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THI Board Retreat
August 7
Austin TX
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THI MHT National Advisory Committee & Community Collaborative Meeting
Aug 4-5, 2008
Austin, TX
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Mental Health Transformation Workgroup (TWG) Meeting
Aug 5, 2008
Austin, TX
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Shared Vision Panel Meeting Aug 6, 2008
Austin, TX
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Southern Obesity Summit
November 9-11, 2008
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Long Term Care Summit
Dec 7-9, 2008
Austin, TX
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Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured in the nation and projections indicate the number will double, reaching almost 10 million Texans in just the next twenty years if action is not taken immediately. According to the National Coalition on Health Care, premiums for employer-based health insurance increased by 6.1% in 2007, two times the rate of inflation. The Commonwealth Fund just released a report indicating 40% of Americans with insurance are "underinsured." The Commonwealth report defines "underinsured" as individual spending of 10 percent or more of annual income on healthcare.
I was honored this month to share some of this information as the luncheon speaker for the Federal Reserve Board Dallas' Economic Summit: Taking the Pulse of the U.S. Economy. Over 200 dedicated high school faculty members were investing 2 days to learn of fiscal developments, financial market challenges, subprime mortgages, immigration issues, energy outlook and a variety of monetary policy issues. This audience requested to hear how we get "healthcare for all".
While you can download my presentation from our website, I was proud for the Texas Health Institute to be able to address that question. In summary, the answer is this: create the future yourself by getting involved wherever you are to address uninsured, obesity, mental health, and workforce shortage issues. In THI's Raising The Bar brochure, also available on our website, we arm you with data and solutions to educate yourself, friends, family and co-workers on these important topics. We urge you to form small groups of thoughtful and committed people to work collaboratively using our vision: RAISE. Each letter of Raise tells how-to implement solutions:
- Regional Solutions
- Access for All
- Incentives for Personal Responsibilities
- Sound Use of Resources
- Education About Consequences
As I told the Economic Summit audience; if change were easy, it would have already been done. We've all relied on "insurance" or "government" to do it. Federal and state one-size-fits-all solutions are not working. Private insurance is not working. We have to create healthcare change from the community level up. Yes, there are roles for state and federal government as well as private insurance. The greatest role for government is listening to the people trying to address the issues locally and removing the barriers which stand in our way. The greatest role for insurance is providing an affordable quality, cost-effective product.
Anything that is broken requires an investment of resources/time/money to get it fixed. The Texas Legislature in the 81st legislative session will have the resources. There is opportunity.
The budget of the State of Texas next January 2009 will include the largest surplus of funds in the history of the state. It is time to invest some of that money in fixing our broken healthcare system.
George W. Bush said, "What Texans can dream, Texans can do." We need small groups of thoughtful and committed Texans dreaming up ideas of how to get healthcare for all Texans! Texas Health Institute will be there to assist by providing research data, education and policy development expertise as an honest broker of health and healthcare improvements for all Texans. Please contact THI with any information needs or partnership opportunities. We can accomplish together what none of us can do alone!
Sincerely,
Camille D. Miller
President/CEO
Texas Health Institute |
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New THI Brochure Highlights Uninsured Data |
Texas Health Institute has just released a new brochure, Refocusing the Vision - Covering the Uninsured which updates the uninsured landscape following the actions of the 80th Texas Legislature. The brochure provides new data projections on the scope of uninsured populations in Texas throughout 2040 and analyzes the impact of recent legislative decisions. 
Funded by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Refocusing the Vision highlights twelve practical, pragmatic and affordable solutions for increasing health coverage for all Texans as gleaned from a review of successful strategies both in Texas and other states. The report outlines a plan for reducing Texas' uninsured by almost one-half at a cost of 1.6 billion dollars in state funds, attracting a federal match of 1.7 billion and creating 90,000 new jobs with a stimulus to the economy of 3.2 billion dollars.
The 80th Texas Legislature adopted four and a half of these twelve solutions in 2007, adding a few of its own, resulting in a potential increase in healthcare coverage for about 300,000 Texans. While far short of the 2.7 million that would have been covered had all of THI's solutions been adopted, it was a good beginning. THI hopes that new data and a review of uninsured statewide projections will refocus Texas decision makers' efforts on ensuring every Texan access to affordable health care.
Refocusing the Vision excerpt:
In 2005 Texas had one of the highest rates of uninsured children
in the country. The new study shows Texas continues to have
one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the nation in 2006.
In the meantime, Texas' population is growing and with
that growth the Texas State Data Center estimates in a
new report that the percentage of our population who are
uninsured will also grow with larger burdens falling on
urban areas. In fact, the number of Texans without
healthcare coverage is projected to increase from 5.59
million to more than 6.6 million in just two years, and by
2040 the number of uninsured will grow to15.2 million.
