Higher Education Policy Commission Seeks Advisory Committee Members

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The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Health Sciences is seeking nominations of qualified individuals to participate on its Advisory Committee.  Members of the Advisory Committee provide guidance to the Division on ongoing and proposed Division initiatives.

The Division of Health Sciences coordinates programs, policies and collaborative activities among the state’s health sciences degree granting institutions and other stakeholders. It oversees the Rural Health Initiative and the Health Sciences Service Program, both efforts to recruit and retain healthcare providers in underserved areas of the state. Some of the Division’s current areas of interest are:

  • strengthening the state’s graduate medical education system,
  • supporting primary care practice based research,
  • using geographic mapping to inform healthcare decision making, and
  • behavioral health workforce development.

A full description of the position requirements and responsibilities, as well as instructions for nominations and applications, may be found at www.wvhepc.edu/inside-the-commission/offices-and-affiliates/health-sciences/.

DON’T MISS THE MIPS PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES FOR YEAR 2 (2018) WEBINARS FROM CMS

 

CMS is hosting a series of webinars on the MIPS Performance Categories for Year 2 (2018) of the Quality Payment Program. The webinars will provide an overview on the Cost, Improvement Activities, and Quality performance categories for Year 2 (2018). CMS subject matter experts will cover topics including category requirements, scoring details, and data submission mechanisms.

Below are details for the following webinars and how to register:

MIPS Cost Performance Category for Year 2 (2018) Overview Webinar

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register Here

MIPS Improvement Activities Performance Category for Year 2 (2018) Overview Webinar

Wednesday, August 1, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register Here

MIPS Quality Performance Category for Year 2 (2018) Overview Webinar

Monday, August 6, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register Here

The audio portion of these webinars will be broadcast through the web. You can listen to the presentation through your computer speakers. CMS will open the phone line for the Q&A portion, but if you are unable to hear audio through your computer speakers, please contact CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com

JOIN CMS FOR THE PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK AND TARGETED REVIEW OFFICE HOURS WEBINAR

 

Tuesday, July 31, 2018 – 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m  Register Here

Tuesday, August 14, 2018 – 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Register Here

If you participated in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2017, your MIPS final score and performance feedback are now available for review on the Quality Payment Program website. If you believe that an error has been made in your 2019 MIPS payment adjustment calculation, you can request a targeted review until October 1, 2018 at 8:00 pm (EDT).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting two “Office Hours” sessions over the next few weeks to:

  • Provide a brief overview of MIPS 2017 performance feedback and targeted review
  • Answer some frequently asked questions
  • Highlight helpful performance feedback and targeted review resources available

CMS encourages you to email your questions prior to the Office Hours sessions. If you are interested in submitting a question to be considered, please email CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com. Please note, this email address is only for office hours questions; do not use this to submit a targeted review request.

Please note: Space for these sessions is limited. Register now to secure your spot. The audio portion of the sessions will be broadcast through the web. You can listen to the presentation through your computer speakers.

Learn More

For more information on performance feedback and targeted review, the following resources are available:

WVHKFC Director Position Description

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West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition

Director Position Description

Applications accepted through July 31, 2018 by email to HKFCDirectorSearch@gmail.com

The Organization

The West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition (WVHKFC) aims to make West Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family – no matter who you are. We fight child poverty in our state, and we fight to win.  Working directly with low-income families and partner organizations, we have won 28 policy victories (raising the minimum wage, expanding school breakfast, protecting child care, etc.) and helped unite, train, and fund 290+ local action projects (community gardens, small businesses, student chapters, civic engagement groups, afterschool programs, etc.).    

The original coalition was created in 1998 to develop broad-based support for the passage and implementation of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). After a dozen years of successful work on children’s health, WVHKFC took three bold steps: becoming an independent 501c3 organization, widening its focus from child health to also include child poverty, and expanding its reach to foster the political will needed to lift families out of poverty.

WVHKFC currently has an annual budget of $1.7 million, a staff of 12 people located throughout the state, and numerous interns and AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers. WVHKFC is governed by an active and diverse board of directors that is majority low-income.

