Issues in Health Reform: Using a Blog to Inform Professionals and the Public

This article describes a blog designed to be a source of unbiased information about the ACA for the general public and as a tool for Extension educators to help them understand the intricacies of the ACA so that they could be more conversant about ACA\u27s opportunities and challenges in their communities. Some current blog posts, including the recent Supreme Court decision, Medicaid Expansions decisions, and a reflection on the first 5 years of the ACA, are noted to showcase how the blog is being used to inform about ongoing policy issues

You and Health Insurance: Making a Smart Choice for Farm Families

This article describes and encourages use of a curriculum that was developed for Extension educators to provide farm families with information about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the procedure to become certified to use it. It also describes features of the ACA and unique challenges and opportunities that this law provides to farm families, including the employer mandate and an ability to earn income-based tax subsidies and expanded Medicaid coverage without application of an asset test

Tools for Schools and Communities: An Online Toolbox for Enhancing SCHIP Outreach and Awareness

Covering Kids & Families-Wisconsin (CKF), a program supported through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, has developed an online toolbox to better serve individuals in need of and eligible for public health insurance coverage. Lack of health insurance coverage is an increasing concern nationwide, yet information to access public coverage programs is disparate and confusing. When in need, uninsured individuals may turn to familiar organizations in their communities for assistance. The CKF toolbox can serve as both a resource of relevant information and as a template for community leaders who assist the uninsured but who are, themselves, unclear of the details

Tools for Schools and Communities: An Online Toolbox for Enhancing SCHIP Outreach and Awareness

Covering Kids & Families-Wisconsin (CKF), a program supported through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, has developed an online toolbox to better serve individuals in need of and eligible for public health insurance coverage. Lack of health insurance coverage is an increasing concern nationwide, yet information to access public coverage programs is disparate and confusing. When in need, uninsured individuals may turn to familiar organizations in their communities for assistance. The CKF toolbox can serve as both a resource of relevant information and as a template for community leaders who assist the uninsured but who are, themselves, unclear of the details

Health in All Policies: Working Across Sectors in Cooperative Extension to Promote Health for All

A Health in All Policies approach engages cross-sector stakeholders to collaboratively improve systems that drive population health. We, the members of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP)’s Health in All Policies Action Team, propose that adopting a Health in All Policies approach within the national Cooperative Extension System will better prepare us to contribute meaningfully to improving the nation’s health. We first explain the Health in All Policies approach and argue for why and how it is relevant for Extension. We then present insights gathered from Extension Family and Consumer Sciences program leaders and state specialists to assess whether national and state leadership are poised to adopt a Health in All Policies approach within their affiliated programs. Although participant leaders saw the value of the approach in contributing to population health improvement, they generally saw the Extension system as having lower levels of readiness to adopt such an approach. Six themes emerged as ways to increase Extension’s engagement in Health in All Policies: a paradigm shift within Extension, professional development of competencies, transformational leaders and leadership support, continued and new partnerships, information access for all levels and disciplines of Extension