News Room
| Clear Communication: A NIH Health Literacy Initiative More and more, today's patients are playing an active role in their health care. Patients and doctors work closely together to achieve the best possible level of health care. An important part of this partnership is clear communication. Asking the right questions-and obtaining quality information about prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery-help ensure safety, prevent errors, and improve health. For example: (1) Sharing questions about prescriptions with can prevent taking too much or too little medicine; (2) Being honest about symptoms can help doctors order the right tests and make the right diagnoses; and, (3) Clear instructions after an operation or hospital stay may be the difference between complete recovery or re-injury and relapse Taking along a family member, friend or caregiver to help you communicate with your doctor can help. So can writing down your questions or concerns in advance of your appointment. NIH offers several publications that can also help promote meaningful interactions between patients and doctors. http://www.nih.gov/clearcommunication/talktoyourdoctor.htm |
| Wheeler Sept. 10-11 conference on aging in Montana to be streamed and available on Web For the first time ever, residents across Montana will be able to participate in a Sept. 10-11 Wheeler Center conference when a forum on the graying of Montana is streamed live via the Web and screened at four state-wide viewing sites. "The Graying of Montana," a two-day discussion about how Montana's aging population is likely to affect the state's priorities in the coming years, will be held Sept. 10 and 11 at the Red Lion Colonial Inn in Helena. Co-sponsored by the Burton K. Wheeler Center, based at Montana State University, and One Montana, the conference will focus on the findings of Montana University System economists regarding the impacts of Montana's steadily aging population. The conference will also detail the ramifications to healthcare, education, infrastructure and other aspects of eldercare in the state with more than 20 speakers from Montana and other areas of the country. http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=11414 |
| Statement from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Community Health Center Week There are 8,500 health center sites across the country, treating more than 20 million people each year. They are the cornerstones of stronger communities. They also boost local economies, adding more than 25,000 jobs in the last three years. This year, as we celebrate Community Health Center Week and its theme of "Powering Healthier Communities," we keep in mind that for 45 years, community health centers have served individuals and families whether they have private insurance, insurance through a public program like CHIP or Medicaid, or no insurance at all. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/08/20120806a.html |
| First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announce next chapter of Let's Move! Cities Towns and Counties Philadelphia, PA-- Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius joined First Lady Michelle Obama and local officials from across the country to announce the next chapter in the Let's Move! Cities, Towns, and Counties program, which encourages local elected officials to focus on improving the health of their communities. Secretary Sebelius announced five goals for local officials to achieve within the next year to address obesity and help communities be healthier. These goals align with Let's Move!'s five basic pillars. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/07/20120718a.html |
| Ten Attributes of a Health Literate Health Care Organization This paper describes 10 attributes of health literate health care organizations, that is, health care organizations that make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. Having health literate health care organizations benefits not only the 77 million Americans who have limited health litera-cy, but also the majority of Americans who have difficulty understanding and using cur-rently available health information and health services (ODPHP, 2008). Although health literacy is commonly defined as an individual trait?the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions (Ratzan and Parker, 2000)?there is a growing appreciation that health literacy does not depend on the skills of individuals alone (IOM, 2003). Health literacy is the product of individuals? capacities and the health literacy?related demands and complexities of the health care system (Baker, 2006; Rudd 2003). System changes are needed to align health care demands better with the public?s skills and abilities (Parker, 2009; Rudd, 2007). Health literacy has been identified as a priority area for national action, first by the Department of Health and Human Services as an objective for Healthy People 2010 (HHS, 2000), and again in the 2003 Institute of Medicine report Health Literacy: A Pre-scription to End Confusion (IOM, 2004). The following decade saw the achievement of many milestones that marked health literacy?s ascendency in both the public and private sectors (Parker and Ratzan, 2010), including a National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy (ODPHP, 2010). Health literacy has now reached a possible tipping point, the place where paying attention to it could quickly become the norm for health care organizations (Koh et al., 2012). http://iom.edu/Global/Perspectives/2012/~/media/Files/Perspectives-Files/2012/Discussion-Papers/BPH_Ten_HLit_Attributes.pdf |
| Making Health Literacy Real: The Beginnings of My Organization's Plan for Action This easy-to-use template from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helps you and your organization get started in developing your own plan to change organizational and professional practices to improve health literacy. Developing a plan for action does not have to be an overwhelming process and this template can help you think through the steps needed from getting buy-in and conducting an assessment to developing goals and monitoring progress. http://healthliteracywisconsin.org/resources.jsp?sectionid=204&id=205 |
| Montana Center to Advance Health through Nursing (MT CAHN) The Montana Center to Advance Health through Nursing (MT CAHN) was formed in response to the October 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The IOM report's recommendations are being brought to life through the work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and AARP Center to Champion Nursing's Initiative on the Future of Nursing, which formed the current Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. MT CAHN was named an official state Action Coalition for this initiative in September, 2011. MT CAHN's mission is to improve the health of Montanans by leading nursing practice through collaboration. http://mtcahn.org/ |
| The Performance Improvement Imperative: Utilizing a Coordinated, Community-Based Approach to Enhance Care and Lower Costs for Chronically Ill Patients The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System believes the federal government needs a comprehensive implementation plan to take full advantage of the opportunities in recent health reform legislation. Such a plan requires a vision and clear goals for performance improvement, collaboratively determined priorities, simplified administrative requirements, and rapid data-driven feedback. By 2016, the nation should seek to double annual improvement in quality-of-care metrics and to hold the per capita increase in health expenditures to the annual growth in per capita GDP, plus 0.5 percentage points?reducing national expenditures by $893 billion over 10 years. To help achieve these goals, the Commission proposes the U.S. create 50 to 100 voluntary "Health Improvement Communities" focused on patients with multiple, high-cost chronic conditions. Through payment reform, enhanced primary care, and health information technology, this effort could yield $184 billion in savings, or 21 percent of the overall target. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Fund-Reports/2012/Apr/Performance-Improvement-Imperative.aspx |
| A Statement from Secretary Sebelius on the Administration for Community Living All Americans ? including people with disabilities and seniors ? should be able to live at home with the supports they need, participating in communities that value their contributions ? rather than in nursing homes or other institutions. The Obama administration and my department have long been committed to promoting community living and finding new mechanisms to help ensure that the supports people with disabilities and seniors need to live in the community are accessible. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/04/20120416a.html |
| HHS announces new Affordable Care Act options for community-based care New opportunities in Medicaid and Medicare that will allow people to more easily receive care and services in their communities rather than being admitted to a hospital or nursing home were announced today by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. HHS finalized the Community First Choice rule, which is a new state plan option under Medicaid, and announced the participants in the Independence At Home Demonstration program. The demonstration encourages primary care practices to provide home-based care to chronically ill Medicare patients. Both are made possible by the Affordable Care Act. Studies have shown that home- and community-based care can lead to better health outcomes. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/04/20120426a.html |
