Newsletter-September-2020

Newsletter (September 2020)

Newsletter (September 2020)

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In This Issue

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Message from the Executive Director
Health and Wellness, COVID / Census Events
Aurora/Mile High Health Alliance e-Consult Webinar Series
What Can Orange Flag Do For You?
“Are You Ready For Your Flu Shot?”
TRUA: Denver’s New Housing Assistance Program
Nominations Open for KUSA Award


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Collaboration . . . is about the ideas that never existed until after everyone enters the room. 

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Message from the Executive Director

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Achieving better health through collaboration says as much or more about how the Mile High Health Alliance pursues its priorities as it does about the purpose of our programs and activities. Our work is simultaneously broad and narrow – understanding the big picture in order to implement iterative changes that result in tangible impact.  

In the health sector there are often confounding variables that lead to improved individual, family, and community outcomes. As a result, evaluation of collaborative activities is frequently rooted in contribution analysis: understanding the relative role that each organization, activity, and program contributes to the success of an effort. No  one organization can claim sole credit for achieving the goal, but each organization can identify how, but for their participation, the achievement would not have been possible.

Please enjoy this quarterly newsletter, which highlights some of the ways through which MHHA is fostering and engaging in collaborative efforts to improve the health of Denver residents.


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MHHA Collaboration Efforts

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Health and Wellness, COVID / Census Events

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Over the past several months, Stephanie has partnered with the Denver Indian Center, the mobile health van operated by Servicios de La Raza, Martinez Dental Services, and promotoras in Montebello to host two COVID19 health and wellness events. Among the two events, the community and partners provided services and COVID-19 tests to over 200 individuals, including A1C screenings sponsored by the Barten Institute and screenings Oral health screenings. They also provided 250 pieces of Census outreach material and information in the form of Swag Bags. Each Swag Bag contained information about the Census, Immigrant service information, fabric masks, school supplies, pens, notebooks, hand sanitizer, and more. Necessary resources are provided by the community, organizations, and the generosity of individuals looking to better their community. 

If you are looking to collaborate, provide resources, or be involved with the next COVID19 health and wellness event, save the date for Saturday, September 19, 2020. There, we will be providing resource Swag Bags, cardiovascular and diabetes screening (A1C), COVID19 testing, and more. For more information, contact Stephanie Salazar Rodriguez @ stephanie@milehighhealthalliance.org.


Aurora/Mile High Health Alliance e-Consult Webinar Series

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth and virtual encounters have become a significant topic. However, e-Consult is rarely included. I bet you’re wondering…..aren’t they the same thing? Actually, the two are quite different. The Mile High Health Alliance and the Aurora Health Alliance were both working on addressing the access to specialty care problem, but never together. Through these discussions, we decided to collaborate and create three webinars focusing on e-Consult. Each e-Consult webinar focused on three unique areas: Statewide PerspectiveColorado Perspective, and Next Steps for Health Alliances

First off, what is the difference between Telehealth and an e-Consult? Telehealth is a technology platform where physicians can deliver health care, health education, and health information services and communicate remotely between their patients. An e-Consult is not the communication between physicians and patients but the consulting between two physicians. The importance of using e-Consult is the elimination of a potential visit or online conversation with the specialist. Eureka!!! One positive solution to minimizing the gap to specialty care access. 

So why have a webinar series? The short answer is to bring like-minded people who understand the need for specialty care access and to find feasible solutions where any health alliances can implement these strategies. We presented the challenges currently being faced, best practices, current work being done throughout the states, and patient experiences. At the end of our webinar series, we developed concrete solutions in which Alliance throughout Colorado can implement. 

PowerPoint information for the three webinar series can be accessed by clicking the links below.


What Can Orange Flag Do For You?

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The Orange Flag Project proposes to address the lack of a proactive, coordinated, multi-sector framework to reduce excessive Emergency Department and hospital use in the Denver metro area. Despite the availability of a health information exchange through CORHIO, ED personnel still cannot easily access the data they need to identify high utilizer patients, have insufficient standardized response protocols, and limited connections to available cross-sector community resources.

