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| www.casbhc.org CASBHC News |
Fall 2009 |
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CASBHC IS HIRING!
The Colorado Association for School Based Health Care (CASBHC) has an opening for a Member Services Director. This position was created when CASBHC became one of 69 organizations in 41 states to receive a Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant supports efforts to find and enroll children who are uninsured but eligible for either Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the awards totaling $40 million on September 29.
Fifty percent of the Member Services Director position will be managing CASBHC's outreach and enrollment project. The director will work closely with project partners and the HHS project officer to ensure that CASBHC's obligations under the grant are fulfilled, and that target production goals for enrollment and retention are met. The other fifty percent of the position will involve identifying best practices to improve the long term sustainability of school based health centers, including the collection of patient revenue, and disseminating best practices to the field.
A complete job announcement can be found at
www.casbhc.org/CASBHC%20Job%20Announcement.pdf
The deadline for applications is November 1. | |
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CASBHC's 2010 Conference Announced
CASBHC is excited to announce that its annual conference, "Building Bridges to School Health: Coordinating Care and Recognizing Successes," will be held Thursday, May 6 and Friday, May 7.
Recognizing that school-based health centers are an integral piece of a community's network of care, the Colorado Association for School-Based Health Care's 2010 conference seeks to provide clinicians and administrators with practical tools that will enhance their provision of care, communication, and coordination of services with other local and community health and support systems.
In addition to the annual conference, CASBHC will also host a pre-conference to provide training on its new Adolescent Reproductive Health Toolkit on Wednesday, May 5.
CASBHC's Adolescent Reproductive Health Toolkit provides ideas about how to reduce barriers youth encounter by engaging community, youth, and clinicians in a unified effort to reduce teen pregnancy and STI rates by increasing access to comprehensive care.
Watch your email and the CASBHC website for further information.
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CDPHE Offers Promising Practices for Integrating Oral Health
Children's access to affordable comprehensive dental care remains challenging. In Colorado 1 in 3 kids covered by Medicaid or CHP+ receives dental service, whereas 2 in 3 commercially insured kids receive a dental service. School-based health centers are uniquely positioned, and have forged strong relationships with key stakeholders necessary for the successful delivery of health care in a school setting. Oral health is a natural extension of the primary physical and mental care offered by SBHCs.
Several best and promising evidence-based practices exist to help expand school-based oral health care. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Oral Health Unit directly supports oral health services in school health settings with a focus on primary prevention. Screening, preventive and educational service models using portable equipment, or using mobile vans focus on key preventive strategies such as sealants and fluoride varnish. These evidence-based programs are a recommended strategy to increase access to oral health care. School fluoride mouth rinse programs, directly administered by school nursing staff, teachers, or a community member, are another strategy supported by the Oral Health Unit. There are numerous opportunities to increase oral health services through the school-based health center model of care delivery and the National Assembly of School Based Health Care has recognized the importance of oral health by developing some helpful resources. Locally, the Oral Health Unit is available to answer questions about specific programs and service delivery models mentioned in this article, or to provide data related to children's oral health. To contact the CDPHE Oral Health Unit, email cdphe.psdrequests@state.co.us or call 303-692-2470.
A special thanks to Alyssa Milam and Theresa Anselmo for this article. |
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SBHCs Find Many Ways to Integrate Dental Care
It is not unusual to find Jaci Lodl in one of Denver Public School's 42 elementary schools with students targeted for dental screening, fluoride varnish treatment and sealants. Jaci is the program coordinator for the Denver Health Dental Sealant Program but prefers to spend much of her time with the 2nd and 3rd graders the program serves. To deliver services to students, Jaci has to first deliver a van-load of equipment to the school. Before meeting with the children, she has to set up a portable examination area. This means unloading a 36 pound portable examination chair, a 48 pound air compressor, sterilized instruments and other equipment of her trade. Last year she saw almost 2,300 students, made over 1,100 referrals, and applied over 2,800 dental sealants.
Rocky Mountain Youth Clinic's Mobile Dental Program also brings preventative dental care to students. Since 2003, the Mobile Dental Program has provided dental care to over 6,000 uninsured students across Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Youth Clinic bus is over 40 feet in length and contains a state of the art preventative dental clinic. Last year, the program provided almost 2,700 x-rays, placed over 2,700 sealants and completed more than 1,500 cleanings. Almost half of the students served by the mobile clinic had never had dental care before and over 60% have some sort of pathology occurring in their mouths, including 15% with one or more abscessed teeth. Rocky Mountain Youth Clinic asks only $10 for each visit. Last year almost $250,000 in services were provided for about $15,000 in patient expense.
