Front row. Left to right: Sharon Buttress, Medical Director CAMCare; Rebecca Spitzgo, Associate Administrator for Performance Review; Joan S. Davis, Chairman of the Board CAMCare; Congressman Robert Andrews; Elizabeth Duke, HRSA Administrator; and David L. Whaley, Chief Financial Officer, CAMCare.
Back row. Left to right: Mark Bryant, CEO CAMCare; Dennis P. Williams, HRSA Deputy Administrator, CAMCare Board Member.

Dr. Duke and Congressman Robert Andrews hear about the success of CAMCare’s diabetes programs.

AHEC Mobile Van Photo: Dr. Duke, Dennis Williams and Rebecca Spitzgo tour the Camden AHEC mobile van, which provides HIV/AIDS testing and counseling throughout Camden, N.J.

Ribbon cutting photo: Dr. Duke along with Director of the NJ Primary Care Association, Katherine Grant-Davis and others cut the ribbon declaring the Pleasantville site of Southern Jersey Family Medical Center open for business.

Dottie Crockett of HRSA’s Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service (far right) displays the Special Service Award that she received as a CFC Campaign Manager.

Tom Flavin from HRSA’s Office of Communications (second from right) displays the CFC Leadership Award that he received as a CFC Loaned Executive. Also pictured are: Tevi Troy, HHS Deputy Secretary (far left); Kathleen Dahl, CFC Loaned Executive from the Department of Commerce (second from left); and Dr. Andrew van Eschenbach, FDA Commissioner.

April 4: HRSA awarded more than $1.1 billion in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grants to provide primary care, medications and services for low-income and underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS. The funding includes $774 million to support life-saving medications through state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs.

April 3: HRSA announced more than $12.1 million in FY 2008 grants to improve newborn hearing screening for infants, access to health care for mothers and children, and research to improve their health outcomes.

March 18: HRSA Administrator Elizabeth Duke, Deputy Administrator Dennis Williams, and Associate Administrator for Performance Review Rebecca Spitzgo visited the CAMCare health center in Camden, N.J. The group toured the facility with Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) and talked shop with health center staff and board members. Later that day at HRSA’s Camden Area Health Education Center, one of the nation’s oldest AHECs, Duke toured the AHEC’s mobile van, which provides HIV/AIDS testing and counseling services, and joined staff and partner organizations for discussions of the AHEC’s role in the Camden community.

March 19: Dr. Duke visited the Southern Jersey Family Medical Center’s newest facility in Pleasantville, N.J., and participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony there. Southern Jersey is a health center grantee. Last on that day’s agenda was a visit to HRSA’s Philadelphia Office of Performance Review, where Duke joined staff for a working lunch and responded to questions.

March 19: CFC update: The Parklawn building hosted an awards ceremony for the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA). Overall, CFCNCA has collected a record-breaking $61.1 million from 157,573 donors. That’s 102 percent of the $60 million target goal with an average contribution of $388. HHS raised $4.7 million. HRSA’s total employee contribution was $189,805 updated from the $189,191 total reported in the February newsletter. There were 582 HRSA employees who contributed an average gift amount of $326. HRSA had 32 eagle contributors and 14 double eagle contributors; eagles contribute 1 percent of their salary, while double eagles contribute 2 percent. Congratulations to HRSA’s three CFCNCA President’s Award winners: the Bureau of Health Professions, the Healthcare Systems Bureau, and the Office of Rural Health Policy. The President’s award is presented to an organization for $275 contribution per person or 75 percent or more employee participation. Many of HRSA’s keyworkers and other campaign participants also received individual awards for their work on the CFC campaign.

March 19: Several speakers addressed the audience at Parklawn’s Women’s History Month observance, whose theme was “Women’s Art, Women’s Vision.” Georgia Coffey of FDA’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management reminded listeners that today’s diversity opens up previously unavailable possibilities and said women are breaking the “glass ceiling” in many HHS operating divisions.

The keynote speaker was Sonia Aranza, a motivational speaker and consultant. Aranza conducted a workshop that addressed the emotional well-being of women by encouraging them to rediscover their passion. Using the example of Grandma Moses, who was well into in her sixties when she began painting, Aranza said “it’s never too late.” “Finding your passion is scary, but never to have given it a chance is even scarier,” she said. Aranza urged participants to go beyond things that are familiar and comfortable to find what they enjoy and what they do well. Aranza made the point that discovering your passion brings purpose and personal power. “You can create a life that you prefer, rather than one that comes by chance,” she said.

The program was sponsored by HRSA, AHRQ, FDA, IHS, PSC, SAMHSA and the HHS Office of Minority Health.

March 14: Dr. Duke addressed the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) at their 2008 Policy and Issues (P&I) Forum in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C. The Forum is an anuual event for Health Center leadership from around the country. The national gathering attracted thousands of health center clinicians, board members, and executive directors. The HRSA-supported Johnson & Johnson (J&J) UCLA Health Care Executive Program held an alumni luncheon during the NACHC meeting. Graduates from the original class of 2002 and from classes up to 2007 gave updates on the implementation of Community Health Improvement Projects (CHIPs) that alumni have developed at previous J&J summer sessions. Victor Tabbush, co-founder and director of the program, touted the 2008 curriculum, which includes courses in health economics and managing a community board, among many others. HRSA Associate Administrator for Performance Review Rebecca Spitzgo emphasized HRSA’s continuing support of the program and said HRSA often sees the positive, real-world outcomes of CHIP projects implemented within communities. After the summer 2008 sessions — for which HRSA, UCLA and J&J are currently selecting candidates — officials and employees from more than 470 HRSA grantees will have graduated from the program. For more information on the HRSA-supported program, read the article, Participants Give High Marks to HRSA-supported Health Care Executive Program, in the February 2008 edition of Inside HRSA.

March 11: HRSA awarded $550 million in grants to fund primary care and support services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS in 56 cities and major urban areas. The grants are awarded to 22 eligible metropolitan areas with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, and to 34 transitional grant areas experiencing increases in HIV/AIDS cases and emerging care needs.

Sonia Aranza, keynote speaker for the Women's History Month Program.

Dr. Duke delivers a keynote address at the NACHC Policy and Issues Forum.

Johnson & Johnson UCLA Health Care Executive Program alumni participate in the luncheon at the NACHC Policy and Issues Forum.