Here is an overview of the goals for each phase of the project:

1. Identify a target population– In alignment with Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Hospital Transformation Program quality measures, and Governor Polis’s Wildly Important Goals, the target population will consist of high health system users who have potentially manageable factors that if addressed could mitigate future ED and hospital use.

2. Protocols- The first set of protocols will address actions ED providers take when receiving the Orange Flag push notification in the patient’s emergency health record (EHR). The second set addresses the notification of the care team, providing alternative intervention to the ED. 

3. Technology- Create an interoperable algorithm to identify at-risk patients and alert the ED staff in real-time.

4. Evaluation- Establish process measures to track patients who received the intervention and evaluate the project’s effectiveness as a whole.

Collaboration

So far, preliminary meetings have been conducted with stakeholders in various positions of the healthcare industry. Interest has been identified from health systems (Denver Health, Kaiser Permanente, St. Josephs, and UC Health), public health organizations (Denver Public Health), government networks (the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, Region 5 Regional Accountable Entity-CO Access), as well as community-based health centers (Stout St. Health Center from CCH).

Regional Convening

This past May, MHHA was selected as a host organization for the 2020 Regional Complex Care Convenings. In addition to receiving a grant to progress this work, the contract with the National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs provides technical support and convening expertise. The Orange Flag project was chosen along with 5 other projects across the country, all with parallel goals of increasing collaboration within the health sector (link).

MHHA and the National Center will convene stakeholders before the end of Q2 in 2021 to solidify the relationships needed to develop and implement a plan for the pilot Orange Flag project. Through the convening, the group will work to form a shared understanding of the approach and project components, identify data available to support the project’s efforts, and form an action plan. Meetings with the other regional host sites will also occur quarterly to share successes and discuss how to overcome barriers.

Project Updates

The project is currently in the first phase of development; meetings are taking place with representatives from HCPF and CO Access. The aim is to incorporate Orange Flag into various previously identified priorities of these governing bodies. Alignment is vital to the success and sustainability of the project.

One of the convening goals is to create an environment that fosters collaboration between organizations in the Metro Denver Area, which will ultimately lead to better health for our entire community. The effort to identify and recruit other key stakeholders with interest and influence in the issue areas the project proposes to address is ongoing.

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Things You Don’t Want To Miss

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Are You Ready For Your Flu Shot?

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Health experts are warning about the possibility of a “twindemic” of COVID-19 and flu this fall and winter. Hospitals could be overwhelmed by a flood of patients sick with the flu, which presents another barrier to caring for individuals infected with COVID-19. It is more important than ever to get this year’s flu shot, in addition to consistently wearing masks, physically distancing, and practicing regular handwashing. Two vaccines have been licensed for the use during the 2020-21 flu season and will be available soon in Denver doctor’s offices and clinics, including from several drive-thru flu shot clinics opening across the Front Range. Use VaccineFinder to find out where to get vaccinated near you.


TRUA: Denver’s New Housing Assistance Program

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You may already be familiar with the Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance program, but if you are not aware of it, here’s some information you don’t want to miss. The TRUA program assists residents of the City & County of Denver who are facing a housing crisis or hardship due to circumstances beyond their control. The financial assistance given is a grant that helps mitigate displacement and or eviction to help residents stabilize their housing conditions. Individuals can qualify for TRUA regardless of legal status, but they must be Denver residents and meet an income limit. MHHA plans to broaden our outreach and navigation services to our existing community engagement activities, as well as develop specific outreach to our members and partners who are not familiar with available programs and services.


Nominations Open for KUSA Award

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The Kathy Underhill Scholarship Award was created in honor of the founding CEO of Hunger Free Colorado. It recognizes a community leader who works to eliminate hunger in Colorado using a health equity lens. Visit the page linked in the next section to submit a nomination before the October 5th deadline.

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Helpful Resources !!!