Another program dedicated to providing low-cost dental care to Colorado's children is Kids In Need of Dentistry, or KIND. KIND was first formed almost 100 years ago by a group of Denver dentists who recognized the need to provide dental care to the children of low-income miners and railroad workers in rural Colorado. Still active today, KIND is a network of more than 250 volunteers and paid dental professionals who provide preventative care, including exams and cleanings, as well as restorative treatments, orthodontics, and emergency care. Like Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, KIND also owns a mobile dental clinic, which it has named, "Miles for Smiles." KIND asks that patients pay $20 plus a percentage of the cost of services provided for each visit, though no child has ever been turned away because the family did not have the money to pay for care. Each year KIND provides over $1,500,000 of dental care. |
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By the Numbers
- Dental caries are 5 times more common than asthma in 5 to 17 year-olds.
- Dental caries are 7 times more common than hay fever in 5 to 17 year olds.
- 60% U. S. children have one or more decayed or filled primary teeth by age 5.
- More than 25% of Colorado's 9-12 graders reported smoking in the past month.
- Many Colorado children had their first cigarette before they were 10 years old.
- Tobacco use is one of the greatest risk factors for gum disease.
Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment |
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Oral Health Awareness Colorado! (OHAC!)
Oral Health Awareness Colorado! (OHAC!) is a coalition of professionals representing a wide range of public, private and non-profit organizations interested in advancing oral health care in Colorado. Its mission is to develop and promote strategies that achieve optimal oral health for all Coloradans.
OHAC! activities focus on the goals of reducing the burden of oral disease in Colorado, maximizing preventive strategies, increasing collaboration among oral health professionals and others, and changing public perception about the importance of oral health.
In the fall of 2004, the OHAC! coalition convened a summit of key stakeholders from across Colorado to prioritize dental health needs and develop strategies for improving oral health. As a result of the work of the summit participants and the steering committee, "Smart Mouths, Healthy Bodies: An Action Plan to Improve the Oral Health of Coloradans" was developed. The plan focuses on six major topic areas. These topic areas, and the related outcomes and strategies, are designed to help guide and direct a strong, unified statewide movement in support of achieving accessible and affordable oral health for all. The action plan is available at http://www.beasmartmouth.com/pdf/stateplanf.pdf. |
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Free Online Resource Available to Aid in Starting or Improving a School-Based Sealant Program
For those considering how to improve the dental health of school children, there is a free resource available at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/PubsList.pdf which describes how to initiate a school-based dental sealant program. The online downloadable booklet, titled, "Seal America: The Prevention Invention," provides practical guidance for individuals who wish to start a school-based dental sealant program. The manual also addresses issues related to referring students with unmet oral health needs to a dentist, as well as sustainability issues. Established school-based dental sealant programs may also find the manual of interest as they work to improve specific aspects of their program.
School-based dental sealant program staff, directors of health departments and oral health programs, public health professionals, researchers, policymakers, funders, and others working at the national, state, and local levels have shared their expertise to create and update this manual in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the next generation of school-based dental sealant programs.
The manual is a project of the American Association of Community Dental Programs in cooperation with the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Division of Oral Health, and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. |
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Teens Give Input on SBHCs at Junior Achievement Business Week
The week of June 7-12, 2009 brought 150 local high school students to the campus of Johnson and Wales University where they explored business, entrepreneurship and leadership concepts together with some of our community's most accomplished business professionals. Third- and fourth-year students were divided into two companies and worked with staff from CASBHC, The Colorado Health Foundation, and Denver Health. Their goal was to create a winning marketing and floor plan for a potential new school-based health center at Manual High School. Both groups devised impressively comprehensive plans for the center, including sample brochures and 3-D tours of their floor plan. The following suggestions were extracted from their work, consideration of which may lead to a more youth-friendly program.
Marketing
- Print all materials in both English and Spanish
- Use peer/youth educators to promote the SBHC
- Hold beginning of the year classroom/assembly presentations by SBHC staff and youth volunteers
- Use simple, effective messaging, such as: "Private, Quick, and Easy," "Holistic, Cost-Effective, Quick and Easy," or "Cost-Effective, Targeted, and Barrier-free"
- Consider the following promotional items: Pens, Notepads, Bandages, etc.
