WV Senate Bill 489, providing PBM regulation and 340B protection, was signed into law by Governor Jim Justice on March 4, 2019!  This was truly a collaborative effort, and every phone call, email, and legislative visit made a difference, including our letter to the Governor that was endorsed by every Community Health Center in WV!  The 340B protection provision found in SB489 is the first of its kind in the United States, following recent 340B program attacks by PBMs.  West Virginia's Community Health Centers are leading the charge to protect this valuable program! 

 

Thank you for your support of this important legislation . . .truly demonstrating our commitment to One Vision. One Mission. One Voice!

Please join the WVPCA and BOLDplanning  for a webinar discussing the upcoming conversion of the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) to the new Emergency and Continuity Plan (ECP) for Community Health Centers (CHC). During the one-hour informational webinar, James Wolfe will provide a demonstration of BOLDplanning's Healthcare ECP system. The ECP is designed specifically for meeting the needs of healthcare providers to address CMS emergency preparedness rules/guidance. 

This webinar will serve as an introduction to the new ECP platform as well as provide an overview to those organizations/individuals not yet utilizing the WVPCAready system. There is no fee associated with this event for CHC staff.  This webinar is only open to Federally Qualified Health Center (FQCH) Community Health Centers (CHCs) and look-alike organizations. The webinar is targeted to Emergency Preparedness Coordinators. 

For more information, and to register, click here. 

The Alzheimer's Association, West Virginia Chapter is recruiting primary care practice teams to participate in the Alzheimer's and Dementia Care ECHO Program, which connects specialist teams with primary care practices via video conference to collaborate in case-based learning. The target audience  includes a lead clinician, (physician or NP) as well as other care team members (e.g., PA, social workers, care coordinators, medical assistants, etc.) who manage patients with ADRD in your practice setting. We ask that participants attend regularly, engage in discussions, and present de-identified patient cases from their clinics. 

 

The Alzheimer's and Dementia Care ECHO Program, hosted by the Alzheimer's Association, is an innovative distance - learning model to build workforce capacity and improve access to specifically care in local communities. Using web-based video conferencing technology, expert multidisciplinary specialist teams and community-based primary care practice teams come together in regularly scheduled collaborative learning sessions to participate in case-based discussions and brief didactic presentations. Content experts mentor and teach and providers retain responsibility for their patients' care, fostering an "all teach, all learn" environment.

For more information, click here. 

The WVPCA is pleased to be part of the efforts to implement Project ECHO in West Virginia and would like to invite you to participate in the newest WV Project ECHO on Heart Failure.  This new ECHO is an expansion of the WV Project ECHO program which will utilize multipoint video conferencing to bring specialized education to providers all across West Virginia.    The participation agreement provides further details.  If you are interested in participating, please see the participation agreement.  Once the agreement is fully executed calendar invites will be sent from WVCTSI with all the video conferencing information and case intake form.

 

Sessions will be held on the 1st and 3rd Fridays starting on March 1st from 12-1pm.  Like the other ECHO projects,these sessions will include two case presentations and 15-20 minutes of didactics focusing on a variety of cardiac and heart & vascular related topics.  Additionally, more information on WV Project ECHO can be found here .

 

For more information on participating, please do hesitate to contact Jay Mason at jdmason@hsc.wvu.edu or Kayatlyn Edinger at kedinger@hsc.wvu.edu.

Registration is now open for the 2019 Annual WVPBRN Retreat. The retreat is scheduled for May 16-17 at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, WV.   The evening of Thursday, May 16 will feature a networking dinner on Stonewall Resort's Little Sorrel boat. The conference portion of the retreat will kick off early morning on Friday, May 17.  The deadline to register is April 1.   For more information, or to register, click here .

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health - Regional Offices' are excited to announce this series of six adolescent health webinars taking place throughout the month of March to gear up for Teen Health Week (April 1-7)!

 

Join us  as we discuss ways in which health care, education, social service professionals, youth-serving organizations, and youth can support and promote adolescent health. Each free session will feature subject matter experts in adolescent development, preventive care, substance use, mental health, and nutrition. #TeenHealthWeek2019 takes place April 1-7. Learn more about this global initiative encouraging young people to take charge of their physical and mental health by visiting http://teenhealthweek.org/. For more information, you can check out the Tools and Resources for youth, parents and professionals here and find the Teen Health Week Starter Kit here. 

 

This series is hosted in partnership with the HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Region 8 Office. 

• Preventative Health Services: Supporting Adolescents in Leading Healthy Lives | March 19 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Registration
• Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Adolescents: Tools for Prevention, Identification, and Management |  March 22 |  11:00 AM  -12:00 PM | Registration
• Addressing Adolescent Mental Health in Schools: Mental Health Curricula and Mindfulness |  March 26 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Registration
• Innovative Approaches to Enhancing Adolescent Nutrition: Breakfast After the Bell in Middle and High Schools | March 28 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Registration

Questions? Please contact Lesley Craig at Lesley.Craig@hhs.gov. 

This proposal could usher in the single-biggest change to how drugs are priced at the pharmacy counter.  The current drug pricing system is broken and indefensible. Right now, everybody but the patient benefits as list prices climb higher and higher.

Today, President Trump proposed $291 million in the FY2020 HHS budget to begin his Administration's multi-year initiative focused on ending the HIV epidemic in America by 2030. This new initiative aims to reduce new HIV infections by 75 percent in the next 5 years and by 90 percent in the next 10 years, averting more than 250,000 HIV infections in that span.