CALPHO Newsletter: September 25, 2020

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--  E-News   September 25, 2020  -- We're back! Those months without CALPHO E-News were hard on all of you, so we're excited to announce this publication's return on a monthly schedule. Be sure to mark "info@calpho.org" as one of your safe senders, and encourage your colleagues to sign up!  Top News                                     Health Equity Summit Series – Exciting Sessions Planned Through November CALPHO and the Health Equity Advocacy Cohort, a program of the Colorado Trust , are hosting multiple “healing towards action” sessions throughout the fall. In August and September, we welcomed john a. powell, Akaya Windwood, and Eddie Moore, Jr., along with accomplished poets, to explore the landscape of racism, justice, and equity advancement in our country. Recordings for these four sessions can be found here. Save the dates for these upcoming sessions (registration coming soon) Indigenous/First People’s Summit - Honoring our Relations: Monday, October 12th  – 5:30pm – 8:00pm Young Leaders Rising: Re-Imagining the Future: Thursday, October 22nd – 5:00pm – 7:00pm Fierce Civility: Breaking the gridlock of polarization to revitalize our hope for new, innovative solutions - Joe Weston and Michelle Otero: Monday, October 26th – 11:00am – 1:30pm Post-election, What’s Next?: Monday, November 9th – 11:00am – 1:30pm New Blueprint for Behavioral Health System Reform from CO Human Services In a press conference with Governor Polis, the Colorado Department of Human Service’s Behavioral Health Taskforce released the blueprint this week. Titled "Behavioral Health in Colorado: Putting People First," the blueprint document outlines the current system’s strengths and weaknesses and offers a path forward in three phases focusing on funding, technology, policy, and system governance. Access it here, and get more context in this Colorado Sun article.    Upcoming Events  Click HERE for full event calendar of events, many of which will likely be cancelled Webinar: Racial Healing for Ourselves, Our Communities and Our Future September 29 1:00pm - 2:30pm Presenters will explain a model for truth, racial healing and transformation, or TRHT, describe efforts of the TRHT Campus Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and explore how Indigenous values can guide racial healing within and across communities. --REGISTER--> Webinar: Align Services for Rural Children of the Opioid Crisis September 30 11:00am - 12:00pm A research team led by Ohio State University examines strategies that use regional, multi-sector governing boards to help organizations work together in coordinating services for children and families in rural areas. --REGISTER--> Webinar: Public Health Communications Collaborative October 1 10:00am - 11:00am This collaborative is designed to bring public health officials and communications experts together to discuss responses to your most pressing and difficult questions from the media and/or the public.  --REGISTER-> Click HERE for full event calendar  Kudos & Accolades                                                   CO Springs Mayor Suthers Recognizes El Paso County Public Health Leaders The Mayor recognized Director Susan Wheelan, Medical Director Robin Johnson, and Deputy Medical Director Leon Kelly with a Spirit of the Springs Celebration Award for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.  News & Current Events                                            September 18 State Revenue Projection & Other JBC News Update from Frontline Public Affairs to CALPHO members  Last Friday morning, members of the Joint Budget Committee received state revenue projections from Legislative Council Staff (LCS) and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budget (OSPB) staff. A good overview is available through both presentations’ slide decks – LCS and OSPB. A full report is attached with links to all associated LCS and OSPB documents.  The high-level summary of both includes:  State revenues for 2019-20 came in higher than was forecast in June, partly because of higher income, withholding and sales tax collections that did not become apparent until July, after the extended filing deadline passed. The budget decisions made by the legislature in June fit within projected available revenues, so further, mid-year cuts are unlikely. There will be $2.9 billion GF available for the 2021-22 budget above 2020-21 revenue – not including caseload increases, etc., according to LCS. OSPB doesn’t think that’s necessarily good news and projects $12.1 billion GF available for appropriation in 2021-22 but $13.7 billion in likely obligations. The OSPB estimates for 2022-23 are $12.4 billion available with $14.6 billion in obligations. There are major economic uncertainties for the future, including the direction of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether there will be a new federal stimulus package. And voter decisions on ballot measures could significantly affect the revenue situation, specifically the tax-rate cut, Gallagher repeal and nicotine tax measures. (Worst case budget scenario would be passage of the tax-rate cut but defeat of Gallagher and nicotine). Both reports concluded the economy didn’t drop quite as badly as the first forecast and recovered better than expected over the summer, but recovery is slowing now. There are big risks and uncertainties about the economy. FDA to Require Nalaxone Information or Co-Prescription with Opioid Labeling  The new labeling will recommend that providers discuss Nalaxone with patients and/or caregivers when prescribing opioid pain medication. It will also recommend they prescribe nalaoxne to opioid recipients if they are at high risk of overdose. Learn more here.  USDA to Extend WIC Program Flexibilities for Duration of PH Emergency The agency announced this week that the flexibilities authorized for the Women, Infants, and Children nutritional program that have allowed beneficiaries to participate safely during the pandemic. Read more in this announcement from CDPHE’s WIC program staff.   