Health Inequities Among Our Youth

Deborah Riddick

The current national debt crisis has been at the forefront of recent political debate.  And as a result, there have been events and protests that draw attention to financial inequities that exist all across America.  It is a conversation long overdue, but there is an equally important back story that deserves to share center stage; America’s ever-present and rapidly increasing health inequities, particularly among our youth.

Did you know that…

• Approximately 23% of Michigan youth live in poverty
• Over 32,000 Michigan youth are victims of abuse and neglect
• More than 127,000 Michigan youth have no insurance at all
• Nearly 1/3 of Michigan’s youth are without a regular medical home

It has been well-documented that poverty, violence, and access to quality care impact a child’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.  It is also been established that health status and educational success are interrelated; healthy students make better learners.  It should then be a no-brainer that investment in our greatest resource, our children, is an investment in our long-term economic success and is essential if we are to address inequalities of the future.

We recently celebrated the life and accomplishments of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  For many, it was a day of service.  It is only proper, then, that we celebrate the accomplishments and service of all who work to consistently decrease health inequities among Michigan’s youth; all of you who in one way or another help to keep our school-based and school-linked centers running.  From our providers and support staff, to our educators and school districts, to our administrators, health systems and fiduciaries, to our legislative champions, state departments and partners in advocacy.  We have come together to proactively tackle inequity, in spite of the spreadsheets and limited resources.  We have demonstrated that human capital and collective will can make up the difference when financial capital wanes.  We have found a way to make it happen!

However, adequate funding is essential to the existence of our centers.  And so we must soon prepare to make the case, once again, to keep our children healthy…and protected…and thriving.  Their lives and future depend upon it because Dr. King’s words are more relevant today than they were in 1966…

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhumane.” Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the Second Annual Convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Chicago, March 25, 1966

A Super Way to Renew YOU in the New Year – Part 2

C. Leslie Charles - Guest Blogger

(This is part 2of a 2 part guest blog series from C. Leslie Charles, Speaker and Author.  Leslie provided keynote remarks for the 2011 SCHA-MI Annual Meeting.)

THOUGHTS WORTH REMEMBERING

1. The traits and qualities that got us into trouble as kids are the ones that make us successful as adults. In time, early childhood imperfections can be transformed from misfit to major asset. Think about how your once-annoying early vices have become your sustaining assets or virtues.

2. Every experience, good or bad, has the potential of leaving us with a lesson—or a lesion. There are times when bad things happen but later we find the lesson we needed to learn; the lesson that helped transform us. I call these BLESSONS. The permanence or impermanence of a negative experience is up to us. Perceptions / thoughts = feelings = actions (choices).

3. Life works best when we lighten up, let go, laugh more, and let our sense of humor replace everyday sources of irritation or annoyance in “clutch” moments. It’s doable. Try it; you’ll like it! Laughter is a tonic for the spirit and a salve for an aching heart.

4. When things fall apart, remember that adversity and opportunity are constant companions. Some of your most profound insights are most likely connected to a challenge or difficulty; possible even a catastrophe you met head on, survived, and later, once again thrived.

5. Despite your minor flaws or imperfections, you have many excellent parts: cultivate your innate strengths, grow them and polish them. Apply your best skills in every attempt to truly connect with others.

6. When you keep your heart open it’s easier to be patient and kind. Never underestimate how little it takes to help someone else to feel good about him/herself. Keep the “kind” in humankind, especially with those who are recalcitrant or resistant (they’re the ones who need your kindness the most).

7. Remember that blame is a trap; whenever we blame, we end up sacrificing our ability to change a situation, we give up our power. Resentment is equally toxic. Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Your work isn’t easy. Sometimes it feels thankless; sometimes it’s misunderstood. But you help instill the essentials upon which a healthy life is built; you never know the lasting impact you can have on another. Keep modeling your message and showing that you care.

STAY SUPER WITH:

 Sustained effort: even when you feel like giving up, give it one more try instead.

Understanding and empathy: disarm or neutralize your biases when met with resistance or recalcitrance.

Patience and perspective: don’t panic till you know you need to, cultivate “wait and see.”

Effective communication: smile, be open, listen, refrain from judgment, and look for common ground.

Rapport and teamwork: keep thinking “partnerships” even when others are being uncooperative.

Life is precious: let your every day be rich with gratitude. Give yourself credit for your contributions. Add as much texture, color, shape, and size as you can to your existence. Accept life’s imperfections and irregularities, for they are the source of your growth.

