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January was a busy month, with ACHD holding Governance, Education, and Advocacy Committee meetings. The Governance Committee is reviewing the ACHD Bylaws, and is in the process of making recommendations to the Board for their consideration. This review is timely and follows the merger of ALPHA Fund into Beta Healthcare Group which closed January 3, 2017. The Education Committee reviewed the final Agenda and logistics for the Leadership Academy which was held February 2nd and 3rd in Sacramento. Leadership Academy registration exceeded all expectations, with over 100 registrants. Education Committee is also busy planning the Annual Meeting as well as consideration of the 100 Million Lives program in conjunction with Stanford Medical School.
The Advocacy Committee reviewed the 2017 Advocacy Guiding Principles along with a request for priority support from Beach Cities Health District regarding design-build legislation for their district. The Advocacy Committee is also making recommendations to the Board for the 2016 Legislator of the Year recognition, that will be presented at ACHD's Legislative Day on April 3, 2017.
I'd like to extend a warm welcome to new Healthcare District CEOs Michael Wall (Antelope Valley Healthcare District), Herb Schultz (Desert Healthcare District), Tom Bakaly (Beach Cities Health District), and Godfrey Wilson (Los Medanos Community Healthcare District).
The change in leadership in Washington DC has many healthcare leaders feeling uncertain about the future and questioning how to plan their District's programs and services in the future. There are several major areas of the Affordable Care Act that could be vulnerable to legislative changes, including: insurance exchanges, Medicaid expansion, individual insurance mandate, health insurance tax subsidy, and mental health parity. ACHD will be monitoring these programs closely in California and Washington as well as working with our Advocacy Committee, Board, and members to keep your local legislators informed.
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 In Case You Missed It... Healthcare District News from Around the State |
   
Michael Wall Appointed President and CEO of Antelope Valley Hospital
Healthcare veteran Michael Wall has been named president and chief executive officer of Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH), effective immediately. Wall most recently served as executive director of Head & Neck Associates of Orange County and prior to that was acting president and chief executive officer at St. John's Health Center/John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica. Click here to read the full article.
Bear Valley Community Healthcare District opens clinic in Big Bear City
The Rural Health Clinic in Big Bear City is almost open for business. Staff at the Bear Valley Community Healthcare District's latest endeavor begin seeing patients in January. Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article.
New "Text For Help" Mobile App Aimed at Desert Healthcare District teens
Desert Healthcare District, a local government agency that provides health-related community grants, recently approved nearly $700,000 over a period of 3 years in funding to support development and updates to SafeHouse of the Desert's innovative "What's Up" 24-hour crisis text application.
Click here
to read the full article.
New Free Services, 70 Strong, Launches in January for mid-Peninsula older adults
Older adults, ages 70 and up, have a free handy new resource to discover and learn about valuable activities and services throughout the community. It's called 70 Strong. 70 Strong is the first comprehensive guide for older adults in central and southern
San Mateo County.
Click here to read the full article.
Kaweah Delta Health Care District to host chronic disease workshop
Kaweah Delta Health Care District will host a series of free six-week Empowerment for Better Living Chronic Disease Self-Management Program workshops. Registration is now open for the workshops, which are geared to help people with chronic conditions - such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and asthma - learn how to better manage their health.
Click here to read the full article.
Antelope Valley Healthcare District to host free Women's Heart Hearth Awareness Fair
Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH) will kick-off American Heart Month by hosting its third annual Women's Heart Health Awareness Fair on Friday, February 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the AVH Community Resource Center 44151 15th Street West, Lancaster. This free event will feature health presentations, free health screenings, Hands-Only CPR training and refreshments. All are welcome; registration is not required.
Click here to read the full article.
Alameda County to review Eden Health District
The public is invited to a special meeting in Castro Valley that will examine a draft special study of the Eden Township Healthcare District (ETHD), also known as the Eden Health District, and its viability for the future. The meeting agenda is available on the Alameda Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) website. The draft study, issued in December, is also available online for public review and comment. The study reviews the services ETHD currently provides, its financial position (including future obligations), and provides a fiscal analysis of various governance options, including dissolution. Click here to read the full article.
Petaluma Healthcare District get "stroke-ready" certification
Petaluma Valley Hospital has earned advanced disease-specific care certification for acute stroke-ready hospitals from The Joint Commission, American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The certification recognizes hospitals equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care prior to transferring them to a primary or comprehensive stroke center. Click here to read the full article.
Grossmont Healthcare District seeks to honor volunteers
Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is seeking nominees for its 2017 Healthcare Heroes Awards. Now in its 11th year, the Healthcare Heroes is GHD's annual awards program honoring volunteers who help advance the delivery of quality health services in the East County region.
Click here to read the full article.
Fallbrook Healthcare District celebrates new name, sponsors first Wellness Walk
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, Fallbrook Healthcare District is celebrating its new name. Effective on that day, the new name for the District will be Fallbrook Regional Health District. In December of 2016, the Board of Directors voted to change the name to better reflect that the communities of Bonsall, De Luz, Fallbrook and Rainbow are served by the district, and to better recognize the focus on health and wellness activities and services. Click here to read the full article.
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Register Now for Legislative Day!
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Who Should Attend
This important program will provide Healthcare District Trustees and staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively advocate for legislative issues impacting Healthcare Districts.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Advocate effectively for Healthcare Districts,
- Communicate the priority legislative issues facing Healthcare Districts,
- Communicate the importance of Healthcare Districts to California's delivery of care system,
- Collaborate with colleagues to create legislative solutions.
To register for Legislative Day, please
click here.
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Leadership Academy
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Thank you to everyone that attended ACHD' s Leadership Academy in Sacramento! The event was a huge success with record attendance.
