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A Note from the Executive Director
Dear Partners and Friends,

One of the most unique school years on record is behind us, at least in theory. As the pandemic continues, the health care and educational challenges from the latter half of 2019-20 may be exponentially greater for the 2020-21 school year. As we prepare for those challenges, the NMASBHC team is sending you best wishes and support for the following:

1) A brief break from the overwhelming work in which you have been engaged; while a vacation day may seem a selfish luxury, we'd like to encourage you to take steps to prevent burnout. You are all too important to lose.
2) The inspiration you need to continue innovating to provide the health care access and resulting educational success that New Mexico's children need. Whether that is telephonic care coordination, expansion of telehealth, or SBHC-based COVID-19 testing, we are here to support your innovation. Please reach out to us for help.
3) The partnership skills you need to collaborate with school leadership to meet the extraordinary re-entry challenges they are facing. Please visit a new section of the COVID-19 page on our website for resources on School and SBHC Re-entry Planning: https://www.nmasbhc.org/covid-19-information/.

We are actively collaborating with public and private partners to advocate for all that the school health field needs to meet these challenges. This includes advocating to preserve SBHC funding during the upcoming legislative special session, learning from other states about how they'll tackle re-entry, working with our state's MCOs to address emergent healthcare needs like vaccination rate declines and more. Please let us know if there are other topics that should be on our radar. And lastly, please respond to our (NMDOH/OSAH and NMASBHC) to share your summer operations plans and pandemic challenges. Your input helps us respond to queries from state agencies, legislators and others as we all work together to plan for the future.

Wishing you good health,

Nancy Rodriguez,
NMASBHC Updates
Coronavirus - COVID-19
As our state’s public health response to the pandemic of COVID-19 continues to unfold, the New Mexico Alliance for School-Based Health Care and the school-based health centers we support are all in the process of discerning how to respond appropriately. This is a time for us to work together for the common good, and we stand ready to take whatever actions are necessary. The following are updates regarding both our organization and the state’s SBHCs.

SBHCs:
Each medical entity that operates an SBHC and their host school must determine separately whether or not they can and will stay open during school closures and over the summer. The Department of Health and NMASBHC are seeking to update the spreadsheet of open and closed SBHCs to include summer plans and pandemic response updates. Please follow instructions in the article below.

NMASBHC:
In order to follow public health recommendations and keep our families and communities safe, NMASBHC offices will be closed until further notice. Staff and Board will be working remotely and electronically. You can reach Staff via email. All outside meetings, business travel and events will be postponed or held telephonically or virtually.
 
For more information, please see the NMASBHC Resources for COVID-19
2020 NMASBHC Calendar



In June, we feature Gadsden High SBHC.
Thank you to all the SBHCs who contributed photographs for the 2020 SBHC Calendar.
And a special note of gratitude to this year's sponsor: Presbyterian Health Plan Inc.

Thank you to Gadsden High SBHC team for their service!
2020 SBHA National Convention
SBHA has officially cancelled the 2020 SBHC
National Convention that was slated to take place on 
June 23-25 in Denver, Colorado.

Your registration fees will be fully refunded. For updates, please see the SBHA National Convention Information Page .

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, SBHA continues to host Listening and Learning sessions and Webinars for SBHC staff and administration. Please see the SBHA website for upcoming opportunities.
Resources for Racial Justice and Learning
Grief and unrest resulting from our nation's history of racism and the recent killings of African Americans are uppermost on the minds of NMASBHC leadership. If you are struggling to address racial justice in your professional role, personal life, or with young people, you may find some of the resources listed below useful. Thank you to the many organizations in New Mexico and beyond who are working on this issue.



