Apply for Newest Health Disparities Leadership Program

The National Council is pleased to announce the Call for Applications for the2014-2015 Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program. Selected participants will join a highly-competitive 12-month leadership program comprised of mid-level managers from diverse ethnic backgrounds who currently work at community mental health and addiction provider organizations. Through participation, you will gain knowledge and skills to lead effective initiatives to improve health outcomes for the diverse populations you serve.

The National Council is committed to doing our part to foster a diverse mental health and addictions workforce, inclusive of development opportunities for emerging leaders within community behavioral health organizations. As such, we are pleased to continue to offer this program at no cost for applicants from member organizations, including all program activities (webinars, coaching, etc.), and all travel and hotel expenses for in-person meetings.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

From October 2014 through September 2015, the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program includes three in-person meetings in which participants will engage in a robust learning forum to enhance their management and leadership skills and knowledge regarding change strategies to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes. During the first meeting, participants will begin developing a customized “stretch project” that directly relates to your organization’s strategic priorities and your own leadership goals.
Individuals are eligible for the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program if they are a “middle manager” at a community mental health and addiction prevention, treatment, or recovery setting. Middle manager is defined as being an intermediate supervisor who has direct reports and reports to others within the organization. Applicants do not need to be clinicians, but must have the ability to directly influence practices to address health disparities.

For consideration, please complete the online application form by 5:00pm EDT on Wednesday, August 20th, 2014. Questions about the application can be sent to Adam Swanson, Policy Associate, Policy and Practice Improvement. We will make every effort to select participants from provider organizations in varying states serving diverse communities.

In addition to in-person meetings, participants will engage in bimonthly webinars, monthly 1:1 calls with faculty trained in professional coaching, and peer-to-peer support through monthly calls and social media. All program activities support implementation of stretch projects, and the final in-person meeting highlights participants’ successes and promotes sustainability. 

Participants acquire knowledge and skills on a variety of topics including: adaptive leadership techniques, managing system change, building collaborations and working in teams, developing shared goals, change management, and conflict resolution.  In addition, you will define your own professional growth and development goals and receive individualized support through coaching and peer-to-peer activities.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY 

This program is only open to National Council members; if you are accepted into the program without membership, your organization must join the National Council prior to the program introduction webinar on October 14, 2014.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

For more information about the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program, please contact Mohini Venkatesh, Vice President, Practice Improvement, at (202)684-3730 or MohiniV@thenationalcouncil.org.

CMS Office of Minority Health Webinar: An Overview of Coverage to Care

The CMS Office of Minority Health invites you to the next: 

Disparities Dialogue
 

An Overview of Coverage to Care

Wednesday, July 30, 2014
12-1 pm EDT 

Given by Cara James, PhD
Director of the CMS Office of Minority Health 

Register

Coverage to Care (C2C) is designed to help answer questions that people may have about their new health coverage, and to help make the most of their new benefits, including taking full advantage of primary care and preventive services. It also seeks to give health care providers the tools they need to promote patient engagement. For more information about C2C, visit http://marketplace.cms.gov/help-us/c2c.html.

Annual CDC Report from National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities released its annual report for FY 2013,

Improving the Health of People with Disabilities.  It contains good data, links and info-graphics.

HHS Offers Evidence-Based Materials for Conversations About Brain Health

The Brain Health Resource, recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a new set of materials that highlights what people can do to help keep their brains functioning best as they age. The materials are intended to facilitate conversations on brain health and consist of:

• A PowerPoint presentation that teaches older adults and their caregivers how to reduce risks related to brain health;

• An accompanying Educator Guide that provides additional information for presenters to share with audiences;

• A one-page handout for older adults and caregivers called Brain Health as You Age: You Can Make a Difference; and

• A supplementary handout, Brain Health as You Age: Key Facts and Resources, that includes basic information and resources for the topics covered in the presentation.

These resources provide ready-made materials that public health officials can use to promote brain health – as a stand-alone effort and/or by integrating the messages into existing relevant public health efforts. In addition, local public health officials should consider partnering with their local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to present and distribute this material at places such as local senior centers. For more information on the materials or how to use them, please contact Jane Tilly with the Administration for Community Living (ACL) atjane.tilly@acl.hhs.gov.

HHS Study shows impact of ACA by State

The Department of Health and Human Services' Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, "estimating that 10.3 million uninsured adults gained health care coverage following the first open enrollment period in the Health Insurance Marketplace.  The report examines trends in insurance before and after the open enrollment period and finds greater gains among those states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act."  Click: For more information.

Healthcare coverage options if you lose your job

If you lose your job and are no longer covered through your employer, you may be able to find affordable health coverage in the Marketplace.

Use our screener now to find out if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Here are some important things to know about job loss and health coverage:

Marketplace health coverage. If you lose your job-based insurance for any reason, you can buy a private health insurance plan in the Marketplace. This is true even if you leave your job outside of Open Enrollment. When you apply for Marketplace coverage, you’ll also learn if you qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

COBRA coverage. If you have COBRA coverage you can keep it. In some cases, you can buy Marketplace coverage instead. If COBRA ends outside of Open Enrollment, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Continue reading Coverage options if you lose your job...

The HealthCare.gov Team

How to Become a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) Organization Webinar

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services welcome you to join a webinar on Wednesday, July 23, on how you can become a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) organization in a state with a Federally-facilitated Marketplace or a State Partnership Marketplace. If you are interested in becoming a CAC organization but were previously determined to be ineligible, we encourage you to attend the webinar to receive clarification on eligibility requirements. We also encourage you to submit questions in advance regarding the CAC program to Champion@cms.hhs.gov.

What: How to Become a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) Organization Webinar for Champions for Coverage

Who should attend: Primarily for organizations who have joined the Champions for Coverage program and National Stakeholders and organizations interested in learning more about becoming a Certified Application Counselor organization to assist with Marketplace Enrollment. 

When: Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at 2 pm EDT 

How:

Webinar link: https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/c4c72314/
Participant Number: 1-800-837-1935 Conference ID: 54119588
**Due to high expected call volume, please dial in and log on at least 10 minutes before the call to avoid delays in joining the webinar. 

 
For more information on the Certified Application Counselor (CAC) program and basic eligibility criteria, visit:http://marketplace.cms.gov/help-us/cac.html. 

Please feel free to forward this invitation to interested organizations in your community. We look forward to seeing you there!
 

 -CMS Office of Communications, Partner Relations Group