Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This brochure describes Patient 1st, Alabama's Medicaid managed care program, and explains how it works. Tips for program participants on how to access health care, including how to obtain referrals and make appointments with health professionals, are provided. The brochure also presents information on participant rights and duties, doctor's office or clinic rules, and emergency room guidelines. Self-care information, such as how and when to call a doctor and how and when to take medicine, is also included.

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Keywords: Alabama, Consumer education materials, Medicaid

Annotation: This toolkit for pregnant women and new mothers provides comprehensive information on accessing Medicaid coverage and maternal health services in the state of Alabama. It addresses Alabama's maternal health challenges, including the state's high maternal mortality rate and significant disparities affecting Black women. The toolkit outlines Medicaid eligibility criteria for pregnant women and describes the comprehensive services covered during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods (extended to one full year after childbirth). It provides step-by-step enrollment instructions, required documentation, and contact information for assistance. The document describes maternity care access challenges in Alabama, noting that 8.9% of births occur in maternity care deserts and highlighting hospital closures affecting rural areas. It presents various state programs and initiatives working to improve maternal health outcomes, including the Alabama Maternal Health Task Force, Alabama Perinatal Quality Collaborative, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Birmingham Healthy Start Plus.

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Keywords: Alabama, Eligibility, Legislation, Medicaid, Patient education, Perinatal care, Pregnancy, postpartum care, state programs

Annotation: This report provides information about oral health in Alabama. It offers background information as well as information on the following topics: geographic and demographic characteristics of Alabama's population, oral health of the population, systemic health and oral health, oral health protective factors, and oral health workforce and education.

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Keywords: Alabama, Demography, Geographic factors, Health education, Oral health, Protective factors, State information, Work force

Annotation: This report presents data tables and figures based on findings from the Alabama Smiles 2020–2022 oral health survey of kindergarten and third-grade children in Alabama. The report provides definitions of terms, an explanation of sampling and data analysis, and quick facts. Tables and figures include data about children with tooth decay experience and untreated decay, demographic characteristics of participating children, their oral health status, the percentage with dental sealants, the percentage needing early or urgent oral health care, the percentage with treated tooth decay, and trends over time.

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Keywords: Alabama, Child health, Dental caries, Dental sealants, Oral health, School-age children, State information, Statistical data, Surveys, Trends

Annotation: This data brief presents information on the prevalence of tooth decay in the primary and permanent teeth of kindergarten and third grade children in Alabama compared to the general U.S. population screened between 2011 and 2016 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Topics include prevalence of decay experience and untreated decay, prevalence of dental sealants, and oral health disparities. Data sources and methods are discussed, and definitions of terms are provided.

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Keywords: Alabama, Child health, Dental caries, Dental sealants, Oral health, Oral health equity, School-age children, State information, Statistical data, Surveys, Trends

Annotation: This website presents a comprehensive overview of state harm reduction strategies aimed at improving outcomes for reproductive-aged women who use substances, developed as a collaborative project between AMCHP and NASADAD (National Association of State and Alcohol Drug Abuse Directors). The site outlines the critical context of substance use disorders (SUDs) in the United States, noting that women comprise 40% of individuals with SUDs and are most vulnerable during their reproductive years. It explains harm reduction approaches, which include practices like naloxone distribution, SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment), medication-assisted treatment, and syringe services programs. The website addresses COVID-19's impact on harm reduction services and provides an extensive glossary of relevant terms and acronyms. It also includes state-by-state profiles highlighting successful collaborations between state Maternal and Child Health programs and alcohol and drug abuse agencies, with particular attention to evidence-based practices and replicable strategies for future implementation.