| Designing Healthy Communities Coming soon (1st quarter of 2012) to public television: A provocative new 4-hour series, "Designing Healthy Communities." Host/Narrator Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, looks at the impact our built environment has on key public health indices ? obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer and depression. Dr. Jackson connects bad community design with burgeoning health costs, then analyzes and illustrates what citizens are doing about this urgent crisis by looking upstream for innovative solutions. http://designinghealthycommunities.org/ |
| Where You Live Can Help Determine Your Health, Studies Say A recent article in The Baltimore Sun highlighted the findings from several studies that showed a strong link between a person?s neighborhood and their health. As the article points out, ?Sociologists and public health offices have long thought a ZIP code is at least as important as race, age and genetics in determining a person?s health.? This idea has been bolstered by the findings of several studies. In one study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, racial disparities in diabetes, obesity and hypertension decreased after accounting for geographic location. In another study started by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, families who moved out of high-poverty neighborhoods had lower risks for diabetes and extreme obesity compared to families who stayed. Sabrina Oliver experienced the results first-hand when she moved from West Baltimore to the suburbs and discovered that her health dramatically improved. Previously unable to work as a result of chronic depression, she is no longer taking antidepressants, and working. ?I feel transformed. I feel like I moved to a whole other world,? she said. Ms. Oliver was able to move because of a federal program that helped low-income families of Baltimore move to a suburban neighborhood. This program, administered by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland, provided funding for more than 1,500 families relocate from a neighborhood with a median household income of $24,182 to a neighborhood with a median household income of $48,318. While the exact path by which a person?s neighborhood may not be known, the article noted that the findings from prior research suggest that neighborhood characteristics such as housing stock, violence, the availability of healthy foods, access to good jobs, and access to health care may be important. According to Dr. Michelle Gourdine, a Maryland physician and consultant, there are policy changes that can be made that will help make communities better, such as requiring new developments to have walking paths and parks. http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/11/18/3538500/where-you-live-can-help-determine.html |
| Improving Health Literacy Within a State - Workshop Summary Nearly half of all American adults lack health literacy ? an individual?s ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information. In order to improve knowledge among these 90 million people, the IOM?s Roundtable on Health Literacy, along with the UCLA Anderson School of Management, held a workshop on November 30, 2010, to explore ways in which state-based organizations and individuals can work to improve health literacy. At the workshop, speakers discussed the clinical effects of health literacy improvement efforts, the economic outcomes of health literacy implementation, and the impact that various stakeholders can have on health literacy. The roundtable brings together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to discuss challenges related to health literacy and to identify approaches to promote health literacy in both the public and private sectors. http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Improving-Health-Literacy-Within-a-State.aspx |
| Report shows sharp rise in energy drink-related ED visits More than 13,000 emergency department visits involved the use of non-alcoholic energy drinks in 2009, a tenfold increase from 2005, according to a report released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Males accounted for 64% of the energy drink-related ED visits recorded from 2005 to 2009, and about half of the ED visits made by patients age 18 to 25 involved combinations of energy drinks with alcohol or other drugs. The report is based on data from SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network, a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related ED visits. "Energy drinks used in excess or in combination with alcohol or drugs can pose a serious health risk," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde. "The beverage industry, consumer groups, community coalitions, the healthcare community, teachers, parents and others must get the word out that quick fix energy drinks are not a solution and carry great risks, especially in combination with other substances of abuse." AHA News Now November 22, 2011 http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/searchNewsNow.jsp |
| Health Fraud Scams Health fraud scams refer to products that claim to prevent, treat, or cure diseases or other health conditions, but are not proven safe and effective for those uses. Health fraud scams waste money and can lead to delays in getting proper diagnosis and treatment. They can also cause serious or even fatal injuries. Watch this video to learn more. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourself/HealthFraud/default.htm |
| Red Ribbon Week ---- a Call to Action Red Ribbon Week is a call to action to communities across the nation to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and abuse of prescription drugs. In some communities young people pledge to make healthy choices, to be positive role models for their friends, and to support the mission of Red Ribbon Week, "No Use of Illegal Drugs, No Illegal Use of Legal Drugs." This Red Ribbon Celebration Pledge represents a no-nonsense, clear and consistent promise that students, parents, teachers and community leaders should be willing to make - and more importantly - expected to keep! Did you know that: (a)tobacco kills twice as many people than alcohol, vehicle accidents, AIDS, murders, suicide, illegal drug use, and fires COMBINED - equivalent to three 747 crashes per day with no survivors; (b)people who smoke die an average of 14 years earlier than nonsmokers; and (c)tobacco use is associated with heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, cancers and COPD. http://tobaccofreegallatin.org/public_health_issue |
| Disparities Cloud Health Improvements In Past Decade, Report Finds Minority and low-income groups continue to be less likely to have a regular source of health care when compared to the general population, despite efforts over the past decade to remedy the situation. This and other health disparities persist across race, ethnicity, income level and education, according to the final review of Healthy People 2010, which was released Thursday. Healthy People 2010, the third such effort by federal officials, is a decade-long initiative which established an ambitious set of goals in November 2000 to improve the health of all Americans, and the report details how the country did. Progress has been made on a number of counts: Life expectancy at birth went up a year from 76.8 years in 2000 to 77.8 years in 2007. Rates of death from coronary heart disease, stroke and other illness decreased over the course of the decade. Nonetheless, health disparities remain a major problem. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/October/06/health-people.aspx |
| Designing and Building Healthy Places The way we design and build our communities can affect our physical and mental health. Healthy community design integrates evidence-based health strategies into community planning, transportation, and land-use decisions. Healthy community design can improve a person's health by: (1) Increasing physical activity; (2) Reducing injury; (3) Increasing access to healthy food; (4) Improving air and water quality; (5) Minimizing the effects of climate change; (6) Decreasing mental health stresses; (7) Strengthening the social fabric of a community; and (8) Providing fair access to livelihood, education, and resources. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/ |
| New Affordable Care Act initiative helps create healthier communities, fight chronic disease The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today grants to 61 states and communities with over 120 million residents to fight chronic disease, which is the leading cause of death in Americans. Created by the Affordable Care Act, Community Transformation Grants help states and communities tackle the root causes of chronic disease such as smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity. Grantees will use these funds, which total more than $103 million, to transform where their residents live, work, play, and go to school so that they can lead healthier, more productive lives. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/09/20110927a.html |
| Plain Language Medical Dictionary The Plain Language Medical Dictionary widget is a project of the University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences Library as part of the Michigan Health Literacy Awareness project. To use, click on the drop down menu to browse the list of high-level medical terms. Once a word or phrase is selected, the plain language translation will appear in the box. http://www.lib.umich.edu/plain-language-dictionary |