The Texas Health Institute wishes to thank Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., for underwriting Refocusing the Vision and the Texas Data Center projections on uninsured populations. Methodist Healthcare Ministries, based in San Antonio, is a faith-based, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization providing care through health-related programs and services to the least served throughout South Texas. MHM also partners with other established organizations that are fulfilling the needs of the underserved in local communities. It supports policy advocacy and programs that promote wholeness of body, mind and spirit.
Local Community Forums Available on Covering the Uninsured - Interested in hosting a local discussion on these health solutions in your community? Need specific data on the uninsured outlook in your county? THI can provide localized data and facilitate creating an actionable plan of strategic community solutions. For information on organizing a community forum or obtaining a THI leader as an event speaker, please contact Lenora Doerfler at 512-279-3915. Recent data reports on Texas' uninsured:
"The challenges addressed in the Code Red Report are not new. The lack of available and affordable health insurance, health provider shortages, the overuse of emergency rooms, and inefficient funding strategies continue to exist. Substantial progress will require the expansion of disease management programs, the use of electronic health records, investments in health education and prevention, and the implementation of new and innovative health care delivery models that can decrease health care costs."
"More than seven working-age Texans die each day due to lack of health insurance (approximately 2,700 people in 2006). Between 2000 and 2006, the estimated number of adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in Texas who died because they did not have health insurance was nearly 17,700." Families USA, Dying for Coverage, April 2008
A new scorecard ranks Texas' child health system among the worst in the nation, rating Texas 46th out of 50. The study examined each state's performance on 13 separate measures relating to healthcare quality and access to care. The 2008 ranking showed marginal improvement over the last assessment which ranked the state at 49th worst in the nation. The Commonwealth Fund, U.S. Variations in Child Health System Performance: A State Scorecard, 2008
Recent data reports on the Nation's uninsured:
"Percentage of Americans who say that they or a family member have
done the following in the past year because of cost:
29% put off or postponed getting needed health care.
24% skipped a recommended medical test or treatment.
23% did not fill a prescription"
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On the road with thi |
June 20 & 21, MSGRCC Kick-Off
THI hosted the Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center's (MSGRCC) 2008 Kick-Off meeting in Austin. This "Kick-Off" meeting was dedicated to the work of the MSGRCC, its grantees and national activities. Presentations included Quality Improvement by Marc Williams, MD; The Nomination Process for Candidate Conditions on Newborn Screening Panel by Nancy Green, MD, Columbia University Medical Center; Telemedicine by Becky B. Butler, MSSW, LCSW, Emergency Preparedness Panel featuring Johan L. Van Hove, MD, PhD and Stan Berberich, PhD; Project Updates from Erica Wright, MS, CGC, Newborn Screening Outcomes Project and Kathy Hassell, MD, Socio-Cultural and Diversity Project and Murray Brilliant, PhD, Socio-Cultural and Diversity Project; Priority 1 Project Update by Marzia Pasquali, PhD; a National Coordinating Center Update from Mike Watson, PhD, Project Director, National Coordinating Center; and an Update on State NBS Activity by Brad Therrell, PhD, NNSGRC.
The Kick-Off also included meetings for the following:
Consumer Advocacy Workgroup, Newborn Screening Workgroup, Public Health Workgroup, Quality Improvement Partnership, Laboratory Quality Assurance Project , Consultants and the Advisory Council.
The MSGRCC Kick-Off also included the introduction of the organization's new Principal Investigator, Dr. Celia Kaye, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado at Denver School of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She serves as an educational consultant at UCD School of Medicine and as Senior Genetics Advisor, National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center, UTHSCSA. Dr. Kaye is a recognized reviewer for a number of scientific journals and has served as Principal Investigator on numerous federal research grants and will immediately oversee the five projects currently funded by MSGRCC.
June 10-11, Economic Summit 2008, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
THI President, Camille D. Miller addressed an educational session for high school faculty on the theme of "Taking the Pulse of the U.S. Economy" hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (FRBD). Miller presented a luncheon program entitled Achieving Affordable Health Care for All.
Conference presenters and topics included: Evan Koenig, Vice President (FRBD) - U.S. Economic Overview; Mark Wynne, Vice President (FRBD) - The Role of the Dollar; Danielle DiMartino, Economics Writer (FRBD) - The Rise and Fall of Subprime Mortgages; Jeffery Gunther, Assistant Vice President (FRDB) - Challenges in the Financial Markets; Anne Macy, Gene Edwards Professor of Finance of West Texas A&M University - Content in the Classroom and Meanwhile, Back in the Classroom; Pia Orrenius, Senior Research Economist (FRBD) - Immigrants in the U.S. Economy: A Host-Country Perspective; Jason Saving, Senior Research Economist (FRBD) - Fiscal Developments and their Economic Implications; Kenneth J. Robinson, Research Officer (FRBD) - Monetary Policy: A New Tool; Fiona Sigalla, Economist (FRBD) - Regional Economic Outlook; Stephen P.A. Brown, Assistant Vice President (FRBD) - Critical Issues In Energy.
