Application Open for LBBC Young Advocate Program

Living Beyond Breast Cancer's (LBBC) Young Women’s Initiative is now accepting applications for their Young Advocate Program in the Denver Area on July 14 -16, 2016. The Young Advocate Program will provide the tools and training to help a small group of young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to use their personal experience to raise awareness, further their understanding of the disease and advocate for others.

4 Multilingual Resources for Newly Insured Individuals

There are new multilingual resources available from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to help newly insured patients understand their heathcare benefits, connect to primary care and preventive services. The following resources are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese:

Important: Cervical Cancer Screening Expansion

We are so pleased to share with you a major legislative victory that will improve women’s health in Colorado by expanding Women’s Wellness Connection (WWC) cervical cancer screenings to women starting at age 21, instead of 40, tentatively starting January 2017.

Governor Hickenlooper recently signed HB16-1405, the Long Appropriations Bill for 2016-17 which is Colorado’s state budget. While the Long Bill includes many important items, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is excited to announce that the bill includes expanded eligibility for cervical cancer screening within the WWC program.

Women must continue to meet all other WWC eligibility requirements (income, lawful presence, etc.). This change allows the WWC program to align with national guidelines for age and cervical cancer screening and make great strides to improve women’s health. WWC age eligibility for breast cancer screenings will remain for women ages 40-64.

Women who meet WWC age and income eligibility criteria who are diagnosed with breast and/or cervical cancers may be eligible for enrollment into the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) through Medicaid. Therefore, in order to implement this programmatic change, both CDPHE and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) are working together to modify each program’s systems, guidelines and processes to provide screening, diagnostic and treatment services, if needed, to eligible women in this expanded age group. 

We will continue to update you when additional information is available as we move closer to implementation. Please contact Angela Fellers LeMire, WWC Nurse Consultant at 303-692-2323 or Angela.FellersLeMire@state.co.us if you have questions about this change.

Ask A Navigator: Patient Navigation Training Collaborative Classes

Guest blog post from WWC Clinical Scholar: Darlyn Miller, Teller County Public Health

Recently, I participated in a Level 2 course with the Patient Navigator Training Collaborative (PNTC), entitled, "Emotional Aspects of Chronic Illness." The format of the course was entirely online and extended over an 8 week period. This course is also offered through the School of Public Health for college credit. It was a time commitment, but to have the opportunity to participate in this level of education and collaboration remotely, is a privilege. The topics included Bias, Culture and Values in Healthcare; Patient Response and Adjustment to Chronic Disease; Empowering the Patient, Coping Strategies and Social Support; Basics of Mental Illness and Crisis Management; and Impact of Illness on Caregivers and Family Members.  

As students, we explored our own biases, coping skills, and navigation practices. We then learned new perspectives, tools, and ways of approaching the individuals and families we work with on a daily basis. Some of the activities included application of the concepts to our current practices, case studies, dialogue with other students and the instructor, assessments, and other learning exercises. I would encourage everyone to look at what is offered through PNTC to explore the opportunities that most closely apply to you and/or your colleagues. I found the course to be convenient, and beneficial to my practice and my role in WWC Clinical Services and Care Coordination.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Darlyn Miller, RN, BSN, CCM | millerd@co.teller.co.us | 719-687-6416 | WWC Clinical Scholar

Funding opportunity: Targeted Outreach Program Request for Application (RFA) #2823

The Women’s Wellness Connection (WWC) program is currently accepting applications for the Targeted Outreach Program (TOP). If you already receive funding, you do not need to apply. The Women’s Wellness Connection (WWC) Targeted Outreach Program seeks to provide financial support for local initiatives that utilize evidence-based interventions, education, referrals and Community Health Worker outreach efforts to improve access to local breast and cervical cancer screening providers for underserved women.

Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. on June 10, 2016. Application documents and information can be found at www.colorado.gov/cdphe/wwc-funding. 

Please forward this information to any organization that might qualify and be interested in this funding. If you have any questions, please email them to the WWC program staff at cdphe_wwc@state.co.us.

Targeted Outreach Program (TOP) Summit A Success!

On May 4, 2016, the Targeted Outreach Program (TOP) agencies gathered at the American Cancer Society in Denver for a bi-annual summit. Participating agencies included Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, Penrose - St. Francis Hospital, Somali American Community Center of Colorado, Spanish Peaks Outreach and Women's Clinic and Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment. The summit focused on evidence-base interventions, culturally and linguistically appropriate standards (CLAS), and evaluation.

Thank you to all the agencies that participated in the TOP summit, making it a success!

National Women's Health Week partner toolkit

National Women's Health Week is May 8-14, 2016. The Office on Women's Health has put together a Partner Toolkit to assist you in creating specific messages for each day during this week.   

May 8-14 is National Women's Health Week!

Did you know May 8-14 is National Women's Health Week? We have put together two swiss cheese press releases to assist you in getting the word out! One is for preventive cancer screening, while the other includes information on preventive cardiovascular disease, diabetes or other chronic disease screening.

Does your agency need any of the following (free) materials?

• WWC marketing materials
• Make it Your Own (MIYO) communication

Do you have events planned for National Women's Health Week? Place them in the comment section below!