General : The Network Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 3
This is Volume 1, Issue 3 of The Network, the quarterly newsletter of the SNHC by EPMC project.
The Network, Volume 1, Issue 3
The Network is the quarterly newsletter of the Supporting Networks of HIV Care by Enhancing Primary Medical Care (SNHC by EPMC) project.
Onsite Technical Assistance (TA)
Eligible primary care organizations may request short-term technical assistance in a variety of areas. The frequently requested areas include: Protocol Development for HIV Standards of Care; Strategic Planning; Clinical Management of HIV Illness; Resource Development/Grants Management; and, HIV Rapid Testing. As a result of the services received through the project, many organizations report having the tools and knowledge to appropriately test and treat people living with HIV/AIDS. Organizations continue to build on the knowledge gained from the TA and have begun to explore other areas where they can improve their outcomes as a result of the TA received. “The TA that we received in Resource Development (Grants Management) really opened our eyes in realizing some areas we needed to work on and develop our strengths.”--Bethsheba Johnson, Southside Health Association, Chicago, IL
Intensive Capacity Building Assistance (ICB) Spotlight - White Eagle Health Center
Located on the Ponca Tribe Reservation in White Eagle, Oklahoma, White Eagle Health Center (WEHC) provides a vast array of primary adult health care services free of charge to over 4,500 American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) who show proof of tribal enrollment which accounts for 20,000 patient visits per year. The clinic’s healthcare system is accessed by tribal members from 6 different tribes including the Ponca, Otoe-Missouria, Tonkawa, Pawnee, Kaw and Osage Tribal Nations, which are located within a 10-50 mile radius of one another. Throughout the six (6) tribal reservations, there are only 2 clinics that provide primary adult health care services, which include WEHC. Neither of these sites are currently providing HIV primary care services. HIV positive patients are referred to Tulsa Hope Clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma or Oklahoma City for treatment which is 60 to 90 minutes away. Transportation to Oklahoma City is an issue for some of the tribal members; therefore, some patients who are diagnosed with HIV choose not to receive care at all.The organization requested capacity building and technical assistance to treat, monitor, and provide primary care clinical services to AI/AN HIV/AIDS patients in the WEHC facility. Their objectives are to: provide HIV testing to all consenting adult patients; link with other IHS, Tribal, and State facilities for tracking purposes; provide professional development about HIV/AIDS; and, provide antiretroviral and other drug therapies including treatment of opportunistic infections. SNHC by EPMC project staff are working with Wendy McGuckin, a representative from the http://www.aidsetc.org/aidsetc?page=ab-00-00">Oklahoma/Texas AIDS Education Training Center, who will be assisting in providing the organization the technical assistance needed to develop WEHC’s provider’s HIV clinical management skills. The organization is eagerly looking forward to becoming the first clinic located on one of the six tribal reservations with the capacity to provide HIV medical care and dental services to American Indians or Alaskan Natives living in the surrounding tribal regions.
Coming Soon -- Regional Meetings (RM) III Online Tutorial Topics and New Web-based Training
Online tutorials will be posted soon to http://www.hivta.org/">www.HIVTA.org on the following topics: Information Technology (IT) Security and Electronic Medical Record Systems; Recruitment and Retention of Young Adults and Adolescents into Care; A Systems Approach to the Management of HIV; and Employing HIV-Positive Staff: Application of the Law into HR Policy.
Look for future notices to be sent to the SNHC by EPMC listserv in August, or visit http://www.hivta.org/">www.hivta.org. To be added to the SNHC by EPMC listsev email Robert Warren, robert@caear.org.
New web-based trainings available on July 18, 2008 for eligible SNHC by EPMC organizations
CAEAR Foundation (CF) staff worked with CSI Solutions, Inc. to record the, “Lean Thinking Concepts in HIV/AIDS Care Delivery” and “Optimizing the Care Team: Making the Provider More Productive” modules. The Lean Thinking Concepts in HIV/AIDS Care Delivery module focuses on principles of “lean” generated out of the Toyota Production System (TPS) which when applied to healthcare environments can streamline flow, manage inventories, and minimize unnecessary motion of people, information, and technology. The module discusses specific case studies of how these principles have been used by successful healthcare teams and applications to HIV care provision.The Optimizing the Care Team: Making the Provider More Productive module focuses on how staff is utilized to provide and support care delivery and how this drives the economics of an organization. The module discusses matching skill sets with the work that must be done, allocating staff to support maximum productivity of the provider, and how the two allow for greater panel sizes and increased revenue.CF’s web-based trainings focus on specific organizational development/administrative aspects of implementing HIV primary medical care services. All modules in the web-based training series are approved for continuing education credits and nursing contact hours.
Ten Scholarships Awarded to the HIV/AIDS 2008: The Social Work Response Conference
To ensure that select conference options respond to the multi-disciplinary needs of SNHC by EMPC organizations, scholarships were awarded to 10 participants from 10 organizations to attend HIV/AIDS 2008: The Social Work Response conference. The conference took place May 22 – 25, 2008 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, this conference provided social work staff involved with HIV/AIDS service delivery workshops and plenary sessions that focused on HIV/AIDS social work leadership needs for the future. The conference offered two pre-conference events, approximately 100 concurrent presentations, invitational sessions, and social events to facilitate peer-to-peer networking and learning during the conference. A SNHC by EPMC sponsored networking event and focus group took place on Saturday, May 24, 2008.
Other Events: National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day and National Health Center Week
National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness DayThe CAEAR Foundation has joined the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center (NMAETC) and the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) on National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day, to be held on July 21, 2008. National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day is an opportunity for clinicians to help reduce stigma by taking an HIV test and raising their awareness about HIV care and treatment. For more information, contact the NMAETC at 202-865-8146 or visit http://www.cliniciansgettested.info/">www.cliniciansgettested.info.
National Health Center Week - August 10-16, 2008The second week of August each year is dedicated to recognizing the service and contributions of Community, Migrant, Homeless and Public Housing Health Centers in providing access to affordable, high quality, cost-effective health care to medically vulnerable and underserved people in the U.S. "America's Health Centers: Home of America's Health Care Heroes" is the theme for National Health Center Week 2008. It recognizes the vital role of health center providers in achieving the success of the health center mission. From primary care physicians, to behavioral health specialists, to nurses and pharmacists, nearly 40,000 health care professionals serve on the front lines each day in health centers. For more information, visit http://www.healthcenterweek.org/">www.healthcenterweek.org.
About the Supporting Networks of HIV Care by Enhancing Primary Medical Care Project
The Supporting Networks of HIV Care by Enhancing Primary Medical Care project (SNHC by EPMC) is a national technical assistance and capacity building project. The project goal is to develop, improve, and expand comprehensive HIV primary medical care and treatment service delivery to racial/ethnic minority communities severely impacted by HIV/AIDS. The project provides eligible primary medical care sites with services free-of-charge using the following three methods: Technical Assistance (TA), Intensive Capacity Building (ICB), and Training (Regional Meetings, Select Conference Attendance Support and Web-based Trainings). SNHC by EPMC is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s HIV/AIDS Bureau, through the Minority AIDS Initiative. The project is led by the CAEAR Foundation in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development (AED), and the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC). For more information on the SNHC by EPMC Project visit http://www.hivta.org/">www.hivta.org.
