September 2018 Newsletter
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A Note from the Executive Director
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Did you notice that you are receiving this newsletter a bit early? That is not an accident. Knowing we are on the cusp of the Labor Day weekend, we at NMASBHC are highly conscious of the hard labor you all do to improve children’s health. We imagine that every one of you is ready for a break from the crush of responsibilities of back-to-school. We wish you a refreshing break that builds your resilience. Speaking of which, we know that resilience is critical for New Mexico’s children and for those that serve them. Given that, we have a book for the first interested individual who emails me after reading this newsletter.
The Resilience Break-Through, by Christian Moore, LCSW is yours for the taking. Mr. Moore was one of the great presenters at the 2018 Head to Toe conference. His book offers 27 tools for building resilience, and we hope it may be of help. And, finally, we hope you all know that NMASBHC appreciates your labor!
In gratitude,
Nancy Rodriguez
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NMASBHC Visits Rio Grande High SBHC
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NMASBHC staff and board had an excellent visit with the Rio Grande High School-Based Health Center team, sponsored by First Choice Community Healthcare. They have a wonderful facility and they are providing important care in their Albuquerque high school community.
Rio Grande High SBHC has a great relationship with their school administration, they provide critical behavioral health care 5 days a week, and their dedication to improving the lives of the students they serve was palpable. Thank you so much for hosting us last month!
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Directory Update Still Available!
Due September 28th
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The annual SBHC Directory Update and Survey is still available! We ask every SBHC across New Mexico to complete this short update and survey.
Every SBHC that completes the form and survey by September 28th will receive a $30 gift card and be entered into a drawing to win one of two $100 gift cards.
The Directory Update and Survey is available to complete online this year! It should only take 15-20 minutes to complete.
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New Website Launching this Month!
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NMASBHC is excited to announce that we will be launching a new website at the end of this month! We hope this overhaul will make it easier to access resources, request support, and understand the reach and impact SBHCs have across our state. Stay tuned for our official announcement when the new website goes live! Thank you to our funders, Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico and New Mexico Department of Health, for making this transformation possible.
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Discount Prescription Drug Card for SBHCs
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The National School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) has partnered with United Networks of America to offer a FREE prescription drug card to school-based health care patients and families.
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Is your SBHC craving more interaction with school leaders? How about parents and
families? Youth? The School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) Hallways to Health toolkit has tried-and-true engagement strategies, straight from SBHCs across the country. Back to school is a great time to start engaging school administrators, teachers, parents, and young people to create a school-wide culture of wellness.
Wellness is determined in great part by where children live, learn, and grow. Recognizing this, schools across the country are collaborating to create a culture of wellness that extends beyond the health clinic walls into school hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, teachers’ lounges and campus spaces.
Click here to access the Hallways to Health Digital Toolkit from SBHA to get started!
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Part 4 of 4: SBHCs Address Asthma Environmental Triggers
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This is the last month that NMASBHC will be showcasing the incredible projects that four New Mexico SBHCs completed through funding from Regional Asthma and Management (RAMP) in partnership with NMASBHC. Their projects addressed environmental asthma triggers in their schools and communities. This has been a four part series that share the case studies RAMP created for each of the SBHCs.
If you are interested in participating in a similar project please contact
kimstanek.nmasbhc@gmail.com. Additional resources on environmental asthma triggers can be found
here.
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OSAH Welcomes New State School Health Consultant
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Please join NMASBHC in welcoming Susan Acosta as the new State School Health Consultant for the Office of School and Adolescent Health. The position of School Health Consultant will provide school health and school nursing content expertise and technical assistance to local, state and school health partners, as well as, helping to drive and implement state policy on school health issues. In this position, Susan will provide leadership for school health programming and school nursing for the Department of Health. Susan will also represent the Department of Health to statewide and national entities addressing school health issues. Susan brings 34 years of nursing and healthcare administration experience to her new position and has managed healthcare delivery systems at a local, regional, and multi-state level. Additionally, Susan has over 15 years of school health experience, practicing as a school nurse in Texas and New Mexico and working as the School Nurse Consultant for the Human Services Department in the Medicaid Office. She has also served as the Metro Area School Health Advocate for the past four years.
