OCTOBER 2011

SAFETY NET COLLABORATIVE NEWS

Task forces completing important work — The Safety Net Collaborative’s Specialty Care Task Force, Infrastructure Task Force and After Hours/Care Coordination Committee are moving forward on several fronts to improve health care for the uninsured and underinsured in Greater Kansas City.

• The Specialty Care Task Force, co-chaired by Beth Kalberg, Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics, and Hilda Fuentes, Samuel U. Rodgers, is reviewing the results of a recent survey on specialty care referrals to identify what types of referrals are most difficult for patients to obtain and why. The task force is preparing an analysis and will present recommendations to the Safety Net Collaborative soon. The group’s next meeting is at 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 21, in the MARC Conference center.
• The Infrastructure Task Force, co-chaired by Bridget McCandless, Share Care Free Health Clinic, and Amy Falk, Caritas Clinics, is charged with crafting and disseminating a message to stakeholders and potential funders about the need for infrastructure support funding. This narrative will stress the importance of safety net health care providers, particularly in light of health care reform. Currently, the group is developing fact sheets on three major areas of concern — workforce capacity and competency; information and data systems; and organizational capacity — to help safety net providers speak to policy makers and funders with a unified voice. The next meeting is at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, in the MARC Conference Center.
• The After Hours/Care Coordination Committee, chaired by Jimmy Brown, Swope Health Services, recently received grant funding from the REACH Foundation to support its third year of operation. Additional Year 3 funding from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City is anticipated. Participating clinics — Kansas City Free Health Clinic, Health Partnership Clinic of Johnson County, Swope Health Services, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center and Quindaro Family Health Care — provide 73 hours per month of expanded, after-hours care. Another grant from the Health Care Foundation is supporting care-coordination efforts. Based in the KC Free Health Clinic and soon to be expanded to all participating clinics, this program tracks and monitors patients and treatment programs, helping to identify and coordinate care for the chronically ill. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 1:30 p.m., at the Kansas City Free Health Clinic, 3515 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo.

METROPOLITAN MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

Regional Children’s Behavioral Health Needs Assessment Nearly Complete — With funding from the REACH Healthcare Foundation and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, the Metropolitan Mental Health Stakeholders’ Children’s System Change Committee is conducting a comprehensive children’s behavioral health needs assessment in the bistate Kansas City region. The assessment will identify services currently available, how information is shared among providers and trends that may impede access to quality behavioral health care for children. The assessment, to be completed in December, will also include recommendations and an action plan for improved access to quality care. Stakeholders will be invited to review the plan at a workshop to be held on Jan. 19 at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center. For more information, contact Jody Denson.

LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS

Rural health network receives information technology grant — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $900,000 to the Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County. The funds will support implementation of electronic health records and health information technology in Lafayette, Ray, Saline and Carroll counties over the next three years. More>

Quality improvement training — On Nov. 15–16, the Clay County Public Health Center will host “Quality Improvement: A Practical Application.” Dr. Beverly Triana-Tremain, will proved practical, down-to-earth steps instruction on introducing quality improvement in to public health settings. Participants must register by Oct. 31. Call 816-595-4266 or email msteinkamp@clayhealth.com for more information.

Scopes for Hope benefit features entertainment, silent auction — The Shared Care Free Clinic of Jackson County will host its third annual Scopes for Hope benefit on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Holiday Inn Sports Complex Hotel, 9103 East 39th Street, Kansas City, Mo. To RSVP, call 816-404-6455 or email admin@sharedcarefree.org.

STATE & NATIONAL NEWS

Group seeks cigarette tax increase — The American Cancer Society and other health care advocates are seeking petition signatures in support of a ballot initiative that would increase Missouri’s cigarette excise tax from 17 cents per pack to 97 cents. The coalition must get 90,000 signatures by May 2012 to put the issue before voters. The initiative would generate new revenues of approximately $308 million a year.

More Physicians Seeking Business Degrees — Increasingly, physicians must focus on the business side of health care. More universities are offering combined MD/MBA degrees according to the New York Times.

Who really tracks deadly diseases? — The Washington Post recently interviewed a member of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service — real life counterparts to the characters in the movie Contagion.

Public health funding at risk — If Congress’ Supercommittee fails to agree on deficit-reduction measures, automatic spending cuts would begin in 2013. While much attention has focused on Medicaid and Medicare, health advocates note that deep cuts could affect many public health programs. More>