July 10-11, THI / Mental Health Transformation Youth Summit
Through discussions, workshops, and partnerships with experienced Youth Voice leadership, youth leadership from around Texas will explore opportunities for establishing and supporting Youth Voice in Texas during this invitational event. The event will explore avenues to impact state policy, maximize the statewide benefits of the expertise of youth who have received services / supports from state agencies, private providers, or others while providing the basis for structured youth peer-to-peer supports; and educating youth, policymakers, and providers. For additional information regarding this event, please contact Valarie Garza, MHT Consumer Coordinator at 512-279-3916.
Other Mental Health Transformation News:
Consumer and family member advocacy organizations continue to meet regularly and work toward a more formalized structure for their collaboration and partnership.
Work with communities to increase consumer, family, and youth participation continues. Through the support of training and technical assistance provided by the Texas Health Institute, exciting things are happening in communities all across the state as new partnerships are formed and old partnerships are transformed to support improved mental health in Texas communities.
The Texas Health Institute team is looking forward to the next community visits, which will include further implementation of "Voice and Choices in Transformation Leadership" training curricula.
November 9-11, 2008, Southern Obesity Summit
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has announced support of the Second Annual Southern Obesity Summit. RWJF will partner in planning the event with the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, Georgia Health Policy Center and a number of national organizations including; National Association for Chronic Disease Directors, Association of State and Territorial PH Nutrition Directors, Directors of Health Promotion and Education and The National Society of Physical Activity Practitioners in Public Health. The 2008 Southern Obesity Summit will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, November 9-11th.
For additional information, please visit the Summit website: www.southernobesitysummit.org
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| Interns Join THI Staff |
THI is fortunate to have two students joining us next month who will work with us through the summer and fall months on program projects.
UNDERGRADUATE INTERN
Alexis Smith will be a junior at Boston University this fall. She is majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. Alexis would like a career in healthcare administration and sees working with Texas Health Institute as an opportunity to better understand public health. Her previous internship experience includes six months with Texas Oncology in Austin. She is a co-founder of the Helping Hearts program at The Heart Hospital of Austin where she organized volunteers and assumed administrative roles. Alexis has worked two summers as a camp counselor in Blue Star Camps, North Carolina and Echo Hill Ranch in Texas.
At THI, Alexis will assist various programs such as The Southern Obesity Summit, Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center and the Mental Health Transformation Project.
GRADUATE INTERN
Larissa J. Estes, MPH, ATC is a Doctorate of Public Health student at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, Management, Policy and Community Health Division. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Larissa spent a significant amount of time living in Waianae, Hawaii and Houston, Texas. She received her BS in Athletic Training from Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA) and her MPH in Family and Child Health from the University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (Tucson, AZ). At Arizona, Larissa was a two-year Project EXPORT fellow and a graduate student intern in the State of Hawaii Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Branch. At the State of Hawaii Department of Health, Larissa examined interpersonal violence screening practices among providers in Honolulu, HI. Upon graduation, Larissa became the 2005-2007 Vince L. Hutchins Fellow at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Women's Health. At HRSA, Larissa managed the development of the Women's Health USA databook and contributed significantly to the Bright Futures for Women's Health and Wellness Initiative.
Larissa is looking forward to her return to maternal and child health policy. She will work on the Mountain States Genetic Regional Collaborative Center project.
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About the Texas Health Institute |
Our mission is to provide leadership to improve the health of Texans and their communities through education, research, and health policy development.
Senior Editor: Camille D Miller
Editors: Mitchell Gibbs / Havovi Katki
The Texas Health Institute (THI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on the development of health policy solutions to improve the lives of Texans and their communities. From acting as an honest broker and hosting unbiased health policy forums that facilitate dialogue among policymakers and other healthcare stakeholders, to creating a vision of an improved future healthcare system, THI is a think tank - providing evidence-based policy options and solutions as well as innovative, "outside the box" collaborative options to improve the health of Texans and their communities.
The THI newsletter is a monthly publication of the Texas Health Institute written to update THI board of trustee members and Friends of the Institute.
For e-mail address changes, add or delete requests, please e-mail your request to:
mail to:hkatki@texashealthinstitute.org
If you would prefer to receive this newsletter through the U.S. mail or fax, please e-mail your contact information to:
mail to:hkatki@texashealthinstitute.org
If you would prefer not to receive further messages from this sender, please contact us at:
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* Funding for this was made possible (in part) by 5 U79 SM57485-02 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderator do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government. | |
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