The Position

The main job of the Executive Director (ED) is to build power alongside West Virginia families to win local and statewide social change. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED has overall responsibility for WVHKFC’s staff, programs and execution of its mission. Working closely with staff, the ED will ensure the following:

Leadership & Management:

  •         Promote, embody, and defend the organization’s vision and mission, inspiring confidence in the organization, internally and externally;
  •         Offer assistance to our 9 major programs/partnerships and their directors: Try This, Our Children Our Future, Families Leading Change, WV Trainers Project, Call to Action for Racial Equality, Healthy Bodies Healthy Spirits, Young WV, the Candidate Training Academy, and Strong Mountain Communities;
  •         Engage and collaborate with community members, funders, partnering organizations, and state leaders; recruit, develop, and lift up the leadership of working families and vulnerable people in everything we do;
  •         Develop and support of a strong majority low-income board of directors; our board of directors, like all our leadership teams, should look like the change we are fighting for;
  •         Lead, coach and develop our top-notch staff team, while ensuring a respectful, collaborative and productive workplace;
  •         Help manage the re-granting of hundreds of thousands of dollars to 100+ partners annually, in a way that ensures resources get to the communities and leaders who need it most;
  •         Make WVHKFC a model organization that represents in its policies and procedures the change we are fighting for; and
  •         Install and monitor effective systems to track progress, evaluate programs and measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders and other constituents.

Fundraising & Communications:

  •         Work with staff, board, and partners to raise money from diverse sources to support our existing and future program goals and operations; and spread resources to community-driven efforts through re-granting;
  •         Refine our communications strategy to achieve recognition, engagement and support for the organization and its initiatives; and
  •         Tell great stories about our organization, our partners, and the grassroots leaders who are our lifeblood; find ways to unify, streamline and embolden our communications.

Planning & Development:

  •         Conduct regular, energizing assessments and strategy sessions with a mixture of Board, staff, partners, and community leaders;
  •         Make sure our staff and their families have the resources, support, and opportunities we work to ensure for all families; develop policies, practices, and structure that gives staff the tools to lift up marginalized and oppressed communities and individuals, and themselves.
  •         Manage the pace of change – learning how to take calculated risks to “seize the moment” while sustaining current efforts.

Qualifications

Desired qualities, experience and qualifications include:

  •         Embodies a commitment to the organization’s mission and to social, economic and racial justice;
  •         A track record of organizing low-income and vulnerable people for lasting social change;
  •         A strong background in management of nonprofit programs/organizations, including fundraising and grant writing;
  •         Ability to form and sustain good working relationships at all levels: staff, board, funders, community members, partner organizations and government agencies;
  •         Ability to communicate, work with, empower, and relate to people from all walks of life in a genuine way;
  •         Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with good interpersonal skills; and
  •         Action-oriented, adaptable and innovative.

Salary, Benefits, and other Details

        The Director will earn $60,000 – 75,000 (commensurate with experience), plus health benefits, generous paid time off and family leave, and reimbursement for all travel and on-the-job expenses.   

The WVHKFC main office is in Charleston, and the Director should expect to have meetings at least 1-2 days/week from that office.  However, this position also requires frequent travel statewide.

Please include all of the following in your application (Applications accepted through July 31, 2018. Please send by email to HKFCDirectorSearch@gmail.com):

  •         Resume
  •         Cover letter that tells us who you are, what matters to you, and why you would be excited to take on this role for the next 4-6 years;
  •         4 people to serve as references, including 2 who are low-income or under-represented
  •         A writing sample that answers the following questions (maximum 2 typed pages):

o   Write about a successful campaign, organization or project you built that featured prominently the leadership of low-income and vulnerable people – alongside alliances with other stakeholders. What did you learn from that work that you would bring to this job?

o   How would you describe your leadership skills and style?  What would be your approach to the supervision and support of WVHKFC staff (a dozen people at dispersed locations), interns and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers?

o   WVHKFC helps lead 9 statewide movements (Our Children, Our Future; Try This WV; Young WV; WV Candidate Training Academy; Healthy Bodies, Healthy Spirits; WV Trainers Project; Call to Action for Racial Equality; Strong Mountain Communities; Families Leading Change).  Can you offer 1-2 concrete ideas for how these movements could better collaborate or share resources…and how you would facilitate that collaboration.

o   One of your main jobs in this position is to raise and maintain our ~$1.7 million annual budget.  Tell us about how you would approach that task, and what experience you would bring to it.

o   How will you balance your responsibilities to raise funds, manage and mentor the staff, and grow the leadership of low-income people in our movements?

Thanks for your interest!  Applications are due July 31st.  We will get back to all applicants by August 15th at the latest and hope to complete a first round of interviews by September 1st.  Our plan is to make a final decision by October 1st, though of course that may change.  

For more information about the organization or the position, please inquire with current director Stephen Smith (stephen@ourfuturewv.org) and board chair Michael Tierney (mtierney@stepbystepwv.org).  For more information about the hiring process, contact Julie Pratt (julie@ontheridgeline.com).