Dear Colleagues, Partners, and Friends, On behalf of Health Outreach Partners (HOP), I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all the meaningful and important work you do. From conducting outreach in the community, providing much-needed care to our country’s most vulnerable, or advocating for just policies, you are on the forefront of advancing the health and wellbeing of our communities. Thus, we recognize HOP’s success is based on the important work you do. 2016 has been a busy year for us. Here are a few highlights:

• HOP launched a new Transportation Initiative funded by the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In June, I had the opportunity to present our transportation work at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C.
• Understanding the need to share outreach stories from the field and make available the most up-to-date information on resources, HOP debuted the Outreach Connection Blog.
• Gearing up for HOP’s 50^th Anniversary, we kicked off our new Road to Wellness: 2020 Annual Campaign.
• We relocated to a new and improved office space for our Oakland staff. Our Deputy Director also relocated from Helena, MT to Olympia, WA.
• I had to opportunity to visit our founding Board Chair, Sr. Maurita Sengalaub. Our visit remains one of my most memorable highlights for the year. At 98 years old, Sr. Sengalaub remains passionate as ever about creating a more equitable and healthier world. She continues to inspire us at HOP to move forward with our work.

As I look ahead to 2017, I know that there are lots of uncertainties and possible changes to the health care environment. Regardless of how things unfold, HOP will continue to strengthen and expand its work to advance health equity and improve the health of our most vulnerable and underserved communities. We remain steadfast in our commitment to create a country where all people are valued and in which equal access to health care is available to everyone, thus enriching our collective well-being. Once again, thank you for your work and support. Best wishes to everyone this holiday season and for the new year ahead! In community, Oscar Gomez, CEO

Every year, Health Outreach Partners staff travel to different places around the country to provide on-site trainings to health centers, conduct regional trainings for Primary Care Associations, attend and present at conferences, and do research for our various informational resources. Here are all of the places we’ve visited in 2016.

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https://youtu.be/6WLsCewAPCk Kathy Jennings Federally Certified Outreach & Enrollment Counselor Carolina Health Centers, Inc. | Greenwood, SC

https://youtu.be/m71G6v4F16Y Anna Pavon Migrant Program Coordinator Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Inc. | Leesville, SC

Come join HOP at the 2017 Western Forum for Migrant and Community Health from February 22-24, 2017 in San Francisco, CA. This year's theme, "Communities Mobilizing for Health Equity", will focus on how communities are working together to address health outcomes through innovative programs and models.

Learn more

Interested in learning more about how to start a health outreach program or strengthen existing efforts? Check out HOP's latest coffee break webinar, "The 13-minute Outreach Starter Kit: A Brief Tutorial." This webinar provides an overview of our free online tool and tips for easily navigating through the available resources.

View the Webinar

On October 27, 2016, HOP hosted a peer-to-peer webinar titled, "The Health Center Consumer Board Experience." After providing a brief overview to the requirements and functions to health center governing boards, HOP facilitated a discussion with three invited panelists: two consumer board members who spoke about their motivation and participation in this role, as well as one health center executive director who reflected on years of experience recruiting and maintaining a governing board.  Panelists

• Aisha Hampton-Bowser, La Clinica, Patient and Board Member
• Alondra Chaparro, Valley Wide Health Systems, Patient and Board Member
• Susan Bauer, Community Health Partnerships of Illinois, Executive Director

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will learn the importance of engaging consumers in planning and decision making at the board level.
2. Participants will have a better understanding of the experiences of a consumer board member.
3. Participants will identify one strategy for consumer board member recruitment.

View the Recording

Looking for ways to address transportation barriers at your health center? Check out these strategies that have worked for other health center around the nation. To learn more, take a look at HOP’s new infobook, “Transportation and Health Access: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go?”

Health Outreach Partners remains committed to its vision of a country in which all people are valued, and in which equal access to quality health care is available to everyone, thus enriching our collective well-being. HOP stands together with our national, state, and local partners in our shared commitment to promote and preserve a path towards health equity and social justice for all members of our communities.

3.6 million Americans miss a minimum one medical appointment each year due to lack of transportation. Check out these infographics about the impact of transportation the health of your patients and the burden of missed appointments for health centers. To learn more, check out HOP’s new infobook, “Transportation and Health Access: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go?”

Interested in learning more about how transportation impacts access to health services? See below for key transportation terms and definitions as they relate to health access, and to learn more about some of the populations disproportionately impacted by transportation barriers. For more information, check out HOP’s new infobook, “Transportation and Health Access: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go?”

HOP is excited to announce a new resource: "Transportation and Health Access: A Quality Improvement Toolkit." As part of our Transportation Initiative, the toolkit was developed for health centers to better understanding the impact of transportation barriers on their patients and ways to improve existing efforts. The toolkit is a practical and easy-to-use tool that guides the user through the quality improvment process: Needs Assessment and PDCA cycle.  

Request your copy now!

HOP is deeply committed to ensuring access to health and social services. According to one of HOP's board members, “Health equity is the number one reason why we are doing this work… why we are all here.” [1] We understand that it is impossible to achieve health equity without a just and equitable society. Our commitment to social justice and health equity (SJHE) recognizes that health and well-being is affected by a host of factors, including where people live, work, and spend time. As a result, one of our central strategies is to promote SJHE to those serving underserved and vulnerable communities. We are continually exploring the role of SJHE in our work in various ways. In 2014, a SJHE workgroup was formed to delve into the relationship between social justice, health equity, and HOP’s work. In 2015, it was included as a key theme in our Strategic Plan. In 2016, the SJHE workgroup hosted an all-staff, full-day retreat facilitated by Human Impact Partners to examine and expand the way SJHE influences our work with clients as well as explore how it could further shape our organizational culture and norms. (more…)