|
|
| www.casbhc.org CASBHC News |
Spring 2010 |
|
|
|
|
CASBHC News
Many who tried to contact Betty Pepin at the CASBHC office during the past couple of months were dismayed to learn she was out on medical leave. We are happy to report that Betty is back at work and feeling fine. Betty would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. She is in the office Tuesday through Thursday and if you leave a message for her she will respond as soon as possible. Her number is 303-399-6380, extension 105.
CASBHC has contracted with Maureen Daly to write a "how-to" manual for those interested in starting a new school-based health center. CASBHC expects the manual to be ready for distribution in July. Maureen recently returned to Colorado after serving as the Program and Medical Director of the Adolescent School Health Initiative for the state of Louisiana. The mission of the initiative is, in part, to provide technical assistance to SBHCs and to establish and monitor compliance with standards.
CASBHC's lobbyists closely watched the budgeting process in the state legislature over the past few months to assure the SBHC Grant Program would remain funded. At this point, CASBHC is happy to report the appropriation remains funded at virtually the same level as in the 2009 fiscal year. The total amount available to support SBHC operations has decreased, however, because a private grant to CDPHE has expired. | |
|
SBHC Profile: Montrose County School District
 The Montrose County School District RE-1J (MCSD) is the western slope's second largest school district, after Mesa County Valley 51. In 2007, MCSD opened its first school-based health center (SBHC) for the students of Montrose on the grounds of Northside Elementary School. Northside has 78% of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. The SBHC is staffed with a nurse practitioner, a mental health professional, an outreach coordinator and a health technician. So far, 631 students have used the clinic.
Building on two years of success at the Northside SBHC, Montrose County School District opened a second school-based health center at Olathe Elementary School at the start of the 2009-10 school year. This unique clinic is housed in a modular building on the edge of school property. One half of the building is a SBHC while on the other side of a wall dividing the structure in two is a community health center. Students access the SBHC from school property and community members enter through a separate door which opens to the street. Students and community members are entirely separated from one another and never see each other while in the clinic.
MCSD's work to improve students' health has earned the school district several awards. The Montrose County School District was a 2009 recipient of the Legacy Foundation's Commissioner's Choice Award for Best Practices in Health and Wellness. In March of 2010, MCSD won first place honors in the 2010 Magna Awards for breaking down barriers that prevent low-income students from getting health care. The Magna Awards are given by the American School Board Journal to recognize school boards for taking bold and innovative steps to improve their educational programs.
The Northside Elementary School SBHC and the Olathe School-Based Community Health Clinic are open throughout the year. Both SBHCs provide preventative and primary care to all students enrolled in a MCSD school. They both bill Medicaid, CHP+, patient/family and have a sliding fee scale. In addition, both sites provide application assistance for those enrolling in public health insurance and are working on targeted outreach and enrollment with CASBHC . |
|
The Colorado Health Foundation's SBHC Initiative
In June of 2009, the Colorado Health Foundation (TCHF) announced a four-year initiative to dramatically increase the number of school-based health centers (SBHCs) in Colorado. The intent of the initiative is to support the planning and implementation of more than 20 new school-based health programs. The foundation estimates that these new programs will serve an additional 15,000 Colorado students each year.
The Colorado Health Foundation developed a three-step process for opening a new SBHC. Grant application deadlines occur quarterly and review of applications requires three to four months.
The first step in the planning process is completing a Readiness Assessment, which describes the community's resources, needs, and partners. The Readiness Assessment requires the formation of a comprehensive planning group, the identification of a medical sponsor, and the results of several surveys. Completing the Readiness Assessment, along with a brief grant application, may take from three to six months. Betty Pepin is available to answer questions about the Readiness Assessment at pepin@casbhc.org. Once the Readiness Assessment is submitted, it will take TCHF three to four months to review the assessment and application before a decision is rendered.
If the review is positive, a planning grant of up to $20,000 is awarded. The centerpiece of the planning process is creating a multi-year Business Plan for the SBHC. A well thought out and thorough Business Plan is crucial for implementation funding. CASBHC has developed a list of consultants who are available to help with Business Plan development. Contact Betty Pepin at the email address shown above for more information. Communities not familiar with SBHCs may need up to a year to complete their planning. As with the Readiness Assessment, review of the Business Plan by TCHF will take three to four months.
The third and final step of the process is the implementation grant. Based on the details of the Business Plan and the implementation funding application, up to $400,000 may be awarded over four years. Implementation funding can be used for operating expenses and modest costs to construct or renovate facilities. If major remodel or construction is necessary, then a separate source of funding may be necessary.
