SVP: Transforming the Lives of Children and Youth At Risk
Social Venture Partners (SVP) has chosen Transforming the Lives of Children and Youth at Risk for its next grantmaking cycle. The new focus area will target organizations working on solutions to the problems faced by at-risk children and families: hunger, poverty, illiteracy, obesity, and homelessness. Grant recipients will benefit not only from financial resources but also a working relationship with professionals that will focus on the organization's long-range success and growth.SVP will host a workshop for nonprofits interested in applying for an investment partnership at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 23 at the Health Foundation/Interact for Change offices in Norwood. For more information, click here.
Events
|
|---|
If I Knew Then What I Know Now New nonprofits have a lot of responsibilities, and setting up good infrastructure for future growth is one of the best ways to make good use of your time early on. The Health Foundation's Christine Mulvin writes about some of the things she wishes she'd known when she started working in her job 11 years ago. Read her thoughts here. Healthcare Reform Opportunities Now that the healthcare reform bill has been signed into law, health care will be within reach of millions of Americans who previously couldn't afford it. As an organization that provides grants and support to high-quality patient care programs in the Cincinnati community, the Health Foundation is looking at some key provisions of the bill that will directly affect how our grantees can provide better care. Read more about them here.
|
Strive Data Resources Finding high-quality local data can be very difficult, yet many organizations need it to plan for their organization’s future. If you’re looking for a good list of local reports and information sources, check out Strive’s data and resources page: http://www.strivetogether.org/data_resources/resources_catalog. They do an excellent job of cataloging many of the data and information resources available to the Cincinnati community. For information on the Health Foundation's health data program, visit our website at http://www.healthfoundation.org/data_publications/healthdata.html, or contact Jennifer Chubinski, Director, Health Data Improvement, at 513.458.6608, or jchubinski@healthfoundation.org.
|
Charitable Giving Strategies for Nonprofits Workshop Building Blocks for Nonprofits will present a workshop on Charitable Giving Strategies for Nonprofits on June 9. Topics will include the psychology behind charitable giving, how to advise donors on the giving strategies that are best suited to their goals, and issues related to establishing endowments and planned giving programs. The workshop is $25 ($35 for non-members). To register or to get more information, click here. 2010 National Drug Control Strategy Released The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy features 5-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences using community-based prevention, integration of evidence-based treatment in mainstream health care, innovations in the criminal justice system to break the cycle of drug use and crime, and international partnerships to disrupt transnational drug trafficking. It also focuses on helping addicted Americans recover through expansion of community addiction centers and preventing drug use by teens and children. For more information about the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, click here. Nonprofits and Economic Recovery: A Town Hall Meeting Leadership Initiative of the University of Kentucky and the Institute for Nonprofit Capacity of Northern Kentucky University are sponsoring a town hall meeting to discuss economic recovery. The event will be a forum for discussion of recovery-related activities, resources for assisting the families you serve, and recovery training and assistance available for Kentucky nonprofits. This event is free, but pre-registration is required. To register, visit us online or call 859-257-2542. Free Nonprofit Marketing Plan to Get More Attention Nonprofit consultant Nancy Schwartz has released a free nonprofit marketing plan outline designed to take organizations step-by-step to the next level of success. From making organizational goals and objectives to assigning every discrete task to staff to evaluation of the end result, this plan is full of great ideaas. Visit her web site to download your free copy and check out her other articles on organization branding, events, and management. Be Profiled in an NKU Journalism Workshop Project NKU's Journalism in the Digital Age Workshop is looking for nonprofits to share their stories with attendees. The workshop teaches research, interviewing, video, and web writing to local high school students. Selected nonprofits to be profiled will provide background information on their organizations and then attend an interview on NKU's campus on Wednesday, June 16. The students taking the workshops will produce video and text stories based on the interviews and, if acceptable by interviewees, publish them on the workshop's website. To be involved, contact Michele Day at daymi@nku.edu or 859-572-1921 or click here for more information. Please respond by Friday, June 4.
