In this issue
Saint
Elizabeth's Medical Center works to improve community health
In partnership with Wabasha County Public
Health, Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center has identified four priority
areas:
- Prevention
and wellness: Emphasis on healthy eating and active living
- Senior
health: Emphasis on falls prevention and chronic disease management
- Mental
health: Emphasis on improving accessing to local mental health
services and providers
- Oral
health: Emphasis on improving access to dental services for low-income
population.
Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center
collaborated with Wabasha, Plainview, Elgin and Millville to help over 800
children and their families enhance healthy habits. Through elementary
school activities, community events, primary care provider engagement and workplace
programming, families benefited from improved lifestyles by eating five or
more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, reducing screen time (TV,
computer, phone) to less than two hours per day, being active one hour or
more a day and replacing sugary drinks with water and low-fat milk.
The hospital also promoted efforts to increase consumption of healthy
foods. Partnerships with farmers and vendors at the Wabasha Farmers’ Market
improved access to local foods in schools and restaurants. Wabasha-Kellogg
Schools shopped at the farmers’ market and passed on local goodness to
their students. School staff had the opportunity to obtain Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes brimming with seasonal fruits and
vegetables. Low-income residents received free produce at the farmers’
market through a voucher system supported by Wabasha Area Community
Resource Center and Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center.
Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center also worked to help educate the community
about healthy eating. Fifteen food shelf volunteers participated in a
workshop facilitated by the University of Minnesota Extension Office that
provided education and resources to help make healthy eating an easier
choice for their clients. Workshops were also held to teach residents how
to buy and prepare fresh-from-the-garden produce. With grant funding, the
hospital partnered with the Wabasha Farmers’ Market to implement Order Up
Healthy, a restaurant initiative that aims to make healthy eating the easy
choice when dining out.
Visit the MHA website to learn more and read the
full 2015 Community Benefit Report. return to top
Patient
Safety Awareness Week highlights importance of being ‘United for Patient
Safety’
March 13-19 is Patient Safety Awareness
Week, an annual observance designed to increase awareness about patient
safety. Sponsored by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), the
week is a culmination of NPSF’s United for Patient Safety campaign, which
focuses on patient engagement and the important roles that patients,
families, care teams and others involved in the health care system play in
keeping patients safe.
Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems are committed to providing
superior care to patients and families – and we have earned a national
reputation for delivering safe, high-quality health care and for meeting
the needs of our communities. The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) was
one of just 17 hospital associations and health system organizations in the
country selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to
continue efforts in reducing preventable hospital-acquired conditions
through the federal Partnership for Patients Hospital Engagement Network
(HEN). As part of HEN, Minnesota hospitals and health systems have
prevented more than 21,000 patients from harm and saved more than $116
million as a result of a reduction in hospital-acquired conditions since
2010.
To learn more about the campaign, visit the United for Patient Safety website. Like
MHA on Facebook and follow MHA on Twitter to see highlights of the patient
safety efforts of Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems. return to top
Veterans
mental health conference scheduled for April
Many MHA members have noted the need for
improving mental health services for veterans. To help achieve this
improvement, MHA members are invited to attend an upcoming conference
focused on veterans and their mental health needs.
The Military Mental Health Initiative Committee is sponsoring a conference
with the goal of uniting community providers and resources in order to
deliver high-quality, timely care for all military-connected members of the
community (active-duty, National Guard, Reserve, veterans, and military
family members). The conference is April 13-14 at Camp Ripley in Little
Falls, MN.
Some of the presentation topics and breakout sessions will include:
- Military
Sexual Trauma (MST)
- Suicide
Prevention
- Treating
Substance Use Disorders (SUDs)
- Meditation
Healing
- Survivor
Outreach Services
For more information and to register,
please visit the conference website. return to top
Annual
ICSI Colloquium: Advancing Health Care Value for All
Registration is available for the
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) Annual Colloquium. This
year’s theme is Advancing Health Care Value for All and will expand the
Triple Aim focus to a more inclusive, outside-in approach to value, mindful
that the health of all patients and communities is the reason for providing
care.
The colloquium is intended for health care organization leaders, primary
and specialty care physicians, nurses, quality improvement managers, care
managers, employers and patients. The colloquium will be held May 9-11 at
the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park, MN.
Program and registration information can be found on the ICSI website. With questions, contact Lisa Carlson,
ICSI. return to top
New
open appointments for health care-related members of public entities
The following state open appointments may
be of interest to MHA members.
The Health Care Homes Advisory Committee has six vacancies for consumers or
patients who receive care in a certified health care home in Minnesota. The
advisory committee shall advise the commissioner of health on ongoing
implementation of the health care homes program including, but not limited
to, implementation activities on performance management and benchmarking;
modifications to the health care homes program based on results of the
legislatively mandated health care home valuation; statewide solutions for
engagement of employers and commercial payers; potential modifications of
the health care home rules or statutes; consumer engagement, including
patient- and family‐centered care,
patient activation in health care and shared decision-making; oversight for
health care home subject matter task forces or work groups; and other
related issues as requested by the commissioner.
The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Advisory Committee has one vacancy for one
representative of the following: people with brain injuries; family members
of people with brain injuries; representatives of the brain injury provider
groups such as acute care hospitals, acute care rehabilitation hospitals,
post‐acute rehabilitation providers, community-based service
providers and providers representing children's interests; representatives
from federal, state and local government agencies; and representatives of
professional groups or organizations. The TBI Advisory Committee provides
recommendations in reports to the commissioner of human services regarding
program and service needs of persons with traumatic brain injuries.
The Department of Human Services continues to seek individuals for the
Special Review Board. Six seats are available, including one attorney
member, one person experienced in the field of mental health and four
psychiatrist- or doctorate-level psychologist members. The board hears
reduction in custody petitions involving individuals civilly committed as
mentally ill and dangerous, as a sexually dangerous person or as a sexual
psychopathic personality.
For more information and to apply, please visit the secretary of state’s website. return to top
OSHA
log record-keeping resources available online
The Minnesota Department of Labor and
Industry recently published a document to help hospital safety directors
and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) log record-keepers
improve the quality of their OSHA log record-keeping. The publication,
“Improving injury and illness recordkeeping in hospitals,” is available on
the department’s website.
The document outlines the need for accurate OSHA log record-keeping,
record-keeping survey results and OSHA log record-keeping tips and
resources. For more information, please contact the Department of Labor and
Industry Research and Statistics unit at dli.research@state.mn.us return to top