National Association of Counties

Health Care Leadership Institute Application:

 

To help county officials and their community partners cultivate leadership skills to deal with the challenges they face in strengthening their local health care safety net systems.

 

 

 

June 19-20 2007

 

 

 

 

Selection:                          15-20 Two-person county teams

Date of Institute:               June 19-20, 2007

Application deadline:        April 30, 2007

Awards announced:          No later than May 10, 2007

A.   Introduction:

 

Across the nation, 46 million Americans lack health insurance and many more are unable to access high quality health care.  This figure is expected to rise as health care costs continue to grow and health disparities continue to permeate the nation’s health care system.  In the present climate of budget cuts at all levels of government, the need to develop public will to sustain the years of investment in community innovation for access to health coverage is critical.

 

In response to this need, NACo is sponsoring the second regional Health Care Leadership Institute June 19-20 in New Orleans, LA, in conjunction with the Police Jury Association of Louisiana and supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Institute will target counties in the southeast, but NACo will reserve a limited amount of space for counties from other regions.

 

The material will describe specific strategies for expanding access to high quality health care and focus on personal leadership skills in building support for initiatives to strengthen the healthcare safety net.  By developing skills in communication, planning, advocacy, and decision-making, participants will be better equipped to improve relationships with community groups, healthcare providers and other health officials. Specific areas of focus include:

 

§          Identify concrete action strategies at the local level

§          Realize measurable outcomes

§          Employ creative financing strategies

§          Understand systematic solutions to reducing disparities

§          Identify strategies for reducing healthcare costs

§          Identify strategies for increasing enrollment in public programs

§          Evaluate model programs to expand access and assess potential for replication

§          Building community coalitions

 

B. Travel Reimbursement Award

 

NACo will offer partial travel reimbursement awards to 15-20 county teams on a competitive basis. The award includes one hotel night for each member of the team and reimbursement for travel expenses up to $150 for each member of the team (up to $300 per team). Further details of the expense reimbursement process will be provided once the teams are notified of their acceptance.  Teams are to be comprised of one elected county official and one community partner. A community partner can be a member of a local, non-profit organization that deals with healthcare issues; a county employee that deals with healthcare issues; a Community Health Center; Health Director; a provider; hospital administrator, etc. There is no registration fee to attend the Institute.

 

Counties submitting an application, but not offered a travel reimbursement award, will be invited to attend the Institute at their own expense. Enrollment will be capped at 25 teams.

 

C. Program Goals

 

The goal of NACo’s Health Care Leadership Institute is to have county officials and their partners return to the community with improved health leadership skills and a blueprint for action in their communities. NACo also hopes to create network of county officials committed to improving access to healthcare and to promote continued peer-to-peer communication through this network.

 

To help achieve this goal, Institute participants will be required to participate in quarterly technical assistance conference calls over the next year. Participants will also be required to complete a brief report upon returning to their community documenting what action was taken as a result of their participation in the Health Care Leadership Institute.

 

D. Eligibility

 

Applications must come from an elected county official. Officials are eligible to apply if:

 

  • They are a current NACo member county;
  • They can demonstrate that some effort has been made to address the issue of access to health care in their county;
  • The can demonstrate a working relationship with the community partner listed on this application.

 

E. Submitting Your Application:

 

All submissions must include a cover page with the following information:

 

Applicant Information:

 

1.)                Name of county

2.)                Name of county official to attend the Institute

3.)                Street Address

4.)                City, State, and Zip

5.)                Telephone

6.)                E-mail address

7.)                Name of community partner to attend the Institute

8.)                Organization

9.)                E-mail address of community partner to attend the Institute

10.)            Telephone

 

Application Narrative should include the following:

 

  • A brief description of the community.

 

  • A statement of need. Please be specific, and include data to support your response where appropriate (rates of uninsurance, disease burden, rates of poverty, medically underserved, health disparities, etc.).

 

  • Background on any current efforts in the county to improve access to health care.

 

  • An inventory of resources that currently exist in your community (hospitals, clinics, support services), as well as what resources you can identify as your greatest need (limited number of providers, no FQHC, etc).

 

  • An inventory of key stakeholders, organizations, and county departments that are involved in any current effort to improve access to health care in your county, including the community partner who will attend the Institute.

 

Applicants are encouraged to use the application narrative to demonstrate their level of interest in and commitment to improving access to health care among underserved populations. Proposal submissions should not exceed 3 pages of double-spaced text.

 

For questions concerning the process or application, please contact Christina Rowland, Senior Associate, Community Service Division at crowland@naco.org or (202) 942-4267.

 

Application cover page and narrative can be sent electronically or via postal mail to:

 

Christina Rowland

National Association of Counties

25 Massachusetts Ave NW

Suite 500

Washington, DC 20001

crowland@naco.org

 

F.      Important Dates:

 

April 30, 2007                                                 Application Deadline

May 10, 2007                                                  Selection Announcement

June 19-20, 2007                                             Date of Health Care Leadership Institute