Launch of the COVID-19 Community Corps
As part of the HHS COVID-19 Public Education Campaign, on April 1, 2021 the agency announced the launch of the COVID-19 Community Corps, which will play a significant role in the agency’s community-driven initiative. The COVID-19 Community Corps is a nationwide,...
Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Helps Medicare Beneficiaries Fight Fraud
Medicare fraud costs taxpayers $60 billion annually and puts beneficiaries’ health and welfare at risk. The impact of these losses and risks magnifies as Medicare continues to serve a growing number of older Americans. Thankfully, Senior Medicare Patrols (SMPs) are...
CDC Vaccination Trainings – One Page Resource
There are many resources available to help you effectively meet the demands of your role as a vaccinator in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Information and guidance about COVID-19 vaccine products are constantly evolving as we learn more, so please continue to...
CDC and FDA Recommend a Pause in Use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
CDC and FDA recently recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine pending an investigation into six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals who received the vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine safety...
Great Plains QIN Medication Safety Action Group | April 20
Join us for the Medication Safety Action Group Webinar, April 20, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 pm CT. This session builds on the March 16 learning event: Medication Safety – Impact of Aging on Medication Use with Kristen Carter, PharmD, Lynn’s Dakotamart, Pierre, SD. This is an...
Physicians Express Reluctance To Recommend Discontinuing Medications That Increase Fall Risks
Fall risk increases with the number of drugs used per day and polypharmacy (the use of at least three drugs) is regarded as an important risk factor for falls in older people. Some physicians are reluctant to initiate potentially contentious conversations with...
Community Health Workers: Bridging the Gap
Confidante. Helper. Friend. Trusted Resource. These are all descriptors for Jordan Bergmann, a community health worker (CHW) who helps bridge the gap for individuals in need of community services or health care programs in Bismarck, North Dakota. “In order to connect...
Which COVID-19 Vaccine?
There are currently three Covid-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration, manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. All three are currently being distributed across the United States. Many are wondering...
Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium | May 6, 2021
Public health practitioners, professionals in the aging network, mental health providers, healthcare professionals and anyone interested in ensuring the mental health of older adults should attend this free, virtual event on May 6, 2021. Learn more by accessing the...
National Quality Forum’s Measure Applications Partnership (MAP) Call for Nominations Now Open Through May 6
The National Quality Forum’s (NQF) Measure Applications Partnership (MAP) Call for Nominations for organizations and individual subject matter experts is open. The MAP is a public-private partnership convened by NQF, funded by a contract with the Centers for Medicare...
#VaccineReady this National Minority Health Month
April is National Minority Health Month, and this year, the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) is focusing on the impacts COVID-19 is having on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities and underscoring the need for these vulnerable...
Vaccine Confidence: We Can Do This!
There is a new national campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence. This campaign will rely on messengers from community-based organizations to press the importance of the vaccine, especially in underserved populations, including rural ones. The WE CAN DO THIS...
National Healthcare Decisions Day: April 16
While 92% of Americans say it’s important to discuss their wishes for end-of-life care, only 32% have had such a conversation. 95% of Americans say they would be willing to talk about their wishes and 53% even say they’d be relieved to discuss it. (The Conversation...
Advancing Health Equity: Strategies for Improvement
HEALTH EQUITY MEANS THAT EVERY PERSON HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL HEALTH REGARDLESS OF: • THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN • LEVEL OF EDUCATION • GENDER IDENTITY •SEXUAL ORIENTATION • THE JOB THEY HAVE • THE NEIGHBORHOOD THEY LIVE IN • WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE A...
Creating a Culture of Safety for Opioid Prescribing: A Handbook for Healthcare Executives
Over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, according to recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Guide My Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Tool
Guide My PPE is designed to give care providers illustrated guidance for donning and doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Developed by the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC), in partnership with Emory Visual Medical...
North Dakota ONE Rx Program Featured on National Community of Practice Call
Jayme Steig, PharmD, RPh; Great Plains Quality Innovation Network Quality Improvement Advisor was selected to present on a national community of practice call to provide an overview of the ONE Rx program. The presentation took place on March 23. The Opioid and...
Forgone Care During the Pandemic
According to a recent CMS survey, many Medicare beneficiaries reported forgoing non-COVID-19 care, such as regular check-ups, medical screenings and other vaccinations, such as influenza and pneumococcal. While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused healthcare providers to...
Brand New! CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar Series
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designed a new mini-webinar series addressing different topics related to COVID-19 vaccination. Each webinar is approximately 15 minutes and offers Continuing Education (CE). CDC’s first two webinars are available...
COVID-19 Safety Training for Direct Care Workers
With funding from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), The University of Southern Maine’s Cutler Institute has developed a no-cost, web-based COVID-19 safety training for direct care workers. The training focuses on the safety of the worker and...
Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccine and What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know | March 30
Tuesday, March 30 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. CT Hosted by North Dakota State University (NDSU) and the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH). Access the webinar via the Zoom link: https://ndsu.zoom.us/j/99305335628 All healthcare professionals and the public are invited....
Best Practice Briefs: Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Register and attend the upcoming Best Practice Brief hosted by Great Plains Quality Innovation Network, in partnership with the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care. Best Practice Briefs are 20-minute webinars highlighting successful system and policy change for...
COVID-19 Vaccine Education for North Dakota Long-Term Care Staff
The Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE) in the Department of Public Health at North Dakota State University (NDSU) is working with the North Dakota Department of Health to develop education which addresses COVID-19 vaccine related concerns and...
Celebrate Public Health Heroes
In the midst of the most challenging public health crisis of a lifetime, recognizing the impact of public health professionals on communities and lives is more important than ever. While these individuals are worthy of daily praise, National Public Health Week sets...
Screen, Test, Refer to Prevent Diabetes
As blood circulates through every major organ, it becomes a key source of information for how well the body is functioning. A routine schedule to screen and test for high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels can help manage, and even prevent, a...
National Health Care Decision Day
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” - Benjamin Franklin. In homage to Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote, National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) has been held the day after the tax deadline (April 16) since 2008. Created to...
What Does Patient Safety Mean to Us?
This week, March 14 - 20, we celebrate Patient Safety Awareness Week, an annual recognition event intended to encourage everyone to learn more about health care safety. During this week, important discussions locally and globally are happening to inspire action to...
Minority Health Vaccine Message Aims to Impact Pandemic Disparity
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on racial and minority populations, including American Indian and Alaska Native communities. National Minority Health Month in April raises awareness of health disparities among racial and minority populations....
AHQA Applauds Biden Administration for Passing The American Rescue Plan of 2021
The American Health Quality Association, AHQA, applauds the Biden Administration and Congress for passing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This historic bill will deliver resources for the COVID public health response and economic aid to those impacted by the...
CMS Updates Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance today for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency...