CHAD Connection October 3, 2024

In September, Family HealthCare partnered with Moorhead Area Public Schools (Minnesota) to serve students and their families. We spoke with Julie Sorby Engen, Director of Community Development, about their new partnership and location:

Congratulations on the opening of your school-based clinic! Tell us about the new clinic – what services will you provide, and who do you hope to reach with this new location?

The Moorhead School-Based Health Clinic, located within the Moorhead Career Academy in Moorhead, MN, offers convenient access to health care for students. Open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, the clinic operates in alignment with the Moorhead Area Public Schools calendar—ensuring that if school is in session, the clinic is available.

At the clinic, we provide essential services such as diagnosing and treating minor illnesses and injuries, as well as administering vaccinations. High school students can easily access the clinic using the school's shuttle system without the need for parental presence, as long as consent for services has been given. For middle and elementary students, the clinic is accessible when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Our goal with this new clinic is to make high-quality healthcare more accessible to students and empower families and the community with convenient, school-based health services. With this comprehensive approach, we strive to significantly reduce student absenteeism and enhance student participation in various school activities.

Can you share more about your partnership with the school district? How do you envision working together to promote and sustain the school-based clinic?

Family HealthCare’s (FHC) partnership with Moorhead Area Public Schools (MAPS) is a well-established and impactful collaboration.  Through our Mobile Unit Program, we have facilitated over 500 comprehensive dental visits, immunized more than 150 middle school students, and initiated an annual sports physical event benefiting over 50 students.  Over the past three years, this partnership has significantly enhanced the health and well-being of students. MAPS leadership attributes a dramatic improvement in student attendance to these various programs.

MAPS  have observed a steady increase in the utilization of student health services, with a 5% rise in students seeking support for various health needs in the last academic year.  Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of students without insurance coverage. To address this, FHC has a team of enrollment specialists who assist families in finding suitable insurance plans. We also offer a sliding fee discount program to ensure that all students have access to necessary health services.

Looking ahead, we envision continuing to work closely with MAPS to promote and sustain the school-based clinic. FHC and MAPS aim to ensure that every student receives the care they need to thrive academically and personally. By leveraging our resources and expertise, we aim to create a healthier environment and support the overall well-being of the student community.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Cancer Insitute, approximately 310,720 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. You can help spread the word about early detection through mammograms and encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.

Most breast cancers are found in women age 50 or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. The USPSTF (U.S. Preventative Services Task Force) released updated recommendations for breast cancer screening. The recommendation includes biennial screening for breast cancer beginning at age 40 for women of average risk.

Regular breast self-exams, an annual exam, and mammograms are essential tools in breast cancer detection — especially early detection, when cancers may be more treatable. Being a woman and growing older are the two most significant risk factors for breast cancer. Those factors are difficult to change, but other risk factors exist, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and not exercising regularly.

Health centers can use this opportunity to spread the word about taking steps to detect breast cancer early:

Ask providers to speak to women about the importance of getting screened for breast cancer;

Encourage women starting at age 40 to talk with their doctors about when to start getting mammograms;

Raise awareness of helpful resources, care services, and support groups;

Provide messaging that involves using culturally appropriate language, imagery, and examples that resonate with specific communities; and

Screen for potential barriers to breast cancer screening and connect patients to community resources.

Additional Resources:

Women's Way Resources and Materials 

CDC Printable Materials

SD SLRP is for primary care providers, mental health providers, and dental health providers practicing in rural and urban Health Professional Shortage Areas in South Dakota. The purpose of SD SLRP is to improve access to primary care by assisting underserved communities with the recruitment and retention of primary care providers.

Eligible licensed health professionals can apply for funds for the repayment of qualifying educational loans of up to $30,000 annually for a limited number of full-time primary care providers and up to $15,000 annually for half-time primary care providers. In return for the loan repayment award, participants must complete a two-year service obligation in nonprofit private or public sites located in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.

The application period opened on October 1, 2024. Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first come first served basis. For additional information visit South Dakota Department of Health’s state loan repayment page.

