In this issue
Encourage
the flu vaccine during National Influenza Vaccination Week
Influenza activity in Minnesota has been low so far, but there
is a lot of time left in the flu season. Health officials want Minnesotans to
get their flu vaccine now so they are protected when flu activity increases.
Dec. 6-12 is National Influenza Vaccination Week – the perfect time to
encourage staff and your community to get their flu vaccine. People 65 and
older, young children and those with chronic conditions such as asthma or heart
disease are especially susceptible to the flu, making it all the more important
that health care workers who care for these populations get vaccinated.
Minnesota’s hospitals are wrapping up a campaign to set the record straight
about common misconceptions about the flu and the vaccine. Visit the
Minnesota's Hospitals: Strengthening Healthy Communities website to find #FluTruths you can share in
your community. return to top
NAMI-Minnesota
collects gifts for the holidays
The St. Paul office of NAMI-Minnesota is collecting gifts for
children and adults who will be hospitalized in metro psychiatric inpatient
units and adults living in residential facilities over the holidays. Unwrapped
gifts may be dropped off at NAMI’s office, located at 800 Transfer Road, Ste.
31, in St. Paul, through Dec. 18.
Particular types of gifts are sought – nothing sharp or breakable, no ribbons
or strings. For more information, including gift suggestions, visit the NAMI website. return to top
MDH
requires retesting for some nursing assistants
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is
requiring retesting for 569 people who took the test to become federally
qualified nursing assistants at Inver Hills Community College and its satellite
location at Blue Sky Online in West St. Paul between May 1, 2014, and Oct. 16,
2015, due to anomalies found in the test results.
Because it is not clear which individuals who took the tests may be impacted by
potential improprieties, MDH is requiring all individuals who took the tests at
those locations during that time period to retake the tests. The individuals
will not be charged for the retesting.
Nursing assistants who took the tests during this time period at these
locations may continue to work but they must take and pass the tests by no
later than March 31, 2016. Any employee who does not pass the tests by this
date will be ineligible to work as a nursing assistant at a federally certified
nursing home or board and care home. In addition to being ineligible to work in
those settings, individuals who do not retake the test within the allotted time
and remain employed as nursing assistants may pose increased liability risk to
their employers regardless of the setting where they provide or support patient
care.
MDH plans to contact affected individuals and their employers to explain the
retesting process.
Hospitals and health care systems need to determine if their nursing assistants
took the test at one of the affected locations between May 1, 2014, and Oct.
16, 2015. If you become aware of someone who should retake the test, you are
asked to contact MDH at health.nurseaidetesting@state.mn.us or
651-201-4131.
More information can be found on the MDH website. return to top