Oral health is one of HRSA's Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS). The SPNS Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative funds 15 demonstration sites for up to five years to support organizations using innovative models of care to provide oral health care to HIV-positive, underserved populations in both urban and non-urban settings.

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) is a nationwide network of dental providers who care for patients in Migrant, Homeless, and Community Health Centers. These providers understand that oral disease can affect a person's speech, appearance, health, and quality of life and that inadequate access to oral health services is a significant problem for low-income individuals.

Founded by singer/songwriter Paul Simon and pediatrician/child advocate Irwin Redlener, MD in 1987, The Children's Health Fund (CHF) works nationally to develop health care programs for the nation's most medically underserved population - homeless and disadvantaged children. CHF brings medical care and essential services directly to underserved children in rural and urban communities via Mobile Medical clinics (doctor's offices on wheels) and fixed site clinics. Moreover, CHF has become a major national advocacy voice on behalf of all children, and has inspired special federal legislation designed to help create innovative Children's Health Projects throughout the United States. The Children's Health Fund's website contains a lot of useful information, which would undoubtedly benefit your audience. 

Physician outreach efforts regarding West Nile Virus diagnosis. We have created a webinar that medical professionals can access for free. CME credits are part of the activity, which makes it even better. The webinar features Lyle Petersen, head of CDC’s vector-borne disease unit, along with Anne Kemptrup, from California Dept. of Public Health and Susan Little, executive director of the DEET Education Program. The program runs for one hour.

Informative website about pandemic and avian flu topics.

An Overview of Drinking Water Quality and Water and Sanitation-Related Disease by James VanDerslice, Ph.D. and Amy K. Liebman, MPA. The information for this article comes from presentations Jim VanDerslice made at recent MCN environmental health intensivesand an outreach program that both authors developed and implemented along the US-Mexico Border.

Also in this issue: Newsflashes, TB Education and Training Network and TB-Educate Listserv, Pizcando Suenos/Harvesting Dreams: The Voices of Mexican American Women.For more Streamline articles visit http://www.migrantclinician.org/news/streamline.html

Welcome to the HepTalk Listserv. For July, we offer two articles about immunizing adolescents. Adolescents are often seen by many of you in your clinics for a variety of reasons, from prenatal care to sports physical exams, presenting a good opportunity to see if they have had their Hep B shots.

There is convincing evidence that breastfeeding provides substantial health benefits for children and adequate evidence that breastfeeding provides moderate health benefits for women. This link provides a summary of the 2008 recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on counseling to promote breastfeeding.

The well-known seminar entitled, “The Carville Approach to Management of the Neuropathic Foot” has been modified for online instruction. The material presented includes principles and protocols that are time tested and proven effective for prevention of amputation in the lower extremity due to neuropathy. For course registration contact Josie Major at 800-642-2477, 225-756-3761 or via email jmajor@hrsa.gov

To help ease the burden of displacement in the face of disaster/emergency, new information for pregnant women and mothers of young children has been uploaded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) web site. Because you are recognized as an important champion in the community and can provide a channel for vital emergency information.

Foreign Language Study and International Health Work: Selected Resources

Includes an article about the screening of people from countries where Hep B is endemic. The second part offers resources for clients from Central America who speak languages other than Spanish, such as the indigenous Mixteco. Though the study was completed in Eastern North Carolina, the resource list presented is national in scope and very broad.

Our concentration for this month (September) and next month (October) is Resources for Effective Risk Assessment. This is a primary focus of the HepTalk project, and one on which we are continuously scouting out new resources. Some of the literature and research about effective risk assessment focuses on HIV and/or gay and populations, but is also relevant for hepatitis and for a broader population.

An editorial by Carol J. Baker, M.D. from The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 357:1757-1759, October 25, 2007, Number 17.