When you take the high road with what life brings, you live the metaphor of the pearl. When faced with irritations or annoyances remind yourself that with grit and determination, you can consciously reduce life’s glitches to the size of a grain of sand. I call it “blessing your stress.” A heroic option, and it works!

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Chick here to learn more about C. Leslie Charles. For 17 years Leslie has embraced the life-changing practice of having an annual theme and she provides plenty of examples as to how this practice has altered the course of her life. If you’re interested in the potential of adding more meaning to your life or deepening your purpose as one year flows into the next, click here.

A Super Way to Renew YOU in the New Year – Part 1

C. Leslie Charles - Guest Blogger

(This is part 1 of a 2 part guest blog series from C. Leslie Charles, Speaker and Author.  Leslie provided keynote remarks for the 2011 SCHA-MI Annual Meeting.)

A friend of mine often facilitates a two-day training called “Crucial Conversations,” based on the book of the same title. One of her favorite moments in the class is when participants proclaim that they know a lot of people who need the training (acting as if they are exempt from the good ideas presented). She says it happens every time and it always prompts a knowing smile.

The wise and witty Edwin Newman once said, “The obscure we see eventually, the completely obvious takes longer.” Maybe, if you’ve been ever greeted with one of those embarrassing “blinding flashes of the obvious,” (as we all have), you can relate to his words. I certainly can.

We all know it’s easier to see someone else’s flaws than our own. Similarly, it’s often easier to spot someone else’s unconscious habits or tics than our own, from absent-minded gum snapping, unchecked fidgeting, excessive head nodding, or unmindful throat clearing, we all have habits that may not register with us but they certainly do with others. The above are physical habits of which we may be clueless but there are also mental habits that evade us as well.

Take your thoughts for example. How often do you think about what you’re thinking? And what do you suppose is the percentage of negative thoughts you have? Some experts suggest that 90% of what we think about is of a negative vein; just think about the cumulative effect that can have on our mental and physical health!

We talk a lot about stress these days but a lot of people act as if stress is just something you have to learn to live with, like height, eye color, or the presence of a pesky relative you’d rather not claim as part of your gene pool.

Well, guess again: thinking habits, like physical ones (no matter how firmly entrenched they may be) are learned behaviors, and whatever has been learned can be unlearned and relearned. You may be thinking that while the learning, unlearning, and relearning may sound simple, it’s way more complicated than that and you’re right.

 A POINT WORTH STRESSING

And here is an important point: though it takes some work, the process of giving up a habit (physical or mental) and replacing it with something else, something more positive or healthy, is doable. Considering the amount of stress in our society (hint: think about your own life, your own stress level, for example) when it comes to the habits that affect our everyday attitude or outlook, making some positive changes is often advisable and sometimes essential!

Stress isn’t something you catch (though unwanted events or the antics and demands of other people can prompt feelings of frustration, threat, or other unsavory emotions). Stress is something you create, whether you know it or not. Forgive me for asking, but how many unconscious stressors do you trigger on a daily basis in your own life? This a subject I touched on in my keynote at SCHA-MI’s Annual Meeting in Mount Pleasant on October 28, 2011 (I loved the theme “Heroes of Healthcare: Celebrating the Hero in You”) and considered it well deserved.

Having visited both a school based and community Center I was taken aback at the little-known, highly unrecognized work you do. Just like fantasy super heroes (and sheroes) you don’t dominate the main or center stage in your work to improve the mental and physical health care to those who need it. Your work is done deftly, quietly, competently, and without fanfare, off in the wings.

But to those whose lives you touch in a formative moment of their lives you are The Force and I hope you never forget that. Your work is critical to populations that often overlooked, under acknowledged, and under treated. Truth be told, it doesn’t really take a super hero to do your job, but it can take a super effort to unite diverse professionals through persuasive partnerships and a common purpose.

I encourage you to acknowledge that when you take super care of yourself and make a super effort to connect with others you need to work with (even if they aren’t completely convinced) the more prepared you are to take care of others in the long term.

If you ever get overwhelmed with the challenges of your job (or life), or frustrated with the social imperfections or inconsistencies in your community, consider the lot of the freshwater pearl. Born of adversity, pearls, like each of us, are irregular in size, shape, color, and texture, and they often have minor flaws. Yet each pearl is unique, just like you or me, just like the populations you serve.

Thanks to your efforts, you strive for a safer, healthier future for those who might otherwise be bereft and vulnerable. Perhaps the pearl’s inspiring metaphor can help you consistently sustain your best efforts mentally, physically, and spiritually, even in less than ideal circumstances. By helping others smooth out life’s rough edges, one day, they may do the same in turn: we both touch and are touched by others and never know when we leave a legacy to be passed along.

