Disability Employment Awareness Night August 4 at Sovereign Bank Stadium

Harrisburg, Pa.  — According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 21.3 in June 2011.  By comparison, the percentage of persons with no disability in the labor force was 70.2.  On Thursday, August 4, 2011 at Sovereign Bank Stadium, the “Works for me” program, created with funds from a grant by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will sponsor Disability Employment Awareness Night to raise awareness about the advantages and benefits of hiring people with disabilities.  

“Businesses tend to have many fears and misconceptions about hiring people with disabilities,” Stacy Kyle, “Works for me” employer spokesperson said.  “The truth is that there can be countless advantages including tax incentives and deductions, enhanced diversity and even increased profits from tapping into new markets.  Other benefits can include obtaining employees who are loyal, accustomed to overcoming challenges, and who have a proven track record of meeting and exceeding job performance standards.” 

The baseball game between the York Revolution and Lancaster Barnstormers will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public address encouraging employers in York, Lancaster and across Pennsylvania to consider hiring people with disabilities.  The first pitch will be thrown by Matt Waller, a salon assistant who was born with Down syndrome.  Matt enjoys a successful career at a local upscale hair salon.

Employers and fans will be encouraged to visit the “Works for me” table in the concourse section of the stadium to receive information and giveaways.  Video announcements will air during the game. 

“Works for me” is a FREE resource helping to educate employers about the facts and benefits of hiring people with disabilities. It’s designed to connect employers to the right agencies and programs in Pennsylvania to help facilitate rewarding, beneficial and successful relationships with people with disabilities through recruitment assistance, accommodation guidance, on the job training, and much more. 
  
For more information about “Works for me,” call the hotline at 1-877-268-9894 or visit the “Works for me” employer webpage at www.WorksForMe-PA.org/im-an-employer.  For more information about this press release, please contact Karen Gross at 717-432-2468 or via email at Karen@suasion.us.

Seeking People with Heart Disease or Diabetes in York & Adams Counties

(York, Pa.) – Have heart disease or diabetes? Here’s an opportunity that may improve your health. With nearly 200,000 people in York and Adams Counties living with diabetes or heart disease, Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA (AF4Q – South Central PA) is recruiting individuals with chronic conditions to take the I Can! Challenge.

Throughout 2011, three 12-week classroom Challenges will be offered in York and Gettysburg to individuals with these chronic conditions.

“The I Can! Challenge was completed in 2009 for the first time, and it proved to be a great success. The five public Challengers and community participants showed us that support from others is key in improving your health. This is why we decided to develop several group Challenges for 2011. The programs will offer education and support from professionals as well as a place for people to share their successes and challenges each week,” stated Chris Amy, Project Director of Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA.

Starting the week of January 24, the first classroom Challenge will be held. Limited spots are available for the first session, so individuals are encouraged to call 1-866-997-ICAN to register.

The instructors will provide participants with direction and support, and the tools needed to complete the Challenge. A different health challenge will be featured each week. Individuals will learn how to set goals, work with their doctor, eat healthy, fit physical activity into their schedules, and more!

If the classroom Challenge is full for January, individuals may complete the Challenge online each week. Tools and worksheets will be provided on the Web site at www.ICanChallenge.com.

The I Can! Challenge is a great way to achieve those health-related New Year resolutions. People with heart disease and diabetes are strongly encouraged to step up to the Challenge and say, “I Can!”

While this program is valued at over $500, individuals can participate at no cost. There is a minimal fee ($25) to participate, but the money will be returned to those who successfully complete the program. To learn more about the I Can! Challenge or sign up, please call toll-free 1-866-997-ICAN.
About Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania
Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania (AF4Q – South Central PA) is an initiative of Healthy York County Coalition. Since its establishment in 1994, Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC) has worked to bring together stakeholders from across the community and to unite them in health and wellness efforts. The Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania initiative created in 2007, works to improve the care that individuals with chronic disease currently receive. It also conducts the I Can! Challenge, a 12-week challenge developed to give people the direction and support for improving their health. For more information on I Can! Challenge, visit www.ICanChallenge.com, and for more details on AF4Q – South Central PA, visit www.aligning4healthpa.org.

Healthy York County Coalition to Host 2011 Health Summit

(York, Pa.) - Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC), an ongoing collaborative effort to bring people from the York community together to improve health and wellness, will be hosting a 2011 Health Summit on June 28, 2011 at the Yorktowne Hotel.  The summit will focus on the community’s current health initiatives and feature keynote speaker Cheri Rinehart, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers.
According to Robin Rohrbaugh, Executive Director of HYCC, “York County has a rich history of groups and organizations working together to address community needs, but it can be difficult for people to stay current with all of the great work.  The Health Summit will provide an opportunity for people to learn more about the wide variety of community health and human service improvement initiatives that are taking place.”

