Autumn Newsletter:
September 2021
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Greetings from the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida,
The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida (HPCNEF) continues to make significant contributions to the health of our residents in the seven-county region of Northeast Florida. Thanks to a number of recently awarded grants, our organization is busy improving access to health care, providing support to the surveillance and prevention of opioid/polysubstance use epidemic, as well as providing access to training and health literacy surrounding the pandemic targeted toward some of the most vulnerable populations. Additionally, HPCNEF continues to fight cancer and mental health issues in partnership with agencies across the Sunshine State. Fortunately, HPCNEF has a strong team of outstanding individuals dedicated to these initiatives, and this newsletter provides a snapshot of some of those activities.
Please take a quick look below to see where and how we are working toward improving the health of our population in Northeast Florida.
Thank you,
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Susan Grich
President & CEO
Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
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ACA NAVIGATOR PROGRAM
In the largest-ever investment in the program, CMS is awarding $80 million to Navigator organizations to support training and certifying Navigators to assist uninsured consumers or underserved populations in enrolling in affordable healthcare coverage. The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida along with the University of South Florida was one of 60 organizations to receive the 2021 award for the 36-month Navigator Cooperative Agreement, which runs through August 26, 2024. The cooperative agreement award amount for the University of South Florida was $11,908,382 for the 9 partner organizations. The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida received a sub-award totaling $3,190,127.
Since 2013, Navigators have helped Americans understand their health insurance options and facilitated their enrollment in health insurance through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM). Navigators serve an important role in connecting communities that historically have experienced lower access to health coverage and greater disparities in health outcomes to health coverage.
Connect locally with the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida’s Certified Navigators and schedule an appointment. Navigators can assist with questions about health insurance, help with marketplace applications, and enrollment in Health Insurance Coverage for 2021. To schedule an appointment with a Navigator, call 877-813-9115. For more information, contact Joyce Case.
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OVERDOSE DATA TO ACTION
The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida continues to work with the Florida Department of Health in Duval County on Overdose Data to Action (OD2A), a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This multi-million dollar grant is bringing much-needed financial support to innovative local organizations that are working to combat the opioid epidemic in Duval County. Year 3 of the OD2A contract has been renewed through August 31, 2022. All subcontracts have been executed and partners are continuing their efforts working towards combatting the epidemic. For more information contact OD2A.
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ST. JOHNS RIVER RURAL HEALTH NETWORK
The St. Johns River Rural Health Network (SJRRHN) is a 501(c)(3) organization that the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida administers through the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Office of Rural Health. SJRRHN completed its first year of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Network Development grant in partnership with SMA Healthcare servicing Putnam County. A five-year strategic plan, a project evaluation plan, and a data dashboard were just some of the completed deliverables. Current efforts are focused on a marketing plan and behavioral health updates. For more information, contact Flora Davis.
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NORTHEAST FLORIDA CANCER CONTROL COLLABORATIVE
Northeast Florida Cancer Control Collaborative (NEFCCC) is one of six regional cancer collaboratives in the state that meets on a regular basis and implements cancer control efforts aimed at increasing awareness about prevention and treatment through education and advocacy. The regional collaboratives are working toward aligning their efforts with the Florida Cancer Plan 2020 - 2025. NEFCCC has continued to focus local efforts on improving access to lung cancer screening as a priority area. For more information, contact Kim Millrood.
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ADVANCING HEALTH LITERACY
The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida (HPCNEF) is excited to begin work on the City of Jacksonville’s recently awarded grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health entitled Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Responses to COVID-19 in Jacksonville’s Health Zone 1. Through this grant, HPCNEF will partner with UF Health Jacksonville, Duval Safety Net Collaborative providers, and the Partnership for Child Health’s Population Health Consortium to increase access to culturally appropriate and trustworthy health information related to COVID-19 to those living in Jacksonville’s Health Zone 1.
The grant includes the training of 1,500 healthcare providers using materials instilled with health literacy standards to provide a basis for better communicating with patients about COVID-19. It also focuses on using trusted Community Health Workers to meet residents where they live to provide factual COVID-19 information about the disease, vaccines, mitigation measures, and pop-up vaccination events available in their community.
Together these efforts allow residents to ask questions from trusted medically-trained providers, have increased access to reliable COVID-19 materials, use the information to make better decisions related to their health, and help improve COVID-19 health outcomes in Health Zone 1. For more information, contact Teina Phillips
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IMPROVING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ACT OF 2021
This bill would create a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) program at CDC, including grants to states for a public health approach to SDOH. To learn more: SDOH
CHALLENGES TO TELEHEALTH
Telehealth visits for medical care took off during the worst days of the pandemic, but states are rolling back the temporary rules that facilitated them. To learn more: Telehealth
FDA'S RULING ON VAPING INDUSTRY
One in five high school students and more than 6% of American adults report are using vaping products. The FDA announced it has ruled on whether some electronic cigarette products can remain on the market, but it is delaying action on products made by Juul, which accounts for 40% of the e-cigarette market. To learn more: FDA
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FLU SEASON UPDATE
With the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and flu season looming, doctors are encouraging everyone to get their flu shots. #FluVaxJax is a community campaign led by the Duval County Medical Society to increase flu vaccinations in Northeast Florida. To learn more: #FluVaxJax
COVID-19 UPDATES
For the latest COVID-19 updates:
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WELCOME TO THE HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL!
Teina Phillips recently joined the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida Team and brings over 20 years of experience working in partnership with diverse community members, non-profit organizations, healthcare providers and governmental agencies to improve health outcomes. Teina has successfully developed and led innovative projects in Broward and Alachua counties She is excited to be working with HPCNEF and community partners to instill health literacy principles in COVID-19 outreach and education, mitigation measures and vaccination efforts. She will lead the Advancing Health Literacy efforts as the project director.
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Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida | 904.448.4300 | Fax 904.448.4304 | www.hpcnef.org |
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