Junior League CARE Fair set for Friday and Saturday, July 10th & 11th

Members of Utah's African American community meet to discuss community issues

OHD is sponsoring a community-based effort among U.S. born African Americans in Utah to gather and discuss ways to address needs within the community.

A group of 19 community members met on June 13 to determine whether a community-based participatory approach would be possible and sustainable. The group is discussing ways to gather the community to address health and other related issues, connect with others in the community, gather resources and identify strengths to address common concerns.

The group hopes to identify three priorities areas of focus. A listserve of contacts will be developed in an effort to share resources and let community members know of relevant community events and services.

For more information contact Tashelle Wright at tashellewright@utah.gov or disparities@utah.gov.

OHD's Bridging Communities and Clinics Program in full swing this summer

OHD is now in its fourth year of the Bridging Communities and Clinics Project (BCC)- an effort that links underserved communities with medical homes.   The BCC Outreach Team offers health screenings at events hosted by multicultural, community-based organizations. The team provides free screening tests for blood glucose, cholesterol and other health risk factors, along with individual referrals to affordable primary care services. The Outreach Team follows-up with screening participants to assist with scheduling appointments, basic health questions and assistance with language barriers.

The BCC Outreach Team has been hard at work this summer. Interns have braved the heat and participated in many community events already, including CommUNITY Fair, Project Cornucopia by Granger Christian Church and Juneteenth Festival.  BCC efforts are successful for many reasons, but primarily because community members have been receptive to the screenings. “Many people at the community events are really interested in learning about their cholesterol and glucose levels,” said Brittney Okada, Outreach Team member. “For a lot of them it is their first time being screened, so it is a great opportunity for us to share with them how to improve their health and also link them to a nearby clinic that can help them too.”

Here are a some events where BCC will offer screenings:

• Wednesday, June 17 | 2-5 pm |Refugee Health Fair | Catholic Community Services 745 E. 300 S., Salt Lake City
• Wednesday, June 17 | 2-5 pm | Centro Hispano 817 S Freedom Blvd, Provo 
• Saturday, June 20 |10 am – 2 pm | Project Cornucopia |Granger Christian Church 4100 S 3232 W, West Valley City
• Saturday, June 20 | 3 – 6 pm | Juneteenth Festival | Weber State Shepherd Union 3850 University Circle, Ogden
• Tuesday, June 30 | 4 - 7 pm | Centro Hispano 817 S Freedom Blvd, Provo 
• Saturday, August 1 |12 – 3 pm | Chinese Community Health Fair |Master Lu’s Health Center  3300 S. State, Salt Lake City
• Wednesday, August 12 | 5 – 7 pm |Granite School District Refugee Family Fair| Granite School District 2500 S. State, Salt Lake City
• Saturday, August 15 | 8 am - 12 pm | Shoes for School | Hillsdale Elementary 3275 W. 3100 S. West Valley City
• Monday, August 17  |5 – 8 pm | Shoes for School | Hillcrest Elementary 651 E 1400 S, Orem 
• Saturday, September 5 |10 am – 2 pm | Festival Latinoamericano |Utah County Courthouse 51 S University Ave., Provo 
• Saturday, September 19  | 10 am – 2 pm | Ventanilla de Salud | Consulate of Mexico 1380 S. Main, Salt Lake City
• Saturday, September 26 | 8 am – 1 pm | Midvale Family Health Fair | Copperview Recreation Center 8446 Harrison, Midvale
• Saturday, October 17 | 10 am – 2 pm | Semanas de Salud | Consulate of Mexico 1380 S. Main, Salt Lake City
• Monday, November 9 | 6 - 8:30 PM |Pacific Islander Health Expo| Sorenson Multicultural Center 855 W. 1300 S., Salt Lake City

For more information about the BCC program, contact disparities@utah.gov.

Oral Health Outreach Education and Materials

 Special Olympics 2015

The Oral Health Program at the Utah Department of Health (OHP) is involved in outreach and education with diverse, low-income and underserved populations in Utah. OHP is reaching vulnerable populations throughout the state. Learn more about OHP's outreach efforts. 