If you live in North Dakota, you’ve likely heard talk about ballot Measure 4. If passed in November, Measure 4 would abolish the current property tax in North Dakota. Passing Measure 4 could threaten the sustainability of programs that are important to community health centers and patients. For this reason, CHAD has joined the Keep It Local statewide coalition opposing Measure 4 with the support of our Board of Directors in North Dakota.

The Keep It Local coalition is a statewide coalition with over 95 member organizations representing an ideologically broad group of people. Other members in health care include the North Dakota Hospital Association, the North Dakota Medical Association, and the North Dakota Long Term Care Association. You can see the full list of coalition members here.

Measure 4 does not include a plan for replacing the funds that will be lost by eliminating property taxes. If Measure 4 passes, the North Dakota Legislature will be required to come up with $1.575 billion per year or $3.15 billion per biennium to replace the lost funding to schools and local government services beginning with the upcoming legislative session. This is nearly 40% of the previous biennium state budget. It would be up to the legislature to decide where those funds would come from.

There is a real concern that efforts to replace the funds at the state level could lead to a reduction in access to health care services for patients and their families (especially in rural areas), a reduction in funding for public health, public transportation, and social services available. Losing local services could further impact the ability to recruit and retain a health care workforce.

Measure 4 may have good intentions, but we expect many unintended consequences for our members. That’s why CHAD is opposed to Measure 4. Click here to view a co-branded flyer from health care organizations opposing the measure.

Visit the Keep It Local Coalition for more information including how to get involved and follow the coalition on Facebook to stay up to date on the efforts and messaging.

Communications and marketing play significant roles in health center operations, and robust strategies and tools help drive successful campaigns to promote general awareness, recruiting the workforce, growing the patient base, educating the public, and engaging community leaders and stakeholders.

CHAD works closely with community health centers to develop marketing plans and campaigns and capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities to effectively promote their center and achieve their marketing goals. CHAD provides peer networking and strategy development opportunities through regularly scheduled meetings, trainings and events, and we provide communications and marketing resources and technical assistance in the following areas:

Awareness campaigns
Branding and graphic design support
Paid, earned, and digital media strategies
Media engagement
Events
Policy and advocacy

For more information on this network team, contact Brandon Huether, Communications & Marketing Manager.

After three in-person training sessions in Chamberlain, SD, Bismarck, ND, and Fargo, ND, dozens of health care professionals are now trained with a leadership mindset thanks to our partnership with Think 3D Solutions.

CHAD recognized the need to support the future of our health centers, so we created this training to develop confident and intentional health care supervisors and managers, which will greatly impact our attendees’ organizations, their patients, and their careers. Next, their education will continue with a 9-session virtual training course to continue their growth as a leader.

We thank all our attendees who registered to be a part of our program and look forward to hosting future trainings on leadership.

Get Covered South Dakota Navigators recently attended Avera’s Feria de Salud health fair in Sioux Falls, SD. There, they promoted coverage through enrollment and also celebrated the local Latino community culture.

The Navigators are helping many determine what coverage they are eligible for and how to get signed up, making it easier for so many to get the care they need through enrollment in a health insurance plan.

Outreach and Enrollment Navigators, Emily Haberling (L) and Alex Helvin (R)

Making APO Work For You: Unlocking Creativity for Better Outcomes

Azara Patient Outreach "Set It and Forget It" campaigns have helped DRVS users improve health outcomes by automatically texting patients with open care gaps. By design, these campaigns are easy to set up and require minimal ongoing maintenance. If you're looking to expand your outreach efforts, this webinar is just for you. Join us for an in-depth discussion on the impactful use cases for "Set It and Forget It" campaigns, alongside creative strategies for manual campaigns targeting various patient populations to enhance patient engagement*. Additionally, we will delve into the insights derived from the aggregate APO data at Azara and explore the latest and upcoming APO features.

Thursday October 10

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

Calling all DRVS Super Users and Administrators! In this webinar, we will provide an overview of all the key admin functionalities that can support you in creating cohorts & registries, managing provider & location groups, establishing targets, setting shared filters, and configuring email subscriptions. Learn how to take DRVS to the next level by tailoring the functionality to support your practice's unique goals, priorities, and structures.