The Leadership Academy is designed to provide new and experienced Trustees and Executives with the knowledge and skills necessary to help Trustees and Executives more effectively govern Healthcare Districts. We hope that the sessions will help your Board develop a better understanding of the role of publicly elected officials, as well as assist in furthering healthy working relationships and meeting the health needs of your communities.
Attendees heard from multiple industry experts on Local Agency Formation Commissions, Effective Leadership Styles, Board Culture and Strategic Governance, Public Sector Financials and received their AB 1234 Ethics Training. For those that attended the event and would like to access copies of the presentations, please contact
Sheila Johnston.
Attendees at our Academy networked, learning about the many successes of their Healthcare District colleagues from around the state. ACHD hosted a reception and dinner at the California State Railroad Museum. Pictures from the Leadership Academy reception can be viewed
here.
We hope you will join us at our next Leadership Academy, taking place February 7-9, 2018, in Sacramento!
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Legislative Update
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Working Group
As you'll recall, ACHD's Working Group recommended proposed legislation to require Healthcare Districts to assess the health needs of their communities. Due to strong concerns raised by the District Hospital Leadership Forum (DHLF), ACHD's Executive Committee decided not to sponsor legislation in the 2017 Legislative Session in favor of a full Healthcare District enabling act re-write.
This process will likely be led by Assembly Local Government Committee staff and include a broad range of stakeholders, with ACHD being fully engaged in. The rewrite process often extends as long as a year or longer, as a comprehensive review is undertaken.
DHLF has indicated their desire to fully collaborate in this process should it move forward. Stay tuned for more information on this important issue.
Legislative Report
In late January, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced the Assembly Committee members,
here
.
For the Senate Committee membership, click here.
While the Legislature reconvened in January, the deadline to introduce bills isn't until February 17, 2017, with policy committee hearing expected in March. Click
here
for the full Legislative Calendar.
The Assembly Local Government Committee will hold an informational hearing on Healthcare Districts on March 8, 2017 at 1:30pm. The goal of hearing is to educate Committee members and staff on the role of Healthcare Districts. Stay tuned for more details.
Legislative Webinar
Join ACHD's Advocacy Team for an informational webinar on March 2, 2017 at 10am. The Advocacy team will discuss what to expect for the 2017 legislation session, introduced legislation to date, give you a preview of ACHD's Legislative Day, and discuss key messaging points to use when meeting with your Legislators. Registration information will be shared in a separate invitation.
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Does Your District Have Newly Elected Legislators?
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California's statewide elected officals returned to Sacramento this week. This is a great opportunity for your District trustees and constituents to become familiar with their representatives. Good ways to help your legislator get to know you include:
- Sending letters to your legislator about bills relevant to Healthcare Districts
- Inviting your legislator to visit your Healthcare District for a tour, meeting, or reception
- Visiting the Capitol for a meeting with your legislator at ACHD's Legislative Day
For the full Senate roster, please click
here.
For the full Assembly roster, please click
here.
ACHD is looking forward to meeting all the newly elected officials as the new session begins. Stay tuned as our Advocacy Team brings you updates on bills as they are introduced.
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SAVE THE DATE: ACHD's 65th Annual Meeting: Future Roles and Challenges of Healthcare Districts
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As the state of health care continues to evolve and the pace of change continues to increase, we wonder: how will our important Member Districts evolve to meet the challenges ahead and continue to serve their communities? ACHD's Annual Meeting will provide opportunities to hear different perspectives on a wide variety of topics, ranging from effective governance to advancing the health in your communities, while providing opportunities to share your experience and views with your Healthcare District colleagues.
When: September 13-15, 2017
Where: Kona Kai Resort and Spa, 1551 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92106
Stay tuned for more information! Please contact Sheila Johnston with questions.
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Join CAPP Today!
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The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) is a member of
Californians Allied for Patient Protection (CAPP)
, the coalition created to protect access to health care through California's Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). ACHD continues to strongly support the preservation of MICRA.
In 2014, California voters definitively rejected Proposition 46, an attempt by the trial lawyers to quadruple MICRA's non-economic damages cap.
Had this ballot measure passed, California would have seen higher health care costs and decreased access to care, especially among vulnerable populations who are most in need. Despite this victory, the battle to protect MICRA continues and
ACHD is strongly urging its members to individually become supporters of the CAPP coalition.
There is no cost to be a member of CAPP, and you will be in good company. Seven out of 10 Board Members are already CAPP members, with more than 1,000 other organizations representing community clinics, hospitals, physicians, nurses, EMTs, labor unions, local governments, dentists and other health care providers. A complete coalition list can be found on the CAPP website at
www.micra.org
.
As a CAPP member, you will receive quarterly newsletters with updates on legislative activities concerning MICRA and direct access to the CAPP staff to be your one stop resource on MICRA. Additionally, CAPP holds events for legislators in their legislative district and CAPP members are invited to attend free of cost.
Please take a moment to complete and return the
CAPP Coalition Sign-Up Form
. Thank you for endorsing this important organization and its goal to preserve MICRA.
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Whole Person Care (WPC) Pilots: State to Open Second Round of Pilot Applications
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The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced in mid-October that it will accept a second round of applications for Whole Person Care (WPC) pilot projects. The second round of applications is due on March 1, 2017.
WPC pilots are part of the Medi-Cal 2020 Section 1115 demonstration waiver, approved in December 2015 by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The general requirements for the second round of applications will remain the same, but DHCS plans to update the second round of applications based upon lessons learned from the first round, which is expected to conclude in late October.
During the second application period, applicants may amend applications already approved in the first round to add new target populations and/or services and interventions. New applicants also may apply. Additional guidance will be provided prior to the release of the second round of applications.
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