A Summer of CHC Love

Looking for ways to get involved, take action and support long-term funding for your Community Health Center this summer? You’ve come to the right place – there are contests, resources and action campaigns – so grab your sunscreen and let’s get advocating!

Share Your Love for Health Centers and Win

Summer lovin’ could score you one of two $100 Amazon gift cards! The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is hosting a fun contest aimed at sharing the love of Health Centers.
From June 21 – July 30, snap photos with one of these posters, or even one of your own, stating why YOU value community health centers. Then…

• Post the picture on social media using the #ValueCHCs.
• Tag your member of Congress and @hcadvocacy.

Engage your coworkers, friends, family, and neighbors to be involved. Creativity is key – it IS a contest! 

Prize drawings will happen August 2 – stay tuned to NACHC social media for the winners.

Take Action Today!

To date, several bills have been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to extend the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) for five years alongside funding for critical workforce programs. Check out NACHC’s Current Legislation webpage for a breakdown of each of these efforts and review this chart outlining the differences between each bill.

Most importantly, TAKE ACTION NOW to let our Ohio delegation know that a long-term fix for the Community Health Center Program is essential for the 800,000+ Ohioans that rely on us for their care.

NHCW

And while we’re talking summer fun and Community Health Centers, we MUST mention National Health Center Week. Head over to the OACHC NHCW webpage to submit your event, learn about our Ohio contest (yes, the Ultimate Health Center Champs contest is back!), and find out how you can receive a $250 sponsorship for your event.

Treating patients with Hepatitis C Infection in 3 Ohio Health Centers

Three Ohio health centers are wrapping up their work on a pilot program to designed and implement interventions that will 1) educate providers and communities to reduce health disparities; 2) increase the number of Ohioans living with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) who are aware of their infection; and 3) facilitate linkages of newly diagnosed individuals to appropriate care and treatment. All three participating health centers have seen an increase in the number of patients receiving HCV testing since the beginning of the project (11/1/2018). To date, the health centers collectively have diagnosed 29% (337/1168) of individuals screened to be HCV positive. Of the HCV positive patients, 65% were unaware, and 35% were previously aware of their infection. A total of 89% of patients who screened positive for HCV also had a current or historical substance abuse disorder.

The participating health centers recognized a need to care for these HCV positive patients with primary care services, and all three are now working to begin treating HCV within their practices. Medicaid has changed the ruling on HCV treatment in Ohio, allowing FQHCs to bill for treatment services in consultation with a specialty care provider (i.e. hepatologist, infectious disease provider, or a gastroenterologist). Compass Community Health has set up a Hepatitis C clinic, which began in April 2019 to test and treat patients within their FQHC. Compass is linking identified patients with internal referrals to a provider and care coordinator for treatment. Hopewell Health Centers has also identified a treatment partnership with an outside specialist, and have trained one of their providers to begin to treat HCV infected patients. Valley View Health Centers is currently working on training providers to begin to treat patients for HCV as well. 

Some of the challenges faced during this project were related to the ability of health centers to pull specific data points from their electronic medical record (EMR), and to track patients undergoing treatment of Hepatitis C. Since HCV testing and treatment has not been traditionally offered within the primary care setting, there are not a lot of out of the box EMR solutions. 
For health centers considering providing Hepatitis C Treatment to their patients, some lessons learned from this pilot project are as follows:

• Providing appropriate training to staff on screening and testing patients
• Decide if universal screening for adults or targeted screening based on risk factors is more effective for your health center
• Develop a process for initiating treatment with a partner agency or in consultation with a specialist (as mentioned above) 
• Designate a dedicated staff member for Hepatitis C management and prevention in order to link patients to care and oversee patient engagement in their treatment

Men's Health Week

Men’s Health Week is recognized the week before Father’s Day every June. During this week, people are asked to do a variety of things to help bring awareness to the many health topics that specifically affect men. The goal of Men's Health Week is to raise the amount of awareness for preventable health problems that can affect men and encourage early detection and treatment of those diseases as well. Did you know that Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men? It is the 2nd leading cancer killer of men, behind lung cancer. 

Some of the ways you can help to spread awareness are by wearing blue the Friday before Father’s Day, posting it on social media and encouraging others to do the same.  Other things you can do are encourage others around you to be active and proactive with health screenings. This Father’s Day, spend time with your family doing fun activities like having a healthy bbq or just finding a physical activity everyone can participate in!

Click here for more information....

www.menshealthmonth.org/week

www.cdc.gov/ealthymen
www.prostatehealthguide.com
www.menshealthnetwork.org/healthfacts

Tornadoes: What you should know

Tornado season in Ohio peaks between April and July. Tornados have been known to happen all over Ohio however are most common to occur in areas that have flat grasslands, often times referred to as the "Great Plains." Tornado signals, signs and warnings come in different ways and it is good to have a plan and be able to take action if one strikes near you.

A tornado watch means that the weather conditions are typcial of a tornado. It also means that severe thunderstorms are most likely on the way (if not already happening) as well. However, a tornado warning means that one has been spotted and will occur soon. In that situation, you should take cover. Make a

plan in advance for tornadoes as they can strike at any time.

Here are a couple tips on how you can stay safe and prepare for a tornado:

• Have fresh batteries and a battery operated device ie; radio, tv so that you can listen to emergency information
• Keep an emergency kit with water, non-perishable food, and medication
• Know where to take shelter in your home and stay away from windows.

If you happen to be driving during a tornado, NOAA and Red Cross suggest that you should buckle your seat belt, cover your face and head with a blanket if you have one, and shield yourself from the windshield. It is not recommended that you take shelter under an overpass or a ditch as you are leaving yourself vulnerable to debris.

For more resources about tornados and tornado safety:

HRSA EP Resources for CHCs

Tornado Watch vs Tornado Warning

www.ready.gov/tornadoes
www.weather.gov/safety/tornado
City of Dayton on Boil-Water advisory

To Get involved in Tornado relief, Contact:

• Direct Relief – Katie Lewis, klewis@directrelief.org, 805-879-4945 
• Americares - Director of Response, Brian Scheel, bscheel@americares.org