Newsletters

October 2011

Regional Highlights:

Region I Family Planning Training Center

Current Projects

Region I is working on several regional projects related to Title X priorities this year. We're currently planning a one-day event on IUD and Nexplanon insertion with a concurrent Clinic Efficiency Institute. Assessing clinic efficiency continues to rate high on our needs assessment so we're planning to offer a hands-on workshop to share the data and tools from the clinic efficiency compendium to build grantee capacity in this area.

The RTC is working with the Family Planning Association of Maine to develop a training and toolkit on developing community partnerships. The goal of the workshop and related tools is to help clinics expand their referral networks and to formalize partnerships with primary care and other social service providers. We look forward to sharing this with other regions once it's completed.

JSI was invited by MA Department of Public Health to participate in a collaborative with staff from the Offices of Family Planning, Sexual Assault Prevention and Survivor Services and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Committee to build local capacity around addressing sexual violence, including reproductive coercion. We've reviewed existing counseling training curricula from around the country (thank you to the RTCs that contributed to this lit review!), and hope to develop a more comprehensive curriculum that bridges the work of family planning and sexual violence.

Throughout the winter and spring, we plan to launch a series of webinars on Best Practices from Region I, highlighting interesting and innovative approaches among the service grantees and delegates. Stay tuned for dates and times - these will be free and other regions are encouraged to attend!

Finally, our RPC, Kathy Desilets, has led the Executive Directors of the service grantees through a series of discussions related to preparing for health care reform and working with CHCs. We hope to bring the group together later this fall for more in-depth work on this.

Region II Family Planning Training Center

Human Trafficking

In addition to this webinar, we have developed a half-day training curriculum on "Human Trafficking:  Considerations for Family Planning Agencies."   The purpose of this training is increase family planning staff knowledge and ability to recognize red flags and indicators of human trafficking in a family planning clinic setting.  At the end of this training, participants will be able to: define human trafficking, identify tools for victim identification and assessment using various scenarios specific to family planning clinics, and recognize ways to support victims of human trafficking.  We plan to deliver this training several times during this contract year in various geographically convenient locations throughout the region, to allow as many family planning agencies the opportunity to send clinic staff to these trainings.   

NATISHE

For the past 18 years, the Region II Family Planning Training Center has delivered an annual North Atlantic Training Institute for Sexual Health Educators (NATISHE). NATISHE is a skill oriented training institute that focuses on the development of training programs and presentation skills.  This year’s program is scheduled for October 11-13, 2011 in Princeton, New Jersey.  Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to select new evidence-based interventions and successfully integrate them into existing programs; gain new teaching methods and techniques; acquire lesson plans, resources, and educational materials; build skills around planning and conducting outreach; practice providing educationally-based counseling; receive peer support and feedback; assess their own attitudes, knowledge, and skills as educators; and experience inspiration, rejuvenation, and a renewed commitment to their work.  NATISHE is designed particularly for individuals in family planning settings, schools and community based organizations.

ICD 10

Please visit the Region II Title X website to listen to the June 2, 2011 archived webinar presentation on ICD 10:  An Introduction, presented by Caroline Peucker, CPC, CPC-I of Priority Management Group, Inc (PMG).  The PowerPoint presentation is also available.  Feel free to share this resource with your colleagues. 

http://www.cicatelli.org/titlex/Webinars.htm

http://www.cicatelli.org/titlex/audio/20110602/jukebox.html

http://www.cicatelli.org/titlex/downloadable/20110602_ICD-10WhatYouNeedToKnow.pdf

Region IV Family Planning Training Center

Human Trafficking: A Family Planning Perspective

In order to ensure that Title X providers have the knowledge and resources needed to identify and assess potential human trafficking victims, the Region IV Title X Training Center, administered by Cicatelli Associates Inc. (Atlanta Office) hosted a 90 minute webinar program entitled “Human Trafficking: A Family Planning Perspective”.  The training was offered on September 8, 2011 and was attended by more than 2400 Title X providers across the eight Southeastern States of Region IV.    The training was presented by Sarah Grenzeback with the Polaris Project, who described Human Trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery whose victims include children involved in the sex trade, adults age 18 or over who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts, and anyone forced into different forms of "labor or services" against their will.  The trainer used scenarios specific to family planning clinics and the populations of Region IV.   The Polaris Project is a leading organization in the United States combating all forms of human trafficking and serving both U.S. citizens and foreign national victims, including men, women, and children.

