental services due to pregnancy.

However, this goes against strong evidence that dental care is safe — and recommended — during pregnancy. In 2013, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued recommendations that "women should be counseled about the maintenance of good oral health as well as the safety and importance of oral health care during pregnancy."

Pregnant women in some states are eligible for free dental coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Children enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP are covered for dental services.

The CMS flyer mentioned earlier can be ordered in large quantities for free. It offers tips for pregnant women’s dental care, and it encourages them to see if they’re eligible for Medicaid enrollment. Share the handout today to help educate pregnant women about oral health.

Blog post provided by: Children's Dental Health Project

 

Spread the word:

Twitter- use hashtag #ThinkTeeth
Materials- here are some free educational materials

Colon Cancer | Catching it Early - Guest Blog by the American Cancer Society

Colon Cancer | Catching it Early 

Guest Blog by Anna Fetzer, MPH Senior Manager, Primary Care for the American Cancer Society

For many, March means the beginning of spring, but for those in the health care profession, March has another important beginning: colon cancer awareness month. While colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the U.S. over the last 10 years among adults 50 and older, it is still the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, despite being highly preventable, detectable and treatable. If the good news is that colon cancer is preventable and treatable when found early, the bad news is that only 65% of adults age 50 to 75 are up-to-date with the recommended screening for colorectal cancer, meaning that 23 million adults are not getting tested as recommended.

While awareness of colon cancer screening is high, the fact remains that colonoscopies and other screening tests for colon cancer are perceived as invasive, embarrassing, uncomfortable, unpleasant, and expensive.  The American Cancer Society is here to help health care professionals understand patient barriers to getting screened and to help them overcome those barriers. Working together, we want to spread the message that there are screening options available, including simple take home options, and that everyone should talk to their doctor or health care professional about getting screened.

Earlier this year, the OACHC made a pledge to increase colorectal screening rates by supporting the 80% by 2018 initiative, led by the American Cancer Society, the CDC and the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable.  We are excited to partner with OACHC and you on this important campaign and hope it will lead to more collaboration and success in providing colorectal screening options to your patients. 

There are five things that you can do to be a part of 80% by 2018:

1. Understand the power of the physician recommendation.  Recommend colorectal screening to your patients ages 50 and older, as well as to younger patients at an increased risk of disease.  They may need to start screening at an earlier age.
2. Measure the colorectal cancer screening rate in your practice; it may not be as high as you think.
3. Use evidenced-based practice changes to systematize screening in your office.  More screening doesn’t have to mean more work for you.
4. Understand the screening options for colorectal cancer. Educate your patients and staff on the various testing options.
5. Make sure that patients and staff understand that most insurance companies are required to cover colorectal cancer screening.

 

80% by 2018

The 80% by 2018 handout

The American Cancer Society has many resources on how to increase screening rates in practice.  A great place to start is  cancer.org/colonmd.  For more information about the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and 80% by 2018, go to: http://nccrt.org/tools/80-percent-by-2018/.


The 80% by 2018 initiative is an extraordinary effort, and we can all do our part toward eliminating colon cancer as a major health problem.  Thanks for all you do to improve the health of those in your communities every day, and thank you for helping to spread the message of the importance of colon cancer screening.