Dear Partners:

Thanksgiving is here and it provides all of us here at HHS an opportunity to give thanks for the millions of individuals who have gotten health insurance in the past two open enrollment periods. This time of year also means that the third cycle of open enrollment begins and we need your help now more than ever.

Many individuals who remain uninsured don't even know that the health insurance coverage is available to them through the health insurance marketplaces. To help spread the word, please make sure to check out some new tools to #givethanks #getcovered for Thanksgiving. These resources include tweets, language you can include in your email newsletters to your community, and bulletin inserts. You can also join us tomorrow, Friday at 1 PM EST, for a special webinar on how to help those in rural communities know about their health insurance options.

Lets make this Thanksgiving special by connecting those we love with health insurance benefits.

Sincerely,

Acacia Bamberg Salatti, Director

The Partnership Center

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

New Tools and Resources to help spread the word about Health Insurance Coverage

We already mentioned the resources and tools you can use to help get the word out about health insurance around the Thanksgiving holiday. Did you know that 57% of those who are eligible for qualified health plan are men? You can use three questions in our Brother2Brother handout to start conversation with men about health and health insurance. And plan ahead to consider how you and your community can plan to be involved in the Faith Weekends of Action. They occur during Open Enrollment on the second weekend in December as well as the second and the fourth weekend in January.

December 11th through 13th
January 8th through 10th
January 22nd through 24th

These weekends represent a special opportunity for congregations to educate their communities and congregations on health insurance coverage.

Webinars and Conference Calls

The HHS Partnership Center continues to host a series of webinars for faith and community leaders and provide links to other webinars sponsored by our Department that we hope will be helpful. All webinars are open to the public. To participate in one of the webinars, please select your preferred topic from the list below and submit the necessary information.

Giving Thanks: Caring For the Health of our Rural Communities and Congregations

November 20 at 1:00 PM EST
(Noon CT, 11:00 AM MT, 10:00 am PT)

In celebration of Rural Health Week, please join us for a webinar highlighting how resources and best practices on the Affordable Care Act can be used by rural faith and community stakeholders.

Engaging Men in Health (Conference Call)

November 24 at 6:00 pm EST

Code: 6119568

Passcode: 5464324

(Noon CST, 11:00 am MST, 10:00 am PST)

The Department of Health & Human Services, American Osteopathic Association & Men’s Health Network would like to invite you to join a conference call featuring HHS Secretary Burwell.

How to Re-Enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace

December 3 at 1:00 pm ET
(Noon CST, 11:00 am MST, 10:00 am PST)

Affordable Care Act 101 for Individuals and Families

December 8 at 1:00 pm ET
(Noon CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)

Grant Opportunities and Awards

AWARDED: HHS Awards $21 million to support Tribal Family Violence Victims and Organizations

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Indian Health Service (IHS) announced the award of nearly $21 million to support tribal domestic violence victims and organizations in American Indian and Alaska Native communities across the nation. Grants will be awarded to 136 tribes and tribal organizations serving 274 tribes. These funds will help to strengthen tribal responses to domestic violence and emphasize public awareness, advocacy, and policy, training, and technical assistance.

Press Release: HHS awards $2.2 billion in Grants for HIV/AIDS Care and Medications

HHS announced that more than $2.2 billion in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grants was awarded in fiscal year (FY) 2015 to cities, states and local community-based organizations. This funding supports a coordinated and comprehensive system of care to ensure that more than half a million people living with and affected by HIV in the United States continue to have access to critical HIV health care, support services, and essential medications.