2011: A Year in Review

School-Community Health Alliance Staff

2011 marked a successful year for the School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan.  Help us in celebrating “11″ of our top accomplishments!

• Our advocacy efforts allowed child and adolescent health centers to remain included in the state’s 2 year budget cycle at $3.5 million!
• Our annual advocacy day, held in March 2011, included youth and adults!  Almost 40 visits were made and all 148 legislators received materials! (Don’t forget to SAVE THE DATE for our 2012 Advocacy Day:  March 13th)
• HRSA released the construction and equipment funds grants.  14 centers in Michigan received funding totaling almost $4 million dollars.
• Project Voice: A Dynamic Approach to Youth Empowerment was bigger and better!  All workshops were led by youth, for youth.  Over 175 youth attended, accompanied by 76 adults.  SCHA-MI solicited 10 exhibitors, including many colleges for youth to converse with.
• Our Alliance Practice and Data Management service contracted with the state of Delaware to provide billing and data services!
• Our advocacy reach was stronger on the state and federal level by providing leadership and insight on Health Exchanges, Health Information, bullying, ACA regulations, oral health, and the Nurse Practitioner Bill.
• SCHA-MI unveiled many new communication tools including: digests, an E-Bulletin, updated website, blog, Facebook and Twitter.  Have you signed on yet?  Contact SCHA-MI for more information.
• SCHA-MI has expanded our continuing education process and look to do more of this for our 2012 trainings.
• An endowment fund was established for opportunities for donors who want to support the legacy funding for SCHA-MI.
• SCHA-MI’s 2nd Annual Golf Outing was held and was a major success.
• Finally, SCHA-MI welcomed talented new Board Members and sadly saw many veterans step down.  Special thanks for their continued support for our mission and vision.

Here is to a productive 2012!  Take a moment today to celebrate at least one of your 2011 accomplishments and strive to make 2012 successful. 

Holiday STRESSSSSSSS alert!

Michele Strasz

I have been so busy the past month that I have hardly had time to do my holiday shopping, write my cards, or decorate my house. I even asked my sons if they were ok if we did not put up our Christmas tree because we are going to be out of town most of the holidays.

I gave up being the perfect holiday mom a long time ago.  I haven’t made cookies in years.  I have resorted to buying way too many gift cards instead of the thoughtful presents I used to get for people all year long and hide in my basement.

What does that say about creating traditions for my boys???  I know the guilt is setting in especially since my oldest is coming home from his first year at college and I want him to feel special. Something has got to give!

I have been thinking about the children and youth we serve and what kind of holidays they will have.  Because they get gifts and time off from school, we assume that things are good.  But holidays can be stressful for children as well.  Maybe they are coping with a divorce or military deployment in their family; maybe they are hungry; maybe there is violence in their home.

Here are some tips from the American Psychiatric Association to share with your patients and their families to help them cope with holiday stress.

• Discuss holiday plans in advance, and include the children and youth in the planning.  Constantly changing plans or last minute decisions can increase stress.
• Get plenty of rest.  Allow teens to stay up a little later and sleep in a bit, but try and keep on a regular sleeping schedule.
• Encourage physical activity and interaction with their peers.
• Give children of all ages your time and attention.
• Uphold and maintain family traditions even if a family member is absent.  Traditions have a grounding effect by letting children know that even though something has changed, other things remain the same.
• Make sure to eat something healthy before you go off to a party. Enjoy a little treat, but don’t overdo it.
• As adults, take care of yourself too.  If you feel stressed, it increases the pressure and tension on your children.

The holidays are not about the stuff.  It’s about spending time together, relaxing, talking, enjoying a family outing, and sharing a family meal.  Guess I better take this advice!

Happy Holidays to you and your families!  Thanks for a great first year.

~ Michele Strasz

Have a Healthy Holiday Season by Preventing the Flu

Mary-Kate Bosworth

Happy Holidays!  I would like to take a minute to introduce myself.  My name is Mary-Kate Bosworth and I am the Practice Management & Billing Specialist for SCHA-MI.

With the upcoming holiday season, we need to do our best to avoid the seasonal flu. Vaccination is the single best way in prevention!  In my work, I have seen a rise in the number of vaccinations from children and adolescents served in our health centers.  It’s not too late – you should consider doing the same!

