Implementing the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
Implementing the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aims to save lives and prevent prescription opioid misuse, opioid use disorder and overdose by equipping providers with the knowledge, tools...
CDC Webinar – Improving Routine, Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination This Winter | December 6
Monday, December 6, 2021 | 1:00 pm CT The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance for all individuals to be up-to-date on their...
Alzheimer’s Association Webinar: Effective Communication Strategies | December 14
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. CT Alzheimer's Is NOT Normal Aging. It’s a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Attend this free webinar to learn about: How individuals living with Alzheimer’s communicate Verbal and...
Early Intervention Can Prevent Diabetes
It is no secret there is a high prevalence of diabetes across the country. Recent estimates report 10.5 percent of the US population is diagnosed with diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes in North Dakota is similar, with a recent estimate showing 9.9 percent of...
Be Antibiotics Aware: Protect your Patients
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging healthcare professionals to prescribe antibiotics only when necessary to help fight antibiotic resistance and the spread of superbugs and to protect their patients from antibiotic-related adverse drug...
Best Practice Briefs: Crisis Prevention and Recovery | December 2021
Real People, Real Processes, Real Success A partnership of the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network and the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care Creating connections among community resources and healthcare facilities provides a pathway for individuals to come...
Palliative Care: A Basic Human Right for Patients Facing Serious Illness
Submitted by: Nancy Joyner, MS, CNS-BC, APRN, ACHPN® November is Hospice and Palliative Care Month. This year's theme is "Meeting You Where You Are." Patients and healthcare professionals don’t understand the distinction between these two medical terms. Hospice care...
Connecting the Dots: Antibiotics, Immunizations and Sepsis
Hats, mittens, cough drops and Kleenex become common shopping list items as the winter season approaches. Protection against the cold and supplies to fight a cold seem to be connected. Infections are a growing health concern and the Great Plains Quality Innovation...
CDC COCA Call: What Clinicians, Pharmacists and Public Health Partners Need to Know about Antibiotic Prescribing and COVID-19 | November 18
Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published several studies characterizing antibiotic prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic in outpatient, nursing home, and hospital settings. Findings from...
Great Plains QIN Webinar: Cross-Cutting Strategies to Improve Infection Prevention & Control | November 16
Attend this Webinar to explore cross-cutting strategies to improve infection prevention and control. The Great Plains QIN team will explain how to use the performance tracking tool in your auditing/surveillance program and how to improve and/or implement competency...
North Dakota: Connect Others to your Healthcare and Community Educational Events
Early in 2020 the North Dakota Healthcare Partners Events Calendar (NDHPEC)—a collaborative effort between Quality Health Associates of North Dakota (QHA) and the Center for Rural Health (CRH)—was launched. The calendar provides a repository in a simple, streamlined...
NETEC Webinar: Influenza in the Age of COVID 2021 | November 12
Friday, November 12, 2021 | 12:00 pm CST Brought to you by the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) Join presenters as they discuss important topics surrounding the upcoming 2021 influenza season. Topics to include discussion on...
Million Hearts® Learning Lab: Intensifying Treatment to Achieve Blood Pressure Control
Million Hearts® Learning Lab: Intensifying Treatment to Achieve Blood Pressure Control Live Question & Answer (Q&A): November 17, 2021 | 2:00 - 2:45 pm CT Objectives: 1. Describe how to apply key recommendations from the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for the...
C. diff is Estimated to Cause Almost a Half a Million Infections In the U.S. Each Year
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is a germ that causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. The CDC estimates C. diff impacts almost half a million people in the United States each year and an estimated 29,300 deaths. C. diff is a bacteria spread by microscopic...
CDC ‘I Get It!’ Flu Vaccination Campaign
The CDC invites you to encourage everyone six months and older to get a flu vaccine this year with their new ‘I Get It’ campaign. There are many reasons to get a flu vaccine—whether it is to keep yourself healthy, prevent the worsening of an underlying chronic health...