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Keywords: MCH programs, Title V programs, Mental health, Substance abusing mothers, Substance abusing pregnant women, Substance abuse prevention programs, Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

Annotation: This report summarizes the state of oral health in Alabama, discusses the increase in Alabama’s state oral health rankings in 2018, and provides information on the state of oral health in the country as a whole. Also presented are the plan framework, information about stakeholders, and oral health goals for the state related to access to health care, professional education and integration, health literacy, data and surveillance, and disease prevention.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Alabama, Oral health, Prevention, Professional education, State programs, Statistical data

Annotation: This toolkit for advocates in Alabama provides information about the health benefits and costs saving of community water fluoridation (CWF) as well as about CWF media outreach. It describes what fluoride is and how it works; presents myths and facts about CWF; and offers information on fluoride in Alabama’s public drinking water, savings resulting from CWF, why CWF makes good business sense,and what respected organizations say about CWF. The Alabama Oral Health Office’s policy on CWF is included, and frequently asked questions are posed and answered.

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Keywords: Advocacy, Alabama, Costs, Fluoride, Oral health, Public policy, State programs

Annotation: These tools are designed to help primary care physicians reduce the incidence of dental caries in early childhood by conducting oral health risk assessments, providing anticipatory guidance, applying fluoride varnish, and referring children to a dental home by age 1. Contents include information about fluoride varnish products and vendors; program participation, certification, and billing; presentation slides and handouts; and educational materials about oral health in infants, young children, and pregnant women. A training course is also available.

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Keywords: Alabama, Anticipatory guidance, Continuing education, Fluorides, Infants, Medicaid, Medicaid, Oral health, Preventive health services, Primary care, Referrals, Risk assessment, Screening, State programs, Training, Young children

Annotation: This case study highlights how state- and community-based organizations in Alabama, New York, and Texas used the root cause analysis (RCA) process to identify the social conditions (risk and protective factors) influencing adolescent pregnancy in their communities and create action plans to address these factors. Topics include using RCA to engage youth and diverse stakeholders, using RCA to develop a strategic plan, lessons learned from the RCA process, and recommendations.

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Keywords: Adolescent pregnancy, Alabama, Case studies, Community action, Community based agencies, New York, Prevention programs, Protective factors, Risk factors, State agencies, Strategic plans, Texas

Annotation: These resources are designed to help educate people in Alabama about the benefits of healthy teeth and gums. Contents include a video and four posters. Topics include the costs of untreated oral disease; the relationship between oral health and overall health; tooth decay in children; and the importance of toothbrushing, flossing, and regular dental checkups to maintaining good oral health.

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Keywords: Alabama, Health promotion, Multimedia, Oral health, Oral hygiene, Public awareness campaigns, State programs

Annotation: This document provides information about the oral health status of students in kindergarten and third grade throughout the state of Alabama. Topics include the number of children screened and the percentages of those with dental sealants, tooth decay experience, untreated decay, needing treatment, and needing urgent treatment. Results are stratified by child age, grade, and race/ethnicity; free or reduced price school lunch program level; dental district; and school.

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Keywords: Alabama, Barriers, Dental caries, Dental sealants, Health status, Oral health, Prevalence, School age children, Screening, State surveys, Statistical data

Annotation: This report summarizes a review of Alabama’s Medicaid dental program conducted on January 4–8, 2010, to discover practices and program innovations leading to a higher level of oral-health-service use among children in Alabama compared to the national average. The report describes the Smile Alabama initiative, the 1st Look program, Student/Resident Rotations in Community Health, the partnership with the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, and the loan-repayment program.

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• Program Website

Keywords: Alabama, Arizona, Children, Collaboration, Health care delivery, Health care utilization, Maryland, Medicaid, Model programs, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oral health, Rhode Island, State programs, Texas, Virginia

Annotation: This report presents the findings from a diagnostic assessment of the enrollment and retention systems of eight states that participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations Maximizing Enrollment for Kids Program, a national program aimed to help states increase enrollment and retention of eligible children in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program and to promote promising practices among states. The eight states are Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The paper is organized by the four main areas of states' work and presents strengths, challenges, and opportunities in each area: (1) process improvement and paperwork reduction; (2) data analysis and integration; (3) leadership and agency capacity, coordination, and culture; and (4) consumer, community partner, and stakeholder engagement.

