January 8, 2019
SCC PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HIGHLIGHTS 
Paula Fries, Jacki Powers, Vitina Salvato, Jennifer Montes De Oca, Wanda, Kristi Graziano, Stacy Simbrom and Kim Mathews, all from the Association for Mental Health and Wellness 
 
On December 14, 2018, SCC held the last Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting for 2018.  The meeting was kicked-off with an informative overview of Health and Recovery Program (HARP) and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) by several team members from the Care Management Program and HCBS Program at Association for Mental Health and Wellness.  Their presentation focused on HARP eligibility and the process to obtain Home and Community Based Services.  
Cierra Corbett, Prevention Specialist from Family Service League, presented Sustaining
Ceirra Corbett and Kathy Rosenthal, Family Service League
Change in the Community:  The Under Age Drinking Prevention Program.  She highlighted their Under Age Drinking Prevention Initiative and their partnership with COMPASS Unity, South Country School District's drug and alcohol prevention coalition.  Cierra also shared 
information about the coalition's Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant award, which will help sustain strides made in substance use prevention initiatives.  T he DFC is a federal program directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and is the nation's leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent substance use among youth aged 12-17.  The grant provides $125,000 per year for five years, with opportunity to renew for another five years.

A performance update was provided by Kevin Bozza, MPA, Chief of Operations, VP Population Health Management Services.  His presentation, Measuring Success and Identifying Opportunity highlighted SCC and Statewide performance results, gap closure strategies and Care Transitions Program and Chronic Disease Program performance improvement initiatives.
Alexandra Kranidis, MPH, SCC Project Manager
 
Thank you to Alexandra Kranidis, MPH, SCC Project Manager, for moderating the meeting and thank you to all of the speakers that provided valuable information to our partners. 
 
For the PAC meeting presentation, visit SCC's website.  Video of the meeting is available here.    
 
 
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR NEXT PAC MEETING

APRIL 4, 2019
SCC PARTICIPATES IN HOLIDAY ADOPT-A-FAMILY PROGRAM

Melissa Favaloro, Director, and Will Wischhusen, Assistant Director, Care Management & Care Coordination, SCC, delivering donations
Again this year SCC adopted families in need from Options for Community Living, Inc.  by participating in the  Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program.  Options is an organization that meets the needs of low income residents of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, with mental illness, HIV/AIDS and other chronic health conditions.  

The Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program is a powerful way to give and a wonderful way to come together to remember the true meaning of the holidays - giving back and helping others.  

The SCC staff truly enjoyed making this holiday season special for families in need.  
JOIN SCC FOR CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND HEALTH LITERACY MASTER TRAINING 
January 29, 2019

The communities we serve are growing in cultural and linguistic diversity. There is a need to inspire cultural change within organizations. 

On January 29, 2019, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, SCC will be holding Cultural Competency and Health Literacy Master Training, an interactive program in which participants will have hands-on learning experience to build better communities. 
 
Post-training, Master Trainers will receive a certificate of completion and the ability to host training sessions throughout the region.  Master Trainers will be able to facilitate two different trainings: (1) 2 hour CCHL training sessions for workforce professionals and (2) 7.5 hour master training sessions for future master-trainers.
 
Participants must apply by end of business Monday, January 14, 2019 .  Please note, completing the application does not confirm attendance to this program. Upon completing the application, you will receive follow up from a CCHL lead with next steps.   For more information on the CCHL program click here.   


2019 Master Facilitator Refresher Session will be held for all Master Facilitators.  

Suffolk Care Collaborative, Nassau Queens PPS and Long Island Health Collaborative is hosting this event  to give facilitators an opportunity to network with each other and provide feedback about the program that only our valuable Master Facilitators can provide. 

Monday, January 14, 2019
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Catholic Health Services of Long Island
245 Old Country Road, Melville

For more information about this event and to register click here
ASTHMA COALITION OF LONG ISLAND
Save the Date

The Asthma Coalition of Long Island will be holding their next meeting on:

Wednesday, February 13, 2019
8:00 - 9:30 am
Four Points by Sheraton
333 South Service Road, Plainview

Special Guest Presenter:
Jill Heins, MS, MBA,MHC-C
National Director of Lung Health
American Lung Association
Presentation:  Asthma Quality Improvement that Works:  A Successful Partnership between a Private Organization, Managed Care and Primary Care
Community word cloud with magnifying glass, concept
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Bi-weekly spotlights highlighting opportunities for community engagement throughout Suffolk County

ADULT BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP - WINTER 2019
For adults who have experienced the death of a loved one prior to October 1, 2018, group meetings across Suffolk County are offered by Good Shepherd Hospice.  See flyer for dates and locations.   

RECOVERY CENTER EAST
Promotes the strengths of individuals, helps them to achieve their goals and develops a greater sense of community and a newfound sense of independence.  For a schedule of January activities that encourages individuals to branch out and create a larger support network in their community of choice, click here.  

HEALTHY SUNDAYS PROGRAM
Catholic Health Services of Long Island's health screening program provides preventive health screenings and education to members of medically underserved communities on Long Island.   Click here for schedule of upcoming event dates and locations.

