Nurse Practitioners’ Evolving Roles, Job Satisfaction

Posted on by lad3

As the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce continues to grow and evolve, focus on burnout prevention and workplace satisfaction is imperative to continue to recruit and retain them. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) and the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC) developed a white paper based on focus groups of NPs and health center administrators to better understand the expanding and evolving role of NPs at health centers. The groups also explored the drivers of burnout and factors that contribute to provider satisfaction. ACU and NNCC produced a webinar series on this topic in 2021.

See the page of resources at the STAR2 Center or access the archived webinar series.

Pennsylvania Lead-Free Promise Project Toolkit

Posted on by lad3

The Lead-Free Promise Project has developed a toolkit for primary care offices in Pennsylvania for a child with an elevated blood lead level along with additional resources and information about the Pennsylvania Lead Free Promise Project and the coalition. The toolkit offers resources on:

  • Getting free home lead inspections for patients with Medicaid and CHIP (and how to assist families with private coverage)
  • Connecting families with low incomes to the 22 free remediation programs across the state (and how to assist families who have higher incomes and don’t qualify)
  • Accessing the care management staff at all the Medicaid and CHIP plans in the state (names, phone numbers, and emails)
  • Accessing the local county health department or the state DOH nurses to assist with care management
  •  Accessing Early Intervention, WIC, and other resources

National Immunization Awareness Month

Posted on by lad3

August is National Immunization Awareness Month—the perfect time to highlight collective efforts to protect the health of all our nation’s children. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) invites you to join their @HRSAgov social media campaign – #WellChildWednesdays – to encourage families to get their children’s vaccines and well-child visits. Each Wednesday in August, join them by liking, retweeting, and sharing @HRSAgov Twitter and Facebook messages with the hashtag #WellChildWednesdays, or craft your own message with this hashtag.

New Study Places U.S. at Bottom of Health System Rankings

Posted on by lad3

The U.S. health system trails far behind health systems in 10 peer countries when it comes to affordability, administrative efficiency, equity and health care outcomes, according to the Commonwealth Fund’s latest international rankings of high-income countries. Unique in measuring and comparing patient and clinician experiences across nations, Mirror, Mirror 2021 shows that in the U.S., an individual’s chance of getting good health care depends to a large extent on income — more so than in any other wealthy country. The U.S., which spends the most per person on health care, has ranked last in every edition of the report since 2004. And the U.S. has fallen even further behind on certain measures, especially health outcomes linked to primary care access and equity in care delivery. Read the report to get the complete health system rankings and discover what the U.S. could learn from other nations to improve health care for all Americans.

Rental Assistance Available to Help Renters and Landlords

Posted on by lad3

The federal moratorium on evictions that expired at the end of last week has now been extended to October 3 in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmission, covering areas where 90 percent of the U.S. population lives. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has published a Rental Assistance Finder to help renters and landlords avoid eviction. It can help them understand the resources available to help navigate various financial hardships related to the pandemic. Please help get the word out to your patients. CFPB has promotional materials (like flyers) and sample social media messages/graphics you can easily use.

Introducing “Vira” the Vaxchat Bot

Posted on by lad3

Johns Hopkins University introduces Vira, a vaccine education chatbot, to answer common COVID-19 vaccine questions. The university’s International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), in collaboration with IBM Research, developed Vira. All you need to do is type your question into the chatbot and in just seconds, Vira will offer evidence-based answers vetted by Johns Hopkins vaccine scientists. Vira can be used on both desktop and mobile devices.

Disability Nondiscrimination Laws Apply to People with “Long COVID”

Posted on by lad3

The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Justice (DOJ) jointly published guidance on how disability nondiscrimination laws apply to people with “long COVID” who may be newly covered because of the impact of the COVID-19 infection. The guidance discusses when long COVID may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal civil rights laws. The White House shared the guidance, along with a directory of resources available through programs funded by the Administration for Community Living, as part of a comprehensive package of resources for people with disabilities, including those with long COVID and other post-COVID conditions.

New Recommendations for Pennsylvanians Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Posted on by lad3

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) issued Health Update – 583 – Public Health Recommendations for People Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 on July 30. This guidance replaces PA-HAN-566 and provides clarification on quarantine recommendations for persons exposed to SARS-CoV-2. In counties with substantial or high transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DOH recommend all persons, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask in public indoor settings. Fully vaccinated people who have had a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be tested 2-5 days after exposure and should wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test. Regardless of vaccination status, any person with new or unexplained symptoms of COVID-19 still needs to isolate and be evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

If anyone has questions about this guidance, please call your local health department or 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258). Click here for all the 2021 Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates.

Cost of Insurance and Health Care May Rise for the Unvaccinated

Posted on by lad3

In 2020, before COVID-19 vaccines, most major private insurers waived patient payments — from coinsurance to deductibles — for COVID treatment. That is changing and there is logic behind the changes. Insurers are asking why patients should be kept financially unharmed from what is now a preventable hospitalization, thanks to a vaccine that is made available free of charge. More than 97 percent of hospitalized patients last month were unvaccinated. Though the vaccines might not prevent you from catching the coronavirus, they are highly effective at assuring you will have a milder case and are kept out of the hospital. In addition, if a person decides not to get vaccinated and contracts a bad case of COVID-19, they are not only exposing others in their family, workplace and neighborhood, the tens or hundreds of thousands spent on their care could mean higher health insurance premiums for others as well. What’s more, outbreaks in low-vaccination regions could help breed more vaccine-resistant variants that affect everyone. The decision on whether to get vaccinated or not might still be an individual one, but it is one that comes with consequences.