April 2, 2010
News From The Commonwealth
Theme: a Healthier America: One Community at a Time
On Tuesday, April 6, 2010, in recognition of National Public Health Week, Secretary of Health Everette James will host a community forum at Owen J. Roberts Middle School in Chester County to discuss both ongoing and future, statewide efforts to improve the health of Pennsylvania’s children. With more than one third of all
Pennsylvania students obese or overweight, the commonwealth has taken steps to improve the health of
Pennsylvania’s children by expanding and promoting opportunities to increase physical activity in schools through the Department of Health and Department of Education’s Active Schools program and creating access to healthy foods in schools and communities through the Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Farms and
Healthy Schools Program.
Reducing Risk: Understanding the Adolescent Brain – Training Conference
Wondering why teens and adults don’t see eye to eye?
Searching for better strategies to protect adolescents?
Looking for effective ways to prevent alcohol, tobacco & other drug use?
FREE professional conference on TOBACCO prevention/control and ADOLESCENTS: one day conference for school professionals (counselors, SAP coordinators, administrators, health teachers, curriculum specialists), tobacco prevention and cessation specialists, community providers, student assistance program professionals, health professionals and other adolescent gatekeepers.
Four locations: April 7 (State College), April 14 (Stroudsburg),
April 20 (Westmoreland Co. Community College), and April 23 (Clarion).
The PA Department of Health Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control, the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol
Programs, and the Department of Education, Division of Student and Safe School Services are jointly sponsoring this training, endorsed and supported by the Student Assistance Program (SAP) Interagency
Committee. The trainings by Addiction Medicine Services, Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, UPMC, including two Commonwealth of PA approved Student Assistance Program CAT (CAT) Trainers. CEU
Credits are available to participants: Act 48 – 5 credits, CAC / CPS, NBCC, LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT.
Free Downloadable Copy of the Pennsylvania Pediatric Asthma Toolkit
The Philadelphia Allies Against Asthma (PAAA) Coalition and the Pennsylvania Department of Health have developed the Pennsylvania Pediatric Asthma Toolkit to improve asthma education resources among community-based organizations, primary care providers, and schools. This toolkit has been designed to provide you with tools and information to educate your communities, patients, and students about asthma. The
PA Pediatric Asthma Toolkit may be eligible for continuing education credits within your profession.

Events and Trainings
National Public Health Week: April 5-11, 2010 – Planning Toolkits Now Available!!
National Public
Health Week (NPHW) provides a wonderful opportunity to carry out the integrative approach of the Educated
Citizen and Public Health initiative, to engage all students, extending to every undergraduate major and throughout general education. Partner and student planning toolkits are now available on the NPHW website including ideas on ways to engage your campus community.
April is Minority Health Month
The HHS Office of Minority Health has chosen men’s health as the focus for Minority Health Month April 2010; the theme is Man Up for Your Health! Healthy Men Move Our
Communities Forward.
Resources Available for April National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and is designed to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and encourage individuals and communities to support children and families.
Rural Health Care Program Monthly Outreach Conference Call 
 Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 2
PM Monthly conference calls provide a forum for applicants and service providers to raise an issue or seek clarification on specific areas of concern, including program rules or requirements. USAC provides an agenda for the calls followed by a general question and answer period. See Conference Call Guidelines .
PA Asthma Full Partnership Meeting Scheduled
Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m
.
The PA Asthma Partnership Spring Meeting will be held at Temple University, Harrisburg. Discussions will focus on the 2011 State Asthma Action Plan. There will also be a presentation on Delivering Quality Care to
Diverse Populations by Dr. Alexander Green, Senior Scientist at the Disparities Solutions Center at
Massachusetts General Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School. If you are not a member of the PA
Asthma Partnership, now is the time to register for free and learn more about the meeting (news tab).
Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum 
 April 13, 2010 - 2:00 PM
Eastern The Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services "Open Door Forums" provide a forum to proactively engage beneficiary advocates - in discussions of the opportunities and challenges associated with supporting access, improving medical outcomes, lowering costs, and improving quality within programs.
Medicaid to Pay for Fluoride Varnish Applied by Physicians and CRNPs
Effective April 1, 2010, Medical Assistance (MA) enrolled physicians and independently practicing Certified
Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNP) will be eligible to receive payment for the application of topical fluoride varnish (D1206), when provided to MA eligible children under the age of five. The American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers, at no cost to the provider, an on-line training module titled “Oral Health
Risk Assessment: Training for Pediatricians and Other Child Health Professionals”. Details can be found in