Keynote speaker Cheri Rinehart will discuss health care reform, its implications, and prevention aspects of the new law.  Rohrbaugh selected Rinehart “because of her expertise in the area of health care policy and her organization’s focus on providing care for uninsured and under insured residents.” 

“And, we chose to focus the keynote presentation on health care reform because it represents a significant change that will be affecting communities over the course of the next few years,” she added. 

Rinehart leads the state’s primary care association that represents health care centers (i.e. Federally-Qualified Health Centers) serving underserved urban and rural communities. She formerly served as the Vice President of Integrated Delivery Systems for The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, which advocates for acute and specialty care hospitals across the state.

Following Rinehart’s presentation, participants will have the opportunity to attend three breakout sessions, including: community resources to strengthen families; a review of the PA Youth Survey results; community efforts to increase access to nutritious foods; efforts to measure and improve chronic disease care; promoting healthy behaviors in schools; getting the most out of health care; accessing behavioral health services; in home support services for seniors; and suicide trends and prevention.

Although this is HYCC’s first Health Summit, the organization is hoping to make it an annual event.  “We encourage attendees to get involved with an effort discussed at the summit; make connections between initiatives; and network,” stated Rohrbaugh.  School personnel, community organizations, human service professionals, health care providers, church leaders, criminal justice professionals, and business executives are encouraged to attend.

HYCC is partnering with Aligning Forces for Quality—South Central PA, Family First Health, Hanover and Memorial Hospitals, WellSpan Health, York City Bureau of Health, and York County Literacy Council for the Health Summit.  The event begins at 7:30 a.m. on June 28, 2011 and ends at 12:30 p.m. The event is $15.00 per guest, with breakfast included.  To register, email Alice Price at aprice2@wellspan.org or call 717-851-3225.  The deadline to register is Friday, June 17, 2011.  Complimentary parking is available at the Yorktowne Hotel.

About the HYCC
HYCC is an ongoing collaboration aiming to unite stakeholders from across the York community in efforts to improve health and wellness.  Their mission includes community problem solving, short-term projects, long-term strategies, an assessment of community health and wellness, and an evaluation of outcomes.  The efforts include five current task forces and a variety of initiatives.  For more information about HYCC, visit http://www.healthyyork.org/default.aspx.

For more information regarding this press release, please contact Megan Kurtz at 717-432-2468 or email at Megan@suasion.us.

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA Already Addressing 2011 Health Care Rankings

(York, Pa.) – Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA is already ahead of the game with working to improve the health of Adams & York Counties. The organization’s mission is to bring together everyone who gets care, gives care and pays for care in order to improve the overall quality of health care in the region. This addresses the results of the 2011 County Health Rankings (www.countyhealthrankings.org) released yesterday by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA is part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, a program in 17 communities across the country designed to lift the overall quality of health care by engaging patients, physicians, employers, insurance plans – everyone in the community.

“The Rankings show that there are wide variations in the health care available in Pennsylvania. While this reflects a national problem, health care is delivered locally, and these rankings are yet another call for people to work together to improve care. Aligning Forces for Quality is a great way for people to learn what they can do to positively impact their own health, and the health of the entire community,” said Chris Amy, Project Director of Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA.

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA is a collaboration of doctors, nurses, hospitals, employers, insurance plans and consumers, and through their various initiatives the organization is making strides in improving health care. Through Transforming Care at the Bedside, which focuses on nurse and patient interaction; Health Literacy Learning Collaborative which is implementing “Teach Back” to ensure patients really understand what the doctors are saying to them; and the Community Checkup, which shows how well York and Adams Counties’ doctor offices are providing care, and how well patients are participating in their care, the organization is addressing a majority of health indicators mentioned in the Rankings.

“We’re also holding I Can! Challenges to better educate patients with diabetes and heart disease about their overall health, and how to partner with their doctor. We are holding discussions in the community to determine how to remove the health barriers for individuals of different races and literacy backgrounds. We are looking at quality of care as a whole by going into primary care practices and hospitals to teach providers, nurses, all of the staff how to eliminate unnecessary tasks, which then allow more time with the patient,” stated Amy.

“No single person, group or profession can make improvements throughout a community without the support of others – everyone must work together. Providers can join our collaboratives, patients can participate in the I Can! Challenge, and employers can partner with AF4Q. There are many ways people can get involved. There really is a spot for everyone in AF4Q,” Amy said.

There is always room for improvement, but Adams & York Counties did rank higher in some areas as shown below.

• Adams County ranked third in Pennsylvania for its quality of care.
• York County ranked fourth in Pennsylvania for its clinical care.
• In York County, 89% of diabetic Medicare enrollees receive HbA1c screenings, which is higher than the percentage for Pennsylvania as a whole. In Adams County, 87% receive the screening. These screenings help assess how well a patient has managed his or her diabetes over a course of time.
• In both counties, the number of patients hospitalized for reasons that are preventable is much better than Pennsylvania as a whole.
• York County’s percentage of female Medicare enrollees receiving mammography screenings is higher than the percentage for Pennsylvania.