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Keywords: Alabama, Child health, Children's Health Insurance Program, Eligibility, Enrollment, Illinois, Louisiana, Low income groups, Massachusetts, Medicaid, New York, Retention, State programs, Uninsured persons, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin

Annotation: This needs assessment reflects efforts at the county level to ensure that children and families in Alabama have access to needed services and programs. The assessment begins with a list of 10 desired results for Alabama children, as follows: children are safe; children are healthy; children are ready for school; children are successful in school; children stay out of trouble; children transition successfully to adulthood; families are strong and stable; families are hopeful and positively engaged in their children's development; communities are safe, engaged, and supportive; and communities are thriving. The needs assessment then expands on progress made toward achieving each one.

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Keywords: Academic achievement, Access to health care, Alabama, Child development, Children, Communities, County programs, Families, Health services, Needs assessment, Parent child relations, Programs, Safety, School readiness, Social services, Transition planning

Annotation: This needs assessment identifies (1) at-risk communities in Alabama, (2) home-visiting resources for Alabama families with infants and children from birth through age 5, and (3) gaps in services as they relate to areas of greatest risk vs. locations of home visiting programs in the state. The needs assessment provides an overview of child well-being in Alabama and discusses coordination with other statewide needs assessment and reports. It also includes a statewide data report, a discussion of the approach to identifying at-risk communities, data reports for each at-risk community, and an overview pf the quality and capacity of existing home-visiting programs.

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Keywords: Programs, Alabama, Families, Family support programs, Family support services, Home visiting, Infants, Low income groups, Needs assessment, Statistical data, Underserved communities, Young children

Annotation: This report summarizes a review of Alabama's Medicaid dental program conducted on January 4-8, 2010, to discover practices and program innovations leading to a higher level of oral health service use among children in Alabama compared to the national average. The report describes the Smile Alabama initiative, the 1st Look program, Student/Resident Rotations in Community Health (SEARCH), the partnership with the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, and the loan repayment program.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Alabama, Children, EPSDT, Oral health, Oral health care, State initiatives, State surveys, Utilization review

Annotation: This issue brief summarizes findings from a Child Health Insurance Research Initiative study of the impact of implementing primary care case management (PCCM) systems in Alabama and Georgia. PCCM systems aim to increase the use of well-child and primary care in physicians' offices while decreasing use of specialty care and emergency departments. Policy implications of what was learned from the study are included.

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• Program Website

Keywords: Alabama, Case management, Emergency medical services, Georgia, Health care systems, Primary care, Public policy, Research, State programs, Well child care

Annotation: This report presents findings from a needs assessment survey completed by Head Start and migrant and seasonal Head Start workers related to ten areas determined to be a top priority: health care, services for children experiencing homelessness, family/child assistance, child care, family literacy services, children with disabilities and their families, community services, partnerships with local education agencies, Head Start transition and alignment with K-12, and professional development. Individual sections addresses the levels of cooperation, coordination, or collaboration between the Head Start programs and service providers. The report includes an overview of Head Start programs in Alabama; a review of trends and their implications; and final recommendations. The report was used to provide direction for the development of a required strategic plan that will guide the Alabama Head Start State Collaboration Office to support Head Start grantees in meeting requirements of the Head Start Act.

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Keywords: Alabama, Early Head Start, Head Start, Needs assessment, Reports, State programs, State surveys, Strategic plans

Annotation: This report presents findings from a study to assess the effects of raising Medicaid reimbursement rates on access to oral health care in six states (Alabama, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington) and to compare these states' experiences to California's. Topics include reforms in the six study states to provide dental benefits through state-run Medicaid programs and carve-out programs; common elements of state reforms (catalysts, collaboration, program administration, and consumer education); assessing the impact of increased reimbursement rates; and California reimbursement rates and administrative concerns. The appendix contains a bibliography of studies reviewed.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Administrative policy, Adults, Alabama, California, Children, Dental insurance, Financing, Medicaid, Michigan, Oral health, Oral health care, Reimbursement, South Carolina, State health care reform, State programs, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington