HCAM Marks 2nd Anniversary of Affordable Care Act with New Public Campaign
We are very excited to unveil our new ad campaign targeting Baltimore area citizens in need of medical insurance and/or family planning services– and appropriately on the second day of the Supreme Court review of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 that affects healthcare for millions of Americans. Be sure to check out our new campaign page where you can listen to our new radio ads and download copies of our new flyers. Printed copies of the flyers will be available soon, so let us know how many you want!
City Employees Book Drive and Food Drive
The City of Baltimore is proud to join in 2 new efforts, now underway in the City, to help our neighbors in need fight hunger and to provide new books to 4 renovated Baltimore City School libraries. Healthy Harvest for the Hungry is an effort to collect donations of healthy food items for those in need to help fight hunger in Maryland. For this effort, employees are being asked to donate bags of nutritious, non-perishable food items. Visit the United Way Website for a list of suggested healthy items.
The Book Drive will provide thousands of books to our school libraries, classrooms and home libraries for children from 3 to 14 years of age. For more information visit the Baltimore Library Project website.
Please consider donating to both these efforts. Donations will be accepted March 5 through March 10 in the lobby of the following City buildings:
- City Hall, 100 Holliday Street
- Benton Building , 417 E. Fayette Street
- Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 Holliday Street
- MECU building, 401 E. Fayette Street
Community Meetings to Raise Awareness of Health Challenges and Opportunities
Join Baltimore City Health Department Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot for a community meeting to learn about your 2011 Neighborhood Health Profile. Share community health concerns and ideas for change, discuss opportunities to work together to improve health, and receive health education materials. Not sure what council district you live in? Enter your address here to find out.
HCAM’s Operation Care Recognized with Prestigious Innovation Award
HCAM’s Operation Care has been recognized as an Innovative Clinical Project by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In this time of rising health care costs and tight budgets, Maryland’s consumers, hospitals, clinicians, insurance plans and community groups are working together to develop creative programs that enhance patient care, improve population health and cut costs. Operation Care is a partnership with the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) which works to reduce the number of emergency room visits by helping individuals manage their health care needs and improve their quality of life.
Operation Care is an innovative program that works with patients referred by the BCFD as being high utilizers of 911. Each patient is assigned a case manager who provides outreach to locate the patient and complete a thorough medical and psychosocial assessment. The outreach worker and client work together to develop a mutually agreed upon care plan. Patients are then assigned to intensive, intermediate or limited case management, and receive assistance accessing and coordinating medical, specialty care and support services. By removing barriers to health care and linking them to wrap around services, such as personal care assistance or home health for on-going needs, patients are better able to manage their health care needs. On-going case management ensures appointment compliance, resolution of needs and a decrease in 911 calls. Visit the Operation Care page to learn more about this exciting program.
HCAM Will Attend Money Power Day 3/10/12
HealthCare Access Maryland is excited to be participating in Money Power Day on March 10th, 2012. This event is free for all those who attend and offers invaluable financial planning education and assistance on a first come first serve basis. This year services include (information from the Money Power Day Website):
Workshops:
- Starting a Small Business
- How to Grow Your Small Business
- How to Buy a Home
- Learn to Save so You Can Become an Investor
- Credit and Managing Your Finances
Financial Planning Clinic
Receive a FREE financial planning consultation on site. To qualify, you must either be a: (1) Single individual with an income of less than $25,000; or a (2) Family with an income of less than $50,000. Contact the FPA of Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center at 443-743-5610 to pre-register and learn how to prepare for the financial planning session.
Foreclosure Prevention Clinic
Tax Preparation Services
Get screened for FREE tax preparation services and even have your tax returns filed on site! To qualify, you must either be a: (1) Single individual with an income of less than $25,000; or (2) a Family with an income of less than $50,000. To schedule an appointment, click here and select the Money Power Day location.
Youth Zone
Children and Youth are WELCOME! There will be interactive educational opportunities for kids such as the Power Buck Trivia Game, financial video games, face painting, ceramic piggy banks, a photo booth, and more!
Credit Café
Exhibitor Hall
Receive information and resources from over 45 non-profit and for-profit service providers.
Benefits Zone
Meet with an EarnBenefits counselor or a representative from the Economic Security Initiative for Older Adults (55+) to see if you qualify for additional benefits such as energy assistance, tax credits, food stamps, WIC, health insurance, and more.
Medical Screenings
Service providers will be on-site to provide free medical screenings and help families access affordable healthcare services.
Document Shredding
A large truck from Incred-A-Shred will be located outside City College to shred your secure documents. Be sure to bring any documents that you would like to shred!
Stay tuned for more information and photos from this exciting event!
Free Diabetes Educational Series
Has diabetes affected you or a loved one? Even if diabetes isn’t a part of your life, take advantage of this free educational series sponsored by the Baltimore City Department of Human Resources, Towson University Center, and Mercy Medical Center at 201 East Baltimore Street.
Topics and sessions include:
Wear Red Day at HCAM!
National Wear Red Day® is a day of action to show support for women and heart disease awareness. On the first Friday in February each year, HCAM encourages it’s staff to wear red and show support for this great cause. No matter how old a woman is it’s important to take steps to prevent heart disease. Visit your doctor to identify your risk factors- 80% of Women in the US have one or more risk factors, and having just one doubles your chance of developing heart disease. Once a person has heart disease it cannot be “cured”. Raise awareness and encourage your friends, family and coworkers to wear red today! For more information on how to lower your risk visit the American Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s website.
Viral Hepatitits Awareness and Free Screening Day
Viral hepatitis is a highly contagious virus that infects the liver, causing liver disease, liver cancer, and premature death. Although hepatitis B and C are treatable diseases when detected early and properly managed, an estimated 4.6 million people living in the United States are currently infected with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Both are considered “silent diseases” because frequently, those infected have no obvious symptoms. Without proper screening and treatment, viral hepatitis patients frequently die from liver cancer or liver disease and can pass the infection on to others.
Please join us in Annapolis at the House of Delegates Office Building for an event to spread awareness about Viral Hepatitis on Wednesday March 7th, 2012. Free screenings will be offered to all who attend from 10:00am to 2:00pm. See the event flyer for more details.