|
Dr. Howard L. Bost Memorial Scholar Application - Deadline Extended to 6/15/2010 The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is offering funding to offset some research-related costs for masters and doctoral students completing a thesis, dissertation, or capstone project in health, non-profit, business, and related fields that address a matter of health policy important to the Foundation's mission: to address the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians. Applications for funding, as well as further details on Foundation initiatives and focus areas, are available on our website, www.healthy-ky.org. The application deadline has been extended to June 15, 2010. CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Offers Grants to Support Children with Disabilities and Uninsured or Underserved People with Healthcare Needs; Application Due 6/15/2010 The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, the private foundation of CVS Caremark Corporation, will award grants ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 to programs that help build skills, capabilities, and opportunities for success for children under the age of 21 with disabilities. Applicants should address accessibility, inclusion, and awareness-building; physical activity; early intervention; and rehabilitative services. Programs that promote wellness and obesity prevention for children of all abilities are also eligible. The trust also offers grants to organizations that are dedicated to improving the quality of health and well-being of populations most difficult to reach, including uninsured or underserved seniors, adults, youth, and children. CVS Caremark Charitable Trust is particularly interested in programs that seek to provide a "medical home" for underserved populations and that provide screening, health promotion, and prevention efforts. For more information, please visit our web site. Request for Quotation (RFQ): Kentucky Health Market Report; Due 6/21/2010 The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for a Study of the Impact of Health Economics & Health Resources on Kentucky Communities. The RFQ invites responses from qualified parties to a defined set of requirements. The aims are to obtain (a) a clear and useful data set describing Kentucky's health assets and resources; and (b) a report highlighting key findings regarding the impact of health resources - or lack thereof - on Kentucky communities. Applications can be accessed by clicking here. Proposals are due June 21, 2010.
Ohio State Bar Foundation to Fund Reentry Projects; Application Due 8/15/10 The Ohio State Bar Foundation strives to be a catalyst, convener, and collaborator in promoting public understanding of the law and improvements in the justice system throughout Ohio. The Foundation will award grants in three categories: 1) Short-Term Project-Based Funding; 2) Long-Term Partnerships/Alliances; and 3) Capacity Building. For more information, please visit our website. Public Welfare Foundation to Fund Reintegration and Alternatives to Incarceration; Open and Rolling Deadline for Proposals
The Public Welfare Foundation (PWF) will offer $1.5 million in grants to promote a fair and humane criminal justice system and violence prevention that includes alternatives to incarceration, effective legal representation, and the reintegration of offenders as productive citizens. Proposals are welcomed from a wide range of organizations and can include both governmental and independent advocacy groups. To view PWF's grant guidelines or for more information, click here.
|
ACCESS TO CARE: New Federal Health Reform Law Could Cost Indiana $3.6B Over 10 Years The new federal health reform law could cost Indiana as much as $3.6 billion over the next decade, according to a new analysis that was presented to state tax and budget lawmakers on May 12 (Bradner, Evansville Courier & Press, 5/12). The report by Robert Damler, a state-hired actuary, raises the estimated cost to the state from a $2.3 billion projection made in December. A large portion of the cost would come from adding more residents to the state Medicaid program, Damler said. According to Damler, the new guidelines potentially increase enrollment to as many as 1.5 million people, compared with about one million before the law's passage (Ruthhart, Indianapolis Star, 5/13). The report also anticipates other health care-related costs to the state, including $832 million over the next 10 years to increase Medicaid reimbursements for physicians. The report also found that Indiana would reap some savings as the new law would shift $195 million in costs for the Children's Health Insurance Program back to the federal government (Evansville Courier & Press, 5/12). Some lawmakers noted that the cost estimate assumes that all residents who become eligible will join the Medicaid program, which they said is unlikely. Rep. Jeff Espich (R) asked Damler to produce additional estimates based on varying scenarios that would be able to provide a broad range of cost estimates (Indianapolis Star, 