| Healthy Behaviors Will Help You Live Longer: CDC A healthy lifestyle helps you live longer, a new U.S. study confirms. Researchers looked at long-term data from Americans aged 17 and older and found that those who embraced four healthy behaviors -- not smoking, eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity and avoiding excessive alcohol use -- were 63 percent less likely to die early from any cause than those with none of those healthy habits. Click here to find out more! Not smoking offered the most protection from dying young. Compared to those who didn't engage in any of the healthy behaviors, those who practiced all four healthy habits were 66 percent less likely to die early from cancer, 65 percent less likely to die early from cardiovascular disease, and 57 percent less likely to die early from other causes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said that 47.5 percent of the people in the study had never smoked, 51 percent were moderate drinkers (no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women), 40.2 percent got enough physical activity, and 39.3 percent had a healthy diet. Rates of healthy behaviors were about the same for men and women. Mexican-Americans had more healthy behaviors than whites or blacks. The findings are from an analysis of data in the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study, which included people recruited from 1988 to 1994 and followed through 2006. The study is published online Aug. 18 in the American Journal of Public Health. While studies show that only a small percentage of Americans have adopted all four of these healthy behaviors, the number of smokers has decreased significantly, the researchers noted in a CDC news release. Health care providers and public health officials should encourage people to adopt these healthy behaviors, the researchers said. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/fitness/articles/2011/08/18/healthy-behaviors-will-help-you-live-longer-cdc |
| Partnerships for the Common Good - A Partnership Guide for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations The Partnership Center has produced various tool kits and fact sheets covering a variety of topics to enhance the work of faith-based and community organizations. A new resource entitled "Partnerships for the Common Good - A Partnership Guide for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations" is available electronically. The guide is designed to give local faith and community leaders a menu of opportunities to partner to improve the health and well-being of local communities. http://www.hhs.gov/partnerships/resources/partnerships_toolkit_2.pdf |
| The National Prevention Strategy: America?s Plan for Better Health and Wellness On June 16, 2011 the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, announced the release of the National Prevention Strategy (PDF ? 4.66 MB), a comprehensive plan that will help increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. The National Prevention Strategy recognizes that good health comes not just from receiving quality medical care, but also from clean air and water, safe outdoor spaces for physical activity, safe worksites, healthy foods, violence-free environments and healthy homes. Prevention should be woven into all aspects of our lives, including where and how we live, learn, work and play. Everyone?businesses, educators, health care institutions, government, communities and every single American?has a role in creating a healthier nation. http://www.healthcare.gov/center/councils/nphpphc/strategy/report.pdf |
| $100 million in Affordable Care Act grants to help create healthier U.S. communities The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today the availability of over $100 million in funding for up to 75 Community Transformation Grants. Created by the Affordable Care Act, these grants are aimed at helping communities implement projects proven to reduce chronic diseases ? such as diabetes and heart disease. By promoting healthy lifestyles and communities, especially among population groups experiencing the greatest burden of chronic disease, these grants will help improve health, reduce health disparities, and lower health care costs. Consistent with the law, these grants will focus on five priority areas: 1) tobacco-free living; 2) active living and healthy eating; 3) evidence-based quality clinical and other preventive services, specifically prevention and control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol; 4) social and emotional wellness, such as facilitating early identification of mental health needs and access to quality services, especially for people with chronic conditions; and 5) healthy and safe physical environments. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/05/20110513b.html |
| Grant Post Award Management Award conditions, general information, and Web-based resources have been updated for extramural researchers from State and local governments and nonprofit and for-profit organizations receiving funding support through Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grants. As stated in the PHS Grants Policy Statement, acceptance of the grant terms and conditions is automatically acknowledged by the grantee when funds are drawn or otherwise obtained from the grant payment system. In general, HHS grant programs have requirements for both financial and programmatic performance reporting. http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/postawrd.htm |
| Health, United States, 2010 This report provides an annual picture of the health of the entire Nation. Health, United States, 2010?which includes 41 charts, 148 detailed tables, and a Special Feature on Death and Dying?is the 34th report on the health status of the Nation and is submitted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and the Congress of the United States in compliance with Section 308 of the Public Health Service Act. The report was compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm |
| National Vaccine Plan On February 16, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of all aspects of federal vaccine and immunization activities. Its goal is to ensure that all Americans can access the preventive benefits of vaccines. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/02/20110216b.html |
| County Health Rankings - Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health This website provides county health rankings for each state. The current information will be updated in March 2011. The website has three drop-down menus: Health Factors; Health Outcomes; and, Take Action. Health factors include: health behaviors; clinical care; social and economic factors; and, physical environment. Health outcomes are measured by two parameters: how long people live (mortality) and how healthy people feel (morbidity). http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/ |
| USDA and HHS Announce New Dietary Guidelines to Help Americans Make Healthier Food Choices and Confront Obesity Epidemic On January 31, 2011,Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government's evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. Because more than one-third of children and more than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, the 7th edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans places stronger emphasis on reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity. ?The 2010 Dietary Guidelines are being released at a time when the majority of adults and one in three children is overweight or obese and this is a crisis that we can no longer ignore,? said Secretary Vilsack. ?These new and improved dietary recommendations give individuals the information to make thoughtful choices of healthier foods in the right portions and to complement those choices with physical activity. The bottom line is that most Americans need to trim our waistlines to reduce the risk of developing diet-related chronic disease. Improving our eating habits is not only good for every individual and family, but also for our country.? http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/01/20110131a.html |
| HHS announces the nation?s new health promotion and disease prevention agenda The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled Healthy People 2020, the nation?s new 10-year goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention, and ?myHealthyPeople,? a new challenge for technology application developers. For the past 30 years, Healthy People has been committed to improving the quality of our Nation?s health by producing a framework for public health prevention priorities and actions. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are responsible for seven out of every 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75 percent of the nation?s health spending. Many of the risk factors that contribute to the development of these diseases are preventable. Healthy People 2020 is the product of an extensive stakeholder feedback process that is unparalleled in government and health. It integrates input from public health and prevention experts, a wide range of federal, state and local government officials, a consortium of more than 2,000 organizations, and perhaps most importantly, the public. More than 8,000 comments were considered in drafting a comprehensive set of Healthy People 2020 objectives. HHS is also launching a newly redesigned Healthy People Web site that allows users to tailor information to their needs and explore evidence-based resources for implementation. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/12/20101202a.html |
| Healthy Living Innovation Awards Secretary Sebelius is proud to announce the 2011 Healthy Living Innovation Awards. A new initiative at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that seeks to identify and acknowledge innovative health promotion projects that have demonstrated a significant impact on the health status of a community. The Healthy Living Innovation Awards offer an exciting chance to recognize and foster the spread of effective health promotion efforts, specifically community-based efforts that either make use of an entirely new tool or approach or have applied existing tools in an unusual way to improve community health and well-being. Nominations for the awards will be accepted January 18 through March 1, 2011. http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/healthyliving/ |