Health Equity                                                            CDC Awards $7 Million to NACCHO and ASTHO for Addressing Social Determinants ASTHO and NACCHO will invest the award in 50 communities that are advancing equity by addressing social and environmental determinants and working through multi-sector partnerships. Application deadlines and other details will be coming soon, and you can read more here. Areas of investment include: Built environment: human-made surroundings that influence overall community health and individual behaviors that drive health Community-clinical linkages: connections made among health care systems and services, public health agencies, and community-based organizations to improve population health Food insecurity: an economic and social condition characterized by limited or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious food Social connectedness: the degree to which individuals or groups of individuals have and perceive a desired number, quality, and diversity of relationships that create a sense of belonging and being cared for, valued, and supported Tobacco-free policy: population-based preventive measures to reduce tobacco use and tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Equity is Central in the Revised 10 Essential Public Health Services After an extensive stakeholder and expert review process, the de Beaumont Foundation and The Public Health National Center for Innovations released the revised 10 Essential Public Health Services. Much like Colorado’s new Foundational Public Health Services, equity is central and infused throughout the services. Get more details, watch the September 9th launch event, and access their services toolkit here.  Public Health Works                                                      Pueblo and Colorado Springs Among 50 Recipients of HHS Opioid Funding As part of their Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), grantees will receive $200k to strengthen the capacity of multi-sector partnerships that will develop plans to implement and sustain SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural communities. Learn more here.  Federal News from NACCHO                                          HHS to Build COVID Immunization Tracking System  Excerpted from NACCHO’s News from Washington Politico has reported HHS is working to implement a new data tracking system to help public health officials schedule COVID-19 immunizations and manage vaccine supplies. The system, which will be managed by Deloitte, could be used to bypass states’ vaccine registries, and poses a risk because it has gone largely untested, causing concern among stakeholders and public health experts. NACCHO continues to monitor this issue, and please reach out if you have feedback.  STD Testing Falls During Pandemic A new report from CDC shows that testing for sexually transmitted diseases has plummeted during the pandemic, and the health agency has said that thousands of cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis have gone undetected as a result. Due to the pandemic, many sexual health clinics, including local health departments, have closed their doors or cut back services when the coronavirus began to spread widely. CDC has released guidance for providers on how to ration tests if necessary and how to prioritize at-risk patients. NACCHO has previously released a Report from the Field on the impact of COVID-19 on local health department HIV, STI and hepatitis programs.  Highlights from our Partners                                     Partnership for Thriving Families Takes Aim at Child Abuse Illuminate Colorado provided an update on September 18 CALPHO meeting (view recording of that presentation here) on the Partnership for Thriving Families. Colorado, through Illuminate  and The Partnership, is one of four states chosen by the U.S. Children’s Bureau, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Prevent Child Abuse America® to participate in a national effort to prove it is possible to fundamentally rethink child welfare by creating the conditions for strong, thriving families where children are free from harm. In the coming months, local public health agencies will be asked to consider participating in the Partnership and we will continue to update LPHAs as the work goes forward.  Illuminate Colorado, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Human Services, will host the 2020 Strengthening Colorado Families and Communities Virtual Conference in September 28-30, 2020. This biennial event is a joint collaboration across the family support continuum, from prevention and public health through restoration and child welfare. Register here.  CO Consortium for Rx Abuse Prevention Extends Grantwriting Assistance Program The Consortium's program assists local government agencies and nonprofits seeking grants related to the prevention, treatment, and recovery of substance use disorders and harm reduction can apply for assistance. The program will be available through December 2020. Learn more here.  CO Hospital Association Releases Overdose & Nalaxone Education Guide Intended for hospitals and clinicians, this guide presents strategies, best practices, and materials for educating providers on responding to overdose and administering naloxone. Download it here.  Frameworks Releases New Research on Promoting Physical Activity Increasing a community’s physical activity levels requires multi-factor interventions, including effective messaging. New research from the Frameworks Institute explores how people conceive of physical activity and how communications efforts shape those conceptions. Based on this research, they produced some recommendations, including:   Be explicit that physical activity should be a vital part of daily life for everyone, regardless of where they live, what job they have, or how much money they make. Refer to activities besides traditional exercise—gardening, household chores, and play, for example—as physical activity. Use terms like “options” and “opportunities” instead of “choices” and “lifestyle.”  Promote the Upcoming DEA Prescription Takeback Day: October 24 Help prevent prescription drug misuse and overdose by promoting the Drug Enforcement Agency’s prescription takeback day. The last takeback day, held in October 2019, helped Americans dispose of over 400 tons of unused medications. Communications resources and a collection site locator will be available on the takeback day website.  Opportunities The Colorado Health Foundation October 2020 Funding areas Maintain Healthy Bodies: Advancing Team-based Care through Technical Assistance and Capital Infrastructure in Support of Team-based Comprehensive Primary Care Nurture Healthy Minds: Supporting Coloradans in Recovery through Nonclinical Programs  Champion Health Equity: Rapid Response Funding: Advocacy    Thank you for reading. If you have any comments or ideas for future CALPHO e-newsletters, please email us at info@calpho.org.  The purpose of this e-newsletter is to provide news updates, events and informational resources on hot topics in local public health and CALPHO. Any staff person of a CALPHO member agency is welcome to join our email list to receive this e-newsletter. If you have a colleague interested in receiving this e-newsletter, please forward this message to them. Copyright © Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials 2020, All rights reserved.   Our mailing address is: 1385 S. Colorado Blvd., Bldg. A, Suite 622 Denver, Colorado 80222

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