SBHC Sponsor Corner
OSAH Update: A Note on Year-End Activities
Dear NM SBHCs,

In partnership with NMDOH/OSAH, we're sending out the link to a newly revised SBHC Summer Open/Closed status worksheet ( https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fH3GQiEEIXiHsTWGrNCkODj05FleKRNaZlSYKGdhTq4/edit?usp=sharing ) and asking you to update your SBHCs' summer information by June 5th. We'll be posting this on our website and sending it to policymakers, just as the earlier versions for the school shutdown updates were. Whether or not you will be open, your feedback on barriers, telehealth, COVID testing and current efforts with re-entry is especially important.

From the perspective of NMASBHC, this is important not just so that state agencies (DOH, Medicaid, PED) and community members can be aware of your crucial services; it is also a tool we'll be using to educate legislators during the upcoming legislative special session on June 18th. We are asking state agencies and the legislators to preserve the SBHC funding advances made in the last two years so that all contracts can be maintained and that new monies will be available for the pandemic-related services we know you are and will be asked to provide as schools plan their re-opening. Please help us educate our state's policymakers about how much you are needed now and even more in the future.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] , to our Program Manager Wilma John ( [email protected] ) or, at OSAH, Kristin Oreskovich ( [email protected] ). Please note that you may receive a duplicate request from OSAH. All roads lead to the same google doc so just complete it once.

Many thanks and wishes for your good health,

Nancy
SBHC Partners Meeting
The next quarterly SBHC Partners Meeting will be on
Tuesday, June 16th at 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM.
We will view "The Shake-Up" film at this meeting.
Please be on the lookout for the Agenda and meeting invitation.
HSD/Medicaid Updates
New Medicaid Regulatory Changes & Updates
The New Mexico Human Services Department (NMHSD) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are loosening and changing a number of regulations in light of the current pandemic.

Please reach out to NMASBHC if you need assistance in navigating the new landscape, and visit the NM Medicaid portal ( https://nmmedicaid.portal.conduent.com/static/covid.htm) for special and regularly updated policy direction related to the pandemic.

At present, these include new telehealth codes and resources, details on COVID-19 testing coverage, and special behavioral health guidance.
Clinic Resources, Training Opportunities, and Community Announcements
LARC Virtual Trainings
The LARC Mentoring Program continues to offer virtual training options.

Below are upcoming trainings.

Day-Long Expanding Reproductive Autonomy and Contraceptive Access Training
Date: Monday, June 8th, 2020
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Join us for a virtual training to learn about best practices for provision of IUDs and implants!
The course is free, CME/CE accredited, and open to all clinic staff!
 
The training is designed for health educators, counselors, clinicians, social workers and administrative staff, and we will cover topics relevant to all roles, including counseling, billing and reimbursement, as well as clinical information and patient eligibility.


Contraceptive Counseling Training
Date: Tuesday, June 9th, 2020
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Join us for a free, CME/CE accredited virtual training to deepen your contraceptive counseling skills by exploring implicit bias and learning how to apply the principles of cultural humility.
 
Through a review of patient-centered counseling techniques and case-based learning, participants will practice offering non-judgmental counseling in common challenging real-world scenarios. Strategies for presenting scientific data, including on irregular bleeding and weight gain, are also discussed. Additionally, opportunities for self-reflection throughout the workshop offer participants the chance to explore the impacts of implicit bias on clinical outcomes and reproductive autonomy.

Shared Decision Making Skills and Contraceptive Counseling Webinar
Date: Tuesday, June 16th at Noon (Register below!)
This webinar will discuss using shared medical decision-making principles for contraceptive counseling . 1.0 CME or pharmacy CE offered at no cost! During this hour we will do the following:
1. Discuss patient-centered counseling approaches which support client autonomy in contraceptive decision-making
2. Describe how to apply principles of shared decision-making to contraceptive counseling
3. Discuss how to address common challenging scenarios in contraceptive counseling

LARC 101 Webinar
Date: Tuesday, June 23rd at Noon (Register below!)
This webinar will discuss the basics of LARC . 1.0 CME or CE for pharmacists offered at no cost! During this hour we will do the following:
1. Describe FDA-approved LARC methods
2. Identify patient eligibility for these methods utilizing CDC Medical Eligibility Criteria
3. Review appropriate follow up after LARC placement
4. Review LARC insertion and removal techniques

