In this issue: Southcentral Foundation’s Nuka System of Care, Helping Men Make Healthy Choices, Going Paperless w/ Medicare, National HIV Testing Day
Spotlight: Southcentral Foundation’s Nuka System of Care
|
|
Based in Anchorage, AK, Southcentral Foundation (SCF) is a nonprofit organization that provides medical, dental, behavioral, traditional, and health care support services to more than 65,000 Alaska Natives.
“We serve the southcentral region of Alaska where a lot of villages at our Anchorage unit are not road accessible,” said April Kyle (Athabascan), Vice President of SCF’s Behavioral Sciences Division. “We reach urban, rural, and very remote communities to make sure they get the health services they need.”
|
|
Kyle joined SCF in 2003. Currently, she leads a team focused on a relationship-based approach to wellness, known as the Nuka System of Care.
The Nuka System matches people to integrated care teams that work together in the same space to support multidimensional wellness and efficient communications between staff. “Unlike traditional medical practices, where a person’s doctor may not even know if they are seeing a counselor, at Southcentral Foundation, our wellness team is sharing space and information,” Kyle said.
SCF’s Nuka System acknowledges the importance of family and partnership. To that end, SCF’s delivery of health services is shaped by feedback from focus groups and elders.
|
 |
|
April Kyle
Southcentral Foundation
|
|
|
“When you work here, it’s about relationships. We train our employees and invest time so they learn what it means to have relationships with individuals in a health care setting like this. We focus on storytelling that is grounded in Native culture.”
– April Kyle, Vice President, Behavioral Services Division, Southcentral Foundation
|
|
|
On April 8, 2018, SCF accepted the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for the second time. The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce announce the award annually. SCF previously won the award in 2011, and it is the only health care organization that has received the award twice.
|
|
Kyle credits SCF’s success to its view of customers as the owners of their health care. “At Southcentral, we empower our customers and don’t think of them as patients.”
|
|
June: Men’s health and health coverage for children
|
|
 |
|
Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. Other sizes are available on CMS’s Outreach and Education Resources page.
|
 Tweet it
|
|
Fathers, keep your children protected and healthy. Sign them up for health coverage.
Video
#CMSNativeHealth
#FathersDay
|
|
Fact sheets and brochures
|
 |
|
My Health—Men’s Health Checklist (PDF, 1.4 MB, 2 pp) provides a preventive health checklist for men to track their health.
Health Journey fact sheet (PDF, 1.6 MB, 2 pp) lists health insurance options that offer free preventive care services.
Communities Need Healthy Men brochure (PDF, 755 KB, 2 pp) explains why Native men should sign up for health insurance, how individuals and families afford health insurance, and how American Indians and Alaska Natives qualify for special protections.
|
|
Download these files or order copies of these resources on the Tribal Products Ordering Page. Please allow 2 weeks for your order to be completed.
|
|
Helping men make healthy choices
|
|
June is Men’s Health Month, an annual observance that emphasizes the importance of awareness, prevention, education, and family. Check out the Native Wellness Institute (NWI) for social-services resources on the topic of American Indian and Alaska Native men’s wellness.
Located in Gresham, OR, NWI works to improve the well-being of Native communities throughout the United States. The organization offers workshops, leadership training, and retreats that are based in Native culture.
Many of NWI’s programs are specifically designed to help men make healthy lifestyle choices. The hallmark of these programs is their focus on the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental aspects of wellness. “As men, we have to take a look at our health in a holistic view,” said Gene Tagaban (Tlingit, Cherokee, Filipino), an NWI board member and facilitator.
|
|
|
|
Gene Tagaban performing at a NWI men's wellness event
|
|
|
|
“Wellness is about wholeness.”
– Gene Tagaban, Board Member and Facilitator, Native Wellness Institute
|
|
|
Robert Johnston (Muskogee Creek/Choctaw), another NWI board member and facilitator, agreed that a holistic view of wellness is crucial. “Some of our issues have to do with how we take care of ourselves emotionally and physically,” he said. To that end, NWI’s programs are intended to create a safe environment where healing can happen and men are empowered to be better fathers, partners, colleagues, and community leaders.
|
|
Going paperless with Medicare
With a MyMedicare.gov account, Medicare enrollees can ease the process of managing their health care by going paperless. MyMedicare.gov is a secure website where enrollees can view personal Medicare-related information.
