We would like to share the following community benefit news and resources with you.
New competencies for ethics in an era of population health
Special issue on community health needs assessment
What Counts webinar – recording and Q&A now available
AHA asks IRS to issue guidance on key areas
HHS Partnership Center shares opioid resources
HRSA announces grant for rural health opioid program
Share your feedback and help define priority competencies for population health professionals
AAMC releases new CHNA resources
Healthy Communities Initiative announces new tool
Upcoming CHA events
Community benefit in the news
New competencies for ethics in an era of population health
In the spring 2017 edition of CHA's Health Care Ethics USA newsletter Rev. Michael Rozier, SJ, MPH, examines new competencies health care ethicists will need as population health efforts become more widely adopted. Fr. Rozier observes "while less apparent, life and death are truly at play in these [population health] questions. We must not ignore the fact that people live and die based on resource allocation, access to care and organizational priorities. Therefore, they must not just be treated as technical or operational issues, but must also be seen as matters of ethics and values."
Special issue on community health needs assessment
A special issue of the online journal, Public Health Management and Practice, focuses on community health needs assessments and features a commentary by CHA's Julie Trocchio on the history of community benefit.
What Counts webinar – recording and Q&A now available
The recording of CHA and Vizient's May 24 webinar, titled What Counts as Community Benefit,is now available for order. Also, CHA has posted responses to questions posed in the webinar that presenters were not able to answer in the allotted time.
AHA asks IRS to issue guidance on key area
In a letter dated June 6, 2017, to Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials, the American Hospital Association (AHA) requests IRS guidance on community benefit achieved when hospitals address social determinants of health and the participation of tax-exempt hospitals in an accountable care organization outside of the Medicare Shared Savings Program. AHA also requests that duplicative questions on financial assistance policy and community health needs assessments be eliminated from the IRS Form 990, Schedule H and that the IRS recognize the full value of community benefit activities funded by grants.
The letter includes a copy of the 2015 letter from AHA, CHA and AAMC to the IRS requesting changes in the Schedule H regarding housing and other determinants of health.
HHS Partnership Center shares opioid resources
The HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships' recent newsletter shared a number of resources that can help communities address the opioid epidemic. These include SAMSHA's Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit (see Facts for Community Members), The CDC's Opioid Basics, NIDA's Q&A on Naloxone, and NIDA Signs of Substance Abuse and Addiction and Pathways to Safer Opioid Use.
HRSA announces grant for rural health opioid program
This announcement solicits applications for the Rural Health Opioid Program (RHOP). The purpose of RHOP is to promote rural health care services outreach by expanding the delivery of opioid related health care services to rural communities. The program will reduce the morbidity and mortality related to opioid overdoses in rural communities through the development of broad community consortiums to prepare individuals with opioid-use disorder (OUD) to start treatment, implement care coordination practices to organize patient care activities and support individuals in recovery through the enhancement of behavioral counselling and peer support activities. This program will bring together health care providers (i.e. local health departments, hospitals, primary care practices and substance abuse treatment providers) and entities such as social service and faith-based organizations, law enforcement and other community-based groups to respond in a multifaceted approach to the opioid epidemic in a rural community. The program supports three years of funding, with $3,000,000 available to fund 12 awards. Visit HRSA's website for more information.
Share your feedback and help define priority competencies for population health Professionals
The Public Health Foundation and Association for Community Health Improvement are collaborating to develop a set of Priority Competencies for Population Health Professionals. The Priority Competencies for Population Health Professionals describe desired skills for population health professionals and will be used to develop training and other professional development activities for individuals engaged in activities such as community health needs assessments, community health improvement plans, and implementation of community-based interventions. These competencies are primarily designed for professionals in hospitals and health systems engaged in non-clinical population health activities, although they may be relevant in other settings as well. Feedback is currently being gathered to refine these draft competencies. Please share your feedback today to help ensure the Priority Competencies for Population Health Professionals reflect the skills that are needed to accomplish population health goals.
AAMC releases new CHNA resources
Visit the AAMC's new webpage dedicated to CHNA resources. New resources include the 2017 Health Equity Research Snapshot which features seven videos of exemplary community-partnered CHNA processes from AAMC member hospitals across the country that have successfully impacted the health of local residents and a new research brief that demonstrates how AAMC member hospitals and health systems are addressing the social determinants of health through their CHNA and implementation strategy work.
Healthy Communities Initiative announces new tool
The Healthy Communities Initiative, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Banks and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, brings together stakeholders and supports cross-sector solutions that promote economic mobility and improved health outcomes.
A new Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI) site has been launched to support the work of the initiative. It includes a meeting directory that lists each healthy communities conference with summaries, speaker lists, corresponding materials and more; "conference-in-a-box" which curates the best meeting templates, examples and guidance for those who are interested in hosting their own healthy communities meeting; and an HCI blog series spotlights each Federal Reserve Bank and the promising cross-sector initiatives taking place in their region.
Upcoming CHA Events
Integrating Environment and Climate Risk in Community Benefit Strategies
Sept. 12, 2017, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET
Webinar – Free to CHA and Vizient members
Community Benefit 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit
Oct. 3-4, 2017
Chase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis
Community benefit in the news
Recent articles from Catholic Health World and Health Progress featuring community benefit news and programs from the across the ministry