In addition to getting a flu vaccination, other ways to avoid catching and spreading the flu include:

• Washing your hands often!  It will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

• Cough and sneeze into your arm our sleeve, not your hands. Sneezing and coughing into your hands actually helps spread the flu the virus, as we touch many things with our hands like door knobs, pens, etc.

• If you are sick, please stay home!  CDC has some valuable resources for “I had to take a flu break” to hang in your centers stressing this message.

• Working out is part of prevention!  There are not only cardiovascular benefits, but staying fit boosts your immunity and helps you manage your stress levels, which is important for staying healthy in flu season.

• On the off chance that you have come in contact with an infected object or person, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth until you have properly cleaned your hands.  SCHA-MI has a host of materials that you can post in your health centers, including PSAs and videos to showcase this technique to students in your health center.

• Make sure that you are getting plenty of sleep, maintain a healthy diet, managing stress appropriately and drinking plenty of Vitamin C.
• Check out more tips and free resources from the CDC.

Have a healthy holiday season!

Help Ensure the Sustainability of SCHA-MI

Manuela Kress

Great news!   SCHA-MI recently established an agency endowment fund with the Capital Region Community Foundation. An agency fund is a partnership between a nonprofit organization and a community foundation. Our endowment fund helps ensure the sustainability of SCHA-MI by creating an investment that provides a stable source of funding for our work.

The SCHA-MI endowment fund also provides a vehicle for donors by accepting gifts of cash, appreciated securities, bequests, life insurance policies, planned and deferred gifts that benefit SCHA-MI in perpetuity.

 What your contribution to the SCHA-MI endowment fund will do:

• Support the expansion of school-based and school-linked health centers to all Michigan students who need them.

• Ensure the sustainability and stability of current centers.

• Provide cutting edge clinical training and education to health center staff.

• Empower youth to become leaders in the state.

Angelia Williams, Director of Special Projects, Health Delivery Inc., Saginaw, Michigan, explains why she contributed to the SCHA-MI endowment fund, “As a nurse practitioner with over 30 years of experience I have personally seen the difference that school-based and school-linked health centers make every day in the lives of children and youth. Contributing to the SCHA-MI endowment fund is a way for me to ensure that health centers will be there for future generations of students. Please join me in contributing to the SCHA-MI endowment fund if you believe that healthy kids make better learners.”

The SCHA-MI Endowment Fund is administered by the Capital Region Community Foundation. The foundation was established in 1987 and holds a collection of nearly 400 charitable funds created by individuals, families, businesses and organizations to support a range of charitable needs in the community.

The Community Foundation is a public resource for donors, professional advisors, non-profit agencies, municipalities, corporations and others who have questions about how to achieve their charitable goals.

Through December 31, 2011, the State of Michigan provides a tax credit which may reduce your state income tax liability by one-half of the amount of the donation made to the Capital Region Community Foundation for permanent endowment in any fund, subject to limits based on filing status.

• For single individuals or married taxpayers filing separately the maximum credit is $100 (for gifts of $200 or more).
• For married couples filing jointly, the maximum credit is $200 (for gifts of $400 or more).
• For corporations and others which pay the Michigan Business Tax, the maximum credit is $5,000 or 5% of the tax liability before claiming any credits, whichever is less.

Donations made after January 1, 2012 will no longer qualify for this Michigan credit.  Your donation continues to be deductible as a charitable gift for federal tax purposes.

Read more about the ways you can contribute to the SCHA-MI fund at the Community Foundation.  Or make a donation today!

For more information about the SCHA-MI Endowment Fund, contact SCHA-MI’s Director of Development, Manuela Kress.

For more information about the Capital Region Community Foundation, visit their website or call 517.272.2870.

 

SCHA-MI is Thankful For…

John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”  Today, SCHA-MI staff members took a few minutes out of their day to share what we are thankful for.  Although our appreciation lies deep within our hearts, we hope to “live” our words and show how grateful we are for all school-based and linked health centers in 2012!

“I am thankful for a wonderful SCHA-MI staff and board who supports the work of the field.” – Michele Strasz, Executive Director

“I am thankful for the health center staff in each our health centers that understand the value of true youth engagement.  Because you provide teen-friendly environments, over 200,000 children and adolescents in Michigan have a place to call their medical home.   What you provide is truly invaluable.” -Keri Bennett, Deputy Director

“I’m grateful for school-based and linked health centers in general and the influence they have with kids and families – mine in particular.  I’m grateful for the work they do and the work I am honored to do on their behalf.” -Robin Turner, Consultant

“I’m thankful for all the providers that are working hard to serve our Michigan kids and who are such a pleasure for me to serve, keeping them credentialed and enrolled ready.” -Terri Jenness, Practice Management Account Manager

