NMASBHC is excited to announce that we our celebrating the twentieth year of our organization's existence in 2019! We'll be concentrating our celebrations during the state's annual school health conference with special guests, gifts and acknowledgements. We hope you'll join us as we celebrate the history of the school-based health movement and look to its growth in the future!

We hope you'll join us for one of the following events. Reach out to us if you have questions about attending or participating.

NMASBHC Exemplary SBHC Awards and 20th Anniversary Luncheon

Tuesday, April 23rd (open to SBHC pre-conference registrants and invited guests)

NMASBHC Annual Awards Celebration

Tuesday, April 23rd (open to SBHC pre-conference registrants and invited guests)

Santa Fe Brewing Company Craft Brew Fundraiser

Wednesday, April 24th (open to the public - see flyer below)

Individual Donor Challenge

NMASBHC is seeking at least 20 new individual donations during the month of April to celebrate our birthday. Join all of our Board Members and Staff (100% of whom are personal donors) by making a gift this month! Visit: https://www.nmasbhc.org/ways-give/ to donate.

Please join us in celebrating our 20th anniversary at the Santa Fe Brewing Company at Green Jeans Farmery in Albuquerqu e ( 3600 Cutler Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110) . SFBC is donating $1 from every beer purchase to our organization.

Many thanks to the wonderful Highland High SBHC Team (pictured below) for hosting a tour of their clinic during a visit to the school highlighting the Community Schools movement (of which, school health is a pillar). The visit included PED Deputy Secretary Katarina Sandoval as well as Bernalillo County Commissioners and Albuquerque City Councilors. Thank you for showing off your exemplary work and for your hospitality to NMASBHC!

The New Mexico Department of Health Request for Proposals for School-Based Health Center Services is slated to be released any day. Interested parties should check: https://nmhealth.org/publication/rfp/ for the full document, which will include required document submission and relevant deadlines. If you need technical assistance outside of that provided by NMDOH/OSAH as part of the RFP process, please reach out to NMASBHC at [email protected].

Thanks to all of the SBHC Team Members who have been posting and responding to others' posts on Basecamp. For those who have thus far been shy, check it out! Some of the recent topics have included challenges in collaborating with school staff, announcements about legislative action and tools from Medicaid MCOs. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to NMASBHC at [email protected], or check out some great tip videos at:  https://basecamp.com/learn.

Talk to your team about who will represent your SBHC at the SBHC pre-conference and Head 2 Toe Conference. Registration is still open, but regular registration ends April 19th! Register today: https://attendhead2toe.com/cost/. Check out the pre-conference agenda below.

The Human Services Department (HSD) is seeking public comment on  amendments  it is proposing to the federal government for the Centennial Care 2.0 Medicaid waiver. You may submit written comments by the deadline of April 15, 2019, at 5pm.  Please submit your written comments to  [email protected] .

 

HSD’s amendments seek to:

·      Remove Co-pays: The approved waiver allows for co-pays of $8 for non-emergency use of the Emergency Department and $8 for non-preferred prescription drugs. HSD’s amendments would not implement these co-pays.

 

·      Remove Premiums: The current waiver would require adults with incomes just above the poverty line to pay a monthly premium starting in July 2019. HSD is seeking authority to not implement these premiums for Medicaid recipients.

 

·      Reinstate Retroactive Coverage: Under the waiver, retroactive coverage was phased down to one month (rather than three) for most Medicaid recipients in 2019. The waiver would require HSD to eliminated retroactive coverage completely for most recipients in 2020. HSD is seeking to authority to not eliminate retroactive coverage and, instead, reinstate back to three months for eligible Medicaid recipients.

 

·      Expand the Centennial Home Visiting Pilot: Under the current waiver, HSD is set to provide pre-natal, post-partum care, as well as early childhood development services to up to 300 families in four counties. The proposed amendment seeks to remove the restrictions on the number of families and counties to be served.

 

·      Expand the Community Benefit: Currently, HSD has established over 4,000 slots for members to access community benefit services. HSD’s proposed amendment would increase this number by 1,500. 

In addition to written comments, you can provide public comment at hearings taking place in Las Cruces and Santa Fe:

      Las Cruces - Wednesday, April 10, 2019

      Thomas Branigan Public Library

      200 East Picacho Avenue 

      Las Cruces, NM 88001

      5:00-7:00 p.m.

      

      Santa Fe- Monday, April 15, 2019

      Medicaid Advisory Committee Meeting

      New Mexico Department of Health 

      Harold L. Runnels Building - Auditorium 

      1190 S. St. Francis Dr. 

      Santa Fe, NM 87501

      1:00-4:00 p.m.

The Medical Assistance Division of New Mexico Human Services Department is reaching out to SBHC Representatives to learn if explanation of benefits (EOBs) are suppressed for SBHCs’ confidential Medicaid clients and to understand barriers in the current EOB/communication suppression system. 

 

HSD/MAD has created a short survey intended to be completed once for each SBHC including SBHCs not contracted with Department of Health Office of School and Adolescent Health (DOH/OSAH). This survey should include input from a variety of SBHC staff (i.e. billing, administrative, CEO, Coordinator, and/or nurse). Please coordinate to complete the survey by  5pm on April 2nd, 2019 .

 

Access survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BF3ZNMR

 

If you have questions or concerns feel free to contact Chrissy Kupferschmidt at [email protected] or (505)827-1332. Thank you for your time and feedback.

Check out the CDC's Website to discover 4 different campaigns, focusing on a unique audience and approach to STD prevention to best fit the needs of your community. Each campaign offers customizable materials and resources to help you ra ise awareness and take action to prevent, test for, and treat STDs. The campaign created particularly for youth is called Get Yourself Tested ( https://www.cdc.gov/std/sam/gyt/default.htm) , and it focuses on making sure that youth have the correct information about STD prevention and testing.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, NMASBHC encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making our state a better place for children and families. If you want to find a way to celebrate the role your organization plays in protecting children, check out the many resources that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides at: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/.

Did you know that TEEN HEALTH WEEK℠  is a global initiative to raise awareness of the unique health issues facing teens all over the world? Through a wide variety of local, state, national, and international programs and activities, TEEN HEALTH WEEK ℠ encourages teens to take charge of their physical and mental health to facilitate healthy habits they will carry with them throughout their lives. Check out: https://collegeofphysicians.org/thw/resources#logos for loads of resources on this year's selected topics of gender & sexual development, nutrition & oral health, preventive care & vaccines, violence & mental health, and substance use & misuse.

If you know children or families in the Las Cruces area seeking healthcare that the local SBHCs cannot provide, please let them know about the upcoming New Mexico Mission of Mercy Clinic taking place at the LC Convention Center May 3-4, 2019. Please see flyer below for details.

www.nmasbhc.org | (505) 404-8059 | [email protected]