Once a MyMedicare.gov account has been established, enrollees can choose to receive electronic Medicare Summary Notices (eMSNs) through an email with a secure link to their eMSN. The eMSN is available immediately and eliminates the need to wait 3 months for a paper copy to arrive.
MyMedicare.gov account holders also have instant access to helpful publications, such as the eHandbook. Updated throughout the year, the eHandbook is an online version of the “Medicare & You” handbook. It is available in several formats, including a large print edition and a podcast.
|
|
|
|
National HIV Testing Day
This year, National HIV Testing Day is on June 27.
HIV is more likely to spread when people are unaware of their disease status. Getting tested for HIV is an opportunity for all patients—regardless of the test results—to learn what steps they can take to prevent HIV transmission. And individuals who test positive for the virus can benefit from follow-up care and treatment services.
Unfortunately, late-stage diagnosis of HIV infection is common in Native communities due, in part, to stigma associated with HIV.
|
 |
You can help combat the problem of late-stage diagnosis by encouraging patients to get tested for HIV. Also, remind them that HIV testing and treatment are often covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance.
Finally, Positive Wellness is a resource aimed at increasing access to care for American Indians and Alaska Natives with newly diagnosed HIV. The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center website provides a Positive Wellness manual (PDF, 1.6 MB, 43 pp) and a participant session guide (PDF, 822 KB, 49 pp).
|
|
|
CMS ITU trainings
CMS ITU trainings are for business staff, benefits coordinators, medical records staff, and patient registration staff. The trainings cover CMS Tribal Affairs updates, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Health Insurance Marketplace, state-administered programs, Social Security, and Veterans Affairs.
Upcoming Trainings in 2018
|
2018 Novitas Indian Health Service Workshops
Novitas Solutions, Inc., will conduct workshops for patient benefits and billing staff who work in Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities and programs. The sessions will focus on Medicare topics, including provider enrollment requirements, patient screening tools, and billing guidelines. The workshops will offer focused overviews of Part A and Part B services that are referenced in the IHS Training Manual.
Learn more about these workshops.
June 13, 2018
IHS 2018 Workshop
Albuquerque, NM
July 11, 2018
IHS 2018 Workshop
Tuba City, AZ
August 1, 2018
IHS Ask-the-Contractor Webinar
August 9, 2018
IHS 2018 Workshop
Gallup, NM
August 14, 2018
IHS 2018 Workshop
Ada, OK
|
NCUIH Annual Leadership Conference
June 26–28, 2018
Arlington, VA
Learn more and register
The theme of this year’s National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) Annual Leadership Conference is “20 Years: A Legacy of Building Strong, Healthy Native Communities.” During the conference, attendees will learn how Urban Indian Health Programs can develop their clinic facilities and improve upon organizational day-to-day operations.
|
IHS Direct Service Tribes National Meeting
July 11–12, 2018
Minneapolis, MN
Sponsored by Indian Health Service (IHS), this 2-day event will focus on supporting community wellness. The agenda includes time for an open forum session on Direct Service Tribes’ health priorities, including the opioid crisis in Indian Country, the integration of traditional medicine, Native Veterans, childhood obesity and adolescent wellness, and patient-centered care.
|
AI/AN National Behavioral Health Conference
July 25–27, 2018
Washington, DC
|
The theme of this year’s conference is “Promoting Connections Between Culture and Purpose.” Consider attending if you are a tribal behavioral health expert, public health professional, federal employee, advocate, researcher, or community-based provider. For more information, view the agenda. This conference is sponsored by the National Indian Health Board.
|
 |
|
AI/AN Tribal Data Symposium
July 26, 2018
Washington, DC
Please save the date for this National Indian Health Board symposium, which will be held at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center. More details will be forthcoming.
|
About the Newsletter
Covering Indian Country is published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs to share resources, success stories, and best practices with the people who connect tribal communities to health insurance.
Download Adobe Reader for the best reading experience with PDF files.
|
|
|