| HHS issues new strategic framework on multiple chronic conditions On December 14, 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued its new Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions ― an innovative private-public sector collaboration to coordinate responses to a growing challenge. More than a quarter of all Americans ― and two out of three older Americans ― have multiple chronic conditions, and treatment for these individuals accounts for 66 percent of the country?s health care budget. These numbers are expected to rise as the number of older Americans increases. The new strategic framework ― coordinated by HHS and involving input from agencies within the department and multiple private sector stakeholders ― expects to reduce the risks of complications and improve the overall health status of individuals with multiple chronic conditions by fostering change within the system; providing more information and better tools to help health professionals ― as well as patients ― learn how to better coordinate and manage care; and by facilitating research to improve oversight and care. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/12/20101214a.html |
| New Grant Requirement: Accountability By Paul B. Hofmann and Benjamin Aune Foundations are expecting more of grant applicants, including outcomes that are clearly articulated and rigorously measured. Not long ago, hospitals and other well-deserving nonprofits could submit a compelling statement to a foundation and reasonably expect to receive a grant without extensive follow-up requirements. But this process is changing. Rather than requesting general descriptions of program activities and outputs, foundations are now demanding much more accountability. Increasingly, foundations are requiring objective evidence of specific changes in health status, behaviors and/or knowledge resulting from program activities. The required documentation can be daunting, so grant applicants must have appropriate systems in place. At a minimum, an applicant will need to: * specify the expected benefits; * describe the objective metrics that will be used to demonstrate that the benefits are being achieved; * explain how the benefits are aligned with the foundation's mission and goals; * justify the cost component for each service and equipment expenditure; * indicate what revenue, if any, will be generated to cover costs incurred; * provide a detailed timeline reflecting when proposed targets will be met; * identify who will be responsible for each task; * discuss challenges that might impede progress or adversely affect outcomes and include a plan to mitigate them; and * submit monthly or quarterly reports on progress, problems and unanticipated developments. The overriding question that must be addressed is not just whether the grant is making a difference, but to what extent the grant will produce an appropriate return on the foundation's investment. In addition, strategic scorecards and even third-party evaluations may be requested to ensure that performance goals are properly measured and to assess the program's impact. Logic models (defined by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as "a systematic and visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships among the resources you have to operate your program, the activities you plan, and the changes you hope to achieve") may also be requested. http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/10OCT2010/101110HHN_Weekly_Hofmann&domain=HHNMAG |
| 2010 NIH Regional Seminars on Grants Policy and Process NIH announces two Regional Seminars to be held in Philadelphia, PA, April 14-16, 2010 and Portland, OR, June 23-25, 2010. More than 25 HHS and NIH policy experts as well as grants management, review and program staff will be on hand to provide a broad array of expertise on the latest NIH grants policy and process information. Sessions will focus on federal regulations and policies, the fundamentals of the grants process, peer review, NIH initiatives, and more. In addition, the popular NIH electronic Research Administration (eRA) hands-on computer workshops will again be offered in conjunction with the seminar, providing attendees with hands-on experience on how to interact electronically with NIH. Anyone interested in the NIH grants process should consider attending, including sponsored project office and departmental administrators, principle investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. April 14-16, 2010 Philadelphia, PA Registration will open early December. eRA computer workshops will be offered on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. This seminar is co-hosted by the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University. June 23-25, 2010 Portland, OR Registration will open mid-January 2010. eRA computer workshops will be offered on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. This seminar is co-hosted by Oregon Health & Science University. These seminars provide an opportunity for participants to gain a better perspective of NIH policies and programs, network with hundreds of their peers, obtain helpful NIH contacts, and to return to their offices or labs with inside information into obtaining and managing NIH awards. As these seminars are only provided twice a year around the country, they traditionally reach capacity prior to the event, so please register early. We look forward to welcoming you in 2010! For additional information, see NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-025 and visit the NIH Regional Seminar Web Page. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/seminars.htm |
| 2008 Quality of Life Progress Report; A Guide for Building a Better Community; Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI) The 2008 Quality of Life Report is the 24th edition of the nation's longest standing community quality of life indicators report. Indicators are quantitative measures of the quality of community life. For the purposes of this report, "quality of life" refers to a feeling of well-being, fulfillment, or satisfaction resulting from factors in the external environments. For many people, the quality of close interpersonal relationships, rather than external environments, is the primary factor in determining happiness. Nonetheless, this project concentrates on the external environments, examining the quality of life from a community perspective. Accordingly, for this project, the quality of life factors are: (1) achieving educational excellence; (2) growing a vibrant economy; (3) preserving the natural environment; (4) promoting social well-being and harmony; (5) enjoying arts, culture, and recreation; (6) sustaining a healthy community; (7) maintaining responsive government; (8) moving around efficiently; and, (9) keeping the community safe. http://www.jcci.org/jcciwebsite/documents/2008%20QOL-color%20version.pdf |
| Laying a Solid Foundation: Strategies for Effective Program Replication by Geri Summerville with Becca Raley, Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) P/PV is a national leader in creating and strengthening programs that improve lives in low-income communities. This report, released on June 30, 2009, is a synthesis of P/PV's 30 years of experience designing, testing and replicating a variety of social programs and explains the key structures that should be in place before wide-scale replication is considered. It was designed as a guide for policymakers, practitioners and philanthropists who are interested in a systematic approach to program replication. For more info and to download the report (41 pages) go to: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publication.asp?section_id=29&search_id=&publication_id=298 |
| Charitable Foundations See Endowments Drop U.S. foundations saw their investments drop by an average of 26 percent in 2008 amid the economic downturn and stock market collapse, but that hasn't slowed their charitable giving, a new survey has found. Even the world's largest charitable foundation, Seattle's Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reported a 20 percent drop in its endowment in 2008. But it still managed to give away $3.5 billion, up from $3.2 billion in 2007. The Gates Foundation wasn't part of the survey, but its endowment's performance has been repeated across the country. "There's no group here in the nonprofit sector that was able to avoid these very steep declines," said William F. Jarvis, managing director of the Commonfund Institute of Wilton, Conn., which provides investment advice to nonprofits and does an annual study of foundations. The results of the Commonfund study, released Thursday, show the 290 private and community foundations surveyed gave away an average of 5.8 percent of their assets in 2008, compared with 5.5 percent in 2007. http://www.newsmax.com/us/foundation_endowment_drop/2009/06/25/228992.html |
| Kaiser Family Foundation to Launch Non-Profit Health Policy News Service The Kaiser Family Foundation is launching Kaiser Health News (KHN), an independent news service, to report on the nation's complex health care system and the increasingly urgent political and policy debates surrounding it. The goal of the new effort is to provide in-depth coverage and news at a time when cash-strapped news organizations are being forced to scale back their efforts in this crucial area. Kaiser Health News will be headquartered at Kaiser's Washington, D.C. building and be headed by two veteran journalists who have spent years covering health care. Laurie McGinley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor, is the former deputy bureau chief for global economics and national health care policy correspondent at The Wall Street Journal. Peggy Girshman, an Emmy-winning editor and producer, is a former managing editor of National Public Radio and an executive editor at Congressional Quarterly. The centerpiece of KHN will be in-depth stories on new developments in the health care system and on health care initiatives and debates in Washington and in state capitals. Supplementing the stories will be columns, video interviews, graphics, and multimedia features, as well as a daily synthesis of news stories from around the countrywhich Kaiser already provides. http://www.kff.org/newsroom/khn102908nr.cfm |
