June 2018 Community Benefit Update
We would like to share the following community benefit news and resources with you. Please visit www.chausa.org/communitybenefit for access to all of CHA's updates and resources on community benefit.
CHA Launches Medicaid Makes It Possible Campaign
At the June Assembly in San Diego, CHA announced the Medicaid Makes It Possible campaign to raise awareness about the value of the Medicaid program. This essential health insurance program — and the lives of 74 million who rely on it — is at risk due to legislative and administrative proposals that could dramatically cut funding and reduce eligibility, causing millions of vulnerable individuals to lose health coverage.
As we head into 2019, when it is expected that Congress will take up entitlement reforms, this campaign will have laid a foundation for CHA membership so they can more effectively engage lawmakers and counter false arguments that stigmatize Medicaid recipients as undeserving of health coverage. To get involved in the campaign by sharing your story or to get more information about Medicaid visit CHAUSA.ORG/MEDICAID.
Healing the Multitudes: Catholic Health Care's Commitment to Community Health
CHA has just released resources that call on the Catholic health ministry to take a leadership role in addressing the social determinants of health. The resources lay out the traditions and values that compel the ministry to give special attention to its neighbors who are economically poor and to work for the common good. The resources also lay out a community health improvement strategy for addressing the social determinants of health. Visit the CHA website to learn more and order.
What Counts as Community Benefit Updates
CHA has recently released community benefit reporting guidance on several topics:
CHA has also updated the search functionality on the What Counts Q&A section of its website.
CHA is gathering information to develop guidance on reporting anchor institution strategies as community benefit. Please send us your feedback on these questions:
- Should community-based services in geographic areas where current and potential employees reside be reported as community benefit when the primary purpose is to achieve a stable workforce?
- Are there other economic development anchor activities, that is shifting operational expenses from traditional models to anchor strategies such as local investment and contracting, that could be reported as community benefit?
- Should support services for currently employed low-income disadvantaged staff members, provided to decrease turnover, be reported as community benefit?
Hatch, Grassley Press IRS for Answers on Nonprofit Hospitals
In February, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the committee, requested specific information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding their oversight activities of nonprofit hospitals. The senators, in a letter, asked Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter for details regarding the agency's monitoring and enforcement practices of the entities.
Community Health Improvement Resources
Check out the following new resources:
- 2018 County Health Rankings — see What's New and Key Findings Report
- Delivering community benefit: Healthy food playbook — Health Care Without Harm's new resource supports hospital community benefit professionals and community partners in developing initiatives to promote healthy food access and healthy, local and sustainable food systems.
- Pain in the Nation: Healthcare Systems Brief — this brief from the Trust for America's Health and the Well Being Trust focuses on prevention, collaborations and partnerships that can enhance behavioral health services.
- The City Health Dashboard — reports on 36 key measures of health, such as obesity and opioid overdose deaths, as well as the conditions that influence health such as housing affordability, third grade reading proficiency, and income inequality for the nation's 500 largest cities. Developed by the Department of Population Health at NYU School of Medicine with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in partnership with NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the National Resource Network, ICMA and the National League of Cities.
- Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity — updated brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation provides an overview of the social determinants of health — factors like socioeconomic status, education, housing, neighborhood and physical environment and social support networks — as well as the emerging federal and state initiatives to address them.
- 211counts — developed by the Health Communication Research Laboratory (HCRL) at Washington University, this tool provides real-time, searchable and visual presentations of data from 2-1-1 call centers across the nation. Users can find a snapshot of community-specific needs displayed by ZIP code, region or call center as recently as yesterday, enabling them to easily check trends, make comparisons and share information. 2-1-1 Countsworks with your local 2-1-1 to share this information with community leaders and service agencies.
- Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool — a data visualization tool illustrating the impact of the opioid epidemic in the Appalachian Region and its relation to socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, poverty, education and disability.
Upcoming CHA Events
- June 26, 2018 — Hospital-Community Collaborations to Promote Healthy Food Access. In this webinar, Health Care Without Harm presents its recently released set of resources designed to support hospital-community collaborations that promote healthy food access and healthier eating and reduce risk of diet-related disease. CHA members will highlight several initiatives to promote healthy food access and healthy behaviors. Time will be provided for discussion of best practices and lessons learned. Sponsored by CHA and Vizient. For more information, visit the CHA website.
- July 25–26, 2018 — When Disasters Strike: A Special Convening for International & Domestic Response, Irving, Texas. Recent natural disasters, which are occurring with increasing frequency, crossed ministries and borders and requires consideration. CHA is convening members to provide a timely forum for sharing insights and lessons learned. This meeting will bring together those who coordinated responses so that as a ministry we can collectively learn from the "how," as well as highlight the "why" of response as a mission imperative. Free to CHA members. For more information, visit the CHA website.
- Oct. 2-3, 2018 — Community Benefit 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Reporting Community Benefit, St. Louis. Taught by experienced community benefit leaders, this program presents a practical framework for assessing community needs and planning, evaluating and reporting on community benefit programs. For more information, visit the CHA website.
- Archives of past CHA webinars, including a review of IRS Form 990, Schedule H changes and what activities count as community benefit are available on the CHA website.
Two New Reflection Resources
CHA is pleased to offer two new prayer cards (both free with free shipping) on community partnership and equity.
Community Benefit in the News
View recent articles from Catholic Health World and Health Progress featuring community benefit news and programs from the across the ministry