News

A bill to promote the benefits of immunization will be heard in the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee on Friday, March 8.

Please take 1 minute to contact your House member and urge them to support this effort to increase immunization rates. Our voice needs to be louder than those contacting legislators with anti-vaccine rhetoric.

In short, HF 1182 would provide funding to the Minnesota Department of Health and community-based organizations to promote the benefits of immunization for those communities most at risk. The education efforts would be focused upon geographic areas or populations experiencing or at risk of experiencing an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.

All MNAAP members are invited to join the chapter’s policy roundtable discussion on Thursday, Nov. 16, 6:30 – 8 p.m. via Zoom. The roundtable is the perfect opportunity to share your perspective on the issues that MNAAP should focus on at the Capitol during the upcoming legislative session. MNAAP is a leading voice on children’s health issues at the Capitol. We rely on the feedback of our members, as well as guidance from our chapter lobbyist, to determine the policy priorities of the chapter for each legislative session.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend. The meeting will take place via Zoom.

MNAAP’s policy co-chairs, Sue Berry, MD, FAAP, and Hannah Lichtsinn, MD, FAAP, will facilitate the virtual conversation focused on identifying policy priorities for the Board to consider based on member feedback, legislative viability and other considerations.

Can’t make the roundtable? We’re still interested in hearing from you about what advocacy topics are important to you. Simply reply to this email to share your thoughts or email Bethany Venable venable@mnaap.org with details.

Board elections are held each year for open positions on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MNAAP) and the Board of the Minnesota Academy of Pediatrics Foundation (MAPF).

Currently, the chapter is seeking to fill one board member opening for pediatricians or pediatrician specialists who want to help advance the chapter’s mission of improving the health of all Minnesota children.

Click here to vote. Ballots are due by Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.

To view a list of current board members, visit http://www.mnaap.org/board-members

MNAAP is now accepting applications for the Eric Dick Memorial Advocacy Scholarship. Applications are due by 5 p.m on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Award decisions will be announced no later than Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

Named for MNAAP’s late long-time lobbyist, the Eric Dick Memorial Advocacy Scholarship will be awarded annually to one or more residents or medical students to engage in legislative advocacy projects aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of children in Minnesota – particularly those focused on eliminating health disparities.

Advocacy scholars will be supported in implementing their projects by MNAAP’s Public Policy Work Group Co-Chairs and contract lobbyist. In 2023, we will award up to two scholarships ranging from $2,500 – $5,000, depending on the scale of the project.

Use this link to apply through SurveyMonkey.

A policy that was put in place during the COVID pandemic to make sure no one lost their Medicaid coverage expired in early April. Now, nearly six months later, states are in the process of reviewing their programs to check who is still eligible for the program. This is being called the Medicaid “unwinding.”

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) called for a nationwide assessment and repair of healthcare eligibility systems because they suspect children who should be covered by Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were mistakenly dropped from their healthcare coverage.

You can help make sure eligible patients and families continue to receive coverage with these resources:

• This interactive dashboard from the Minnesota Department of Human Services tracks the statewide resumption of renewals. You can view the total number of enrollees and total number of households due for renewal each month, and sort this data by demographic information and program eligibility category.
• Medicaid Unwinding: What Pediatric Practices Need to Know  – This flyer is information for pediatric practices on Medicaid Unwinding.
• Pediatric Practice Template Letter to Families (Spanish Version)– A template letter that practices can customize with state-specific information and send to families on the Unwinding.
• AAP Unwinding Overview – A slide deck providing background and an updated overview of the Unwinding.
• Unwinding Practice Guidance – View practice guidance to help maximize patient coverage and prevent revenue loss during the Medicaid Unwinding

What is Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)?

This handout (shared from a parent and family educator at Robbinsdale Area Schools) details the who, what, where, why and how of ECFE.

Almost all new parents, whatever their education or income, have feelings of uncertainty. They are puzzled and daunted regarding how to care for and support the development and abilities of their new one. ECFE is present in virtually every Minnesota public school district to help meet this need. Guided by a parent educator, parents learn about child care and support one another. You can learn the names and numbers of ECFE leaders in your district through the Help Me Connect website.