| Pandemic Influenza Storybook The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more than 50 million people worldwide including an estimated 675,000 people in the United States, and it is one of the touchstones for todays public health preparedness initiatives. To put it in perspective, thats more people than all those who died (both military personnel and civilians) during World War I (1914 - 1918). The 1957 Influenza Pandemic caused at least 70,000 U.S. deaths and 12 million deaths worldwide. Improvements in scientific technology made it possible to more quickly identify that pandemic when compared with the 1918 event. These first-person and family accounts contained herein provide an intimate, personal view of the 1918 and 1957 pandemics that goes beyond the staggering statistics associated with those events and, therefore, can help planners re-energize their efforts and fight preparedness fatigue and apathy. The online storybook contains narratives from survivors, families, and friends who lived through the 1918 and 1957 pandemics. Additionally, stories from the 1968 pandemic will be added to this resource as they become available. The Pandemic Influenza Storybook is not a closed book; CDC will continue to accept stories and add them to the book at quarterly intervals. http://www.pandemicflu.gov/storybook/introduction/index.html |
| Healthy Counties Database The National Association of Counties (NACo) has launched a new Healthy Counties Database in June 2008, where you can search for model policies, programs and initiatives that counties nationwide have enacted to promote wellness and help prevent childhood obesity. No need to reinvent the wheel. Find out what peer local government leaders have done to enable and encourage nutritious diets, physical activity, and healthy built and social environments. NACo is continually seeking county submissions in order to build the resource. To submit a best practice, please complete this form. To submit a policy, please complete this form and return to Christina Rowland at crowland@naco.org. This project is supported by Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=New_Technical_Assistance&Template=/cffiles/healthycounties/search.cfm |
| Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities. An investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based disease prevention programs could yield net medical cost savings of more than $16 billion annually within five years, concludes a report released by the Trust for America's Health. According to the report, implementing programs aimed at lowering rates of diseases related to physical activity, nutrition and smoking could reduce rates of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure by 5% within two years; reduce heart disease, kidney disease and stroke by 5% within five years; and reduce some forms of cancer, arthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 2.5% within 10 to 20 years. The report also contains state-by-state return on investment analyses for spending $10 per person per year on prevention. AHA News Now July 17, 2008 http://healthyamericans.org/reports/prevention08/Prevention08.pdf |
| CDC Launches 'Healthiest Nation Campaign' To Improve Health of U.S. Residents On Tuesday, July 8, 2008, the CDC launched the "Healthiest Nation Campaign," which seeks to promote efforts to improve the health of U.S. residents. According to CDC Director Julie Gerberding, the campaign will seek to include efforts to improve health in social policies in all levels of government and all sectors. Gerberding will discuss the campaign at an upcoming conference "Shaping Policy for a Healthier Nation" in Washington, D.C., that will include more than 300 representatives from the business, non-for-profit, health care, sports and entertainment sectors. http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53171 |
| Hospitals Receive AHA Award For Improving Community Health Through Effective Collaborative Projects On July 7, 2008, the American Hospital Association (AHA) awarded the AHA NOVA Award to five collaborative hospital-led programs that improve community health by extending help to low-income, uninsured or underserved children and adults, the chronically ill and racial and ethnic minorities. Each program will be honored at a July 26 ceremony held during the association's annual Health Forum Leadership Summit in San Diego. "Hospitals do so much for the community, yet they depend upon the caring and compassion of other groups and organizations to offer the most to those in need," said AHA president and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. "The AHA NOVA Award recognizes those hospitals working collaboratively with others that provide valued and compassionate programs to their community and today's winners are truly inspirational examples." Established in 1993, the AHA NOVA Award recognizes hospitals and health systems for their collaborative efforts toward improving community health. The AHA NOVA AWARD winners are: (1) ENERGIZE! Pediatric Diabetes Intervention Program WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, NC; (2) Every Child Succeeds Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; (3) Memorial Hermann Health Centers for Schools Memorial Hermann, Houston, TX; (4) Nutrition Center for Maine Saint Mary's Health System, Lewiston, ME; (5) Partnership for Community Health California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA. http://www.aha.org/aha/press-release/2008/080707-pr-nova.html |
| Call for Conference Breakout Sessions The Association for Community Health Improvement is inviting proposals for Concurrent Breakout Sessions for its March 11-13, 2009 national conference. Drawing more than 450 professionals from hospitals, health systems, foundations, public health, and community health organizations, the ACHI meeting has become the premier gathering that stimulates real change and improvement in how community health programs are planned, run, and evaluated. All submissions must address one of the conference's four following topic tracks:(1) Leading Community Health Assessments to Set Priorities, Programs, and Policies; (2) Achieving Community Benefit Excellence; (3) Improving Health by Addressing Our Social and Built Environments; and, (4) Building the Skills of Community Health Leaders (for Today and the Future). In addition, the overall conference will reflect the cross-cutting theme of working to achieve health status equity, and proposals are encouraged to address equity and disparities issues. Proposals due: Friday, August 8, 2008; Notification of acceptance: Friday, September 12, 2008; Presenter Agreement due: Friday, September 26, 2008; and, Presentation materials due: Friday, January 9, 2009 http://www.communityhlth.org/communityhlth/conf2009/annualbreakouts09.html |
| Community-Based Ways to Help Teens Struggling With Drugs, Alcohol and Crime A national group of project directors today called on communities across the nation to better help teens beat drugs, alcohol and crime using a groundbreaking approach tested at 10 pilot sites. They have issued a national report which shares a six-step model to bring about change, reveals a road map for communities to plan for innovation, and offers step-by-step instructions and examples on how to implement this new way of helping teens in trouble. The project directors oversee Reclaiming Futures initiatives funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Together, they have authored the report, How to Implement a Model to Get Youth Off Drugs and Out of Crime, based on six years of creating and testing new ways to help teens that enter the juvenile justice system and previously received little or no care for their drug or alcohol problems. The report describes how judges, probation officers, treatment specialists, families and community members can take steps right now to improve the future of these youths. "When communities recognize this dire need and begin to work together to save these young people, real change can occur," said Laura Nissen, Ph.D., Reclaiming Futures national program director. "The authors of this report are the feet on the ground pioneering new approaches to help teens in trouble. It is our hope that the lessons they've learned will assist and motivate others to address this pressing need." The Reclaiming Futures model recommends screening each teen for drug and alcohol problems, assessing the severity of the teen's drug and alcohol use, providing prompt access to a treatment plan coordinated by a service team; and connecting the teen with employers, mentors and volunteer service projects. More at: http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=32311&c=EMC-CA131 |
| CaringBridge: Providing Hope and Healing for Patients, Families and Caregivers In 1997, CaringBridge founder Sona Mehring's close friend suffered a life-threatening pregnancy. To keep family and friends informed about the critical situation, Sona and friends created a website. The site allowed family members to communicate information to a wide circle of people without disturbing the mothers need for rest or placing additional demands on hospital staff. CaringBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit web service that connects family and friends during a critical illness, treatment or recovery. A CaringBridge website is personal, private and available 24/7. It helps ease the burden of keeping family and friends informed. A CaringBridge website helps keep loved ones informed during difficult times. In return, family and friends give patient and caregiver support through guestbook messages. http://www.caringbridge.org/ |