“I’m thankful that we have school-based health centers because the kids are getting help in managing their medication, asthma and diabetes.  This helps with parents not having to take time off work and those who do not have transportation.” -Mary-Kate Bosworth, Practice Management and Billing Specialist

“I am thankful for all of the great sponsors and exhibitors that we had at the annual conference and am looking forward to building long-term relationships with them.” -Manuela Kress, Director of Fund Development

“I am thankful that as a child growing up in poverty, I had access to a SBHC and in my adulthood have the ability to give back to such a great program.” – Brenda McLean, Practice and Data Network Manager

“I am grateful for all the practitioners who are on the front lines working long hours for little pay to take care of our youth who can’t find care anywhere else.” – Patti Huffman, Finance Manager

What are you thankful for today?

A Time to Reconnect Over the Holidays

Deborah Riddick

The holiday season is rapidly approaching.  It’s hard to believe that soon we’ll be gathering with loved ones and friends to spend time and reconnect.  It’s a time when we reflect on the blessings that the pressures of everyday life tend to overshadow.  At no other time of the year do we share a collective sense of goodwill that transcends typically divisive issues.  After all, what makes this season so special and unique is its universal themes of family, gratitude and giving.  And as we begin to prepare for gatherings that create lifelong memories, it is important that we also use the time to reconnect with our legislative officials to help reinforce which community values are truly important and deserve defense.

Many congressional and state legislators and staffers will be back in district over the holidays.  Now would be a good time to extend an invitation for a site visit, if you haven’t already done so.  If you are a new grantee, it’s an excellent opportunity to provide an update and to share the details of your needs assessment.  For ACA grantees, you can share the exciting renovations planned.  And to seasoned grantees, it’s time to reconnect because it’s been your hard work and relationships that have given us the edge when difficult budgetary decisions have been made in our favor.  Everyone can get students using the centers to write notes or postcards thanking legislators and urging continued support of these very important programs and services.

Your local efforts truly impact our ability to advocate consistently and effectively on behalf of our kids.  What has become obvious to me in my travels across the state and country, on behalf of our model of care, is that our level of commitment to legislative engagement is what really sets us apart.  Because we are an organization that represents multiple stakeholders and voices, we are a true representation of the communities that our legislators have been entrusted to serve.  This holiday season, we need to remind legislative members that community is not a location it’s a truly American value that must be upheld and protected, especially in times of greatest need…in times like these.

November is American Diabetes Prevention Month

Michele Strasz

November is American Diabetes Prevention Month

With nearly 26 million children and adults in American living with diabetes, and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country.

Recent numbers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paint a desperate situation of where we are at, and where we are headed:

• Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
• Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes in our children now!

SCHA-MI participated in the Michigan Obesity Summit in September to give voice to the problem of obesity for Michigan children and youth.  Fortunately, school-based and linked health centers are on the front lines every day helping screen our patients for diabetes, and  helping children and youth learn about steps they can take to control and manage their diabetes.  More importantly, SBHCs help prevent overweight and obesity with strong coaching, and health education on nutrition and physical activity.

One step that SCHA-MI is taking to assist our SBHCs is to co-host an Overweight and Obesity Training on November 17 and 18. We are pleased to partner with the Michigan Department of Community Health Child and Adolescent Health Center Program and the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Control, Cardiovascular Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Section; the Michigan State Medical Society, and the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to present this continuing education program.

As of January 1, 2012, all state funded Child and Adolescent Health Centers will be required to utilize the Michigan Care and Improvement Registries (MCIR) BMI Growth Module to track the height and weight of our patients.  A great new feature of the Module is the Clinical Decision Support Tools that will be automatically generated for health care providers to print growth charts and share guidance with our patients and their families about healthy weight, nutrition, and physical activity guidelines.

SCHA-MI has advocated for the adoption of the MCIR BMI Growth Module as one tool to help health care providers tackle the obesity and diabetes epidemic in children and youth. We are pleased that the SBHCs will pilot these tools and share our learning with the broader health care field in Michigan.

November is full of other health awareness events including the

• Great American Smokeout: Encourage smokers to quit or a plan to quit.
• American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: Find resources to work with Native populations at the Indian Health Services.
• National Family Caregivers Month:  You might be surprised that teens are often caregivers for other family members.  How do you support them when most support services are designed for adults?
• National Survivors of Suicide Day:  Suicide is the 11^th leading cause of death.  Check out this powerful video with messages of hope for young people. 

Together for Health!

Michele