Region VII Family Planning Training Center

E-Learning System

Development Systems, Inc. has announced the launch of a custom web-based E-Learning system. DSI's E-Learning system allows users of the organization's website to register for online training and optionally associate an unlimited list of additional participants for group viewings. The E-Learning system accepts any required registration and nursing CE payments conveniently online via PayPal. Confirmation emails are automatically generated to notify the participant of successful registration and all e-learning attempts are stored and time stamped to provide for simplified administrative reporting. DSI is currently offering E-Learning content in the form of streaming video collected from live webinars. Some of the topics covered include mandatory reporting, human trafficking and adolescent health issues. DSI is planning to convert more content to an E-Learning format in the future and partner with other organizations to diversify the library of E-Learning materials available. You can participate in the current E-Learning offerings available by visiting DSI's website at: www.devsys.org

Region IX Family Planning Training Center

Cost Analysis

Title X Program Guidelines requires funded agencies to do a cost analysis 1) for basing charges to clients, 2) that reflect the cost of operation, 3) be competitive in the local market, and 4) represent the “reasonable cost” for providing services. Cardea is offering a series of four presentation webinars which will provide a review of all facets of the updated Cost Analysis Methodology developed for Region IX. Cardea chose to present this information, broken down into shorter segments and over a 2-month period, so that participants would be less overwhelmed by its complexity and have more time to apply what they learn as they move through the series. Additional Q&A sessions are scheduled approximately one to two weeks apart, to address assist participants between presentations. Participants will be given "homework" so that they will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned to their own agency’s system.

Human Trafficking

Cardea is continuing to offer training about Human Trafficking. A webcast entitled “Human Trafficking & Reproductive Health” will discuss the issue that trafficking of children and young women is often—but not always—associated with prostitution, sexual coercion, and sexual violence. The webinar will provide participants with an overview of the topic of human trafficking and reproductive health, and provide a framework for helping educators to become more comfortable in their role in addressing the health care needs of trafficking survivors.

Natural Family Planning – Standard Days Method Integration Research and Toolkit

Cardea just completed a three year project with Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health, funded by OPA to assess the ability of clinics to integrate a new natural family planning method into their services, keeping in the spirit of “The more options, the better.” The study sites’ achievements have been to successfully integrate the Standard Days Method® (SDM) using CycleBeads® into family planning services. In so doing, they demonstrated a commitment to carry out the U.S. Office of Family Planning’s mandate to provide the full range of methods to their clients. The toolkit is for program directors, health center managers or family planning coordinators to assist them to incorporate CycleBeads into services, and is meant to guide them through the integration process and highlight tips and strategies found to be helpful. The guide is not intended to replace training on SDM, which is available from Cardea staff. The toolkit can be accessed at:  http://cardeaservices.org/resources/documents/CycleBeads_Integration_Toolkit_Sept2011.pdf.

Region X Family Planning Training Center

Vaginal Swab Toolkit for Clinical Providers

The Region X Infertility Prevention Project’s (IPP’s) Clinical Services Subcommittee recently completed a toolkit to support clinical providers in using vaginal swabs.  The toolkit includes a sample cover letter in Word for easy editing and eight documents in PDF format:

1. Performing a Sexual Risk Assessment

2. Female Selective Screening Criteria in Region X

3. Considerations: Clinician-Obtained Vaginal (COV) vs. Self-Obtained Vaginal (SOV) Swabs

4. COV Chlamydia Specimen

5. SOV Chlamydia Specimen

6. Frequently Asked Questions about Vaginal Swabs

7. Bibliography that highlights some of the published literature on vaginal swabs

8. Chlamydia Positive Follow-up (sample medical record format)

If you are interested in an electronic version of the toolkit, please contact Wendy Nakatsukasa-Ono, Program Director for Cardea and the Region X IPP, wono@cardeaservices.org.

In addition, Cardea hosted a webinar in January 2010 entitled “Vaginal Swabs: Performance, Patient Preference and Applications.” Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, Medical Director for the Seattle STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, University of Washington, was one of the featured presenters. You may access the archived version of the webinar at http://www.cardeaservices.org/training/webinars/web_vs-pppa.html.

