• Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center works to improve community health 
• Patient Safety Awareness Week highlights importance of being ‘United for Patient Safety’ 
• Veterans mental health conference scheduled for April 
• Annual ICSI Colloquium: Advancing Health Care Value for All 
• New open appointments for health care-related members of public entities 
• OSHA log record-keeping resources available online   

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