The Partnership Center Newsletter

November 14, 2011

Dear Partners:

As the weather begins to change and the temperature gets colder, it’s also a good time to remember to get the seasonal flu vaccine. In the United States, between 5% and 20% of the population gets the flu every flu season. Each year more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications.

Vaccination is the best protection against getting the flu and from flu-related complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that every person 6 months and older receive an annual flu vaccine.

Seasonal flu vaccines are a covered benefit for Medicare beneficiaries and for children eligible for Medicaid and CHIP.

As you know, faith and community leaders play an integral role in helping to keep their communities and congregations healthy, especially during flu season. As trusted messengers, you are able to spread important information about healthy practices and the need for vaccination.

Two specific ways that you can help are to host a seasonal flu vaccine clinic in your congregation or just remind individuals and families to get vaccinated through local meetings or informal gatherings.

Thanks in part to your efforts, we have nearly closed the disparity gap on seasonal flu vaccine among children. However, it’s important that adults – as well as children – receive their seasonal flu vaccine.

For more information on how you can help keep your communities and congregations flu-free this season, our Center has created a Seasonal Flu Guide for Community & Faith-based Organizations and Leaders in English and Spanish.

Also, please join us on Thursday, November 17^th at 3:30 pm EST for a conference call on seasonal flu for faith and community leaders. Our Center is co-hosting this call with the Office of Minority Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will also be a featured speaker on the call.

The call will provide information on flu vaccine and influenza disease activity in the U.S., key messages for faith groups, and how local congregations and community organizations can collaborate with partners such as Walgreens to host a seasonal flu vaccine clinic. The call-in information is available below.

Finally, here’s a helpful message from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius getting her flu vaccine and talking about the importance of faith and community leaders during flu season.

Sincerely,

Mara Vanderslice Kelly, Acting Director

Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Conference Call on Seasonal Flu Vaccine for

Faith-Based and Community Leaders

Thursday, November 17^th

3:30 PM EST

Please join the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the HHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Office of Minority Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a conference call with faith, health, and community leaders on seasonal flu vaccine.

As you know, faith and community leaders play an integral role in helping to keep their communities and congregations healthy, especially during flu season.

As trusted messengers, you are able to spread important information about healthy practices and the need for vaccination.

One specific way that you can help is to host a seasonal flu vaccine clinic in your congregation and community.

This call will provide information on flu vaccine and influenza disease activity in the U.S., key messages for faith groups, and how local congregations and community organizations can collaborate with partners such as Walgreens to host a seasonal flu vaccine clinic.

We look forward to joining you in conversation about how faith and community leaders can help keep their communities flu-free.

Please RSVP here as space is limited for this conference call.

Call in number: 866-705-5077   Access Code: 6149465

This call is off the record and is not for press purposes

Featured Update - Faith & Communities Fight Flu

We encourage organizations to spread the word about how to fight flu! Download Faith & Communities Fight Flu to use as a bulletin or newsletter insert. You could also post this information on a community announcement board.  The information is also provided in the text box below.

Fighting the flu in your community starts with you!

You play an important role in keeping your family,

your community, and yourself healthy!

5 Things you can do to Fight Flu

1. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that every person 6 months and older receive an annual flu vaccine. Check with your local health department or visit www.flu.gov to find out where and when you and your family can be vaccinated.
   
2. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
   
3. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
   
4. If you or your family members have flu-like symptoms, stay home from work or school. Symptoms of the flu may include fever, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, body aches, chills and fatigue. Not everyone with the flu will have a fever.
   
5. Diabetes, asthma, heart disease are among the most common long-term health conditions that place people at high risk for serious flu complications.  If you or a family member has a long-term health condition, be sure to get the flu vaccine. 

Protect your family and yourself by getting the flu vaccine.

Grant Opportunities

As always, the final section of our newsletter includes an updated grants listing that faith-based and community non-profits can pursue. It is important to review the funding announcement thoroughly to ensure that the grant is one that is appropriate to your organization’s mission, size, and scope.

Grants Listings

Title: Public Education Efforts To Increase Solid Organ Donation Program

Description: The purpose of this program is to support the implementation of public education and outreach programs that show promise of increasing organ donation.  Specifically, this program supports the replication of strategies that have been identified through the research grant program of the Division of Transplantation as effective in increasing donation or strategies identified in the public health literature as being effective in modifying health behavior.  The program also supports the implementation of public education and outreach efforts that are based on an established framework for successful public health outreach programs.  This grant program is supportive of the Division's mission to educate the public about deceased donation and to encourage individuals to document their decision to be a donor in their statewide donor registry or by some other mechanism where a registry is unavailable. Projects may also increase knowledge of opportunities to donate specific organs or organ sections while living and the process, risks, and benefits of living donation. 