5/13). Click here for the Indianapolis Star article. Click herefor the Evansville Courier & Press article. Click herefor the Louisville Courier-Journal article. ACCESS TO CARE: Louisville Mayor, College President Propose Site for New VA Facility Louisville, Ky., Mayor Jerry Abramson and University of Louisville President James Ramsey, in a letter dated April 26 to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, urged VA officials to select a five-block area near University Hospital as the site of a new VA medical center to replace the Robley Rex VA Medical Center. VA officials earlier this year asked developers and other entities to submit proposals for the site of the new hospital by April 26. Proposed sites must meet a specific list of criteria, such as having at least 25 acres of space and being located within 15 miles of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center campus. The site proposed by Abramson and Ramsey would provide VA with access to the latest technology, clinical programs and research opportunities, they wrote. The Robley Rex VA facility currently serves about 5,000 veterans from Kentucky and Southern Indiana on an in-patient basis annually, and it receives nearly 500,000 out-patient visitors each year. VA officials in Louisville and Washington, D.C., are expected to evaluate the proposals throughout May, and they intend to present a preferred location to VA's secretary by early summer, according to George Szwarcman, chief of real property service at VA. A timeline for the final decision on the site has not been disclosed. According to VA officials, it could take more than two years before ground is broken on the new facility, and $75 million has been allocated for land acquisition and the hospital's design (Shafer, Louisville Courier-Journal, 5/10). Click here for the Louisville Courier-Journal article. MENTAL HEALTH: Advocates Say Benefit Restrictions Could Violate Federal Law Increasing medical costs have prompted some employers to enforce new limits on coverage for mental health care, raising concerns that such limits violate federal regulations. Some companies have begun requiring therapists to participate in lengthy and repeated telephone interviews about patients' progress before insurers will approve further treatment. Advocates of the limits have said they are attempting to ensure that health plans cover only treatment that is medically necessary. However, patients and therapists say the additional oversight is troublesome and intimidating. They also say further restrictions sometimes lead to shortened treatment and prolonged appeals. Mental health advocates have said the restrictions violate the 2008 mental health parity law, which mandates that most employers offer the same level of coverage for mental health care as other medical care. According to the law, a company's health plan cannot limit the number of therapy visits for patients without placing similar restrictions on other physician visits and also cannot require that employers charge more for mental health sessions than for other medical sessions. Legal experts have said that additional federal regulations do not allow insurers to question therapists about patient progress unless insurers question other medical specialists. Matt Selig, executive director of Health Law Advocates, said, "We are seeing what seem to be excessive preauthorization and other reviews that we don't typically see for other medical services." Selig said HLA is gathering examples of such restrictions to determine whether a lawsuit is warranted (Lazar, Boston Globe, 5/17). Click here for the Boston Globe article. RX DRUGS: Overall Spending Up by About 4%, 11% for Children in 2009, Report Finds Overall U.S. prescription drug spending rose by 3.7% in 2009, while spending on medications for children increased by 10.8%, according to a report released on Wednesday by Medco Health Systems (Wilde Mathews, "Health Blog," Wall Street Journal, 5/19). The report, which was based on information collected from pharmacy benefit manager Medco's 200 largest clients, found that the higher spending was caused by a 1.3% rise in drug use and a 2.4% increase in unit cost (AP/USA Today, 5/19). Brand-name drug costs rose by 9.2% in 2009 -- the largest increase in this decade, the report found. Spending growth for children ages 19 and younger also was attributed to higher prices and a 5% increase in usage ("Health Blog," Wall Street Journal, 5/19). More than 25% of insured children and 30% of adolescents ages 10 to 19 in 2009 took at least one prescription drug to treat a chronic condition, including Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, acid reflux, depression or anxiety. The report predicted that overall pharmaceutical spending will increase by as much as 18% through 2012, propelled by higher sales of diabetes, cancer and rheumatology treatments. Spending is expected to rise by 3% to 5% in 2010 and by up to 6% over the next two years, though spending likely will be offset by upcoming patent losses, which will reduce brand-name drug