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THI Board Meeting
May 8, 2008
Signature Science
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
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Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center 2008 Workgroup Meetings
Austin TX
Quality Improvement Partnership
March 1-2, 2008
Public Health Workgroup
March 29, 2008
Consumer Advocacy Workgroup
March 30, 2008
Newborn Screening Workgroup
April 5, 2008
2008 Kick-Off Meeting
June 20-21, 2008
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| Issue: 2-08 |
February 2008 |
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February 2008 at the Texas Health Institute has been a month of intense preparation by THI staff who have completed a full slate of upcoming public health events. We are now able to offer new Presentations, Health Policy Forums, Focus Forums and a variety of material on the following health topics:
- The Uninsured and Access to Care
- Obesity and Diabetes
- Mental Health in Schools
- Mental Health and Returning Veterans
- Long-term Care Costs and Access
- The Shrinking Healthcare Workforce
- Rural Health Issues
- And more
If you would like to host an event featuring a THI local topic or sponsor one of our planned Health Policy Forums - in either a statewide or regional format - please contact Lenora Doerfler at 512-279-3915 or ldoerfler@texashealthinstitute.org
Thank you for your continued support of Texas Health Institute and our mission to provide leadership to improve the health of Texans and their communities through education, research, and health policy development.
Sincerely,
Camille D. Miller
President/CEO
Texas Health Institute |
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Nacogdoches County Taking Mental Health Steps |
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If your hospital emergency rooms, hospital inpatient beds and jails are filling with people in mental health crisis mode, it's time to rally the troops and find better solutions. That's just what is happening in Nacogdoches County. "I'm glad we're there for people, but we're generally not the right place for those experiencing a mental health crisis," says Tim Hayward, Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital Administrator and THI Community Collaborative member. "They're tying up hospital beds and it doesn't get those in crisis the help they deserve with their issues."
On February 5th, Nacogdoches County Commissioners agreed to help fund part of the project led by the Burke Center in Lufkin to serve 12 East Texas counties, alleviating expensive and time-consuming burdens on law enforcement and hospitals not equipped to respond to mental health emergencies. The proposed facility will provide dedicated services for families, walk-in patients, law-enforcement and referred patients as well as capacity for 9 patient assessment areas and a 14-bed voluntary crisis residential program. (click here for complete text) |
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Tyler Smoking Ordinance Passes |
THI Board Member, George T. Roberts, Jr., FACHE, Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Texas Public Health District, brought some great health news to the THI quarterly board meeting: The Tyler City Council voted unanimously to adopt a new smoking ordinance at the Special Called Council Meeting Feb. 6. The ordinance, which takes effect June 1st, calls for stricter smoking regulations that would eliminate smoking in public places and places of employment, including restaurants and bars.
"Today the Council carefully reviewed all of the public comments and took the implications of this ordinance change very seriously," Mayor Joey Seeber told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. "In the end, it came down to a matter of public health. The most recent overwhelming evidence indicates that there is no safe level of second-hand smoke. I believe that the Council took a difficult but courageous step today in improving the long-term health of our citizens." |
| Getting To Know THI |
J. Darren Rodgers - President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of TX
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas has announced that THI Board of Trustees member, J. Darren Rodgers will take over responsibility as president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Rodgers has been with BCBSTX since 1992, most recently having served as the divisional senior vice president of Texas Health Care Management and Public Affairs.
As president of BCBSTX, Rodgers will oversee all Texas operations, including marketing and sales, health care management and medical policy. Previously, Rodgers oversaw the development of several programs that have helped shape the way our members access health care services. Most notably, Rodgers oversaw the creation and development of Blue Care Connection, BCBSTX's medical care management model. Rodgers also has a highly visible role in the Texas health care community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Health Institute and is president of the Caring for Children Foundation of Texas. Additionally, Rodgers was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Health Care System Integrity Partnership. Our hearty congratulations to Darren!
New Staff Addition
Michael R. Price has joined THI as the organization's Controller. Mike brings several years of diversified experience in finance, accounting and operations management, offering extensive experience in analysis, forecasting, budgeting and monthly close processes.
Mike most recently served in the Planning and Governance Group at Dell, Inc. but lists a number of years in having worked in healthcare finance and accounting in Austin and Illinois. Already tasked with a number of immediate accounting duties, Mike has jumped in as a dedicated member of the THI team. Welcome Mike! |
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Patients Do The Research |
According to the recent One Click Diagnosis article in the Austin Business Journal's Central Texas Growth Summit edition, more and more Central Texans are turning to the web to research medical treatment.
