EVENTS

January Diversity Dialogue
The Institute for Diversity in Health Management's monthly "Diversity Dialogues" continues to be one of their most popular programs. The next Diversity Dialogue, "Inclusive, Local Hiring: Building the Pipeline to a Health Community," will be held Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET (noon CT; 11 a.m. MT; 10 a.m. PT). Debbi Perkul, senior workforce development professional, will share University Hospitals' (UH) story and how they are working in partnership with community-based organizations to connect local and diverse residents from disinvested neighborhoods surrounding the institution to available frontline positions. David Zuckerman, manager for healthcare engagement for The Democracy Collaborative, will share how health systems can implement "outside in" and "inside up" strategies for local hiring policies and become a more intentional anchor to better the welfare of the low-income communities they serve. Register here.

Institute for Diversity Summer Enrichment Program
The 2017 Summer Enrichment Program Registration is OPEN for students and host sites. The Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) places diverse graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in health care administration or a related field in 10-week, paid internships at health care organizations. Experienced administrators serve as preceptors and mentors, providing support and career advice as well as those critical early-career connections. Participating in SEP sends a powerful message that your organization is committed to diversity and equality at the same time that it gives the students the jumpstart they need to begin their health care careers. To learn more about registering for the SEP, please contact the Institute at [email protected] or (312) 422-2658.

Disparities Leadership Program
The Disparities Solution Center at Massachusetts General Hospital is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Disparities Leadership Program (DLP), a year long, hands-on executive education program focused exclusively on helping health care leaders achieve equity in quality. The program is designed to help you translate the latest understanding of the problem of disparities into realistic solutions you can adopt within your organization. Apply for the program here. Applications are due Feb. 10, 2017.

Institute for Diversity Regional Symposium: Aligning Cultural Competency to Improve Safety, Quality and Equity
Join the Institute for Diversity in Health Management on March 9 at the Hyatt Regency Denver for a morning of education and best practice sharing in diversity management and disparities elimination at its regional symposium workshop, "Aligning Cultural Competency to Improve Safety, Quality, and Equity." With an increasingly diverse United States population, and strong evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in health care, it is critically important that health care professionals are educated to specifically address issues of culture in an effective manner. This workshop will discuss national and organizational initiatives to increase cultural competency within health care organizations to eliminate disparities in care. Register here. 

This symposium, a pre-conference event, is being held in conjunction with the Association for Community Health Improvement (ACHI) National Conference. For more ACHI program details, click here.

REPORTS AND RESOURCES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Reducing Potentially Excess Deaths from the Five Leading Causes of Death in the Rural United States
On Jan. 13, 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report, Reducing Potentially Excess Deaths from the Five Leading Causes of Death in the Rural United States. This report is a summary of annual age-adjusted death rates during 1999-2014 for the five leading causes of death in the United States. The report presents data on disparities in mortality between rural and non-rural areas for the five leading causes of death and ways these might be addressed. Download the report.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Reports: Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) has issued a new report, Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity, which discusses the root causes of health inequity and explores community-based solutions to achieve health equity. The report is the product of an ad hoc, expert committee convened to consider solutions that could be identified, developed, and implemented at the local or community level to advance health equity. CHA's President and Chief Executive Officer, Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, was a member of the committee. This is the first of a series of activities of the National Academy of Medicine's (NAM) Culture of Health program, a multi-year collaborative effort funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to identify strategies to achieve equitable good health for everyone in America. Read the report.

The webcast recording from the report release is also available here, as well as presentation slides under "Other Meeting Resources."

Accounting for Social Risk Factors in Medicare Payment
The Department of Health and Human Services, acting through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to convene an ad hoc committee to identify social risk factors that affect the health outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries and methods to account for these factors in Medicare payment programs. The committee's work was conducted in phases and produced five brief consensus reports. The new and final report, Accounting for Social Risk Factors in Medicare Payment, summarizes the entire report series and offers additional thoughts about how to best consider the various methods for accounting for social risk factors. Learn more about the new report by reading the Key Questions and Answers document or download the report. You may also access the previous reports in the series here.

ARCHIVED WEBINARS, WORKSHOPS, AND MEETINGS

Community Violence as a Population Health Issue: Proceedings of a Workshop
On June 16, 2016, the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement held a workshop, "Community Violence as a Population Health Issue," in Brooklyn, N.Y., to explore the influence of trauma and violence on communities. The workshop was designed to bring attention to the impact of racism and violence on communities; some social and physical interventions that can change landscapes of violence; some local strategies to build community resilience and safety; some lessons learned from select approaches and initiatives designed to reduce community violence; and public health-informed approaches to community policing and collaboration. A report, Proceedings of a Workshop, synthesizes the presentations and discussions that occurred during the workshop. Download the publication.

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

For recent news articles please visit our website at www.chausa.org/disparities/overview.