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The 2023 Delta Dental Loan Repayment Program application is open until June 1!
The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation offers a one-year student loan repayment program for Virginia dentists and dental hygienists in exchange for 12 months of service with a safety-net clinic. The 2023 application is open from April 1 to June 1; Click here to apply.
Who is eligible? Applicants need to:
· Be a licensed dentist or dental hygienist in good standing in Virginia;
· Be working full-time (32 hours per week minimum); and
· Agree to serve at least one year in a free or hybrid clinic or a federally-qualified health center in a Health Professional Shortage Area in Virginia.
Questions? Contact Olivette Burroughs at olivette.burroughs@vdh.virginia.gov or 804.864.7435.
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Be in the Know! Register today for a special Mental Health Legislative/Budget Update edition of the Mental Health Roundtable.
On Wednesday, July 12 from 10-11:30, join mental health professionals and leaders from throughout the state for a special Mental Health Roundtable, where you’ll learn about mental health legislation and new mental health funding ultimately approved by the General Assembly. You’ll leave with an understanding of the state’s priorities and actions related to mental health.
Register today! Contact Andrea Lancaster with any questions.
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Check out the School-Based Health Alliance Annual Conference – June 26-28
Do you have a school-based health clinic (SBHC)? Or are you interested in learning more about them and how to start one? More than 2,500 school-based health centers nationwide now deliver integrated, patient-centered care, screenings, and preventive services to children and adolescents, including a growing number here in Virginia.
On June 26-28, join providers, educators, and advocates from across the US at the School-Based Health Alliance annual conference, “Celebrating and Growing the Workforce,” at American University Washington School of Law. Conference attendees will explore ways SBHCs serve rural, urban, and suburban schools and communities by promoting wellness and health equity. Click here to learn more and register!
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Nominate an Outstanding Physician Today!
The Medical Society of Virginia’s 2023 Salute to Service awards nominations are now open! These awards recognize outstanding efforts by a physician, medical student, or resident who has substantially improved patient care, and MSV will accept nominations on its website until June 30, 2023. Award categories include: Service to the Uninsured and Underserved; Service to the International Community; Service to the Profession; Service for Advancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement; Service by a Medical Record or Resident; and Service to Healthcare During COVID-19. Submit a nomination here, or email foundation@msv.org with any questions.
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Medicaid Renewals are Coming! Are you and your patients ready?
Did you know the US Dept of Health and Human services estimates 7.9% of all people covered by Medicaid will lose coverage over the next year for administrative reasons, like not completing renewal forms or turning in documents to prove their eligibility? In Virginia, this translates to roughly 173,00 people who will be eligible for coverage but still lose it. About half of these are expected to be children.
You can help!
Share information about renewals and what all covered Virginians need to do to keep their Medicaid health insurance via newsletters, social media, community gatherings, and one-on-one discussions with patients and clients. Remind everyone to:
1. Update their contact information with Virginia Medicaid:
- Through their Medicaid/FAMIS MCO;
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Online at commonhelp.virginia.gov;
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By contacting their local DSS; or
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By calling Virginia’s One Benefits line at 1-833-5CALLVA.
2. Watch for a renewal notice via mail from the local Department of Social Services.
3. Open the renewal notice and respond by the due date or sooner.
To help make it easy for organizations, congregations, and individuals to convey these messages, DMAS has developed digital communications Tool Kits, social media graphics, and printable designs.
Want to help your patients or clients enroll in and renew Medicaid/FAMIS coverage directly? Familiarize yourself with eligibility basics and enrollment/renewal policies and procedures at a VHCF SignUpNow workshop.
VHCF staff can also connect those who need one-on-one help applying for or renewing Medicaid/FAMIS to a local Medicaid/FAMIS application assister, who is specially trained to help individuals and families apply for, enroll in, and renew eligibility for Virginia’s Medicaid/FAMIS programs.
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Launched in 2011, Daily Planet Health Services’ (DPHS) Diabetes Impact Program pairs weekly medical and pharmacy appointments with health education. At DPHS’ West Grace Center in Richmond, that means a prepared lunch every Thursday that is available on a drop-in basis to enrolled patients. Most participating individuals are homeless or experiencing housing instability, so access to healthy food and the ability to prepare it, as well as medication storage and management, are significant barriers to diabetes management. This program has been so effective in helping patients manage their A1c through medical interventions and education that DPHS recently decided to tailor the approach and expand it to a new target population. | |
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DPHS’s other location, the Southside Health Center, serves many patients who are Spanish-speaking, undocumented, uninsured, and from working families who often share housing. On Tuesday evenings, Silvia Ortiz, a Physician Assistant who is a native Spanish speaker, teams up with a medical assistant, nurse clinic supervisor, health educator, and pharmacist to lead a 10-week Spanish language Diabetes Impact cohort. It focuses on improving A1c levels, increasing diabetes knowledge, self-management, and self-care behaviors, all with a culturally appropriate perspective and delivery.
Participants meet after work and leave the group each week with a bag of groceries and increased knowledge of the impact of their health behaviors and lifestyle decisions. Initial participant feedback has been positive, and as the first cohort prepares to “graduate,” DPHS looks forward to monitoring the impact of this new version of its successful program.
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Pictured: Silvia Ortiz, PA, in action, leading a group activity during a Diabetes Impact session.
Want to learn more about DPHS’s Diabetes Impact Program? Contact Silvia Ortiz or Sarah Tunner.
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Want to hone the skills or expand the knowledge of your team or yourself? VHCF offers up to $650 per organization per year to pay for professional development. In addition, up to $3,500 is available every three years to underwrite the development of a new strategic plan. Contact Andrea Lancaster to learn more about both of these funding opportunities.
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VHCF currently offers two different live, online SignUpNow trainings. One covers the “ins and outs” of eligibility requirements, application procedures, and post-enrollment information for Virginia’s Medicaid/FAMIS programs for children, adults, and families. SignUpNow ABD workshops cover information for Virginia’s Aged, Blind, or Disabled (ABD) Medicaid-covered groups. Learn more about both trainings and upcoming dates here.
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Upcoming virtual trainings for both new and experienced users on how to use The Pharmacy Connection (TPC) are scheduled into December. For more information or to register for a training, click here.
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The Behavioral Health Hub listserv is a venue for the behavioral health community to share new resources, tips, and opportunities related to the delivery of behavioral health services. Emails are typically sent 1-2 times per week, and listserv members are invited and encouraged to actively share the things they are working on and any challenges they are facing. With 1,000 members from all regions of Virginia and a wide variety of organizations, the Hub is the best way to stay connected and updated on the latest news and trends in behavioral health. Subscribe here.
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Does your organization have innovative programs or creative solutions to share?
We'd love to hear from you so we can help share it with others! Please contact Andrea Lancaster with your stories!
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