July 1 , 2010
|
|
 |
It’s finally summer, and what comes with summer? Interns! I’m excited to welcome a team of IMCHC interns once again this summer. Their enthusiasm for maternal and child health is always a lesson for us all. Keep an eye out for one or more of our interns at our chapter meetings and events, and say hi to the future leaders in the field.
If you recently attended our Lake County Chapter Meeting you may have met intern Aparna Kamath, and heard from our profiled member, Kim Wagenaar. Our Lake County Chapter is our newest addition to the IMCHC family, and we appreciate their contributions to our network.
|
Here at IMCHC we wish you a safe 4th of July to celebrate a country with health care reform and an Illinois that provides health care coverage to all children.
Sincerely,
Executive Director
|
|
 |
IMCHC, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be conducting a series of Health Care Reform Briefings across the state.
7/7/10 – Kankakee
7/19/10 – Peoria
7/19/10 – Springfield
7/20/10 – Rockford
For more information, or to register, click here. |
Back to the top
|
 |
|
 |
Health Care Reform Deadline: July 1, 2010
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into effect by President Obama on March 23rd, 2010, contains some provisions that will come into effect on July 1st. These include:
|
- The creation of a temporary national high-risk pool to provide coverage for adults with pre-existing conditions until insurers rescind pre-existing condition exclusions for adults on January 1st, 2014.
|
- A 10% excise tax on indoor tanning will go into effect to help create revenue to fund the health care bill and is expected to generate $2.7 billion over 10 years.
|
As of today July 1st, Health and Human Services has established a health care portal online which will be able to provide information to individuals about affordable state health care programs including Medicaid, CHIP and the new high risk pools. For more information about these and other changes please visit IMCHC’s Health Care Reform area on our website.
If you or your colleagues are curious about national health care reform and it will affect your work and the lives of your clients, please help get the word out about IMCHC’s Health Care Reform briefings and attend one!
Back to the top
|
 |
|
| |
|
 |
Changes to Illinois’ Safe Haven Law
This past session in Springfield Illinois legislators passed a law to amend Illinois’ Safe Haven Law. Currently the law states that an individual may relinquish a newborn into the care and custody of a hospital, fire station, police station or emergency medical facility with no questions asked. HB 5459 amends the Save Haven Law to include additional information about the Safe Haven Law, the Illinois Adoption Registry and health considerations for the mother. IMCHC supported these changes because health information is critical for new mothers. The bill was sent to Governor Quinn on the 26th of May and awaits his signature. |
|
 |
Greater Protections for Illinois Consumers
Starting July 1st, Illinois consumers will also be able to file requests for independent, external reviews of denied health insurance claims.
|
This is as a result of the Illinois Insurance Fairness Act which was strongly supported by IMCHC and other health care advocates. More information about this new consumer protection can be found on the Illinois Department of Insurance’s website.
State Budget Updates
IMCHC is currently reviewing the Governor's budget announcement. We will send more information out to our members next week regarding final program and department budgets.
Back to the top
|
|
 |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the regulations for the first $50 million in equipment funding for school health centers (SHCs)under the Affordable Care Act.
The announcement is at grants.gov can be found here. |
FQHCs are eligible, as are SHCs sponsored by any of the following: 1. A hospital; 2. A public health department; 3. A community health center; 4. A non-profit health care agency; 5. A school or school system; or 6. A program administered by the Indian Health Service or the Bureau of Indian Affairs or operated by an Indian tribe or a tribal organization.
NASBHC recommends that you:
- Read through the application guidance.
- Immediately register for a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number on www.hrsa.gov/grants/dunsccr.htm or by calling 866-705-5711 if you have never before applied for a federal grant. An application will not be reviewed without a DUNS number.
- Visit our website at www.nasbhc.org next Tuesday to confirm the date and time and to access call-in information for the HRSA technical assistance call. We will continue to post more details and resources on our website.
- Take part on the call on the HRSA call Wednesday, July 7 at 1:30 pm EST (to be confirmed) to learn more information.
Apply for equipment funding by July 30!
The Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers is hiring a Project Coordinator. The job description and additional detail can be found on the IMCHC website.
Back to the top
|
|
 |
Name:
Kim Wagenaar RNC, MSN, FCHCEM
Occupation:
Women’s Health Coordinator at Lake County Health Department Community Health Center
Educational Background:
Masters in Nursing- Women’s Health, Fellow Community Health Center Executive Management |
|
What led you into the field of maternal and infant health?
I was led into this field when I witnessed my very first birth as a student nurse in 1982. Each student was assigned a couple and was to accompany them to their prenatal visits and be present while they gave birth. When the mother I was assigned to gave birth, I was an active participant working alongside the labor and delivery (L&D) nurse, so it was a special moment for me. After I graduated, I went directly into the L&D and never looked back. As I advanced in my career I learned that the health of women plays the largest role in birth outcomes and became an advance practice nurse in primary care for women. This background has enabled me to look critically at what we need to do for women of childbearing age and develop our programs at the community health center. Our programs are designed to support women to be healthy before they become pregnant as well as help them space their pregnancies.
Why do you feel maternal and infant health are so important?
It is the foundation for our families and community. We must strive to have healthy women and men so we can have healthy babies. When I first entered MCH nursing it was focused on women. Now we are finally focusing on men and their roles both biological as well as social/emotional. We are learning that men’s health does play into the health of the pregnancy and is certainly an important role in the family. A healthy mom and dad mean a healthy baby and children.
How are the issues of health care different in Lake County, as opposed to other areas of the state?
Many people inside and outside of Lake County think we do not have a poor population because we are one of the richest counties in the state. In fact we are a suburb with an urban problem when it comes to maternal child health disparities. Thirty percent of all births in Lake County are covered by Medicaid. This represents about 3000 births each year. Women who are on Medicaid tend to be women of color, poor and not in the best of health. Our prematurity birth rate for 2004-2006 was 11.9% with Latino and Whites at 11.5 and 11.8 respectively and African Americans at 16.6%. Lake County’s rate of premature deliveries increased by 21% from 1996 to 2006 or 1 in 8 babies are born prematurely (March of Dimes Peristats 2010). We may not be different than the rest of the state but we still have not met the 2010 Healthy People goal for premature births.
What is the CACHE project and how is it unique in its research?
Community Action for Child Health Equity (CACHE) is a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) funded research study. CACHE is part of the Community Child Health Network (CCHN), for the five national sites for this research project. The aim of the study is to address Maternal Child disparities, preterm birth and eventually childhood outcomes.
This research is a five year observational study looking at how stress and resiliency within the mother, father and the community affect premature birth. The design includes a series of home visits with interviews and collection of biomarkers over a two year period. What makes this unique is that for the first time fathers are treated as equals and have the same interview questions and biomarker collections as the mothers. Our CAC was very instrumental in including fathers and the importance of treating them as equals.
How long have you been involved with IMCHC?
I recently joined the meetings this year in Lake County but have been reading the newsletters for several years. I look forward to attending and working with IMCHC and the mission it serves.
What is your favorite summer activity?
Picnicking at Ravinia and listening to fantastic music.
Back to the top
|