The table below summarizes the approximate timeline from the start of the Readiness Assessment to the beginning of SBHC implementation.
|
Timeline of SBHC from Start to Implementation |
|
Development of Readiness Assessment |
3-6 months |
|
Review by TCHF |
3-4 months |
|
Development of Business Plan |
3-12 months |
|
Review by TCHF |
3-4 months |
|
Award of Implementation Grant |
|
|
Total Time |
12-26 months |
Details about the SBHC Initiative, including Frequently Asked Questions and past webinars, can be found at
www.coloradohealth.org/school-based_health_care.aspx. The Foundation will host another webinar in May for those considering applying. Watch your email inbox or the Colorado Health Foundation's website for details about this upcoming webinar. Finally, on the website of The Colorado Health Foundation are also many good tips about grant writing. To view these tips, go to
www.coloradohealth.org/grant_resources.aspx. |
|
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing Awarded CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant for Studying SBHCs
In February, it was announced that Colorado, in partnership with New Mexico, was awarded a five year grant totaling $7,784,030 to evaluate the school-based health center model and determine if the model can be recommended for replication on a broader scale.
The federal grant will allow the two states to evaluate the quality of health care provided in SBHCs and implement new processes to enhance the function of centers. It is not known at this point which SBHCs will be contacted to participate in the study. The grant will not provide direct service funds to the school-based health centers in Colorado or New Mexico. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) will manage this grant. |
|
SBHC Quality Standards Approved
In January, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment approved the Quality Standards for Colorado School-Based Health Centers. The standards define the components of a quality school-based health center and address the following topics: the population to be served, staffing, facility, sponsorship and scope of services provided. The standards are intended to support school-based health centers as they strive for quality improvement and closer alignment with the mainstream health care system.
The purposes of the quality standards include: providing a common definition of school-based health centers; setting benchmarks for quality and comprehensive services; helping communities in planning new SBHCs; determining SBHC eligibility for state-directed funding; and, supporting SBHCs in funding opportunities.
The standards were developed by almost two dozen stakeholders in the school-based health care movement. Included on the Standards Workgroup were Betty Pepin, of CASBHC, and CASBHC board members Claudia Imes, Steve Federico, and Erin Majors. Others involved with SBHCs and CASBHC include Lynn Bakken, Amy Pickett, Jaynee Fontecchio-Spradling, and Amy Barton.
|
|
By the Numbers
51% of Colorado schools have a policy prohibiting tobacco 24/7 at all school events.
23% of Colorado schools have a full-time registered nurse on site during school hours.
13% of Colorado schools offer fruits & non-fried vegetables at school stores and celebrations.
77% of Colorado middle and high school students can purchase food or beverages from vending machines, school store, or snack bar.
11% of Colorado schools price nutritious food & beverages at low cost while pricing less nutritious food & beverages at a higher cost.
15% of Colorado schools have conducted taste tests to determine food preferences for nutritious items.
Source: Colorado Connections for Healthy Schools: 2008 School Health Profile Survey |
People, Resources and Events
CASBHC's Annual Conference CASBHC's 2010 annual conference, Building Bridges to School Health: Coordinating Care and Recognizing Successes, will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the Denver Tech Center on May 6th and 7th. Also, on May 5th CASBHC will host a training on the adolescent reproductive health toolkit it has developed. Details about the conference, including a tentative schedule, can be found on the CASBHC website at
www.casbhc.org/Events.asp. The annual Inspiration Awards banquet will be held on the evening of May 6th. To register now, go to
www.blacktie-colorado.com and type buildingbridges2010 in the yellow RSVP CODE box at the top of the page.
Free Practice Management Improvement Tutorial Available NASBHC has created an online tutorial comprised of seven modules that walk the user through the implementation of a comprehensive SBHC practice management quality improvement process. The user will be able to assess the SBHC's improvement across five domains: Facilities, Business Operations, Human Resources, Care Management, and Practice Compliance. The modules include narrated presentations, downloadable presentations, forms, handouts, and links to other resources. Access the tutorial at:
www.nasbhc.org/site/c.jsJPKWPFJrH/b.5880685/k.FBD8/Practice_Management.htm.
Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society for Adolescent Medicine Spring Banquet The RM-SAM's annual spring dinner meeting is scheduled for April 20 from 6 until 9 PM at the Wellshire Inn in Denver. During the meeting, the Kathleen Ann Mullen Award will be presented for "outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent medicine". For more information, email communications@rmsam.org.
Free Resource Available for Parents and Teachers The Center for Systems Integration (CSI) is working on a project called Building Bridges to Children's Mental Health. The goal of the project is to build a statewide system to support and sustain the integration of public schools and local behavioral health systems. This statewide system will lead to increased access to behavioral health services and improved outcomes for school-aged children. CSI has posted fact sheets on their website which contain basic information about some common mental health disorders, a list of the more common symptoms, a summary of the educational implications of the disorder, instructional strategies and classroom accommodations. The fact sheets can be found at
www.csi-policy.org/buildingbridges/index.html.
The Colorado Health Foundation Grant Deadlines Occur Quarterly The next deadlines for submitting grant applications are April 15 and July 15. To see the guidelines and to apply for a grant online go to www.coloradohealth.org/school-based_health_care.aspx. For more information about SBHC grants, call Amy Latham at (303) 953-3670.
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.
| |
|
|
|