sales by about $46 billion by the end of 2012, according to the report (Berkrot, Reuters, 5/19). Click here here for the Wall Street Journal "Health Blog" article. Click here for the AP/USA Today article. Click here for the Medco Health Systems report. RX DRUGS: Ohio House Approves Bill To Expand Prescription Authority of Advanced-Practice Nurses The Ohio House on May 19 voted 85-13 to approve a bill (HB 206) that would broaden the prescription authority of advanced-practice nurses. Under current law, the nearly 8,000 APNs in the state are authorized to prescribe up to one day's worth of medications that already have been prescribed by a doctor. Under the newly approved bill, APNs can refill already-prescribed medications for longer than one day. Those include controlled substances such as fentanyl, oxycodone and Ritalin (Candisky, Columbus Dispatch, 5/20). APNs include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists -- all of whom have at least a master's degree certification in a specialty medical field. Nurses for many years lobbied state lawmakers for the authority to prescribe the medications, which they said would lower costs and provide relief to patients in severe pain or children with attention deficit disorders. Although the bill has broad support from state medical educators and professionals, it is opposed by physicians groups, including the Ohio State Medical Association and the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. OSMA spokesperson Tim Maglione said the time is not right to expand prescribing practices, noting that Gov. Ted Strickland (D) recently established a task force to address the rising rate of prescription drug abuse in the state. APN groups disagree. Jacalyn Golden of the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses said that nurse practitioners work under the authority of a physician's medical license, which ensures that the doctor has final say over a patient's prescriptions. According to OAAPN, APNs in 32 states have the authority to prescribe Schedule II drugs without restrictions (Hoholik, Columbus Dispatch, 5/17). The bill now heads to the state Senate for further action (Columbus Dispatch, 5/20). Click here for the first Columbus Dispatch article. Click here for the second Columbus Dispatch article. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS: Ohio Prescription Drug Abuse Panel Adopts 11 Recommendations The Ohio Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force unanimously approved 11 recommendations to reduce statewide prescription drug abuse rates. The recommendations include data collection, policy options and stakeholder identification. Certain recommendations that were discussed during the panel's meetings over the past several weeks were not solidified, such as mandating prescriber enrollment in and use of the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System or revising pain medication prescription guidelines. George Maier -- assistant director of the Ohio Department of public Safety and chair of the task force -- said that the panel's immediate duty would be to identify improvements that would receive broad support and could be implemented quickly. The task force is expected to present the recommendations in a report to Gov. Ted Strickland (D) within the month. Before the panel's next scheduled meeting on June 23, four working groups -- public and consumer; provider, prescriber and health care professionals; criminal justice and law enforcement; and police and legislative -- are expected to convene to develop more specific implementation strategies, according to Alvin Jackson, the panel's vice chair and director of the Ohio Department of Health (Zimmer, Zanesville Times Recorder, 5/12). Click here for the Zanesville Times Recorder article. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS: White House Releases New Strategy Focused on Public Health The White House on May 11 announced its first drug control strategy, which will add resources for drug prevention and treatment in an effort to focus drug policy on public health rather than prosecution. The plan aims to reduce youth drug use by 15% across five years and targets similar reductions in chronic drug use and drug-related deaths. The White House also calls for more community-oriented prevention programs and encourages health providers to intervene with at-risk patients. Meanwhile, states will receive assistance to set up electronic databases to identify doctors who overprescribe addictive medications. The policy shift reflects President Obama's pledge to focus on curbing public health issues associated with drug use. Although some drug advocates hailed Obama's new proposal, they noted that the drug-control budget and broader drug policy suggest the shift to public health would take time to materialize. Under the national drug control budget proposal released earlier this year, programs to reduce drug demand receive half as much money as enforcement. However, the budget includes a 13% increase in spending on alcohol and drug prevention programs, as well as a 3.7% increase for addiction treatment (Hananel, AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/11). Click here for AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution article. Click here to read the White House strategy proposal. