Washington, D.C. (May 22, 2014) — Last week a hearing was convened to discuss the state of tobacco use and regulation in the United States. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-IA, Richard Burr, R-N.C., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., examined both the extraordinary public health efforts that have driven down tobacco use and the enormous challenges that remain. Panel members, Dr. Tim McAfee of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and Mitch Zeller of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco … [Read more...]
ACU Summer Internship – Apply Now
February 18, 2014 by
ACU is pleased to offer a paid health communications internship in summer 2014. This program will allow the selected individual to gain hands-on experience in a organization dedicated to improving the health of underserved populations. Full-time undergraduate students who will be full-time sophomores, juniors, or seniors in the fall are eligible for this program. See additional details in the attached flyer. The internship is supported by the ExxonMobil Community Summer … [Read more...]
Group Visits for Asthma Management
January 22, 2014 by
Group visits, or shared medical appointments, are a growing trend in chronic disease management. They can be an effective and cost-efficient way to teach self management, deliver comprehensive education and address some of the linguistic and cultural challenges when working with asthma patients. In this 5 minute podcast hosted by the Asthma Community Network, ACU Associate Director for Programs Lois Wessel, FNP, shares her thoughts on how group visits can be used to improve asthma … [Read more...]
Seven Steps to Reduce Indoor Asthma Triggers
January 3, 2014 by
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the body’s airways. The risk of developing asthma can depend on both genetics and the environment. Once someone has asthma, exposure to certain contaminants can trigger asthma attacks. Air pollutants in both indoor and outdoor environments are known contributors to asthma attacks.1 Examples of asthma triggers in the environment include ozone, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, dust mites, cockroaches, animal dander, tobacco smoke, asbestos, and particulate … [Read more...]
Security and Privacy: Making the Budget Case
November 26, 2013 by
Mark your calendar for this free webinar on Funding Security and Privacy: Making the Case for Your Budget, Wednesday, December 4, 2013, 1 - 2 p.m. ET, offered by ACU and QiP Solutions. Register here Have you been tasked with meeting HIPAA security and privacy requirements without an adequate budget? For many smaller providers, clinics and hospitals, funding of security and privacy is not a priority • What information needs to be presented to business planners to ensure that smaller … [Read more...]
Sequester and the NHSC
November 22, 2013 by
What the Sequester means to the National Health Service Corps More than 250,000 people won’t have access to care in their community because of the broad cuts to federal programs known as the “sequester.” The sequester lead to a $15 million cut in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) funding, reducing the number of recent awards made for those seeking to work in the underserved areas of our country. Let’s start with how the sequester came to be. In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that … [Read more...]
ACU Welcomes Mary Kasal
November 4, 2013 by
ACU is thrilled to welcome Mary Kasal to our board of directors. She currently serves as President and CEO of Missouri Health Connection (MHC), Missouri’s statewide Health Information Network. In this role, Mary oversees all MHC operations and the execution of its mission to improve the quality of medical care, reduce costs and medical errors and empower Missourians to take a more active role in their own health care. Her experience in health information technology, clinical engineering and … [Read more...]
Affordable Care Act Resources
November 4, 2013 by
There is a lot to know about the Affordable Care Act and how it affects you. Find answers to the most frequently asked questions and other useful information right here! … [Read more...]
Developing an Asthma Clinical Decision Support Tool
October 31, 2013 by
ACU and the Alliance of Chicago have partnered to create an electronic Asthma Clinical Decision Support tool intended to improve asthma care in primary care settings. The tool is is based on the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's evidence-based asthma clinical guidelines. Embedded in the electronic health record, the Asthma Clinical Decision Support tool prompts clinicians to educate and engage patients and their families about environmental asthma triggers. It also provides data for … [Read more...]
Health Insurance Marketplace Launches
October 1, 2013 by
Beginning today -- October 1 -- uninsured people can shop online for health insurance. If they enroll by December 15, their coverage will begin on January 1, 2014. The Health Insurance Marketplace for consumer is one of the most significant provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Millions of currently uninsured people will gain access to affordable insurance, some of them with subsidies, through the marketplace. Information for consumers is available at healthcare.gov (English) or … [Read more...]
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