THI Vice President of Programs,Klaus Krøyer Madsen, was quoted in the article as saying, "I really think it's a generational thing. I think most doctors have gotten used to this, especially (when it comes to patients who) have a chronic disease. Then the Internet becomes such an important place for you, not just to get information, but to connect with other people who share your disease."
ABJ staff writer Zachary Warmbrodt interviewed a number of healthcare providers who had both positive and negative outcomes from the wealth of information available on the web. THI's Madsen suggests that trustworthy websites are usually associated with government or universities, display a Health on the Net Foundation label or belong to a medical association. |
| Annual Report Available Online |
Texas Health Institute has completed a 2007 Annual Report, available online at our website (click here). The report features a review of our 2007 activities and presents an unaudited financial picture of THI. A full list of Board, Staff and 2007 Friends of the Institute are included in the report. This is the first annual report since the merger of organizations and creation of the Texas Health Institute. The Institute will add our IRS 990 report to our website upon its finalization. |
| 2008 THI Board Meetings |
The THI Board of Trustees met on February 7th, receiving information from staff regarding recent and planned activities, fundraising and a review of 2007 accomplishments. The Board accepted the financial statement and minutes from their last meeting and heard a report from Board Trustee Dr. Hardy Loe on the activities occurring within the jail health project in Dallas. The Board also heard a luncheon presentation from Baker Harrel and Lou Earle of Youth InterACTIVE, a non-profit organization which inspires and empowers youth to effectively manage their health, education and communities.
Board meeting schedule for the remainder of 2008: May 8, 2008 / August 7, 2008 / November 6, 2008.
THI Board of Trustees member, Kim Slocum, announced at the meeting the upcoming publication of his new book, Consumer Directed Health Care: A 360 Degree View, published by Taylor and Francis this July. "Overall, what I tried to do was to write a non-ideological book that would use simple language to talk about consumer directed plans in the context of the larger issues we face in health care," says Slocum. |
| MSGRCC |
Meetings
On March 1-2, 2008, the Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center will host a meeting of the interregional Quality Improvement Partnership in Austin, Texas. The goal is to develop a group of five quality indicators that will be piloted at select facilities, refined and then rolled out for national/international implementation. Marc S. Williams & Janet Williams from Intermountain Health, Utah are co-chairing the Partnership and have invited representatives from across the Mountain States Region and from other Regional Collaborative Centers across the nation to attend the meeting. This project is originating in the Mountain States Region but will also be communicated to a broader audience at the American College of Medical Genetics Quality SIG meeting on Sunday, March 16th at 7 AM.
**Workgroup meetings rescheduled** Standards and Emerging Technologies Meeting Cancelled, Public Health Workgroup Meeting Rescheduled for March 29, 2008, Consumer Advocacy Workgroup Meeting Rescheduled for March 30, 2008
Funding Application
On February 18, 2008, Texas Health Institute submitted the noncompeting continuation grant for the upcoming year of the Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center (MSGRCC). In June 2008, THI will enter its second year as programmatic and fiscal administrator of the MSGRCC.
The MSGRCC is one of seven regional collaborative centers covering the nation. It is federally funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Genetic Services Branch. The Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center includes the states of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. |
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Health Policy in Your Hands - A Conference of Texas Faith Leaders
Camille Miller, THI President/CEO, unveiled the organization's new Raising the Bar on Health Care Solutions policy brochure at the Impact Texas conference at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin on February 10th. The new brochure, generously underwritten by Methodist Healthcare Ministry, sheds light on four of the most pressing health care issues in Texas: The Uninsured, Obesity & Diabetes, Mental Health and Healthcare Workforce Shortages. The policy solution brochure will be available for distribution in March and may be downloaded in .pdf format from www.texashealthinstitute.org. (click here for complete text)
Live Smart Texas Tackles Obesity Epidemic
So, how is that New Year's weight loss resolution working for you? Thousands of Texans struggle with overweight and obesity issues and now Live Smart Texas is working to reframe how we approach healthier living. By developing leadership, policy, programs, intervention research and communications strategies, Live Smart Texas hopes to impact not just weight loss but the many chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease which often result from obesity. (click here for complete text)
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*Mental Health Transformation Workgroup Meeting Report |
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The Mental Health Transformation Work Group (TWG) met on Friday, February 8, 2008. Our sincere thanks to Annie Burwell, Williamson County Mental Health Task Force, for her excellent presentation to the TWG and the accomplishments achieved in that community regarding mobile outreach, crisis intervention, jail diversion, crisis redesign, suicide reduction and the incredible investment to savings outcomes. The MHT Community Collaboratives were also represented by Barbara Giovannone, Coastal Bend Rural Health Partnership, and Susan Garnett, Tarrant County Transformation Project. TWG members were thrilled to see what each collaborative is doing in each of these transformation areas and to have the presentation from Williamson County.