National Highlights:

National Training Center

Almost 300 Title X grantees and colleagues attended the 2011 OPA/OFP National Title X Grantee Meeting in Miami, Florida. The meeting highlighted national issues in family planning and recognized the great work being performed by Title X grantees.  There were 22 plenary and panel presentations presented, 34 break out session presentations, 24 posters presentations, and six exhibitors.   Presentations can be viewed at http://www.cicatelli.org/ntc/TitleXConference/2011/default.htm

Tools and Resources

Family Planning Clinic Efficiency Compendium

The National Training Center for Family Planning in conjunction with the 10 Regional Training Centers for Family Planning is developing a Family Planning Clinic Efficiency Compendium. The compendium is a collaborative venture that draws from the knowledge and expertise of each Regional Training Center.  This compendium will assist training center staff in selecting Clinic Efficiency Indicators and Best Practices when working with individual clinics within their regions. The compendium is scheduled to be completed by December 2011.

New OPA Website!

          http://www.hhs.gov/opa/

Upcoming National Events

Regional Training Centers Collaborative Webinar - Contraceptive Practice - Date TBD

This webcast will present the latest developments in contraceptive practice. Topics will include: contraceptive management skills; new methods and prescribing regimens; and management of common side effects of hormonal methods, including Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives.

Speaker: Michael S. Policar, MD, MPH

May 15 - 17, 2012 - 2012 Title X HIV Prevention Project - Annual Technical Support Conference, San Diego, CA

The 2012 meeting of the OPA-funded HIV Prevention Grantees will be held in San Diego, CA. The objectives of this annual conference are to update HIV Prevention projects on recent initiatives and advancements in HIV prevention; to explore strategies to improve integration of routine testing; to strengthen partnerships among the projects and grantees, both regionally and nationally; and to build skills related to prevention education and HIV/AIDS counseling. Registration information should be available by December 2011. Presentations and topics covered at previous conferences can be viewed and downloaded at www.cicatelli.org/opa

The Male Health Educator Training Institute is an annual intensive week-long seminar sponsored by Title X to support its continuing commitment to male reproductive health. The Institute is designed to provide health educators with comprehensive knowledge of reproductive health, family planning and basic health education competencies to enable them to work more effectively with male clients in family planning programs and clinics. The Institute presents two training modules each day and attendance at each module is mandatory.

The Clinical Training Center for Family Planning, along with the Male Training Center for Family Planning and Reproductive Health, have announced a new collaboration to bring you the best in evidence-based clinical information!  The National Reproductive Health Conference in New Orleans, LA, August 5-7, 2012.

Now two popular, national conferences wrapped up into one!  Until the conference website goes live, please visit our websites for more information at www.ctcfp.org or www.fpcmtc.org.

Keep an eye out for these “invitation only” preceptor events at the 2012 conference…

-   This unique opportunity will bring together Title X preceptors for a day of individual and small group learning focused on enhancing the clinical training capacity of attendees. The highly interactive day will include facilitated group discussions, individual and small group work, and an opportunity to personally assess your training delivery through video feedback.

-   Monday, August 6th, 2011, 7:00am

-   Reconnect with your preceptor classmates at this special breakfast that will include a TBA dynamic speaker!

In addition keep in mind The National Reproductive Health Conference will feature poster presentations. This is an ideal opportunity to present your evidence-based research or showcase innovative programs related to family planning and the reproductive health of females and males. Poster sessions also serve as a professional forum to exchange ideas and network with colleagues.  We encourage you to submit an abstract. The call for posters is coming soon, so watch for an announcement detailing topic areas and submission guidelines!

Previous Newsletters

	2011
	October 2011: Issue 11
2010	2009	2008
November 2010: Issue 10	December 2009: Issue 7	November 2008: Issue 3
July 2010: Issue 9	September 2009: Issue 6	September 2008: Issue 2
April 2010: Issue 8	June 2009: Issue 5	Spring 2008: Issue 1
	February 2009: Issue 4

National Training Center for Family Planning / Cicatelli Associates Inc.
505 8th Ave, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10018
(212) 594-7741 ext. 289 / Fax (212) 629-3321
more info: kathy@cicatelli.org