Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

August 01, 2016

MHA Newsline: Aug. 1, 2016

In this issue 

Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare honored with MHA Patient Safety Improvement Award

Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul received the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) 2016 Patient Safety Improvement Award in the large hospital category, which recognizes hospitals that have taken extraordinary and innovative steps to make patient safety a top priority throughout the hospital.   

Through partnership among care teams, with patients and with health care organizations across the country, Gillette strives to create an environment of ongoing safety improvement. Safety Forward is a commitment: safety is, and will continue to be, Gillette's priority - for every patient, every time.   

Safety at Gillette begins with a culture of partnering with patients and families. The hospital's family council is integral to promoting safety by helping to identify opportunities that will improve patient and family satisfaction with care, as well as collaborating with staff and offering input to leadership. Throughout Gillette, teams help increase safety by focusing on reducing hospital-acquired conditions and promoting other safety best practices. These teams work closely with patients and families to ensure patient safety, inside and outside the hospital.   

Gillette also participates in a safety collaborative called the Children's Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety, with the goal of sharing information in order to reduce safety events. Many hospitals in the collaborative address safety by tackling one or two hospital-acquired conditions at a time - but Gillette is addressing all nine hospital-acquired conditions so the staff can immerse themselves in a culture of continual measurement and improvement, providing patients with the very best practices for safety. 

Additional award winners will be profiled in upcoming issues of Newsline. To learn more about the award winners, visit the MHA websitereturn to top   

MHA Legislative Report and election resources now available

New resources to help MHA members understand the most recent changes in state legislation and engage in the upcoming election season are now available on the MHA Member Center.   

The annual MHA Legislative Report provides a guide to all legislation from the 2016 session impacting hospitals and health care. Copies of the report were mailed to chief executive officers and government relations officers at MHA member hospitals and health systems.   

The 2016 Election Toolkit offers resources to help hospitals and health systems participate in their local election campaigns and meet with candidates for office in advance of the election. Copies of the toolkit were mailed to chief executive officers, government relations officers, directors of nursing and primary communicators at MHA member hospitals and health systems. 

The MHA Member Center is username and password protected. With questions or for help resetting your username and/or password, contact Ashley Beno, member services and communication specialist, MHA.   

With questions about the report or toolkit, contact Mary Krinkie, vice president of government relations, MHA, or Kristin Loncorich, director of state government relations, MHA. return to top   

MHA Perinatal Conference to be held Aug. 24

The MHA Perinatal Conference will be held Aug. 24 from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth. Members of interdisciplinary obstetric teams are invited to register for the conference.   

At the conclusion of the conference, attendees will understand national and state perspectives to improve maternal and neonatal patient safety; gain a deeper appreciation of maternal early warning signs in relation to OB hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and OB sepsis; recognize through simulation critical stages in category 2 management and teamwork to improve situational awareness; and describe risk factors and early detection of neonatal abstinence syndrome and/or maternal mental health. 

For more information, download the program brochure or log in from MHA's home page, then click "Calendar of Events" to register. return to top   

CHAIN Fall Conference to be held Sept. 28

The CHAIN (Collaborative Healthcare-Associated Infection Network) Fall Conference will be held Sept. 28 from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Conference participants will learn about the latest evidence-based approaches for reducing and preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Minnesota.   

At this year’s conference, the winner of the inaugural CHAIN Award for Excellence in Infection Prevention will be recognized. The award honors the HAI prevention initiatives of individual health care professionals or teams in hospital settings who are working to build a safer overall health care environment through the reduction of CAUTI and/or the spread of CDI. Hospital leaders and staff may submit nominations online through Sept. 1.   

The intended audience is patient safety and quality staff, infection preventionists, nurse managers, nurses, physicians and other medical professionals working to prevent HAIs. There is no charge for this opportunity; however, registration is required. Register online. return to top   

MDH, NACDD to host diabetes prevention event Sept. 13

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) will host a state diabetes prevention update and call to action event on Sept. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.   

Leaders from health care, business, insurance, government and community organizations are invited to learn more about current national and state action to expand access to the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) for people who have prediabetes or are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The event will highlight strategies and generate ideas for expanding Minnesota’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) payment and delivery systems.  

The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) is a partnership of public and private organizations working to tackle the enormous problem of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes facing our nation. The partners are working to make it easier for people who have prediabetes to participate in proven, affordable, and high-quality lifestyle change programs, where participants learn the steps toward a healthier lifestyle, including making better food choices, becoming more physically active, and managing stress.   

The event will be held in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area; a specific location is still being determined. Additional event details and registration information will be shared as it becomes available.   

With questions about the event, contact Gretchen Taylor, Diabetes Unit supervisor, MDH, 651-201-5390, or Martha Roberts, Diabetes Unit policy planner, MDH, 651-201-4092. return to top

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