The Center for Health Policy (CHP) has had an eventful and exciting Fall 2012 as well as beginning of 2013. As health care reform brings many changes in the United States healthcare system, Center Director Dr. Edward Baker’s work on the Idaho Medicaid Expansion Evaluation Project and Drs. Baker and Janet Reis’s efforts on the Idaho Health Data Exchange bring value to CHP’s clients. Drs. Tedd McDonald and Sandina Begic continue their projects with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections’ Clinical Services Program and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visitation Program. In addition, Drs. Baker and Dave Schmitz continue with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care project of Scope of Practice. Similarly, the National Community Health Center (CHC) and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Community Apgar Program continues to attract interested states and offer concluding results from the two year project with multiple states already in contract. As well as these immense accomplishments several projects, grants and publications are highlighted below.
The Center for Health Policy hired two new undergraduate research assistants this fall: Logan Kinney and Stephanie Lindsay. Lisa MacKenzie, a recent graduate of the Master of Health Science Program, has transitioned from a graduate research assistant to a staff member at the CHP as a research assistant.
[toggle title=”Externally Funded Grants and Contracts (Since 9/1/12):”]Idaho Health Data Exchange Evaluation
Sponsored by: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Idaho Health Data Exchange
Principal Investigator: Drs. Reis and Baker
Idaho Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visitation Program
Sponsored by: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Principal Investigator: Dr. McDonald
Idaho Medicaid Expansion Evaluation Project
Sponsored by: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Division of Medicaid
Principal Investigator: Dr. Baker[/toggle][toggle title=”New Publications:”]Baker, Schmitz, Sean Wasden, former graduate research assistant for the center, MacKenzie, and Dr. Ted Epperly,
Baker, E., Schmitz, D., Wasden, S., MacKenzie, L. & Epperly, T. Assessing Community Health Center (CHC) Assets and Capabilities for recruiting Physicians: The CHC Community Apgar Questionnaire. Rural and Remote Health 12:2179. (Online) 2012. Available: http://www.rrh.org.au
Reed, A., Schmitz, D., Baker, E. Nukui, A. & Epperly, T. (2012). Association of “grit” and satisfaction in rural and non-rural doctors. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 25 (6), 832-839.
McDonald, T. W., Chown, E., Tabb, J. E., Schaeffer, A. K., & Howard, E. K. M. (In Press). The impact of volunteering on seniors’ health and quality of life: An assessment of the Retired and Senior Volunteer program. Psychology.[/toggle][toggle title=”Externally Funded Technical Reports:”]Begic, S., & McDonald, T. W. (2012). An analysis of Idaho’s Juvenile Justice Substance Use Delivery System among juveniles receiving services in Fiscal Year 2012. Boise, ID: Center for Health Policy, Boise State University.[/toggle][toggle title=”Reviewed Conference Presentations:”]Howard, E. K. M., McDonald, T. W., & Begic, S. (2012). Mental health screening in Idaho’s juvenile detention centers: Results of a four-year evaluation. Annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA.
Schmitz, D. & Baker, E. (2013). Community Apgar Program: A Tool for Improving the Recruitment and Retention of Rural Communities – An Assets and Capabilities Assessment: Experiences from Maine and Review of National Data. Recruitment and Retention Forum 2013, Phoenix, AZ.
Prengaman, M., Baker, E. & Schmitz, D. (2013). Nursing Community Apgar Questionnaire: An Innovative Tool for Rural Nurse Recruitment and Retention. Northwest Regional Rural Health Conference, Spokane, WA.[/toggle][toggle title=”National, Regional and Local Presentations:”]Doty, B., Schmitz, D. & Baker, E. (2012). Assessing Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Assets and Capabilities for Recruiting and Retaining Physicians: The Alaska CHC Community Apgar Program. World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONKA) World Rural Conference, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada.
McDonald, T. W., & Begic, S. (2012, November). Fourth year evaluation of the Clinical Services Program. Presentation given to the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission at the Idaho Correctional Industries Building, Boise, ID.[/toggle]