Valarie Garza, Consumer Coordinator, gave an update on the "Voices and Choices in Transformation Leadership" trainings held in November 2007 and planned for the end of February 2008. She also discussed the tremendous outcomes of the Consumer Network Facilitation meetings held in January and shared with the TWG definitions developed by the Consumer Language committee.
Additionally, the TWG heard presentations regarding Strategic Partnerships Corporation for Supportive Housing, UT LBJ School Evaluation and Government Performance Reporting Act Measures (GPRA), and the Chief Justice Led Mental Health Task Force.
Next TWG Meeting: May 6, 2008, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm at DSHS, Robert D. Moreton Building, room (M-739), 1100 W. 49th St.
Please contact Susan Griffin for additional information regarding these efforts.
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Texas Association of Local Health Officials Meets |
Monday, February 11, Klaus Madsen served as faculty for the kick-off to theTexas Association of Local Health Officials' (TALHO) grant from the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) to train local heath departments on the implementation of the National Public Health Performance Standards Program Local Instrument.
Madsen, who in 2006 served as the co-chair of the statewide public health assessment, spoke about how the results of the performance standards assessment can be included in the quality improvement processes. He also participated in a discussion about partnerships with Mark Fussell, Senior Management Official, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other speakers included Lee Lane, TALHO, Heidi Deutsch, NACCHO, Mary Soto and Mike Gilliam, Texas Department of State Health Services, and Teresa Daub, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Mental Health Transformation Focused Forum Report |
At the THI Focus Forum on February 19, roundtable
discussion reviewed eleven community challenges to
mental health transformation, community successes
and solutions. The program featured Sam Shore,
Texas Department of State Health Services;
Susan Garnett, MHMR of Tarrant County;
Sherwin Daryani, City of Fort Worth Public
Health Department; Valarie Garza, Texas Health Institute,
Camille D. Miller, President of Texas Health Institute
and roundtable discussion from over 100 participants.
The eleven focus areas include:
· Housing & Employment
· Consumer Voice
· School-based Mental Health
· Integration of Mental and Physical Health & Prevention
· Workforce
· Stigma
· Criminal Justice
· Crisis Intervention
· Veterans
· Aging and Mental Health
· Information Technology
(click here for complete text) |
| Coming Next Month |
Raising the Bar On Health Solutions
A new report on Obesity/Diabetes, Uninsured, Mental Health and Healthcare Workforce issues. |
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About the Texas Health Institute |
Our mission is to provide leadership to improve the health of Texans and their communities through education, research, and health policy development.
Senior Editor: Camille D Miller
Editors: Mitchell Gibbs / Havovi Katki
The Texas Health Institute (THI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on the development of health policy solutions to improve the lives of Texans and their communities. From acting as an honest broker and hosting unbiased health policy forums that facilitate dialogue among policymakers and other healthcare stakeholders, to creating a vision of an improved future healthcare system, THI is a think tank - providing evidence-based policy options and solutions as well as innovative, "outside the box" collaborative options to improve the health of Texans and their communities.
The THI newsletter is a monthly publication of the Texas Health Institute written to update THI board of trustee members and Friends of the Institute.
For e-mail address changes, add or delete requests, please e-mail your request to:
mail to:hkatki@texashealthinstitute.org
If you would prefer to receive this newsletter through the U.S. mail or fax, please e-mail your contact information to:
mail to:hkatki@texashealthinstitute.org
If you would prefer not to receive further messages from this sender, please contact us at:
delete@texashealthinstitute.org
* Funding for this was made possible (in part) by 5 U79 SM57485-02 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderator do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government. | |
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