Oct 8, 2014
School Readiness in Alameda County: Is 45% Good Enough?
Please join State Assemblyman Rob Bonta, Alameda Supervisor Wilma Chan and others on November 7 for a half-day forum entitled, “Every Child Ready: Closing the School Readiness Gap in Alameda County.” We will address the critical findings from the Alameda County 2013 School Readiness Assessment at Preservation Park in Oakland, where First 5 Alameda County and ASR will present the results of a countywide study which shows that only 45% of children in Alameda County are proficient, or ready, in all four domains that measure school readiness. The forum will actively engage participants in conversation about a common definition of School Readiness and discuss ways to get others engaged in this critical topic. The forum is sponsored by Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council, Alameda County Interagency Children’s Policy Council and First 5 Alameda County.
Please join us for this important step forward for Alameda County’s children and families.
Every Child Ready: Closing the School Readiness Gap in Alameda County
Friday, November 7, 2014
Registration Begins at 8:30AM
Program is from 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Preservation Park - Nile Hall
668 13th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Click here to register!
Alameda County Fathers Corps in the Spotlight
The statewide family of California First 5’s featured the work of the Alameda County Fathers Corps along with fatherhood work in San Mateo and Inyo Counties at the First 5 Staff Summit last week, helping to raise awareness of the important work being done to support fathers and strengthen families throughout California.
The panel, entitled “21st Century Fatherhood: Engaging Fathers to Strengthen Families & Communities,” reflects growing awareness locally and nationwide of the importance of increasing fathers’ involvement in children’s lives. Moderated by Tom Jordan, Executive Director of First 5 Lake County, the summit session was an engaging and well-attended event. Panelists included Kevin Bremond, Program Officer, First 5 Alameda County and co-founder of the Alameda County Fathers Corps; Chonne Sherman, Communications and Operations Liaison at First 5 San Mateo County and Jody Veenker, Executive Director, First 5 Inyo County. Members of the audience expressed interest in a wide variety of issues, including factors that led panelists to create programs specific to the needs of fathers, what specific outcomes each program was aiming to achieve (child outcomes, strengthening families, etc.), and how the commitment to serving fathers could be deepened in their home counties.
First 5 Alameda County partnered in 2013 with the Alameda County Public Health Department to form the Alameda County Fathers Corps. That partnership has expanded to include the Alameda County Social Services Agency and Child Support Agency. A full description of the Fathers Corps can be found at http://www.first5alameda.org/alameda-county-fathers-corps, along with a link to a downloadable poster of a comprehensive set of “Father Friendly Principles” to guide agencies and organizations in meeting the needs of fathers. A short video featuring the first year’s work of the Fathers Corps can be found at http://youtu.be/DAS3Xac1n-U.
Free System for CHDP PM160 Referrals & Reimbursement
The Alameda County Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program is pleased to announce that a web-based system (ePM160) is now available at no cost to CHDP providers. The electronic system will simultaneously submit claims for well- child exams to the State for reimbursement as well as send the ePM160 to Alameda County CHDP for tracking and/or follow-up, if indicated. This electronic process substantially decreases the amount of time it takes for providers to receive reimbursements (approximately two weeks from the time of submission), and eliminates frequently encountered errors that often delay reimbursements for as long as 4-6 weeks.
It’s Easy, Efficient, Convenient and Free
The new ePM160 system has been launched to help meet the growing health care needs of our county, where more than 1/3 of new born children – nearly 6,000 a year – start their lives in poverty. . The new system allows medical providers to electronically submit PM 160’s simultaneously to the State and to the system used by Public Health (ECChange) for review and case management, if needed. One billing manager recently trained on the system commented that it was “…very easy to learn,” and remarked about the benefit of “…faster submission and reimbursement times.” We encourage every practice to consider using the ePM160 system.
Common Purpose, Shared Systems
The ePM160 system is a partner project of First 5 Alameda County, the Alameda Public Health Department and the Behavioral Health Care Services (departments of Alameda County Health Care Services Agency) to provide a web-based solution for reimbursement and to track referrals from CHDP medical providers. Using the latest technology and in conformance with Confidentiality and HIPAA requirements, the new ePM160 system allows clinicians to document pediatric services and provide informed care to CHDP clients in addition to streamlining the reimbursement process.
Free Demo Oct. 29
A live demo of the ePM160 system will be showcased for CHDP providers during the Oct.29, 2014 Rapid Reimbursements Workshopat the First 5 Conference Center in Alameda. CHDP providers, clinic billing/office and IT staff are invited to hear testimonials from local users, participate in a “hands on” demonstration, and learn about resources for providers. If you’d like more information, call Alameda County CHDP at 510-618-2070. If you would like to join the presentation via live-streaming webinar on 10/29/14 at 12:00 – 1:30pm, please register here:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/818952905908796418
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