| Keeping America Healthy: A Guide and a Catalog of Successful Programs The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease has released a catalog of successful programs in the workplace, schools, communities and health systems to improve health and reduce chronic disease. The companion Executive Summary or Guide provides an overview on the effects of chronic disease and the evidence supporting the positive impact that population health improvement activities can have on health, health care costs, and overall economic gains. The guide provides examples of effective population health improvement programs that have been implemented in a variety of settings (workplaces, communities, schools, and within health care systems), and analyzes what makes them successful. The guide also provides a list of nine essential elements of successful programs. The guide is available at: http://promisingpractices.fightchronicdisease.org/uploads/Executive_Summary.pdf and the 171 page catalog is available at: http://promisingpractices.fightchronicdisease.org/uploads/Best_Practice_Catalog.pdf |
| Health Care Providers and Patients Need To Ask and Tell The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched Time to Talk, an educational campaign to encourage patients particularly those age 50 or older and their health care providers to openly discuss the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM ). CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, such as herbal supplements, meditation, naturopathy, and acupuncture. According to a national consumer survey conducted by NCCAM and AARP, almost two-thirds of people age 50 or older are using some form of CAM, yet less than one-third of these CAM users talk about it with their providers. The NCCAM/AARP survey revealed some reasons why this doctor-patient dialogue about CAM does not occur. The most common reasons survey respondents cited were * That the physician never asked * They did not know they should discuss CAM * There was not enough time during the office visit. More than one-half of respondents who had talked about CAM with their physician said they (not their physician) initiated the CAM discussion. The telephone survey was administered to a nationally representative group of 1,559 people age 50 or older. Full NIH News Release of June 6, 2008 at: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2008/nccam-06.htm |
| AHRQ Brief Details Prevalence, Cost of Chronic Conditions The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a statistical brief suggesting that chronic diseases affect roughly 60 percent of the U.S. adult population and accounted for more than half of all medical expenses in 2005, AHA News Now reports. The analysis highlights data from adults age 18 and older collected in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component and Medical Provider Component in 2005. In its report, AHRQ emphasizes the link between age and chronic disease prevalence, finding that 36.4 percent of adults ages 18 to 34 reported having at least one chronic condition in 2005, compared with 91.5 percent of adults age 65 and older. Similarly, just 14.4 percent of adults ages 18 to 34 reported having two or more chronic conditions, compared with 76.6 percent of adults age 65 and older. Meanwhile, adults ages 18 to 34 reported that chronic disease treatment accounted for roughly 29 percent of their medical expenses, compared with 50 percent of medical expenses for adults ages 35 to 54, 56.6 percent for adults ages 55 to 64, and 58.9 percent for adults ages 65 and older. Moreover, the 60 percent of U.S. adults with at least one chronic condition accounted for roughly 90 percent of health expenditures for all chronic and acute conditions combined in 2005. Overall, spending on chronic disease treatment in 2005 averaged $1,064 per person for patients with one chronic condition and $4,571 per person for those with two or more chronic conditions. Per-person spending also rose with age, topping out at an average of $5,966 for the elderly with two or more chronic conditions (AHA News Now, 5/28/08; AHRQ statistical brief, May 2008). http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?c=EMC-ND141&pid=1141&id=7900 |
| Putting It All Together: Guiding Principles for Quality After-School Programs Serving Preteens Successfully navigating early adolescence depends, in large part, on the availability of safe and engaging activities and supportive relationships with adults, yet many preteens have limited access to positive supports and opportunitiessuch as high-quality after-school programsthat could put them on a path to success. Recognizing this, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Childrens Health commissioned P/PV to identify the characteristics of quality after-school programs that are linked to positive outcomes for preteens. Putting It All Together focuses on six after-school program components associated with positive outcomes for preteens. A free download of this publication is available at: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/publications_description.asp?search_id=20&publication_id=234 |
| Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates - 2008 Edition; 'Foundations Today Series', Foundation Center More than half of the nations 72,000 foundations expect their giving to increase in 2008, while 28 percent project a decrease, according to a study released by the Foundation Center. The study found that grant making by the nations foundations grew by 10 percent in 2007, totaling nearly $43-billion. Community foundations increased their giving by more than any other type of grant maker, giving away nearly 14 percent more than in 2006. Independent foundations increased giving by 13 percent whereas corporate foundation giving increased by more than 6 percent. The assets of the nation's foundations grew 9 percent from 2006 to 2007, to nearly $670-billion. The 15-page report is available in pdf format at: http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/fgge08.pdf |
| Completing the Recipe for Children's Health: New Variations on Key Ingredients A report from a workshop convened by the National Health Policy Forum offers a broad overview of issues surrounding the social and environmental determinants of children's health. The report highlights some of the community-based initiatives that have been successful in providing services to children and families. The report also outlines several potential strategies that emerged from the discussion that could be pursued in order to better coordinate health and social services for children. The 19-page report is available in pdf format at: http://www.nhpf.org/pdfs_other/MtgRpt(06-28-07)_SocialDeterminants.pdf |
| Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions An updated guide, produced for Cover the Uninsured Week, provides an overview of information about health coverage; why health coverage is so important; who is uninsured; how Americans get covered; approaches to covering the uninsured; and questions to ask about any health coverage proposal. The guide also provides a glossary of health insurance terms and a list of over 100 references. Both the 24 page guide and a PowerPoint presentation that shows the key information from the guide are available at: http://www.allhealth.org/spotlight.asp?wt=spot&si=84 |
| Geography Matters: Child Well-Being in the States We all know the life chances of children are vastly improved when they are the top priority of supportive families and communities. Most American children live in such secure environments and sail into young adulthood physically and emotionally healthy, becoming productive members of society. But while all states provide a basic network of social programs to assist vulnerable children and families, children do much better in some states than in others. As the sorry numbers in this report show, a huge gap exists among states on a wide variety of child well-being indicators. The state they live in should not adversely influence the life and death of childrenbut it does. Such inequalities affect all Americans, rich and poor alike, and weaken both our economy and our democracy. Download and/or order free copy of the report at: http://everychildmatters.org/homelandinsecurity/index_geomatters.html |
| Jailing Communities: The Impact of Jail Expansion and Effective Public Safety Strategies Communities are bearing the cost of a massive explosion in the jail population which has nearly doubled in less than two decades, according to a new report released today by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). The research found that jails are now warehousing more people--who have not been found guilty of any crime--for longer periods of time than ever before. The research shows that in part due to the rising costs of bail, people arrested today are much more likely to serve jail time before trial than they would have been twenty years ago, even though crime rates are nearly at the lowest levels in thirty years. The report found jail population growth (22 percent), is having serious consequences for communities that are now paying tens of billions yearly to sustain jails. Jails are filled with people with drug addictions, the homeless and people charged with immigration offenses. The report concludes that jails have become the new asylums, with six out of 10 people in jail living with a mental illness. http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/08-04_REP_JailingCommunities_AC.pdf |
