Cybersecurity is always a concern, but that concern is now elevated. The Federal government has issued alerts about the increased potential for cyberattacks as tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine. Experts agree that healthcare providers are a prime target for such attacks, as the on-going strains caused by the pandemic make them particularly vulnerable. Federal officials pointed specifically to concerns about spear-phishing email. Given these concerns, health centers are advised to “adopt a heightened posture when it comes to cybersecurity and protecting their most critical assets.”
National Health Service Corps Members & Alumni Invited to Join Pipeline Initiative
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is recruiting National Health Service Corps (NHSC) members and alumni interested in advising or mentoring in the NHSC Pipeline Readiness Technical Assistance Initiative. This program will help prepare NHSC pipeline participants to serve communities with longstanding health needs, building their resiliency and capacity to address root causes of health inequities. Sign up to join a committee, help with trainings, or mentor participants or contact ACU with questions.
UPMC and Harrisburg University to Open Nursing School
The Harrisburg branch of the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is partnering with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to open a branch this fall in downtown Harrisburg. The branch will offer an accelerated 16-month program to train registered nurses. Students will take non-nursing courses at Harrisburg U, take nursing courses from UPMC faculty, and do clinical rotations at UPMC Harrisburg and other UPMC facilities in the region. The program, which is open to the public, is expected to start with 200 students. Find more information here.
Registration Open for NACHC Training for New Clinical Directors
Registration is open for the upcoming virtual Training for New Clinical Directors. Join the next training March 8-10 to boost your career and elevate your leadership development. This training provides the core knowledge and addresses the core competencies that all health center Clinical Directors need to function as effective managers, leaders, and advocates for their health centers and communities. The comprehensive course package includes interactive learning, small group case study discussions, peer networking, follow-up resources, and a coaching program. Receive up to 11.5 elective CMECs from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) or CDECs from the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA). For more information contact Katja Laepke at klaepke@nachc.com.
Keynote Speaker Confirmed for PA Rural Recruitment Summit
David Schmitz, MD, the director of the University of North Dakota Family Medicine Residency and one of the creators of the Community Apgar Project, will be the keynote speaker for the Pennsylvania Rural Recruitment Summit. Co-sponsored by PACHC, the summit is happening April 20, 2022, at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College. Dr. Schmitz will speak about how communities can identify strengths and challenges related to recruiting critical healthcare professionals like family medicine physicians. The summit will bring together healthcare entities, clinicians, statewide organizations, and community leaders to listen and learn, together finding a path forward to ensure access to high quality and high value health care for rural Pennsylvanians. Registration is now open. Cost is $100 per person. You are encouraged to bring along leaders from your community. Contact Judd Mellinger-Blouch to find out about how you can encourage community leaders to attend, including a special discount arrangement.
Union Community Care’s COVID-19 Story Spotlighted
HRSA’s new Health Center Stories webpage provides examples of health centers’ creative and inspiring efforts to boost vaccine confidence and connect with their communities. HRSA chooses stories to highlight in its Digest publication. Union Community Care’s work to get COVID-19 tests to people experiencing homelessness and residents of public housing was spotlighted in the COVID-19 section of the Feb. 22 edition of the Digest. Read the full story on the Health Center Stories webpage, as the first story under the COVID-19 Response Efforts section.
Hamilton Health Center Chief Medical Officer Serves as Role Model
PennLive is following up their report on the historic increase in Black students in medical school and why that’s important with a series of profiles of Black health care professionals in central Pennsylvania who have paved the way and now serve as role models for future doctors and nurses. Dr. Bolanle Limann, chief medical officer for Harrisburg-based Hamilton Health Center, is the subject of the first profile in the series. Dr. Limann oversees clinical operations for the health center’s six locations in Dauphin and Perry counties, bringing to bear both her skills as a physician and her knowledge of business. Read more.
Race Gap in Maternal Mortality Grows
The U.S. maternal mortality rate — already high compared to other wealthy countries — has increased, with Black women faring far worse than their White peers, according to new data. In 2020, 861 women died of maternal causes in the U.S., up from 754 in 2019, according to a new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That puts the 2020 maternal mortality rate at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, a figure that is more than double the rate in countries including the U.K., Canada and France.
Mask Mandates Dropped in Every State but One
As COVID-19 cases continue to decline across the country, all states but one — Hawaii — have dropped their mask mandates or have made plans to do so in the coming weeks. This week, Target and Apple stores joined other retailers in pulling back their own mandates. In recent days, some cruise lines said they are relaxing mask requirements for vaccinated passengers after putting stricter rules in place during the omicron surge. But how to handle masks in schools remains a point of contention in many districts.
Pennsylvania COVID-19 Death Rate Plummets
Pennsylvania’s seven-day average of daily COVID-19 deaths fell to 84 as of Sunday, about half the level of late January, according to tracking by SpotlightPA. Sunday’s level is the lowest since early December. The commonwealth’s all-time peak average of 222 daily deaths came in mid-January of 2021. Based on data from the Department of Health, Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 death toll stood at 42,789 as of Monday. Data indicate the level of new infections also has plunged, with Pennsylvania averaging 2,478 new infections per day as of Monday, down from an average of about 28,000 new infections per day in mid-January. Across the country, new cases have plummeted 90% from five weeks ago, although it’s important to note that the data generally doesn’t capture positive home test results