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Healthcare

Mission

Through a collaborative effort of the healthcare sector and all relative entities, the Healthcare Council identifies local healthcare issues of greatest concern and facilitates a cohesive and constructive community-wide healthcare advocacy effort of these issues at the local, state and federal levels, in addition to developing innovative programs to meet the healthcare needs of the community.

Healthcare Council Structure

The Healthcare Council is made up of a variety of community partners who elect to participate on the Council. It is led by a Chairman, elected by the Council, who serves a term of one year. A Chair-Elect will also be identified to follow the Chair in the upcoming year.

The Executive Committee of the Healthcare Council of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce is comprised of the Chair of the Health Care Council, the Chair-Elect of the Health Care Council, and the committee chairs or co-chairs of initiatives adopted or approved by action of the Healthcare Council. Committee chairs or co-chairs are expected to be 'champions' of their committee concerns, bringing expertise, commitment and a willingness to work together within the context of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce's strategic directions. The Healthcare Council names the Committee Chairs or Co-Chairs as initiatives are adopted or as Chairs or Co-Chairs need to be replaced. There is no term limit on Committee chairs or co-chairs.

The Healthcare Council is a branch of the Government Relations Division. The Chair of the Healthcare Council serves on the Government Relations Division's Executive Committee and reports to the executive committee about the working of the Healthcare Council. The Healthcare Council makes recommendations to the Government Relations Executive Committee regarding healthcare policy at the local, state and federal levels.

The Government Relations Executive Committee will vote whether or not to recommend the policy position to the full Chamber Board. The Healthcare Council Chair and Government Relations staff will be responsible for educating the Chamber Board on the healthcare issue and answering the questions of the board.

Goal #1

Address the issues of the under and uninsured in the El Paso region, and model a community collaborative after other communities with similar plans to identify out-of-the box solutions with El Paso resources, easing dependence on state and federal resources.

Establish and build an access project to assist the physicians in the community in collaborating to provide charity care.

Design and develop specific funding strategies to cover segments of the uninsured, including but not limited to concepts such as three-share programs.

Increase utilization of available healthcare coverage through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private coverage.

Increase the number of small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees by working with insurance companies to develop affordable policies that are marketable to small businesses and educating them on the importance of providing health insurance.

Monitor the "compromisos" or commitments to address the area healthcare issues that were made at the Chamber's healthcare conference for the uninsured, which was held in June of 2006.

Maintain communication and partnership with Camille Miller and the Texas Health Policy Institute regarding the issues of the under and uninsured.

Determine necessary research about the status of the uninsured in this region as a basis for moving forward with a plan to address the issue. If additional research is required, collaborate with community partners to identify and conduct research.

Goal #2

Identify, monitor and develop a position on key legislative issues at the local, state and federal levels, and offer recommendations to the Government Relations Executive Committee and Governing Board of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce regarding these issues.

Identify and discuss important healthcare issues affecting the community.

Maintain close partnership with elected bodies that oversee and implement important healthcare policy for the community.

Develop and maintain priorities for the Chamber's State and Federal Agendas by maintaining dialogue with elected officials and their staff about healthcare policies, using legislative tools to track important legislation, and by monitoring healthcare policy addressed in newspapers, journals and other pertinent publications.

Collaborate with other healthcare organizations such as the El Paso County Medical Society, the Paso del Norte Group, the Mayor's Medical Cabinet, the West Texas CHIP Collaborative and local non-profit organizations on healthcare issues.

Goal #3

Advance regional healthcare by helping to increase the number of healthcare professionals.

Establish Health Careers Marketing Program - Market healthcare careers to middle and high school students through collaboration with local healthcare providers, healthcare professionals, and training institutions.

Expand nursing student capacity by enhancing the loaned faculty initiative to include long-term care facilities, nursing homes, home health agencies, clinics, etc. and by enhancing the nurse faculty salary initiative to include the business community.

Work in conjunction with the Government Relations Division's Quality of Life Committee to develop a comprehensive quality of life recruitment website that will include comprehensive information related to relocation to El Paso .

Develop a website that lists healthcare related job opportunities that would secure a revenue source for the Healthcare Council while also promoting available healthcare positions in the community.

Goal #4

Develop a public relations initiative to educate the community and elected officials regarding the work that is being done by the Healthcare Council.

Establish a public relations task force to hold regular meetings with community leaders, including business owners and elected officials, to describe the work of the Healthcare Council and secure support for these initiatives.

Write an article quarterly for inclusion in the Chamber's newsletter highlighting an initiative of the Healthcare Council.

Goal #5

Seek out potential grants to financially support the initiatives of the Healthcare Council.

Work with community partners to pursue grants that advance healthcare in the community, either as the lead entity or as a supporting entity.

Goal #6

Maintain the Military Medical Task Force as a resource to facilitate the expression and response to identified needs and concerns of William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC).

Be an advocate for all medical and educational facilities in their support of WBAMC.

Monitor the current status of the healthcare network, including identifying shortages in the healthcare system by partnering and working closely with officials from TriWest and Blue Cross Blue Shield

Goal #7

Raise awareness of public health issues such as tuberculosis and identify innovative ways to educate the community about these issues.

Explore developing a community committee for public health that would include individuals from the academic, private and public sectors to work together to develop educational strategies and tools related to public health as well as advocate for additional resources and funding and support for public health research and programs.

Goal #8

Identify mental health needs within the community and develop a strategy to address these needs programmatically and through legislation.

Conduct a community mental health study in partnership with UTEP's Institute for Policy and Economic Development to identify gaps within services and to gather information pertaining to mental health to compare to other communities within the state.

Encourage a community-wide mental health legislative agenda to pursue in 2009, while educating the community on current mental health issues.

Identify additional ways to for mental health organizations to collaborate to provide the best mental health services possible for the El Paso region.

Issue Briefs

•  Children's Hospital - pdf

•  Medicaid Reform - pdf