| Older Americans 2008: Key Indicators of Well-Being This is the fourth in a series of reports produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum) that describe the overall status of the U.S. population age 65 and over. This report has been expanded to include a one-time special feature on two important issues facing many older Americans today -- literacy and health literacy. By examining a broad range of indicators, researchers, policymakers, service providers, and the Federal government can better understand the areas of well-being that are improving for older Americans and the areas of well-being that require more attention and effort. The report includes 38 indicators that are grouped into five sections: Population, Economics, Health Status, Health Risks and Behaviors, and Health Care. http://agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/Main_Site/Data/Data_2008.aspx |
| Unnatural Causes........is inequality making us sick? Unnatural causes is a four-hour documentary series exploring our socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The series will air on four consecutive Thursdays, March 27 to April 17, 2008 (check local listings). Unnatural causes goes beyond popular conceptions linking health to medical care, lifestyles and genes to explore evidence of other more powerful determinants: the social conditions in which we are born, live and work. Conceived as part of a larger impact campaign in association with leading public health, policy and community-based organizations, the series is a production of California Newsreel with Vital Pictures, Inc. http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/ |
| The Massachusetts Forum for Creating Healthier Communities The Mass Partnership for Healthy Communities runs the MassForum training from September 2008 through June 2009. The MassForum offers community teams and individuals a unique, extended opportunity to enhance skills and learn new strategies to create healthier, safer communities. The MassForum centers on a series of nine full-day monthly trainings devoted to exploring ideas, enhancing skills, developing strategies, learning how to better recognize and address opportunities, accessing tools and resources, and advancing the goal of building safer and healthier communities. http://www.masspartnership.org/documents/MassForum_Brochure_2008-6.pdf |
| Commission to Build a Healthier America The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America is a national, independent, non-partisan group of leaders that will raise visibility of the many factors that influence health, examine innovative interventions that are making a real difference at the local level and in the private sector, and identify specific, feasible steps to improve Americans health. Americas public debate on health has mostly centered on access to and affordability of care, even though a large body of evidence tells us that, in most cases, whether or not a person gets sick has little to do with seeing a doctor. This Commission will focus on those factors beyond medical care that have an enormous influence on health and will ask what we can do about it. These factors include: * Early Life Experience * Education * Income * Work * Housing * Community * Race and Ethnicity * The Economy. While data are collected on many of these factors, these data are rarely analyzed or acted upon with the intention of improving health. The Commissions journey builds on the Foundations years of investment in programs that foster better health outcomes. Under the leadership of Co-Chairs Mark McClellan and Alice Rivlin, the Commission will capitalize on the perspectives and experience of a multidisciplinary group of leaders with involvement both in and outside of the health care field. http://www.commissiononhealth.org/ |
| The Disparities Reducing Advances Project (DRA) The Disparity Reducing Advances Project (the DRA Project) is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder project developed by the Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF) to identify the most promising advances for bringing health gains to the poor and underserved and accelerating the development and deployment of these advances to reduce disparities. The next decade will see a myriad of advances in prevention and treatment that will yield significant health gains. Significant advances are likely in risk identification, bioinformatics, behavior modification, patient-centered care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Typically the poor and underserved are the last to benefit from such advances. Health disparities in the US are significant. The causes of health disparities go beyond access to healthcare to include social, environmental and behavioral causes. The DRA Project works to overcome this reality by targeting the advances with the highest potential for reducing health disparities and then creating a network of organizations committed to accelerating the development and deployment of those advances. The network includes healthcare systems and local providers, major Federal government agencies, technology developers, and consumer and patient organizations. http://www.altfutures.com/dra/#2 |
| Preventing Falls: Effective Community-Based Interventions Falls are a threat to the health and independence of older adults and can significantly limit their ability to remain self-sufficient. Today, there are proven interventions that can reduce falls and help older adults live better, and longer. CDC has produced two documents that provide information about community-based interventions to prevent falls in older adults. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/preventingfalls/ |
| Promoting Healthy Families in Your Community : 2008 Resource Packet The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, its Child Welfare Information Gateway, and the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention created this resource packet to support a wide range of service providers who work with parents, other caregivers, and their children with the common goal of promoting healthy families. The packet contains resources to promote community awareness of five important protective factors that can help families protect children from the risk of child abuse and neglect, including tip sheets for parents in English and Spanish. These resources were developed with input from numerous national organizations, Federal partners, and parents committed to promoting healthy families. http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/res_packet_2008/ |
| Stop Underage Drinking Town Hall Meetings Underage drinking continues to be a leading public health problem in the United States. Alcohol use threatens the safe and healthy development of more young people than any other substanceeven more than tobacco and illicit drugs! Alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early and increases rapidly with age. As part of a national effort to help communities in their efforts to stop underage drinking, a series of Town Hall Meetings (THMs) will take place across America during the week of March 31April 4, 2008. More information about Town Hall Meetings (schedules & places) is available at StopAlcoholAbuse.Gov, a comprehensive portal of Federal resources for information on underage drinking and ideas for combating this issue. People interested in underage drinking preventionincluding parents, educators, community-based organizations, and youthwill find a wealth of valuable information at his site. http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/ |
| PEW Report Finds More than One in 100 Adults are Behind Bars Washington, DC - 02/28/2008 - For the first time in history more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prisona fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety. According to a new report released today by the Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project, at the start of 2008, 2,319,258 adults were held in American prisons or jails, or one in every 99.1 men and women, according to the study. During 2007, the prison population rose by more than 25,000 inmates. In addition to detailing state and regional prison growth rates, Pews report, One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, identifies how corrections spending compares to other state investments, why it has increased, and what some states are doing to limit growth in both prison populations and costs while maintaining public safety. As prison populations expand, costs to states are on the rise. Last year alone, states spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years before. However, the national recidivism rate remains virtually unchanged, with about half of released inmates returning to jail or prison within three years. And while violent criminals and other serious offenders account for some of the growth, many inmates are low-level offenders or people who have violated the terms of their probation or parole. The full 37-page PEW report is available at: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/One%20in%20100.pdf |
| Prisoner Reentry Guide for Faith-Based and Community Organizations The Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, U.S. Department of Labor has released a 66-page document entitled "Mentoring Ex-Prisoners: A Guide for Prisoner Reentry Programs." The guide was developed and written by Renata Cobbs Fletcher, Pulbic/Private Ventures, under a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. The guide is designed for community-based and faith-based organizations interested in establishing or enhancing prisoner reentry programs. The guide covers a variety of topics, including designing a mentoring component, hiring a mentor coordinator, developing policies and procedures, recruiting mentors, training and matching mentors and providing supervision and support. http://www.dol.gov/cfbci/20071101Mentoring.pdf |