Technology
- Waiting rooms equipped with a Wii Fit that patients can use rather than sitting
- Wii Fit can also be used at health fairs to promote interaction through movement
- Automated phone calls can be placed to parents at the beginning of the school year (advertising the SBHC, reminding parents to sign enrollment form, etc.)
Considerations with the Internet and Social Marketing:
- Many students don't have access to the internet outside of school
- Facebook/MySpace/Twitter are often not allowed on school computers
- Consider using automatic text messages instead
Physical Space
- Natural light
- Easily accessible yet private
- Student-designed murals on the walls
- Safe space for health education questions
- Closed-in triage area near reception for privacy and questions
- "Green" technology - sustainable building materials
As evidenced by their feats at JA Business Week, teens are capable of much more than giving feedback on already-existing school-based health centers. They are willing and able to work with adults on every aspect of SBHC development, from designing the layout of the center and coming up with a building plan, to decorating the interior and devising effective marketing campaigns. In addition, youth involvement in SBHC planning can lead to centers that are better equipped to address the needs of students. With their insight, future school-based health centers may be a more welcoming place to the teens, and ultimately more effective. |
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Good Vaccination News and Work Still to be Done
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the National Immunization Survey, Colorado ranks 1st nationally for protecting our teens against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis with the Tdap vaccine. To view the September 17, 2009 CDPHE news release, log onto the following website: www.cdphe.state.co.us/release/2009/091709.html. Our state has a 63% coverage rate which is over 20 percentage points higher than the national average!
Thanks to all the adolescent providers and school nurses in Colorado who made this possible!
Colorado still has work to do in protecting our teens from other vaccine preventable diseases. The report included two other important vaccines for adolescents. Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) vaccination coverage is 32%, which is below the national average of 42%. Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination coverage is 34%, which is just below the national average of 37%. |
People, Resources and Events
Healthy Learning Paths' Fall Classes Childcare professionals and teachers can receive credit for attending health classes. See the complete schedule of fall classes at www.healthylearningpaths.org/?page=calendar. For more information, call 303-464-7191.
Kresge Foundation Announces Two New Health Initiatives The Kresge Foundation is making available two new granting opportunities to directly support community health organizations in addressing the critical needs of underserved populations. The Health Clinic Opportunity Fund is targeted to free clinics, public health clinics and those designated federally qualified health center look-alikes and is designed to support and strengthen their capacity to meet both the immediate and long-term health needs of their constituents. For more information, go to www.kresge.org.
Medical Home Initiative Launches New Website The Colorado Medical Home Initiative (CMHI) of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has launched a new website at www.ColoradoMedicalHome.com. The goal of this website is to provide state and local public health agencies, providers, families and health consumers with the necessary tools, resources and communications to encourage, to support and to implement a Medical Home Team and System approach; and is aligned to CDPHE's role as the Colorado Public Health Agency in building a Medical Home Team and System approach to public health.
Free Action Guide to Reduce Childhood Obesity Available The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has released a new action guide. The purpose of the guide is to identify strategies and action steps that will assist when collaborating with schools as partners to increase physical activity, improve nutrition and implement comprehensive health education for students. Download the free action guide at www.cdphe.state.co.us/ps/mch/newfiles/ActionGuide_ReduceChildhoodObesity_072209.pdf
Course on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases On November 16 and 17 the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is hosting a 2-day class on the epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases for physicians, nurses, nursing students, medical assistants, pharmacists, immunization program managers, health educators, and other health professionals who provide immunizations. For more information, go to www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/immunization/.
The Colorado Health Foundation grant deadlines occur quarterly The next deadline is January 15. The foundation has dedication almost $11 million dollars over the next four years to plan for and implement approximately 20 new school-based health centers in Colorado. To speak with a TCHF program officer, please call the main number, (303) 953-3600, or toll-free at (877) 225-0839, and you will be directed to the most appropriate person. To see the guidelines and to apply for a grant online go to www.coloradohealth.org/school-based_health_care.aspx.
Sign Up to be Notified of New Funding Opportunities by The Colorado Trust To be automatically notified of RFPs offered by The Colorado Trust, sign up online by going to www.coloradotrust.org/sign-up. You may also request to receive a variety of other updates from The Colorado Trust at the same time.
Free Tobacco Cessation for Students Available Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative works with providers across the state to assist them in integrating tobacco cessation and alcohol and substance abuse screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) into their clinical practices. For more information, contact Debbie Dion at 303-962-8993 or tobaccoinfo@coloradoguidelines.org. | |
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