February, 2015
The Family Health Coalition is
committed to working together through
broad-based community representation
to optimize the health and well-being of
uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid
enrolled women of childbearing age,
infants and families by establishing a
system of universal and comprehensive
quality health education, prevention,
services and support.
Meetings
General Coalition Meeting
March 11, 2015
Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Community Service Council
Steering Committee
March 3, 2015
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Community Service Council
Social Marketing Committee
February 5, 2015
March 5, 2015
11:00 a.m. to Noon
Community Service Council
Training Institute
February 27, 2015
10:00 a.m. to Noon
Community Service Council
Motivational Interviewing with Dan Duffy, MD
Grants
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HHS/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Geriatrics
Workforce Enhancement Program. Deadline is March 5, 2015. Learn more.
HHS/HRSA: Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) Grant.
Deadline is March 6, 2015. Learn more.
HHS/HRSA: AETC National Coordinating Resource Center (NCRC)
Cooperative Agreement. Deadline is March 6, 2015. Learn more.
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS): Foster
Grandparent Program (FGP) Indian Tribe Competition and Senior
Companion Program (SCP) Indian Tribe Competition. These competitions
are open to federally-recognized Indian Tribes, including current tribal
grantees. Deadline for Notice of Intent is April 17, 2015. Learn more.
Conferences
Texas Healthy Start Alliance 13th Annual Education Conference
Strengthening the Foundation of our Practice:
Strategies for Healthy Communities
February 25-27, 2015
South Padre Island
Click here for more information.
---------------16th Annual Spring Conference
February 28-March 3, 2015
Washington, DC
Click here for more info
----------------4th International Infant & Toddler Conference
April 8-11
Tulsa, OK
Click here for registration and more information.
Opioid Painkillers Widely Prescribed Among
Reproductive Age Women
Opioids are typically prescribed by health care providers to treat moderate to severe
pain. They are also found in some prescription cough medications. The most
commonly prescribed opioids among both groups of women were hydrocodone,
codeine and oxycodone.
"Taking opioid medications early in pregnancy can cause birth defects and serious
problems for the infant and the mother," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D.,
M.P.H. "Many women of reproductive age are taking these medicines and may not
know they are pregnant and therefore may be unknowingly exposing their unborn
child. That's why it's critical for health care professionals to take a thorough health
assessment before prescribing these medicines to women of reproductive age
CDC researchers analyzed 2008-2012 data from two large health insurance claims
datasets: one of women aged 15-44 years with private insurance and another of
women in the same age group enrolled in Medicaid. They found that, on average,
39 percent of Medicaid-enrolled women filled an opioid prescription from an
outpatient pharmacy each year compared to 28 percent of women with private
health insurance.
The higher opioid prescribing rates among Medicaid enrollees might be due to
differences in the prescription medications covered under their health insurance
plan, differences in use of health care services, or differences in the prevalence of
underlying health conditions among Medicaid enrollees compared with persons
covered by private health insurance.
Geographic region data available in the private insurance claims indicated that
opioid prescription rates were highest among reproductive-aged women in the
South and lowest in the Northeast. Race/ethnicity information was available for the
Medicaid data and indicated opioid prescriptions were nearly one and a half times
higher among non-Hispanic white women of reproductive age compared to nonHispanic black or Hispanic women.
Previous studies of opioid use in pregnancy suggest these medications might
increase the risk of neural tube defects (major defects of the baby's brain and
spine), congenital heart defects and gastroschisis (a defect of the baby's abdominal
wall). There is also a risk of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) from exposure to
medications such as opioids in pregnancy. NAS is when a newborn experiences
symptoms of withdrawal from medications or drugs taken by a mother during
pregnancy.
"Women, who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should discuss with
their health care professional the risks and benefits for any medication they are
taking or considering." said Coleen Boyle, Ph.D., MS.Hyg., Director of CDC's
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. "This new
information underscores the importance of responsible prescribing, especially of
opioids, for women of child bearing age."
DC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities is working to
provide better information to women and their health care providers about
medication use during pregnancy through its Treating for Two: Safer Medication
Use in Pregnancy initiative. Through Treating for Two, CDC is working with its
partners, other federal agencies and the public to understand trends in medication
use among pregnant women and women of childbearing age and to provide women
and health care providers with information about the safety or risk of using specific
medications during pregnancy. This information will help women and their
healthcare providers to make informed decisions about treating health conditions
during pregnancy.
Click here for more information about medications and pregnancy
Click here to learn more about CDC's work on birth defects
Medicare at 50-The Commonwealth Fund, January
2015
Since 1965, Medicare has provided millions of older and disabled Americans with
guaranteed access to affordable health care. The broad popularity of the program,
however, belies the intensely ideological struggle that preceded its creation and that
continues in the debate over its future. In the first report of a two-part series
published in the New England Journal of Medicine, David Blumenthal, M.D., Karen
Davis, and Stuart Guterman trace the origins of Medicare and discuss its
accomplishments, the changes it has undergone, and the challenges that remain.
Report
Rise in Access to Care and Affordability in First
Year of ACA-The Commonwealth Fund, January
2015
For the first time, The Commonwealth Fund's Biennial Health Insurance Surveyfielded since 2001-finds sharp declines in uninsured rates for working-age
Americans, with rates for young and low-income adults now at their lowest levels in
14 years. The number of people reporting that costs were a problem in accessing
care also fell, as did the number of people with trouble paying medical bills.
Brief
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Family Health Coalition via Community Service Council | 16 East 16th Street, Suite 202 | Tulsa | OK | 74119