Association for Utah Community Health

Starting today, eligibility rules for enrolling in two state-sponsored health plans will change.
Utah's Primary Care Network (PCN), which has traditionally limited enrollment to parents with dependent children living at home, will open enrollment to all adults ages 19 to 64 through July 31.

To qualify for PCN, adults must also:

	Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
	Not have coverage through another health insurance plan.
	Not be qualified for Medicaid, Medicare, veterans' benefits or have access to student health insurance.
	Meet income guidelines.

As part of House Bill 133, legislation geared at health system reform, enrollment in Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance (UPP) will also change.
The program helps families pay monthly premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance. Those who are eligible will no longer have to wait for open enrollment periods or a "qualifying event," such as marriage or the birth of a child. Applicants can now sign up any time.

To qualify for UPP, adults ages 19 to 64 must:

	Not be covered by another health insurance plan.
	Be employed by a company that offers health insurance (or have a spouse whose employer offers insurance).
	Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
	Fit within the income guidelines.
	The cost of the least expensive health insurance option available must be more than 5 percent of their total household income (before taxes).

For more information about these two programs and how to enroll, patients can visit health.utah.gov/pcn (for Primary Care Network) or health.utah.gov/upp (for Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance), or call the PCN/UPP hot line at 1-888-222-2542.
Lisa Rosetta
The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Gets Money to Develop Healthy Weight Program

The state Department of Health will receive more than $2 million from the federal government to develop a program to help fight obesity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing the money over the next five years for the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Program in Utah.

Health Department director David Sundwall said Monday in a statement that the program's goals will be to slow the rate of the growth of obesity and and help reduce the number of people who are overweight or obese in Utah.

Utah is 47th in national obesity rates but more than 1 million Utahns are overweight or obese.

The Associated Press

More Utahns Living in Poverty

But the data show participation in school breakfast programs is low, worrying advocates...

Read the entire SL Tribune article here...

Health Scare

Utah business leaders are sounding alarm bells about Utah’s failing health-care system.
Officials from the Salt Lake Chamber recently told state lawmakers that Utah leads the nation for the number of businesses that dropped employee health-care plans during the past four years. Less than half of Utah businesses now offer health plans, an all-time low.
Chamber President Lane Beattie blamed insurance costs, with premiums increasing at 10 times the rate of household income. He warned that health-care costs could sink Utah’s economy and called for radical action.
City Weekly

National Infant Immunization Week Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following AUCH membership organizations!

	Carbon Medical Services Association
	Enterprise Valley Medical Clinic
	Utah Navajo Health System, Inc.

These health centers chose to participate in the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), Utah Infant Immunization Week Activities. Their participation involved submitting (to both UDOH and AUCH) a brief one-page activity plan documenting their health centers' event(s) to celebrate Infant Immunization Week - April 19 - 26th.

They will share the $ 500 award and patient "freebies" to support their Infant Immunization Week event.

Congratulations to all three health centers!

Fourth Street Clinic director Allan Ainsworth is recipient of National Association of Community Health Centers' top annual award!

Two decades before the current political hubbub over health care started, Allan Ainsworth was getting government leaders to mend the cracks in the system and personally attending to the folks who kept falling through.
Passionate and tireless are terms most often used by those who know the Fourth Street Clinic executive director. They can add national award-winning to the list of adjectives: Ainsworth has been named recipient of the National Association of Community Health Centers' top annual award.

Ainsworth will say he's honored for the recognition, but adds that "taking part in our political process is vital to the health and longevity of our community health centers as well as to the patients we serve."

Other low-income advocates in the state offer a minor correction to Ainsworth's comment, noting that his efforts for the homeless — particularly to their medical and mental well-being — is "making that population part" of the community and, most importantly, part of the discussion of the health-care system overhaul process.

"His work is a national and noteworthy model of how to build collaboration and cooperation and focus it into actual services — often life-saving services — for those among us who would have nowhere else to turn," said homeless advocate Pamela Atkinson, herself a veteran of garnering community consciousness and consensus.

Read the entire Deseret News article here...

Utah Physicians Rally Congress for Higher Medicare Reimbursements

Utah physicians were in the nation's capitol recently to press Congress to reverse a looming cut in Medicare reimbursement rates. Utah Medical Association President Dr. Mark Bair says the reduction could limit health care options for thousands of seniors and veterans.

Read more from KCPW news here...

Utah ranks 46th in funding - What's your health worth? CDC says $15

Far from preparing for catastrophes, clinics barely keep doors open
Utah receives a relative pittance from the federal government to prevent disease and injuries, according to a new report released today.
According to analysis by the nonpartisan Trust for America's Health, Utah ranks 46th in the amount of money, per capita, it received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at almost $15 a person.

Read the rest of the Salt Lake Tribune article...

Senator Hatch Honored for Strengthening Community Health Care

U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch is a repeat winner of the NACHC Champion award because of his longtime record fighting for America’s Health Centers. Health center leaders especially appreciate his leadership on the Senate Finance Committee and his efforts to preserve and strengthen the safety net. Hatch has worked hard to make sure there are affordable health care options for vulnerable families in his home state and around the country, where health centers serve as the family doctor for over 17 million people. That's why Gina Flanagan, CEO of Wayne Community Health Centers, in Bicknell, UT., led a delegation of health center leaders to Hatch's Capitol Hill office to present him with the 2008 NACHC Distinguished Champion award.

This article posted By: NACHC Staff
March 19, 2008
Click here to see the press release on the NACHC site.

Midtown CHC to be Recognized at the National Head Start Association Conference

Midtown Community Health Center will receive a national award from the National Head Start Association in April 2008. Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership (OWCAP) Head Start nominated Midtown for the award which recognizes Midtown’s efforts to make health care available to low-income uninsured and underserved children.

“Midtown Community Health Center stands out as an above and beyond provider for our community. They have been especially responsive to the changing needs of our Head Start families and program,” says Lisa Konicek, Head Start Health Specialist.

OWCAP Head Start has a strong partnership with Midtown to help ensure all children receive the physicals, oral health exams, and immunizations necessary to remain well. In addition, Midtown coordinates specialty care for uninsured children through a network of over 370 volunteer medical providers. “We coordinate community resources to ensure that all children have equitable access to health care,” states Lisa Nichols, Midtown Executive Director.

Lead screening has recently been brought to the attention of Utah Head Start programs. A large number of clinics and health departments had stopped doing blood lead screenings routinely since many communities have demonstrated little incidence of lead exposure. However, with a renewed call to do lead screenings for Head Start children, the challenge was to find providers willing to test the children. “Midtown came to the rescue,” said Lisa Konicek. “They understood our requirements and jumped into action. They purchased two new lead screening machines, worked with us on paperwork (both theirs and ours) and screened over 600 Head Start children.”

The test is difficult to perform because it requires very clean conditions, clean hands and calm children. “Midtown did an excellent job managing a potentially chaotic situation,” said Mary Ellen Lykins, Head Start Program Manager. Head Start programs in many areas of the country have had difficulty meeting lead screening requirements. Midtown is receiving the National Head Start Corporate Award for making the extra efforts to successfully screen these children.