Michigan Council for Maternal & Child Health Friday Notes

May 1, 2015
In this issue
State Budget Update
Bill to Replace 'Crippled Children' Term Discussed at Committee
APRN Bill Moves to Senate
State Budget FY '15-'16 Update
The House moved budget bills this week; the omnibus bill, HB 4102, passed 59-51 on Tuesday, followed by the budget funding the state's universities, community colleges and K-12 schools on Wednesday. HB 4115 passed the House 60-50 with three Republicans - Rep. Todd Courser of Silverwood, Rep. Cindy Gamrat of Plainwell and Rep. Tom Barrett of Potterville - joining all Democrats in opposition.

The Senate versions of the budgets have been reported from the Senate Appropriations committee and the bills await action on the Senate floor which is anticipated to happen next week.

Legislative leaders want the state budget for FY '15-'16 completed by June, four months before the fiscal year begins. That plan could change drastically if Michigan voters not approve a sales tax increase to trigger more money for deteriorating roads next week.

If voters reject Proposal 1 on Tuesday, the Legislature is unlikely to offer new revenue-generating options but may identify a solution that will redirect any available discretionary funding, including programs which benefit maternal and child health.

One of our advocacy partners, Michigan's Children has created a one-page informational sheet on Proposal 1 available to download here. Please consider sharing it as you discuss the impact of this ballot issue with family, friends and colleagues.
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Bills to Replace 'Crippled Children' Term Discussed at Committee
MCMCH Executive Director Amy Zaagman appeared before the House Health Policy Committee this week to express support for bills which update language in a number of Michigan statutes by removing references to "crippled children." The outdated and offensive terminology is replaced with "children and youth with special health care needs."

One of the bills, HB 4205 sponsored by Rep. Andy Schor (D-Lansing), also modernizes the section of the Public Health Code that recognizes the Children's Special Health Care Services Program.

Amy was joined by Najeema McMahon, a parent of a 4-year-old daughter enrolled in the CSHCS Program, who told lawmakers not only about the need to change the wording of the state laws but about how the CSHCS Program has benefited her family by improving her daughter's access to treatment and therapies.

A bipartisan coalition of legislators joined Rep. Schor in sponsoring the bills (HBs 4203-4205 and SBs 112-114), including: Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing), Rep. Mike Callton (R-Nashville), Rep. Joseph Graves (R-Linden), Sen. James Marleau (R-Lake Orion) and Sen. Margaret O'Brien (R-Portage).

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APRN Bill Moves to Senate
This week the Senate Health Policy Committee reported unanimously a bill to put advance practice registered nurses in the Public Health Code and define their scope of practice, as well as their place in a patient care team.

The committee adopted an S-2 substitute, as well as eight amendments. Though several were technical in nature, such as better defining a patient care team and who is to be included in that unit, several others were more specifically targeted at prescriptive authority.

Under the substitute, a nurse practitioner would be allowed to prescribe certain controlled substances with physician oversight for his or her first five years in practice. But one amendment specifies that if the APRN prescribes a Schedule 2 or Schedule 3 controlled substance, the APRN must have delegated prescriptive authority, in writing, from at least one physician. An APRN is not required to obtain delegated prescriptive authority from a physician to prescribe any other drug or device for a patient under that amendment.
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Contributors to this Issue
Gongwer News Service
HealthDay
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Quick Links . . .

March of Dimes Chapter Community Grants Program Begins
The Michigan Chapter Community Grants Program is designed to invest in priority projects that further the March of Dimes mission, support campaign objectives, and further our strategic goal of promoting equity in birth outcomes. The chapter community grants fund for 2016 is approximately $177,000, with grants ranging from $10,000-$25,000 each. Priority will be given to programs that focus on high-risk populations to impact racial/ethnic disparities in birth outcomes. Letters of intent are due June 1, 2015. More information available here.
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DHHS Announces Childhood Immunization Champion Award
MDHHS, Division of Immunization, is proud to announce that Dorothy Bennett, Director of Nursing and Clinical Support Services at the WMU School of Medicine Family Medicine, Medicine Pediatrics and Pediatrics Clinics, has been selected as the 2015 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Immunization Champion for Michigan. This award honors immunization champions during National Infant Immunization Week (April 18-25, 2015). Bennett was nominated and selected from several health care professionals in Michigan for making a significant contribution to the public health through her work in children's immunization.
To read Dorothy Bennett's profile on the CDC's website, and to learn more about CDC's Childhood Immunization Champion Award program, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/champions/index.html.
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More U.S. Newborns Enduring Drug Withdrawal: Study
Baylor University Medical Center researchers found that the number of babies in intensive care for addiction treatment is four times higher than a decade ago. Neonatal abstinence syndrome -- a drug-withdrawal syndrome that often occurs after exposure to prescription narcotic painkillers during pregnancy -- affected only seven babies for every 1,000 admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 2004. By 2013, that number had jumped to 27 infants for every 1,000 babies in the NICU, the study revealed. Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that "with this increase in prescription painkiller use, we're seeing an effect in our newborn population. If you think about how vulnerable our newborns are, this is really frightening." Read more
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Text Messages as a Postpartum Depression Prevention Tool
A recently published Saint Louis University research paper explores the feasibility of helping low-income mothers through postpartum depression using text messages.The objective of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of sending supportive text messages to low-income mothers of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds with postpartum depression and gauge the perception of receiving such message for depression. Mothers found to be at risk received supportive text messages four times a week for six months, in addition to receiving access to traditional counseling services in an academic pediatric office. By the end of the research period, 4,158 text messages (86.1 percent of those sent) were successfully delivered to 54 mothers. The paper finds that text messaging is a relatively low-cost and feasible way to serve as adjunct therapy to provide private support for at-risk mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Read more
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2015 Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Conference: June 2-3
The 2015 Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Conference will be held June 2 and 3 at the Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport Hotel. During the day and one-half program, you will hear from a wide variety of speakers who will address our theme of how we can build healthy communities with a collective impact. Through general sessions, eight different breakout sessions, posters and exhibits, we hope you will be able to expand your knowledge base and identify strategies to help mobilize your own communities into taking action and making a difference for Michigan families.
Register online