Everything you need to know about the pill Webinar
Date: Tuesday, June 30th at Noon (Register below!)
This webinar will discuss various topics on the pill. 1.0 CME or CE for pharmacists offered at no cost! During this hour we will do the following:
1. Introduction and overview of the Oral Contraceptive pill; reviewing differences between monophasic, multiphasic, extended use, low progestin, progestin only
2. Discussing how to choose the right OCP and when to switch
3. How to guide a patient in quick start, skipping periods, and using Oral contraceptives as a form of Emergency contraception
4. Non contraceptive uses of OCPs
These trainings will offer 1.0 CME or a pharmacist CE at no cost! 
Upcoming Asthma Opportunity
NMASBHC will be offering a new resource for supporting students/patients with asthma. The project begins in June and extends into next school year. Interested in this opportunity to support your students AND your organization's budget? Then:

  • Please join us for a webinar on Thursday, June 11th from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm to learn more about best school/SBHC practices for addressing asthma environmental triggers.
  • Zoom link for June 11th at 2:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81437095748
  • Sign up this spring for a $1,000 mini-grant to plan a project for next school year; doing so puts you in line for a larger grant next school year.
  • Email [email protected] to indicate your interest, and we'll send you details.
  • Please look for basecamp and email notifications from NMASBHC related to this opportunity.
Vaccinations
Dear VFC Providers and Partners,
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many new challenges and changes to daily office activities. While continuing to provide care for your patients is just as important as ever, you may be facing new challenges in families delaying or forgoing in-person visits due to their concerns about COVID-19. Below is a list of resources that can help your practice immunization efforts.
Recent data from the CDC has shown a substantial reduction in pediatric vaccine ordering and administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data show that from mid-March to mid-April 2020, providers in the VFC program ordered about 2.5 million fewer doses of routine non-influenza vaccines and 250,000 fewer doses of measles-containing vaccines compared to the same period in 2019. 1

To help you balance well and sick visits, the CDC and AAP updated guidance to prioritize ALL patients for routine immunization. 3, 4
While each clinic setting is different, below is updated CDC and AAP guidance and recommended strategies to help you address routine immunization gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Identify children who have missed well-child visits and/or recommended vaccinations and contact them to schedule in person appointments inclusive of newborns, infants, children, and adolescents.
  • State-based immunization information systems and electronic health records may be able to support identifying those needing catch-up immunizations.
  • Schedule sick visits and well child care visits during different times of the day.
  • Separate patients spatially, such as by placing patients with sick visits in different areas of the primary care clinic or another location from patients with well visits.
  • Collaborate with providers in the community to identify separate locations for holding well visits for children.
  • Providers can also assure parents about the safety protocols already implemented in their offices.
  • Reduce crowding in waiting rooms.
Specific details and updated recommended strategies:
The Immunization Program remains fully operational and committed to help you navigate this uncertain environment. For additional questions or assistance with managing vaccine inventory, please call our NMSIIS helpdesk at 1-833-882-6454.

NMASBHC is exploring an MCO partnership for SBHCs to increase summer vaccinations. If you would be interested in support, please reach out to [email protected] .

Youth Media Contest
DOH is sponsoring a Youth Media Contest to bring awareness to Youth in New Mexico regarding suicide prevention and resources for youth to get help. We want to reduce the stigma about mental health and provide resources for youth to access mental health services.

Click here for more information about the contest.

Entries should be e-mailed to [email protected] by July 1st, 2020.
June Health Awareness Activities
June is National Safety Month

With summer arriving and more people finding activities to do outside, it is important to stay safe.

Fo r more information, please see the following:

June is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month

SBHCs and School Nurses are often the place for students to turn to for help with headaches.

As always, if you are concerned about recurring headaches in your children, it is best to talk to your Primary Care Physician.

The following are some resources:

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