The Oral Health Program at the UDOH wants to share with their partners free oral health education materials. The Pregnancy and Oral Health handout from the National Maternal Child and Oral Health resource center was translated into Spanish and is now available online. Look to the left column and you will find other related topics for oral health.  Here is the link: http://mchoralhealth.org/Topics/pregnancy.html and for more materials in Spanish see: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/health/oral-health/spanish-materials/spanish-materials.html

For more information about education efforts and materials, contact Michelle Martin at mlmartin@utah.gov.

Statement by HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell on the Affordable Care Act

News Release
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services	202-690-6343 media@hhs.gov www.hhs.gov/news Twitter @HHSMedia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 25, 2015

Statement by HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell on the Affordable Care Act 

Today’s Supreme Court decision confirms that the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits are available to all eligible Americans no matter where they live.  Americans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia can continue to rely on the security and peace of mind that come with affordable, quality health care coverage. 
Over six million Americans and their families will sleep easier knowing they will still be able to afford health coverage. Millions more won’t have to worry about an upward spiral in their premiums because of today’s decision, even if they didn’t buy their insurance through the Marketplace.  And the law’s financial assistance will be available in the next open enrollment so that others can benefit as well.
The Affordable Care Act is working to improve access, affordability and quality.
That is the story I hear as I travel across this country. People’s lives have been changed and even saved because they have health insurance—many for the first time. They have coverage that can keep them healthy and provide quality care when they are sick.
The Affordable Care Act also strengthens protections for almost every American with health insurance. People with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage or charged higher premiums. Critical preventive services, like immunizations and certain cancer screenings, are available at no additional cost. Since parents can keep their children on their health insurance policies up to age 26, young Americans can stay in school or find their first job without worrying about their coverage.  And your health premiums can no longer be higher just because you are a woman.
I hope that this positive decision will do what the American people want us to do -- focus on the substance and turn to building on the progress we have made. They want us to move forward to provide more Americans with affordable access to quality coverage and create a health care system that improves the quality of care and spends our dollars more wisely.  

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Follow HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Twitter @SecBurwell

Medicare & Medicaid are turning 50: Share your story!

As the 50 year anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid approaches, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is looking for stories about how these programs have changed the lives of Americans across the nation.

One of the goals for the anniversary is to illustrate the faces of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Personal stories play an important role in bringing public policy to life. They show how our health care programs change the lives of real families and impact communities across the country.

In the coming months, we plan to share beneficiary stories in a number of ways. Stories will be used to help bring life to speeches and content on our websites. Some beneficiaries will be invited to share their stories at events or be interviewed for videos. 

ICMS is seeking help collecting the stories of beneficiaries, partners, and providers in the community. For the past 50 years, Medicare and Medicaid have been protecting the health and well-being of millions of families, changing their lives, and improving America’s economic security. The story of Medicare and Medicaid’s success starts at the local level, and we want to make sure your community is included. Please share your story on or before June 26, 2015. 

HHS Region VIII Newsletter

You can submit a story to CMS by using the following link: http://www.medicare.gov/anniversary/share-your-story.html.

Supreme Court Rules ACA Subsidies Are Legal

Kaiser Health News

The Affordable Care Act survived its second Supreme Court test in three years, raising odds for its survival but by no means ending the legal and political assaults on it five years after it became law.

The 6-3 ruling stopped a challenge that would have erased subsidies in at least 34 states for individuals and families buying insurance through the federal government’s online marketplace. Such a result would have made coverage unaffordable for millions and created price spirals for those who kept their policies, many experts predicted.

photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the court, joined by frequent swing vote Anthony Kennedy and the liberal justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

The case hinged on tax credits created by Congress to help middle-income consumers buy insurance through online marketplaces, also known as exchanges.
The subsidies are available through an exchange “established by the state,” according to the law.

Thirty-four states did not set up their own exchanges and rely instead on healthcare.gov, run by the federal government. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that, as a result, millions of consumers in those states should not receive tax credits to pay premiums.

Justice Antonin Scalia agreed. Writing the dissenting opinion, he asserted: “Today’s interpretation is not merely unnatural; it is unheard of. Who would ever have dreamt that ‘Exchange established by the State’ means ‘Exchange established by the State or the Federal Government’?”

Pulling the subsidies would have undermined the insurance market in those states to the point of likely failure, experts said. Unable to afford the coverage, many consumers would have dropped out. Those remaining would probably have been older and sicker, driving up premiums to unsustainable levels.

Read the entire article at http://khn.org/news/high-court-upholds-health-law-subsidies/