The News

Test-driving Faith-based AIDS/HIV Outreach

A faith-based approach to AIDS/HIV outreach is being tested by a handful of African-American churches throughout the country in response to the disproportionate ratio of AIDS/HIV infection among this group.

Last week, Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland and neighboring The Cleveland Clinic recently demonstrated how hospitals and churches can forge community alliances to raise awareness among African Americans about testing, support and treatment for the disease.

This partnership is the first of its kind in Cleveland and possibly in the Midwest, says Dr. John Clough, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic's division of health affairs. Clough helped get the "Agape Program" partnership off the ground. The program uses the church as a center for AIDS/HIV testing, prevention education, counseling, case management and treatment referrals services. The goal is to reach out to those who are disinclined to go to a hospital to find out their HIV/AIDS status.

The grand opening last week announced that the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland's American Red Cross, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Agouron Pharmaceuticals had joined the partnership. Former Congressman Louis Stokes and Cleveland Department of Health Acting Director Michele Witlow also were among the politicians on hand. Media coverage included local Fox, NBC and ABC affiliates.

Look for a more in-depth report on the trend of faith-based partnerships in the next issue of HPRMN.

(Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mark Short, 609/897-2742)

HMOs Misinform Seniors

The Health Care Financing Administration's General Accounting Office is slamming 16 managed care organizations for making inaccurate claims in their marketing materials.

In two separate reports, the HCFA found that an estimated 17 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who are in HMOs are not sufficiently informed by their plans on key coverage issues.

Examples of the inaccuracies include:

Five health plans which said that women need to get a physician referral for mammograms - a blatant violation of Medicare policy, which requires direct access to the test.

Some plans which do not adequately advise beneficiaries of their appeal rights when coverage or payment is denied.

One plan which said that its prescription drug benefit was substantially less generous than was outlined in its contract with Medicare.
To address these discrepancies, HCFA is in the process of requiring plans to standardize the marketing information they provides to beneficiaries. A proposed "easy to understand" format is being tested with focus groups and will be required beginning with Medicare's open enrollment season this fall, says Carol Cronin, director of HCFA's center of beneficiary services.

HCFA also is looking to standardize other beneficiary information, including appeals notices and enrollment forms.

(HCFA, 202/690-6145)

AHA's National Trendwatch

The American Hospital Association has published a new trend report to help healthcare executives shape strategies for year 2000 and beyond. Its Beyond 2000: HealthTrends in the New Millennium report provides insight on a broad range of healthcare topics, including managed care, hospitals, physicians and consumer attitudes toward healthcare.

The report costs $15 for AHA members and $45 for non-members. To order, call 800/AHA-2626.

Single Parents Prove Difficult Audience to Reach

Single parents are often an important audience for healthcare communicators.

A study by Simmons Market Research offers some pointers about how - and how not - to reach this critical demographic.

There may be hundreds of single parent/divorce Web sites, only 15% of single parents subscribe to an interactive computer service. Few single mothers (9%) and single fathers (12%) say they plan to subscribe in the next year;

Most single parents (81 percent) watch prime time programs; 76 percent of single fathers watch ABC and 61 percent of single mothers watch FOX.

Single moms are more likely than average to watch television during the day (34%) and late at night (15%).

If you're pitching magazines, the best way to reach single mothers are through the following Better Homes and Gardens (23%), Ebony (23%), Jet (19%), Good Housekeeping (18%), Parents Magazine (18%) and Essence (17%).

Magazines that best reach single fathers are TIME (16%), Newsweek (11%) and U.S. News and World Report (9%);

While 60 percent of single parents say they subscribe to cable TV, only 56% have watched at least one cable program in the last seven days.

Single parents are less likely than average to read newspapers, with only 55% reading Sunday newspapers and 38 percent reading daily newspapers.
(Simmons, 212/373-8900)

---