In this issue
Mental
Health Community Partners Network launches
A networking opportunity for hospitals, clinics and community
partners serving patients with mental illnesses launched Jan. 27 with an event
that brought together stakeholders from across Minnesota. The Mental Health
Community Partners Network, made possible by the Minnesota Hospital
Association’s Partnership for Patients Hospital Engagement Network and the
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), provides an opportunity to
plan for optimal care transitions for patients with mental illnesses.
At the network’s inaugural meeting, Mental Health Crisis Alliance project
director Roger Meyer provided an overview of services provided and lessons
learned since the organization’s inception in 2002. The Mental Health Crisis
Alliance is a coalition of mental health leaders and providers working to
transform the crisis service system for adults in the eastern metropolitan area
of the Twin Cities. Its goal is to ensure that adults experiencing mental
health crises receive timely, high-quality integrated services in the least
restrictive setting.
A panel of certified peer specialists shared their stories of living with
mental illnesses and helping others navigate the mental health system.
Certified peer specialists are care team members who have a primary diagnosis
of a mental illness and are current or former consumers of mental health
services. They use a non-clinical approach to assist individuals experiencing
mental illnesses to discover their strengths and develop their own unique
recovery goals. Peer specialists model wellness, personal responsibility,
self-advocacy and hopefulness through appropriate sharing of their stories.
The Mental Health Community Partners Network will continue to offer events and
subject-specific webinars through August 2016 on the topic of care transitions
for the following patient population groups:
- Patients admitted to an
inpatient psychiatric hospital unit
- Those with acute conditions and
known mental health diagnoses
- Patients with chronic disease
who develop mental health conditions
- Those who are newly diagnosed
with serious mental illnesses
The next networking event will take place on Tuesday, April
12, from 1-4 p.m. at the Maple Grove Community Center. Learn more about the event and sign
up; registration closes on Tuesday, April 5. For more information,
contact Jill Kemper, ICSI, 952-858-8991. return to top
Nominate
your hospital or program for a 2016 MHA Award
Nominations due Friday, Feb. 26
Is your hospital a best Minnesota workplace? Do you have an innovative patient
safety program or exemplary caregiver who deserves recognition? If so, consider
submitting a nomination for MHA’s annual awards program. For more than 30
years, the MHA Awards have celebrated outstanding work by Minnesota hospitals
and health systems – and we want to honor you.
MHA award categories recognize excellence including community health, best
workplace and patient care. Honors for individuals recognize trustees, volunteers,
hospital executives, caregivers and public officials. Additional information on
the categories and judging criteria can be found on the MHA website.
Entries are due by Friday, Feb. 26; find the entry form here: Nomination Form.
MHA will notify all entrants whether they have won in mid-April. A reception
and dinner will take place Friday, May 20, at the Metropolitan Ballroom in
suburban Minneapolis. All
MHA members and associate members are invited and encouraged to attend the
awards ceremony. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for
this celebration of excellence in Minnesota health care.
For more information, contact Sarah Bohnet, MHA visual communications
specialist, 651-603-3494. return to top
Workplace
violence prevention training module now available
An online training module on workplace violence prevention is
now available on the MHA website. The approximately 35-minute
training module provides education on violence identification, prevention and
de-escalation to all staff at any health care organization. The module was
created by MDH and Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA).
In 2015, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law that hospitals
must design and implement preparedness and incident response plans for action
of violence that occur on their premises, and provide training for employees.
Hospitals must have preparedness and incident response plans in place by Jan.
15, 2016.
Training must be underway by Jan. 15, 2016, and completed by Aug. 1, 2016.
Training must also be incorporated into new employee training on an ongoing
basis and all health care workers must be retrained annually.
At a minimum, training must include:
- Safety guidelines for response
to and de-escalation of an act of violence
- Ways to identify potentially
violent or abusive situations
- The hospital's incident
response reaction plan and violence prevention plan.
The training module was designed to help hospitals meet some of
the training requirements. The module does not include any facility-specific
training on incident response reaction plans or violence prevention plans.
Additional resources for implementing the workplace violence prevention law are
available on the MHA website as well as the MDH website.
For more information on workplace violence prevention, contact Tania Daniels, vice president of quality and patient safety, MHA,
651-603-3517. return to top
Hospitals
with swing beds reminded to provide updated Resident Bill of Rights
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has posted updated
versions of the Resident Bill of Rights on the MDH website. Hospitals with
swing beds are required to provide the Federal Resident Bill of Rights to patients
because these beds are considered skilled nursing facilities, and are thus
covered by the requirement to provide this information. Patients in swing beds
must also receive the Hospital Patient Bill of Rights.
Hospitals with swing beds may choose to provide the State and Federal Combined Bill of Rights
instead of the Federal Resident Bill of Rights. However, all
patients must receive the Hospital Patient Bill of Rights as well.
Please note, only the Resident Bill of Rights has been updated. You may continue
using the current Hospital Patient Bill of Rights dated 2007.
For additional information and to find bills of rights in languages other than
English, visit the MDH website.
For questions, please contact Pam Kerssen or Mary Absolon,
MDH. return to top
2016
Preparedness Practicum to take place Feb. 24
The 14th annual Preparedness Practicum, sponsored by
Metro Region Healthcare System Preparedness Program and Hennepin County Medical
Center, will take place Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center
in Brooklyn Center.
The practicum is designed to enhance and improve the preparedness of Minnesota
hospitals and health care facilities by providing education from lessons
learned to providers and other members of the preparedness team. Sessions
include:
- Preparedness and Incident
Response for Rail Transport of Oil
- Katrina/Rita – 10 Years Later
- Tragedy on the Track: Lessons
Learned from Amtrak 188
- Local updates
Following this activity, participants should be able to:
- Apply lessons learned in
communication and multi-agency coordination during recent disasters and
incidents.
- Identify critical aspects of
staff and patient protection during disaster/special incident response.
- Integrate best practices and
lessons learned from recent incidents and exercises into facility response
planning.
View the practicum brochure to see a full event
schedule, registration fee information and registration deadlines. Register online. return to top
2016
federal poverty guidelines released
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released
the 2016 poverty guidelines. The annual income qualifying as 100 percent of the
poverty level is as follows:
- $11,880 for one person
- $16,020 for 2 people
- $20,160 for 3 people
- $24,300 for 4 people
Increase the annual amount by $4,160 for each
additional person.
The full table is available online. return to top