Medicare Agent News: News & Notes from OPEN

Hispanic Heritage Month

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Learn more. (Image credit: Detail of “Frida Kahlo”, silkscreen by Rupert Garcia, 1975.)

OPEN Policy Learning Collaborative Meeting TOMORROW!

September 23, 2022 | 12:00 pm CT | Use this link at meeting time to join

The Policy Learning Collaborative works to ensure OPEN members are informed, aligned, and well-positioned to act on and advocate for policies that protect or increase access to oral health care. This group works collectively to:

Identify, synthesize, and disseminate relevant health policy information to the Network, streamlining efforts of national policy experts;
Determine Network strategies to advance policy priorities across the “blades of grass;” and
Respond to the policy information needs of the Network based on member feedback

OPEN Rural Network Response Team Virtual Roundtable "Medical and Dental Integration"

September 29, 2022 | 11:00 am – 12 pm ET | Register here

Join the discussion on “Best Evidence-based Practices for Rural Oral Health: Medical-Dental Integration!” We will have an open dialogue with experts to identify models of success, lessons learned and future steps for continued integrative practices. Amy Martin, DrPH and Chair and Professor of Stomatology at Medical University of South Carolina, and Kelly Braun, RDH, MSDH, Rural Primary Care Integration Coordinator will present. Joni Nelson, PhD, MS, the Rural NRT facilitator will moderate.

A Webinar for Fall Interns to Learn About OPEN and Build Their Professional Networks

October 20, 2022 | 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET/ 9:00 - 10:30 am PT

Following rave reviews from participants, OPEN will once again offer a free webinar for interns at OPEN member organizations this fall. During this 90-minute webinar, OPEN staff and network members will introduce participants to OPEN, its focus on advancing equity and social justice, and the OPEN Blueprint for Change. There will also be time to network with peers and learn about the work that other interns are doing across the country. Fall interns can use this registration link to sign up. Reach out to Stacey Chazin at schazin@openoralhealth.org with questions.

Action Alert

Families USA: What the "Inflation Reduction Act" Means for Oral Health
After over a year of emailing and calling and tweeting and persuading and writing and analyzing, congressional leaders finally listened to their constituents, and passed major legislation to help people afford the medication and insurance they need to live their healthiest lives. The new policies in the Inflation Reduction Act are the largest health care provisions passed since the Affordable Care Act, all the way back in 2010. Medicare can now negotiate drug prices to help older adults and people with a disability, and the tax credits people first received from the American Rescue Plan Act will help them afford insurance for another three years. Read the article.

Partners News & Events

AIDPH Rural Oral Health ECHO
“Oral Health Policy and Advocacy”
September 28, 2022 | 12:00 pm CT | Register here

Public health professionals likely see a need for system-level change which addresses the root cause of a problem in order to improve the health of the populations at large. Policy change is the most effective tool to achieve system-level change, but you don't need to be a lobbyist or policy-wonk to make a difference. By building relationships and creating a community, you can help advocate for policies that will benefit your community and have a lasting impact on the health of generations to come. This session will discuss how public health professionals can effect change by developing a personal and customized approach to advocacy work. Attendees will learn from the process of developing a community engagement model. Chloe Van Zandt will share her experience and lessons learned while leading the grassroots movement to include an adult dental benefit in Virginia's Medicaid program.

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health: The Connection Between a Healthy Mouth and Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia
September 29, 2022 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET | Register here

There’s an emerging body of evidence associating the use of comprehensive oral care with a reduction in nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NVHAP). And it’s a critically important body of evidence, as NVHAP occurs in about 1 out of every 100 hospitalized patients and is associated with longer hospital stays, hospital readmissions, and increased health care costs. Join us and a panel of experts to explore this research and the importance of the connection between healthy mouths and NVHAP. They’ll share their personal experiences, the latest evidence, and practical guidance on how to integrate oral care into overall care. Participants can earn 1 ADA CERP credit.

Equity in Action Fall Workshops
Equity in Action has two exciting virtual professional development opportunities left in its 2022 schedule! Focused on intentionally implementing equitable practices into your work, each of these workshops will offer small group activities, interactive discussions, and resources for future use. For more information, please click on the links below:

Utilizing Culturally Responsive and Racially Equitable Evaluation: October 4th-6th, 1-5 PM ET (must attend all three sessions)
Advancing Health Equity through Quality Improvement: November 1st, 3rd, 10th, 15th & 17th, 12-3 PM ET. Follow-up Session January 10th, 12:30-2 PM ET (must attend all sessions)

Tools & Resources

Families USA: How to Set Up a Meeting with Your Member of Congress
Engaging face-to-face with government officials and their staff is the single most powerful advocacy strategy you can pursue. Here are the steps for a successful meeting with Members of Congress.

Community Catalyst: Oral Health Resources for the Field
Helpful resources to support advocates’ ongoing oral health work as well as the planning and implementation of advocacy agendas. Resources include improving access to dental care, oral health data sources, communities care about oral health, and policy change to advance oral health equity. Find them here.

Silver Lining

from Ifetayo Johnson

I wanted to send out a heartfelt “Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!” I really did. But in light of the horrific, immoral treatment of hundreds of Latinx immigrants over the last week, I felt a need to speak out against another display of injustice. History is repeating itself.

Just 60 years ago, hundreds of Black Americans were coerced to leave their southern homes for what was termed a “reverse freedom bus ride” to northern cities. They were promised good jobs, housing, and even an opportunity to meet the president, none of which occurred. The organizers’ plan was to preserve the southern status quo by removing people who might want equal rights.

We can clearly see how heinous this was in 1962 and how it was designed to disenfranchise marginalized communities. It is unconscionable that history is repeating itself as unsuspecting Latinx people from southern states are loaded onto planes bound for northern locations and dumped onto the tarmac leaving them homeless and helpless.

It is hard to have a Happy Hispanic Heritage month when more than a million people are suffering from the devastation created by Hurricane Fiona in the US territory of Puerto Rico. The US citizens there are still without power or running water, as are the residents of the neighboring Dominican Republic.

I say this to remind us that the world still needs our strength, courage, and voices. OPEN has done some fantastic work over the last decade, but we cannot afford to sit back on our laurels. Our impact is measured by the lives we change for the better and how significant that change is. Battles fought 60 years ago can re-emerge and we must always be vigilant and ready to continue the work we have begun.

A year or so ago, I was struggling with a seemingly insurmountable problem and shared my misgivings with a friend. He sent me a poem by Mary Lou Andersen that I keep on my board. The last few lines are potent reminders of the task we face.

We are the ones called to take risks;
we are the ones called to change attitudes;
to risk displeasure;
we are the ones called to gamble our lives,
for a better world.

Courage is always a risky proposition. What courageous change have you helped to make in your community? What lives have you impacted for the better? What stories do you have to share? As we enter this final quarter of 2022, let’s renew our commitment to change lives through our unanimity around the OPEN Blueprint for Change. Think about how we can amplify consumer voices, advance oral health policy, bring care to people, emphasize prevention, and integrate medical and dental care. If we each find one task where we are willing to work to change attitudes and risk displeasure, we can win that gamble and create a better world.

Do you have a story of the impact you have made or intend to make as part of the OPEN Blueprint? If so, I’d like to hear about it. Share your story on OPEN Communities and inspire others to do the same. If you want to know more about the OPEN Blueprint, go to OPEN Communities and find out how you can make a lasting impact. After all, we ARE the change we seek.