Eligibility: This funding opportunity is open to nonprofit providers, including faith-based and community organizations.

Funding: Up to four awards, with funding from $250,000 to $1,000,000.

Link to Full Announcement: LINK TO FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Last Day to Apply: November 16, 2011 

Grant is administered by the: Health Resources and Services Administration

Title:Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program

Description: The purpose of this program is to support groups helping to meet the food needs of low-income people, increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food needs, and provide comprehensive responsive to local, food, farm and nutrition initiatives. Project initiatives may also seek to assist with local infrastructure improvement and development, planning for long-term solutions, and/or the creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit low-income consumers and agricultural producers are also eligible.

Eligibility: This funding opportunity is open to nonprofit providers, including faith-based and community organizations

Funding: Funding up to $500,000 per organization, up to a potential total award allocation of $5,000,000.

Link to Full Announcement: LINK TO FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Last Day to Apply: November 17, 2011

Grant is administered by the: United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute for Food and Agriculture

Title: Social and Behavioral Interventions To Increase Solid Organ Donation

Description: This grant program is to increase solid organ donation and to improve understanding of how to increase solid organ donation.  The goal of the grant program is to assist eligible entities in the evaluation of, or the implementation and evaluation of, highly promising strategies and approaches that can serve as model interventions for increasing solid organ donation. Projects may focus on community education and outreach initiatives or hospital based efforts focused on family consent for donation when a death has occurred. Projects may also increase knowledge of opportunities to donate specific organs or organ sections while living and the process, risks, and benefits of living donation.

Eligibility: This funding opportunity is open to nonprofit providers, including faith-based and community organizations.

Funding: Up to four awards, with funding from $300,000 to $1,250,000.

Link to Full Announcement: LINK TO FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Last Day to Apply: November 30, 2011

Grant is administered by the: Health Resources and Services Administration

Grants Awarded

Continuing our efforts to provide you with partnership opportunities in your community, the section below lists federal grants recently awarded to organizations in your local community. 

Core Workplace Health Program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced awards of approximately $9 million for comprehensive workplace health programs across the nation. The initiative, funded by the Affordable Care Act, aims to help workplaces support healthy lifestyles and reduce risk factors for chronic diseases in order to improve the health of American workers and their families. Over a two-year period, project funds will support evidence-based initiatives to build worksite capacity and improve workplace culture to support healthy behaviors. At the end of this project in 2013, CDC will disseminate the findings and provide recommendations for how to successfully implement and expand successful workplace health programs throughout the United States. Read More.

Community Transformation Grants

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced grants to 61 states and communities with over 120 million residents to fight chronic disease, which is the leading cause of death in Americans. Created by the Affordable Care Act, Community Transformation Grants help states and communities tackle the root causes of chronic disease such as smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity. Grantees will use these funds, which total more than $103 million, to transform where their residents live, work, play, and go to school so that they can lead healthier, more productive lives. Thirty-five grantees will implement proven interventions to help improve health and wellness. Funding amounts range from $500,000 to $10 million depending on population size and scope of project. These grants are expected to run for five years. Read More.

Comprehensive Primary Care initiative

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a new initiative made possible by the Affordable Care Act to help primary care practices deliver higher quality, more coordinated and patient-centered care. Under the new initiative, Medicare will work with commercial and state health insurance plans to offer additional support to primary care doctors who better coordinate care for their patients. This collaboration is modeled after innovative practices developed by large employers and leading private health insurers in the private sector. Read More.

Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new effort to address childhood obesity using successful elements of both primary care and public health. Funding made available through the Affordable Care Act will support a four year Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project.  Supported by $25 million in funding awards, the project will build on existing community efforts and will work to identify effective health care and community strategies to support children’s healthy eating and active living and help combat childhood obesity.  Read More.

Affordable Care Act Prevention and Public Health Fund Grants

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a series of initiatives that will help over 900 community health centers and community-based organizations to enhance the quality and coordination of health care services across the country. A total of $47 million, made available by the Affordable Care Act, was awarded in every state and will help improve quality and access to services for millions of Americans. They will also support better primary care and behavioral health services for people with mental and substance abuse disorders. Read More.