Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people in the United States. Over 600k (or 1 in 4 deaths) people die each year from heart disease. People who are at the highest risk for heart disease are those with the following risk factors:

- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Un-healthy diet
- Lack of physical activity
- Excessive use of alcohol

- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol

It is important to manage these issues early on before they become a major health problem. These risk factors can also put you at a high chance of having a heart attack. Early action is important if you are having a heart attack as it can both save your life and prevent future complications in life down the road. Heart attacks usually cause chest pain for more than 15 minutes but often times, people do exhibit any symptoms. Warning signs that you are potentially having a heart attack include:

- chest pain and/or discomfort
- upper body pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck jaw or upper stomach
- shortness of breath
- nausea or lightheadedness
- cold sweat
Click here for more information on heart attacks.

If you are experiencing these issues, it is important to call 9-1-1 straight away. Chewing or swallowing an aspirin can also help as well as taking nitroglycerin. If the person is unconscious, begin CPR and use an AED if there is one available. 

This month is American Heart Month. This month brings awareness to heart health and promotes living a healthier life. A few ways you can have better heart health are by not smoking, managing the conditions you already have, staying active and eating healthier foods. 

To learn more about your heart, go to:
-https://www.heart.org/
-More information on American Heart Health Month
-Ways to prevent heart disease 

OACHC and ODH Support Hepatitis C Improvement Work

OACHC and ODH Support Hepatitis C Improvement Work

The Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (OACHC) is supporting work in three Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to improve screening and referral to treatment for patients with Hepatitis C infection, with funding from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis c virus (HCV). It the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the United States, and there is currently no vaccination available to prevent infection. Ohio is particularly burdened by the virus in Appalachian areas of the state, and reports of hepatitis C infections are on the rise, according to the ODH.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) tributes the increase in hepatitis C incidents to the growing opioid epidemic and intravenous drug use. The good news is that HCV treatments are more effective and more tolerable than in the past so if we can find and screen these individuals we can control the rise of the infection rate. 

Each FQHC will adopt the following Clinical Protocol Recommend for Hepatitis C to improve their screening, detection, and management of patients with Hepatitis C:
https://www.ohiochc.org/resource/resmgr/behavioral_health/Hepatitis_C_Clinical_Protoco.pdf

The protocol follows the guidelines and recommendations of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the CDC. More information can be found at https://www.hcvguidelines.org. 
The protocol defines patients who are at high risk for HCV to be the following:
• Baby boomer cohort (born between 1945-1965)
• People who inject drugs, including those who injected only once many years ago 
• Recipients of clotting factor concentrates made before 1987 when more advanced methods for manufacturing those products were developed
• Recipients of blood transfusions or solid organ transplants before July 1992, when better testing of blood donors became available 
• Chronic hemodialysis patients 
• Persons with known exposures to HCV, such as − Health care worker after needle sticks involving HCV-positive blood − Recipients of blood or organs from a donor who tested HCV-positive 
• Persons with HIV infection 
• Children born to HCV-positive mothers

The three FQHCs and their locations and their sites supported by this grant work are shown below.

FQHC	COUNTY	CITY	TOTAL SITES
Hopewell Health Centers	Jackson	Jackson	2
Hopewell Health Centers	Gallia	Gallopolis	1
Hopewell Health Centers	Ross	Chillicothe	2
Compass Community Health Care Center	Scioto	Portsmouth	1
Valley View Health Centers	Pike	Waverly	1

As the FQHCs begin to adopt the new HCV protocol and train their staff, they have already begun to measure their data for marked improvements in the number of patients who are being screened, tested, and referred to care for HCV. The graph below shows an aggregate report of the first data report collected from 9/12/18 to 10/31/18. We expect each of these measures to increase throughout the duration of the grant. 

OACHC will continue to update the membership on this important work. For more information, please contact Tiffany White, Behavioral Health Program Manager at twhite@ohiochc.org. 

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Every year, almost 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer starts in the cervix and can spread from there. This cancer typically affects women over 30, however, anyone can be affected by it. This is a type of cancer that is closely related to HPV (human papillomavirus). It is the main cause of cervical cancer however early stages of cancer are not easily detected. People that are a risk for cervical cancer are those that smoke, have comprised immune systems, and have used birth control pills for a long period of time. 

Cervical cancer is a preventable cancer. If you are 30 years old or older, it is recommended that you get a Pap test and HPV test at least every 3 years. If your test results do not come back as normal, you should speak to your doctor about ways you can treat cervical cancer. When cervical cancer is caught early, it can be treated and cured. A preventative measure against HPV and Cervical Cancer is getting kids vaccinated around the ages of 11 to 12. However, no matter what age you are, you can still receive the vaccine.  

Learn how you can spread awareness this month: Social Media Toolkit

Learn more about cervical cancer: CDC Basic Info

Information about Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

**Also, check out our webinar recording on Cervical Cancer too!

New Year, New You!

Its that time of year again where we all make resolutions to better ourselves and make positive changes in our lives. Is this the year you change for good? Are you unsure of what habits to change? Some things that may be a good change for you, but might not be for others.

Many people opt for a physically healthier lifestyle as their resolution. This can be achieved in many ways! You can quit smoking, quit drinking, change your diet, or change your exercise routine. Others may want to make changes to things around them ie moving, traveling more, meeting new people or even just purging some items that have been collecting dust for a long time. These changes start out small but have a major lasting impact. 

It has been shown that close to 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February but you don't have to be so quick to give up hope! By enrolling in courses or classes, you are holding yourself accountable for completing something. Otherwise, you might feel as though you wasted your money/time. For more suggestions on how to keep your resolutions, check out these ideas!