| Navigating the Future: Accessing & Sustaining Resources for Community & Faith Based Organizations Conference Faith-based and community organizations have made great strides in expanding their partnerships with government at all levels. Groups of all sizes report exciting results. At these conferences, attendees will learn how to take their organizations to the next level and how to build financial security and sustainability into their programs. Key topics will include: * How to apply for government funding * How to attract private funding * Managing financial growth * Managing and planning for organizational growth. At these conferences, offered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, attendees will hear from national experts and have the opportunity to network with their peers. There is no cost to attend either conference, but register early because seating is limited. http://www.sei2003.com/ojjdp/index.htm |
| The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan Stress is an inevitable part of life. It helps children develop the skills they need to cope with and adapt to new and potentially threatening situations throughout life. However, the beneficial aspects of stress diminish when it is severe enough to overwhelm a child's ability to cope effectively. Intensive and prolonged stress can lead to a variety of short- and long-term negative health effects. It can disrupt early brain development and compromise functioning of the nervous and immune systems. In addition, childhood stress can lead to health problems later in life including alcoholism, depression, eating disorders, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases. The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan summarizes the research on childhood stress and its implications for adult health and well-being. Of particular interest is the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, and repeated exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). This publication provides violence prevention practitioners with ideas about how to incorporate information on childhood stress into their work. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/effects_of_childhood_stress.htm |
| Business Group Wants to Reduce Health Disparities Among Minorities The National Business Group on Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are teaming up to help employers become aware of racial and ethnic inequities in health care delivery. Health disparities are defined as persistent gaps between the health status of minorities and non-minorities in the United States. Medical research shows some racial and ethnic minority patients are less likely to receive preventive services, diagnoses and treatment for certain chronic conditions, compared to their white counterparts. Given that large employers provide health benefits for most Americans, NBGH believes employers are well poised to leverage their collective resources to bring positive changes. http://ebn.benefitnews.com/asset/article/540501/index.html |
| Free Online Tool to Help Seniors Find Housing (SPRING CITY, Pa.) January 22, 2008 In an effort to help the nation's social workers better serve Americans considering senior housing, Social Work Today magazine announced the launch of an online senior housing navigational tool. The new resource, which was developed by SNAPforSeniors, is called the Social Work Today Senior Housing Locator and can be found at www.socialworktoday.com. An estimated one in four American families--some 22 million people--care for an older loved one, friend or neighbor. Many caregivers also have jobs, families and little or no experience with caregiving. Social workers play an integral role in support of caregiver efforts. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 600,000 social workers across the country, and that number is expected to grow nearly 30 percent by 2010. The Social Work Today Senior Housing Locator allows users to search for assisted living facilities, residential care homes, independent living facilities, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes--all at the click of a mouse. With a current listing of all licensed senior housing providers in the nation--more than 65,000 facilities--the Senior Housing Locator provides comprehensive information from a single source. http://housing.socialworktoday.com/ |
| HPV Vaccine: Implementation and Financing Policy in the U.S. In June 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new vaccine called Gardasil that protects young women and girls from certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Approximately one in four (27%) women in the United States between 14-59 years old has HPV, making it the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. and a major cause of cervical cancer. A new Fact Sheet, released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides background information on HPV and the vaccine, and highlights the recent state-level developments on financing and implementation. Many private and public insurers cover the vaccine, however, policies vary greatly in terms of age of coverage, provider reimbursement levels, and consumer out-of-pocket costs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that all girls and women ages 11-26 get the vaccine, but as of summer 2007 the CDC reports that only 10% of women ages 18-26 had been vaccinated. http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/upload/7602_02.pdf |
| Devastating Toll of Diabetes Reaches $174 Billion Diabetes is costing Americans $174 billion annually, a figure that has increased by 32 percent since 2002, according to a study commissioned by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The study reveals that the direct economic costs associated with diabetes have reached unprecedented levels. Medical expenditures of care for people with diabetes are estimated to be $116 billion, with a disproportionate percentage of the costs resulting from treatment and hospitalization of people with diabetes-related complications. The findings also suggest that 1 out of every 5 health care dollars is spent caring for someone with diagnosed diabetes. Considering that an additional 6 million more people are believed to have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed, the study estimates that the actual cost of diabetes may greatly exceed $174 billion. http://www.diabetes.org/for-media/pr-devastating-toll-of-diabetes-reaches-174-billion-012308.jsp |
| Uninsured and Dying Because of It: Updating the Institute of Medicine Analysis on the Impact of Uninsurance on Mortality The absence of health insurance creates a range of consequences, including lower quality of life, increased morbidity and mortality, and higher financial burdens. This paper focuses on just one aspect of this harmnamely, greater risk ofdeathand seeks to illustrate its general order of magnitude. In 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that 18,000 Americans died in 2000 because they were uninsured. Since then,the number of uninsured has grown. Based on the IOM's methodology and subsequent Census Bureau estimates of insurance coverage, 137,000 people died from 2000 through 2006 because they lacked health insurance, including 22,000 people in 2006. http://www.urban.org/publications/411588.html |
| Among Rich Nations, U.S. Has Highest Rate of Preventable Deaths More than 100,000 Americans die each year from lack of timely, effective medical care, according to a study that found the U.S. has the highest rate of preventable deaths among 19 industrialized nations. In the five years through 2003, the rate of preventable deaths in the U.S. declined more slowly than in the other 18 market-based, democratic nations, according to the analysis published today by the policy journal Health Affairs. The U.S. is the only one of the 19 nations without universal health care coverage. About 47 million Americans lack insurance to help pay for rising medical costs. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aicuTZz3sykc# |
| Lack of Insurance Increases Cancer Risk Uninsured Americans are less likely to get screened for cancer, more likely to be diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease, and less likely to survive that diagnosis than their privately insured counterparts, according to a new American Cancer Society report examining the impact of health insurance status on cancer treatment and survival. http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/content/full/CA.2007.0011v1 |
| Native American Center for Excellence, Prevention Technical Assistance Resource Center The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced its financial and technical sponsorship of the Native American Center for Excellence, Prevention Technical Assistance Resource Center a first-of-its-kind national Native American-run project to promote effective substance abuse prevention programs in Native American communities throughout the United States. Once it is established, the centers data base will be accessible through SAMHSAs Web site. http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0711294819.aspx |
| New Government Grant, Contract and Loan Website Debuts The Office of Management and Budget has launched a new Web site that provides information on all major federal grants, loans and contracts. The new site, USASpending.gov, fulfills one of the key requirements of the 2006 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which requires full disclosure on a Web site maintained by OMB of all organizations receiving more than $25,000 in federal funds. The new website will eventually provide a full searchable database of all federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans. http://www.usaspending.gov |