BETTER CHOICES, BETTER HEALTH ® WORKSHOP SERIES
Free 6 week health education program for people with chronic illness or diabetes.  Ongoing registration and information on various programs offered throughout Suffolk, can be found on the SCC Community Bulletin Board here.  

DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM
Free to Suffolk County Residents at-risk for developing type-2 Diabetes.  Offered by Suffolk County Department of Health Services, this program is led by a trained lifestyle coach.  Programs start February and March, 2019 at Smithtown Public Library and HRHCare in Shirley.  Contact Deborah at 631-853-2928 to sign up.  Visit Suffolk County's website for more information.

JANUARY HEALTH AND WELLNESS OBSERVANCES
If you would like to promote special events in recognition of any of the many health and wellness observance being recognized throughout the month of January on our Community Bulletin Board or newsletter, submit them here.  As a reminder, here are a few being recognized this month:

National Glaucoma Awareness Month Cervical Health Awareness Month
National Birth Defect Prevention Awareness Month National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
Visit SCC's Community Engagement page for on-going neighborhood programs here.  Partners can request to have their community events posted on the bulletin board by clicking here.




Please visit our Community Engagement page  for our calendar of events and  resources.
ADELPHI UNIVERSITY PRESENTING PRELIMINARY STUDY RESULTS
Information Needs of Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer in US

In a joint event with University of Plymouth, UK, Carol Tucker, PhDc from Adelphi University will be presenting preliminary results of the study, Information Needs of Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer in US.  

January 25, 2019
1:00 to 2:30 pm
Adelphi University
Center for Sport and Recreation, Campbell Lounge Room #1
One South Avenue, Garden City, NY

For more information contact Dr. Martin, mpmartin@adelphi.edu.
URGENT INFORMATION REGARDING WIC CLOSURES

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will be closed throughout Long Island from January 14-21, 2019, as the programs convert to a new and improved eWIC system. Instead of paper checks, eWIC will use an EBT Card System which will allow participants to purchase package items individually and at different times as well as track their benefits online or through a smartphone application.

During this closure WIC sites will be closed and clients will not be able to receive checks during this time. WIC sites will reopen on January 22, 2019, at limited capacity in order to allow time for client EBT-card distribution and training.

The Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, along with Long Island Cares and Island Harvest have compiled a list of pantry locations across Long Island where WIC participants can seek assistance.  Click here for the this printable list.  
MEDICAID UPDATE

The NYS DOH has published new guidance on NYS Advanced Primary Care (APC) and NYS Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) incentive payments.  The guidance also includes policy and billing guidance, a pharmacy update and  important information for all providers.   Click here to read this update.  
NYS DOH ANNOUNCEMENTS

2019 VBP QUALITY MEASURE SETS & TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION MANUAL
The 2019 VBP Quality Measure Sets and the 2019 VBP Reporting Requirements Technical Specifications Manual for Measurement Year (MY) 2018 are now available on the Value Based Payment (VBP) Resource Library website.

The 2019 VBP Quality Measure Sets were reviewed and approved by the VBP Workgroup in 2018 as part of the Annual Measure Review Cycle. Measure sets were compiled in collaboration with State agency partners, including the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. The following 2019 measure sets are now available on the VBP website:
 
  • HARP Measure Set (special needs population type arrangement)
  • HIV /AIDS Measure Set (special needs population type arrangement)
  • Maternity Measure Set
  • Total Care for the General Population (TCGP) & Integrated Primary Care (IPC) Measure Sets
 For questions regarding the 2019 Qualtiy Measure Sets, email vbp@health.ny.gov.

Additionally, the 2019 VBP Reporting Requirements Technical Specifications Manual for MY 2018 has also been posted. The purpose of this document is to make stakeholders aware of the quality measure reporting requirements for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) participating in the New York State Medicaid VBP program. The contents of this document include an overview of the specific reporting requirements for Category 1 measures for each VBP arrangement, a description of the changes to the measure sets from MY 2018 to MY 2019, and detailed instructions regarding additional file specifications required for the VBP program.

The changes added to reporting requirement include a field that identifies the Contractor 'DBA' Name and Contractor Type. The document can be found on the VBP Resource Library website.

For questions regarding the 2019 VBP Reporting Requirements Technical Specifications Manual for MY 2018 email nysqarr@health.ny.gov.

HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FOR MEDICAID MEMBERS
NYS DOH highlighted a groundbreaking partnership between CDPHP (Capital District Physicians' Health Plan) and St. Catherine's Center for Children which will offer housing support and critical services to Medicaid members in Albany, Columbia and Green counties. The program will serve members who have multiple chronic conditions and who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Members will be referred to the program by the CDPHP Care Team, area doctors and social workers. Participants will receive intensive support from St. Catherine's to obtain safe, affordable housing, with the addition of rental subsidies when needed.  Read more about this partnership here
Job woman showing hiring sign. Young smiling Caucasian   Asian businesswoman isolated on white background.
SCC CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
The SCC is pleased to invite qualified career seekers to apply for open positions. All job descriptions for current opportunities are posted here.
  
Current job openings:
  1. Community Health Associate
For more information, please contact the Suffolk Care Collaborative.
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