“We’ve already begun through AF4Q, but we need more people to join us so we can be a healthier community. This data helps give us a snapshot of how healthy residents are, so we can all work together to pinpoint the problems, figure out what needs to be improved, and start (if not continue) to lift the barriers to good health,” Amy said.

To learn more about Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania visit www.Aligning4healthpa.org. To view the 2011 County Health Rankings visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.

About Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania
Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania (AF4Q – South Central PA) is an initiative of Healthy York County Coalition. Since its establishment in 1994, Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC) has worked to bring together stakeholders from across the community and to unite them in health and wellness efforts. Our Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania initiative created in 2007, works to improve the care that individuals with chronic disease currently receive. It also conducted the I Can! Challenge, a 12-week challenge developed to give people the direction and support for improving their health. For more information on AF4Q – South Central PA, visit www.aligning4healthpa.org.

For more information regarding this press release, please contact Megan Kurtz at Megan@suasion.us or 717-432-2468.

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA Receives $1.3 Million to Lift the Quality of Health Care in York and Adams Counties

(York, Pa.) – Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) – South Central Pennsylvania announced today that it has been selected to receive a grant of $1.3 million over the next two years from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative, a national effort to improve the quality and value of health care in communities across America.

AF4Q – South Central PA is one of 16 organizations across the United States that has been designated as an Aligning Forces community, and has been participating in the initiative since 2007.

The Aligning Forces for Quality program was originally launched by the foundation in 2006 and remains the largest effort of its kind ever undertaken by a U.S. philanthropy. Through the program, AF4Q – South Central PA works to improve health care in York and Adams counties by engaging patients in their care, publicly reporting on the performance of physicians and hospitals and implementing quality improvement techniques. The foundation hopes to develop national models of reform based on the lessons learned by AF4Q – South Central PA, as well as the other Aligning Forces communities.

“We are excited that we are able to continue bringing together community leaders, patients, doctors, nurses, employers and insurers to improve health care in York and Adams counties,” said AF4Q – South Central PA’s Project Director, Christine Amy. “Given today’s complicated health care system, some may see it as impossible to change, but over the past few years we have accomplished great results, and look forward to continuing our efforts. We are eager to continue down this path of inventing new ways to provide better quality care.”

Since 2007, AF4Q – South Central PA has formed many initiatives and collaboratives to focus on quality improvement, consumer engagement, and performance. For example, Transforming Care at the Bedside, focuses on nurse and patient interaction; Health Literacy Learning Collaborative is implementing “Teach Back” to ensure patients really understand what the doctors are saying to them; and the Community Checkup, shows how well [more than 50] York and Adams counties’ doctor offices are providing diabetes and heart disease care, and how well patients are participating in their care. Through these efforts, as well as many others like the I Can! Challenge, improving care, while working to lower or maintain the current costs of care is, and continues to be AF4Q – South Central PA’s goal.

Over the next two years, AF4Q – South Central PA and the 15 other AF4Q communities will take the tools of measurement, improvement and engagement and use them to demonstrate change outside their markets. The program will work to expand the fundamental, cutting-edge changes already implemented in local communities to meet the goals of a reformed health care system: better value, greater transparency and improved care coordination.

“The Aligning Forces communities are models of health care improvement. The community organizations working on this effort have pioneered ground-breaking concepts that are also being explored through federal reform and have attracted bipartisan support, such as physician performance reports, patient-centered medical homes, and of late, payment reform,” said Anne F. Weiss, MPP, team director and senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “In this next phase, communities will continue to make measurable improvements in quality by placing greater focus on increasing the value of health care delivered.”

“With the additional funding, we will continue to empower patients to take action to improve their health and communicate the importance of measuring and improving quality,” stated Amy.

More specifically, AF4Q – South Central PA will focus its funds on selected areas of care (diabetes, heart failure and vascular diseases), health information technology, data measurement, consumer education and patient engagement, reduction of avoidable hospitalizations and emergency department visits of those with diabetes and heart disease, and payment reform.

“Recently, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released the 2011 County Health Rankings (http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/) which proves there are wide disparities in the health care available. We can’t ignore what the data shows us – which is the need to make change. This funding will assist York and Adams counties in making these changes.”

For more information about AF4Q – South Central PA and its work, visit www.aligning4healthpa.org. For more information about this press release, please contact Megan Kurtz at Megan@suasion.us or 717-432-2468.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania (AF4Q – South Central PA) is an initiative of Healthy York County Coalition. Since its establishment in 1994, Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC) has worked to bring together stakeholders from across the community and to unite them in health and wellness efforts. The Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania initiative created in 2007, works to improve the care that individuals with chronic disease currently receive. It also conducted the I Can! Challenge, a 12-week challenge developed to give people the direction and support for improving their health. For more information on I Can! Challenge, visit www.ICanChallenge.com, and for more details on AF4Q – South Central PA, visit www.aligning4healthpa.org.