Please welcome Susan Acosta as she transitions into her new role as State School Health Consultant for the NM Department of Health, Public Health Division, Population and Community Health Bureau, Office of School and Adolescent Health. You may reach her at
susan.acosta@state.nm.us.
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OSAH Operational Plans Available
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It is that time of year again! The Operational Plans, required for OSAH contracted SBHCs, are available now. There were no changes made to the operational plans this year, but please let Apex know if you have any questions or need help completing it.
Operational Plans are due September 15, 2018
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A special note about communication from our national partner, SBHA
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You may have received communication, or will soon, from the School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) about their Quality Measures Initiative. This is an invitation by our national partner to submit data to their initiative so that you can compare your visits and outcomes in SBHCs to what is happening across the country. While some of the measures may be things you collect and submit to OSAH, if you have a contract with them, this initiative is unrelated to your contract deliverables or any work your sponsor may be doing around quality improvement more generally. Instead, it is an opportunity to engage in a local way with a national effort. To quote SBHA's President, John Schlitt, " We think this work has the potential to transform SBHC: standardized measures will allow health centers to compare themselves nationally and statewide, which in turn will drive quality improvements and, ultimately, the sustainability of the model" However, the data submitted will not be shared without your permission. Any SBHC or sponsor can choose to participate. Additionally, OSAH and NMASBHC are in discussion about the possibility of collecting and sharing such data with SBHA in aggregate for the state but will not do so without sponsor permission. Stay tuned for more, and please let us know if you have any questions.
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Medicaid Updates for 2018
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As you may have heard in the news, United Health Care is transitioning their Medicaid members to Presbyterian Health Plan (PHP) beginning September 1, 2018. Please read
here for more information about the shift, in case your patients have questions. Please also note that this process is unrelated to the open enrollment process, by which members choose their MCO for January 1, 2019.
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Medicaid Updates for 2019
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As most of you will know, the state of New Mexico’s Medicaid program is making a number of changes beginning in 2019. The new program is called Centennial Care 2.0, and the state has planned a number of public events for Medicaid members, beginning in September, to provide education around open enrollment. Please view the following
listing of event times and locations to attend or refer your patients for attendance. Please also feel to call upon NMASBHC with any Medicaid questions related to SBHCs.
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Clinic Resources, Training Opportunities, and Community Announcements
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National Suicide Prevention Month
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September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. While suicide prevention is important to address year-round, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a dedicated time to come together with collective passion and strength around a difficult topic. The truth is, we can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life.
Help promote awareness by sharing images and graphics on your website and social media accounts. Use #SuicidePrevention or #StigmaFree.
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New LGBTQ+ Opportunity for Clinics
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Fierce Pride New Mexico is the state’s LGBTQ Health Advocacy Organization, and NMASBHC encourages you to check out the many great resources they offer:
www.fiercepride.org/. One of the newest is Bright Spaces, Welcome Places, which involves creating a directory of mental and behavioral health agencies that have LGBTQ+ affirming policies. Agencies that adopt two or more recommended policies will be included in the directory. Community members looking for mental health services can use this list to find a provider. Agencies included in the directory will receive a framed art print for their agency (see image above). It was inspired by themes from the LGBTQ+ youth community conversation and designed by Havens Aragon. By displaying art by and for LGBTQ+ youth, agencies make their physical environments more welcoming and supportive of LGBTQ+ youth. If your agency has a commitment to LGBTQ+ health and inclusion, contact Alex Ross-Reed to learn more and become a champion in Bright Spaces, Welcome Places at
www.fiercepride.org/contact.
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ASPYR (Alliance-building for Suicide Prevention and Youth Resilience) Training
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Date and Time:
- Tuesday, September 25, 2018, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location:
- Wellesley Community Health Center, Midtown Public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
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New Mexico Crisis and Access Line and
Peer to Peer Warmline
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Share this resource with the kids you work with and serve. The lines can be used for any kind of emotional crisis, mental health or substance use concern. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling the New Mexico Crisis and Access Line or Peer to Peer Warmline. To download free posters for your clinic
click here.
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www.nmasbhc.org | (505) 404-8059 | info.nmasbhc@gmail.com
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