The Diabetes Epidemic: Prevention is Key
In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.¹ According to the North Dakota Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, over 50,000 North Dakotans have...
CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities/Long Term Care Open Door Forum | November 4, 2021
CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities / Long Term Care Open Door Forum Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Central Time (CT) Please dial-in at least 15 minutes before call start time. 1-888-455-1397 | Conference Passcode: 8604468 Agenda (subject to change)...
Upcoming Partner Events You Don’t Want to Miss | Continuing Education Offered
⇒ Geriatric and Age-Friendly Webinar Series | What Matters: IP Collaboration to Enhance Wellness through Functional Activities November 9, 2021 | 12:00 PM CT Presenter: Sclinda Janssen, PhD, OTR/L, CLA, Occupational Therapy, University of North Dakota; Grand Forks...
It’s Not Too Late to Become A COVID-19 Staff Vaccination Ambassador
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network launched the COVID-19 Staff Vaccination Ambassador Program in March to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts and recognize community-based organizations, healthcare providers and nursing homes with high staff vaccination rates...
UPDATED Booster Dose Messaging + Toolkit | Public Health Communications Collaborative
The vaccines work. The COVID-19 vaccines continue to be remarkably effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death, including against the delta variant. CDC data show that in August 2021, the risk of dying from COVID-19 in the United States was...
Native American Cultural Awareness Four-Part Series | November – December 2021
This four-part webinar series will enhance cultural awareness and understanding of the Great Plains Tribes. Participants will be introduced to cultural customs, norms, protocols, and healing practices to help health care teams improve their delivery of care when...
Nursing Home Vaccination Change Package Released
The Great Plains Quality Innovation Network Nursing Home Vaccination Change Package was developed to guide nursing homes in improving vaccination rates among residents and staff. The change package identifies barriers and challenges to vaccination and provides...
What Clinicians Need to Know about the Recent Updates to CDC’s Recommendations for COVID-19 Boosters | October 26, 2021
This COCA Call will provide an overview of the most recent recommendations for administering COVID-19 booster vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide updates about the latest recommendations and clinical considerations for administering...
Make Health Information Understandable During Health Literacy Month
During October, the CMS Office of Minority Health (OMH) recognizes Health Literacy Month. We encourage healthcare providers to make health information easier for patients and residents to understand and navigate. Healthy People 2030—an initiative that identifies...
Celebrating Healthcare Quality Week | October 17 – 23
The Great Plains QIN team proudly supports the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and those around the world in celebrating Healthcare Quality Week. This week is dedicated to the healthcare quality professionals who are committed to improving...
Lunch and Learn Series to Increase Diabetes Awareness
Limited Healthcare Access Strains Diabetes Management Individuals served by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) across the country routinely experience the strain of limited healthcare access due to geographic, financial, or cultural barriers. The added...
AHRQ Releases New App to Help Spanish-Speaking Patients Prepare for Medical Appointments
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a Spanish-language update to QuestionBuilder, an app intended to help patients prepare for their in-person or telehealth appointments. QuestionBuilder en español, released in conjunction with Hispanic...
Natasha Green Appointed to Great Plains Quality Innovation Network Board of Directors
Natasha Green, MBA, RN (pictured) is employed by Quality Health Association of North Dakota (QHA), a subcontractor for the Great Plains QIN. She has over 10 years of healthcare experience working in a variety of settings, including the hospital, emergency department,...
Lunch and Learn Series to Increase Diabetes Awareness
Limited Healthcare Access Strains Diabetes Management Individuals served by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) across the country routinely experience the strain of limited healthcare access due to geographic, financial, or cultural barriers. The added...
Health Literacy: Clear Communication Improves Outcomes
Personal health literacy is when individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services for health-related decisions for themselves and others. Complicated and unfamiliar words leave nearly nine out of ten American adults struggling to...