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS: Youth Drug Misuse Admissions Drop Between 2002 and 2008, Report Finds The admission rate for U.S. youth ages 12 to 17 who received treatment for substance misuse dropped 10% between 2002 and 2008, compared with a 13% increase in admission rates between 1998 and 2002, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report released on May 12. The report, titled "National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment," was based on data from SAMHSA's national survey of state-licensed substance misuse treatment facilities. The survey found that marijuana was a primary or secondary substance in nearly 80% of adolescent treatment admissions, and nearly 50% of admissions were mandated through the courts. Among all U.S. residents, the proportion of treatment admissions due to drug misuse alone increased from 26% in 1998 to 37% in 2008, while admissions attributed to only alcohol decreased from 27% to 23%. The report showed that 55% of admissions were attributable to misuse of a combination of two or more psychoactive drugs, mainly alcohol and opiates. For the overall population, opiate-related admissions rose to 20% in 2008, up from 16% in 1998, while cocaine admissions decreased to 11% from 15%. Meanwhile, marijuana admissions increased from 13% to 17% across the study period and stimulant admissions -- primarily methamphetamine-related -- rose slightly from 4% to 6% (Roan, "Booster Shots," Los Angeles Times, 5/12). Click here for the Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" article. Click here to view the "National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services" report. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS: Kentucky Gov. Beshear Heralds Federal Anti-Drug Initiative Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) on May 14 said state officials are reviewing the guidelines of the newly released federal drug control strategy, which refocuses national drug policy on public health instead of prosecution. The plan aims to reduce youth and chronic drug misuse and drug-related deaths while promoting community-oriented prevention and treatment programs and physician involvement. The proposal also assists states in setting up electronic databases to identify doctors who overprescribe addictive medications. According to Kentucky officials, at least 760 state residents died in 2008 from drug overdoses, up from 273 deaths in 2000. Law-enforcement and health officials attribute the increase to higher levels of controlled prescription drug use for both legal and illegal purposes. Beshear has supported the idea of linking state prescription drug databases to allow physicians, pharmacists and law-enforcement officers to cross-reference and track multistate drug shoppers. Although the state launched the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting System in 1999, as of March 31, only 32.5% of physicians and 23.7% of pharmacists were using the system. Beshear said that he would revisit legislation introduced in the House in 2006 that would have required county coroners to report all drug-related deaths annually (Rutledge, Kentucky Enquirer, 5/17). Clickhere to read the Kentucky Enquirer article. TOBACCO: Ky. Ranks 40 Among States Meeting CDC Levels for Control Programs An April 22 CDC report ranked Kentucky 40th among all states based on the agency's recommended funding levels for tobacco control programs, underscoring the importance for comprehensive tobacco control policies to maintain state residents' health. The "Tobacco Control State Highlights 2010" report assessed states on measures including smoking rates, tobacco excise taxes, anti-smoking policies, and tobacco use prevention and cessation programs. According to the report, Kentucky currently funds tobacco control programs at 6% of CDC's recommended spending level. The agency recommends that states spend a minimum of $3.7 billion on their tobacco control programs. Only one state -- North Dakota -- has met the suggested funding level, while nine states currently are funding their tobacco control programs at 50% of the suggested total. The CDC report also ranked Kentucky 40th among states for its cigarette excise tax, which stands at a 60-cent excise tax on each pack, compared with the national average of $1.34. Research has shown that a 10% increase in the cost of cigarettes cuts smoking rates among youth by 7% and overall smoking rates by roughly 4%. Kentucky currently does not have a statewide law that mandates smoke-free workplaces. However, the state does allow local communities to approve their own ordinances, and several already have done so (Noll, Kentucky Post, 5/7). Click here for the Kentucky Post article. Click here for the CDC's "Tobacco Control State Highlights 2010" report. |