Call for Nominations to Recognize Accomplishments and Contributions for People with Disabilities

(Camp Hill, Pa.) – The Center for Independent Living of Central PA (CILCP), a local non-profit organization serving people with disabilities, is seeking nominations for Central PA’s 2nd Annual Living Well With A Disability™ Awards. The Awards will recognize individuals and organizations that truly demonstrate what it means to live well with a disability.

Nominations will be accepted for the following categories: individual with a disability (adult and youth); business; non-profit; and volunteer. The individual, volunteer, business or non-profit must live or be located within Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin or Juniata counties. 

The Living Well With A Disability program was developed by CILCP to provide new opportunities for people with disabilities and assist them in finding the resources they need to live well. Whether living well involves finding transportation or assistive technology for a job, or learning how to water ski, Living Well With A Disability is the one-stop resource, designed to meet each individual’s needs and assist the person in living independently.

Janetta Green, Director of Operations at CILCP, explained that the Living Well With A Disability Awards were started to highlight the accomplishments of individuals with disabilities as well as honor the contributions being made by businesses and volunteers.

“The Awards are really to recognize all the good that is being done for and within the disability community. A lot of organizations and volunteers are working with people with disabilities to assist them in achieving their goals. It’s wonderful to see what power is in the community, what people are accomplishing, and how much fun they’re having doing it,” Green stated.

A committee of judges, all leaders in the disability community, will review the submissions and select a winner in each category. Winners will be announced by CBS 21’s Tanya Foster during an awards ceremony on November 2. CBS 21 is the exclusive media sponsor for the event.   

Last year’s winners were Hope E. Johnson (adult individual), Jason Jones (youth individual), BCE Construction Inc. (business), Parrotheads of Amish Paradise (non-profit), and Pamela Albert (volunteer). 

“Everyone loved last year’s event,” Green said. “It was a nice time for people with disabilities, along with a variety of agencies, to come together under one roof to meet each other, interact, and celebrate what it’s like to live well.”

 “I was honored to be nominated for the award and especially to actually win it! It was nice to be recognized by others in the service providers’ community who were also making similar efforts,” Bill Culwell of BCE Construction stated.  BCE Construction provides services to people with disabilities through various home modifications.

“The things we focus on are not necessarily mainstream so it was great to have what we do behind the scenes acknowledged. Since last year’s ceremony, we have grown in the diversity of what we offer and have expanded our product line by over 27 items, all of which are designed for increased accessibility,” Culwell added.

Volunteer winner Pamela Albert, who was nominated for her efforts related to her son’s progressive neurological disease, was surprised to win an award. “I did not realize my efforts were affecting so many people. I enjoyed hearing all the stories about ways people are not only surviving, but excelling with their disabilities. The testimonies were very touching and I was honored to be in the same room as so many amazing people,” Albert said.

CILCP hopes to have even more attendees at this year’s Awards, stressing that the event is open to anyone—not just CILCP and its consumers. 

“We always want to see more people involved and have more nominees. We love hearing the impact that’s being made across the community. There are so many people out there achieving their goals, and we want to recognize as many of them as possible! Please nominate people because every story is fantastic!” Green said.

“I encourage everyone to submit nominations and attend the award ceremony,” Culwell agreed. “It’s a great opportunity to network and expand the group of people that you work with and to socialize with like-minded people.”

“It is nice to honor someone and let them know that they are making a difference. The ceremony will not only inspire you, but will also motivate you to want to make a positive difference in the community,” Albert said.

Individuals may visit www.LivingWellWithADisability.org or call (717) 432-2468 to obtain the nomination form and rules.  All nominations must be submitted by October 3rd. Nominations may be submitted electronically to nominations@LivingWellWithADisability.org or mailed to Central PA’s Living Well With A Disability Awards, Attn: Tammy Miller, 129 West Harrisburg Street, Dillsburg, PA 17019.

About the Center for Independent Living of Central PA
For over 20 years, CILCP has been serving people with all types of disabilities who live in Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin, and Juniata counties.  CILCP is a consumer controlled, cross disability organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities to achieve and maintain independent life styles.  From achieving a small task to accomplishing a life-changing goal, CILCP is helping people with disabilities exceed their lifestyle expectations.  For more information on Living Well With A Disability visit www.LivingWellWithADisability.org, and for more information on CILCP, visit www.cilcp.org.   

For more information regarding this press release, please contact Debbie Rozelle at (717) 432-2468 or email at debbie@suasion.us.

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