Tuesday October 15

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

The 2024 Uniform Data System (UDS) submission deadline will be here before you know it! Get a head start on your validation and reporting efforts. This webinar will cover the key changes to the 2024 UDS CQMs and tables and review the related mapping & data categories to help ensure your success come February. Submit any questions you have on the 2024 updates with your registration.

Thursday October 17

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

Postgraduate Nurse Practitioner (NP) and NP/Physician Associate (PA)
This six-session series will equip health centers with the knowledge and resources to launch their own Postgraduate NP and NP/PA Training Program. This learning collaborative provides health center participants with a roadmap and coaching support on how to implement the formal training program, including program drivers, program structure, recruiting, curriculum development, evaluation, and program accreditation. The learning collaborative is led by two expert faculty members, Charise Corsino (CHC’s Postgraduate NP Residency Program Director) and Kerry Bamrick (Executive Director of the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers).

Tuesday, October 8

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Integrating HIV Testing, Management, and Prevention in Primary Care

You’re invited to join DAETC, North Dakota Health & Human Services Sexually Transmitted Bloodborne Diseases Unit, and CHAD for an engaging virtual seminar on “Integrating HIV Testing, Management, and Prevention in Primary Care.” Presented by Jennifer Sobolik, CNP, AACRN, AAHIVS, sexual and reproductive health provider at Complete Health in Rapid City, SD, this seminar will cover essential best practices for effectively caring for people with or at increased risk for acquiring HIV and seamlessly integrating these practices into primary care.

The AAFP has reviewed Integrating HIV Testing, Management and Prevention in Primary Care and deemed it acceptable for up to 3.00 Live AAFP Elective credit(s). Term of Approval is from 10/16/2024 to 10/16/2024. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Wednesday, October 16

9:00 am CT/8:00 am MT
Register Here

Uniform Data System Training: Web Based Trainings
These free web-based trainings are designed to provide assistance navigating and preparing the 2024 UDS report. This training is for people of all levels of prior UDS experience and covers all aspects of the UDS report.

Understanding the relationship between data elements and tables is crucial for effective reporting of a complete and accurate UDS submission. This interactive training is an excellent way for new staff to understand their UDS reporting effort role. It has been designed for attendees of all levels. All financial, clinical, and administrative staff are invited to learn updates, hone reporting skills, and share questions and experiences with their peers.

Wednesday, November 12
1:00 pm CT/12:00 MT

Thursday, November 14
1:00 pm CT/12:00 MT

Register Here

Comprehensive and Team-Based Care Learning Collaborative
This eight-session series will support health centers beginning or restarting their move to high performance team-based comprehensive primary care.

The learning collaborative provides health center participants with quality improvement concepts and skills to systematically achieve a specific aim and identify areas for process improvement and role optimization. With coaching support and transformational strategies, health centers will develop highly trained clinical primary care teams and work to improve at least one UDS measure.

This learning collaborative is led by multiple experts, including Dr. Tom Bodenheimer (Founder, the Center for Excellence in Primary Care), Deborah Ward (Former Senior Quality Improvement Manager), and Kathleen Thies (Consultant). To learn more, download the syllabus here.

Wednesday, November 13

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT
Register Here

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Impact of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a growing criminal industry, affecting millions of people globally, nationally, and locally. As community advocates and health care professionals, realizing the complex needs of those who have been impacted by the trauma of human trafficking can make a difference in someone’s life. In this presentation, individuals with two organizations provided education about what human trafficking and sexual exploitation looks like, available programs, and how to assist those impacted in the Dakotas. This webinar was presented by the Dakota AIDS Education & Training Center (DAETC) and North Dakota Health & Human Services.

View the recordings and presentations on the CHAD Resources page.

Tuesday, October 8 @ 2:00 pm CT/1:00 pm MT – Communications & Marketing Network Team

Wednesday, October 9 @ 12:00 pm CT/1:00 pm MT – Care Coordination & Care Management Peer Group

Thursday, October 10 @ 11:00 am CT / 10:00 am MT – GP11 Data Governance Meeting
Thursday, October 10 @ 1:00 pm CT /12:00 pm MT – HR/Workforce Network Team

Wednesday, October 16 @ 12:00 pm CT / 11:00 am MT – HCAN Financial Leadership Network