Medical Assistance Bulletin 09-10-08, 31-10-08.
Resources and Tools
Cultural Health Resource
The US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health
(OMH) established the Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care (CLCCHC). Access the latest Think Cultural Health initiatives, including a quarterly e-newsletter. Think Cultural Health News provides updates on a suite of cultural competency continuing education programs for Physicians, Nurses and
Emergency/Disaster Personnel, as well as resources such as Health Care Language Services Implementation
Guide. OMH supports research, demonstrations, and evaluations to test new and innovative models aimed at increasing knowledge and providing a clearer understanding of health risk factors and successful prevention intervention strategies for minority populations.
Culturally Competent Nursing Care: A Cornerstone of Caring
The Office of Minority Health at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has created Culturally Competent Nursing Care: A
Cornerstone of Caring, a new healthcare program now available for nurses interested in increasing their ability to understand and more effectively treat culturally and ethnically diverse patient populations. This program is a
FREE online educational program designed specifically for nurses and is accredited by the American Nurses
Credentialing Center and the National Association of Social Workers and endorsed by the American Nursing
Association.
APA: Rural Health
A listing of publications, agencies, organizations and programs on the topic of rural behavioral health.
Organization: American Psychological Association
The U.S. Food Environment Atlas
Food environment factors—such as store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs, and community characteristics—interact to influence food choices and diet quality. Research is beginning to document the complexity of these interactions, but more is needed to identify causal relationships and effective policy interventions.
The Office on Women’s Health
The Office on Women's Health (OWH) was established in 1991 within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its Vision is to ensure that "All
Women and Girls are Healthier and Have a Better Sense of Well Being." Its mission is to "provide leadership to promote health equity for women and girls through sex/gender-specific approaches." The strategy OWH uses to achieve its mission and vision is through the development of innovative programs, by educating health professionals, and motivating behavior change in consumers through the dissemination of health information.
Milhealth’s Directory of Military Health Information Resources 
Milhealth’s Directory is a compilation of carefully selected and evaluated military health and other related information resources. Resources are both
‘consumer health’ appropriate and clinical research from peer-reviewed journals. Entries are carefully researched and evaluated, resources and materials are summarized and arranged in easy to understand subject topics. [Highlight HEALTH Web Directory]

Data and Statistics
Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in School Reforms to Close the Achievement
Gap Report on recent research in fields ranging from neurosciences and child development to epidemiology and public health provide compelling evidence for the causal role that educationally relevant health disparities play in the educational achievement gap that plagues urban minority youth. This is why reducing these health disparities must be a fundamental part of school reform.
Nonprofit Fundraising Trends 2010: Executive Summary
Summarizes findings from a survey of nonprofits on fundraising challenges, strategies, and results in 2009, by organization size and compared with 2008. Explores factors behind better fundraising results and lower staff morale as well as 2010 goals.
The Salty Stuff: Salt, Blood Pressure and Your Health
Salt is essential to our body’s fluids. On the other hand, too much salt can lead to a host of health problems.
Using Professionally Trained interpreters to Increase Patient/Provider Satisfaction: Does It Work?
Examines the need for trained medical interpreters by comparing the satisfaction of emergency room patients, doctors, and triage and discharge nurses when provided with interpreters and when provided only with telephone language lines or ad hoc services.
COPD – Helping the Missing Millions 
About 24 million Americans suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It's a staggering number, made more so by the fact that only about half of them have been diagnosed. The rest, some 12 million, are unaware that they are living with a progressive, chronic illness that when detected and treated early enough, can be controlled and its impact on their quality of life minimized. The challenge is finding and helping COPD's missing millions.
Identifying Infants with Hearing Loss
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on Hearing Loss. Congenital hearing loss affects two to three infants per 1,000 live births. Undetected hearing loss can delay speech and language development. A total of 41 states, Guam, and the District of Columbia have statutes or regulatory guidance to identify infants with hearing loss.
Funding Opportunities
Rural Health Workforce Development Program
Application deadline: Apr 30, 2010
Grants to support the development of rural health networks that focus on activities relating to the recruitment and retention of primary and allied health care providers in rural communities.

HIMSS Davies Award for Community Health Organizations
Application Deadline: May 14, 2010
This award is given to community health organizations that provide primary medical care with an open-door policy to underserved populations. Two FQHCs won the award in 2009.
Proposals Invited for Round Five of Healthy Eating Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood
Obesity
Deadline for Round Five grants and New Connections grants: May 13, 2010
Rapid-response grants, concept papers may be submitted from March 15 to September 1, 2010..
Grants will be awarded to nonprofits in the United States or its territories working to promote healthy eating among children and prevent childhood obesity, especially among lower-income and racial and ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity.
Horses and Humans Research Foundation Offers Grants to Investigate Therapeutic Effects of Horses on
Humans
Deadline: May 15, 2010
 One-year grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to both domestic and international research teams investigating the therapeutic effects of horses on humans, especially the impact on people with disabilities.
UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Medical Assistance Grants
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Assistance grants for children for medical services not fully covered by health insurance. Parents and caretakers across the country will be eligible to apply for grants of up to $5,000 for healthcare services that will help improve their children's health and quality of life. Examples of the types of medical services covered by UHCCF grants include speech therapy, physical therapy, and psychotherapy sessions; medical equipment such as wheelchairs, braces, hearing aids, and eyeglasses; and orthodontia and dental treatments.
USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services in rural areas.
Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
The Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade “Safety Net” program supports public, community, and safety net hospitals and health care systems that provide breast care to low-income, at-risk, uninsured and underinsured individuals.
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation – Helping Children in Urban Poverty
Grants Deadline: Rolling
The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation seeks to fund projects that directly serve or impact children living in urban poverty, particularly in the areas of education, childhood health and family economic stability. Award amounts vary. Charitable or tax-exempt organizations are eligible to apply.

AfterCollege/AACN Nursing Scholarship Fund
Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
This scholarship program supports students who are seeking a baccalaureate, masters or doctoral degree in nursing.
Partnership Spotlight
Tell us about your partnership accomplishments
We would like to use this section of our weekly bulletin to highlight your accomplishments and allow you to share them with other SHIP Partners. If you have news, successful programs, new plans, or other important milestones that you would like to share please send a condensed, print-ready article to the SHIP Coordinator .
Comments? Suggestions?
Please send any comments or suggestions for this and future Bulletins to the SHIP Coordinator . Your input is valued and appreciated.
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this bulletin is intended to be of general information to the Pennsylvania's
SHIP-affiliated partnerships. It is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any specific process, service, product, company or funding source outside of the Department of Health auspices.
Further examination and research of information is recommended.