• 35 Achievable New Year's Resolutions for Healthier and Happier Living
• The Best New Year’s Resolution Apps

OACHC's 2018 Annual Impact!

2018 has been an outstanding year at the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers! Let's take a look back at all the things we accomplished as a team!

OACHC Notable Highlights:

• Welcomed two new staff members: Carrie Farquhar, Director of Workforce Development and Jessica Schaner, Health IT Specialist
• Promoted Tiffany White to Behavioral Health Program Manager
• PCA Advocacy Center of Excellence

OACHC Department Highlights:

Advocacy Team provides a voice for the 750,000+ patients served in 2018:

• Grasstops: meetings with members of the Ohio General Assembly, Kasich Administration and Ohio’s federal delegation, supplying testimony, written comments, etc. to enact KEY Health Center legislation/policies, including but not limited to:
• SB 229 (Health Center OBOT Classification exemption)
• SB 265 (includes authorization of Medicaid reimbursement of select   pharmacist services)
• Stymied coordinated efforts to override Governor’s veto on the Medicaid expansion enrollment freeze
• 340B Negotiations 
• Medicaid reimbursement for Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Furnished at FQHCs/FQHCLAs (including FFS)
• Grassroots: 3,764 super advocates active in digital communications/strategy

Communications & Events Team facilitated more than 30 events:

• 2018 Annual Conference: record-setting attendance with 46/52 Health Centers attending
• HRSA Operational Site Visit Protocol Training 
• PCMH 2017 Standard Bootcamp Training 
• Critical Skills for CHC Managers & Supervisors Training 
• 2018 Fall Operations Conference: record-setting attendance with 47/53 Health Centers attending 
• UDS Training 
• 20 in-house webinars

Health Center Controlled Network:

• Lean Training provided to 7 Health Centers
• PCMH training and office hours provided
• Meaningful Use connection with ODM; training provided
• On-Site Visits with all 16 Members

Oral Health integrated through comprehensive care:

• Blood Pressure Screening Program: 227,478 patients screened in our Dental Centers with 20% of the patients found to have high blood pressure and referred to appropriate care (29 Centers reported)
• Brush, Book, Bed Program with support from HealthPath Foundation of Ohio 
• Three new dental centers (up to 40 centers in 45 counties)

Quality Improvement Team leads the following funded projects:

• Medication Therapy Management 
• FluFIT 
• CenteringPregnancy 
• Undiagnosed Hypertension and Pre-Diabetes 
• Wholesome Wave Initiative with ODH 
• Community E-Connect Initiative with National Association of Chronic Disease Directors 
• Case Management for Opioid Use Disorder Initiative
• Hepatitis C Initiative

Workforce Development Team fosters the next generation of primary care:
In year three of the Ohio Primary Care Workforce Initiative (OPCWI):

• 38 FQHCs and 70 health professional training programs participated
• Nearly 1,100 health professional students participated 
• About 132,000 student clinical hours were experienced 

OACHC Noteworthy Ventures:

• Clinical Learning Collaborative: monthly opportunity featuring content experts and Health Center best practices (CME provided)
• Comprehensive Primary Care Program: 26 FQHCs/80 Sites in second round
• Created online peer-to-peer networking sites (online collaboration hubs for preceptors, OPCWI, HR, QPN, O&E and OMON)
• Data Dashboard developed for all measures (medical, non-medical, dental): 35 FQHCs are sharing data with OACHC
• Implemented session scanning feature for major conferences to better streamline attendance data for Continuing Education Credits
• Infant Mortality Taskforce
• OHIO DATA INTEGRATION PLATFORM (ODIP): Contracted with Azara Healthcare DRVS to provide a common population health/data analytic reporting tool. Three Health Centers LIVE, seven in Implementation
• Pathways for Workforce Development: HealthPath Foundation grant to encourage young patients in FQHCs to consider careers as health professionals working in FQHCs
• Ohio State Division of Cancer Prevention and Control for a Rural Cancer Grant: Partnering with FQHCs and community partners (health departments) in Defiance, Williams, Pike and Jackson 
• Team Care Medicine: Initiated team-based models of care pilot to support clinical teams experiencing provider burnout

OACHC Members Recognized:

• Health Center Quality Improvement Grant Awards: 47 FQHCs received 156 awards; two Health Centers received National Quality Awards
• Healthy People 2020 Awards: six Ohio Health Centers surpassed 4/8 measures
• Technical Assistance Grants from Safety Net Solutions: Centerpoint Health and Rocking Horse Community Health Center
• Ohio’s first GOLD status Advocacy Center of Excellence: Compass Community Health

OACHC Community Partnerships:
The following are organizations, partnerships, and coalitions of which OACHC team members are active, and in many cases, are in positions of leadership:

• 3RNet and 3RNET Academy
• Advocates for Ohio’s Future
• American Cancer Society
• Better Health Partnership
• Executive Committee of Ohio Partners for Cancer Control 
• Health Policy Institute of Ohio
• Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus
• HPV Vaccination Committee and Workgroups 
• LARC Access Ohio
• National Association of Community Health Centers – multiple committee appointments 
• National Oral Health Innovation and Integration Network (NOHIIN), State representative for Regional Team
• OHT/ODE School Based Workgroup
• Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality (OCPIM)
• Ohio Health Professions Affinity Community (HPAC) Program
• Ohio Parity at 10 Coalition
• Ohio Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative 
• Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative
• Ohio Primary Care Physician Workforce Collaborative (OPCPWC) 
• Ohio Statewide Health Improvement Program
• Oral Health Ohio 
• Rural & Appalachian Ohio Community Advisory Board (CAB)