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A monthly newsletter highlighting events and resources for Nursing Homes & Community Coalitions
In This Issue:
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Alliant Quality Report Card: How Are We Doing?
During the LAN events, we share ideas to "use tomorrow" to affect change. We are curious to hear if you were able to apply the knowledge and skills shared.
Nursing Homes, the February LAN event, Immunizations: Fears, Myths & Truths included the following "use tomorrow" intentions, click here if you were able to:
- Use the facts provided during the event to educate and encourage immunization acceptance.
- Use the information about the COVID-19 vaccine to help staff and patients understand and be less fearful of the vaccine.
Community Coalitions, the February LAN event, Authentic Conversations to Increase Vaccination Confidence included the following "use tomorrow" intentions, click here if you were able to:
- Incorporate one recommendation into your vaccine messaging.
View Previous LAN Recordings | View Upcoming LAN Events |
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Our team is collecting and curating the essential trainings, events, resources and vaccine updates about COVID-19 on our website, so you can visit one page to find the information you need. We've also outlined the essentials below.
View All COVID-19 News & Resources
Training & Resources
- CMS/CDC/AHCA Fireside Chat Recording Listen Now
- CMS Targeted COVID-19 Training for Frontline Nursing Home Staff & Management (Free Training) Learn More
- CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management Learn More & Register | Download Infographic
- COVID-19 Response & Resources From The Salvation Army of Hawaii and Pacific Islands Learn More
- Faith-Based Outreach From Arkansas Dept of Health Learn More
- AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network Sign Up Now
- COVID-19 Clinical Rounds: March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 at 10 a.m. ET Register Now
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Leadership Lessons
Words of advice from leaders on the front lines.
This month’s leadership lesson is from Carolyn Kazdan, MHSA, NHA, Alliant Quality Aim Lead for Care Transitions.
Priorities & Strategies of the New CDC Director, Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a podcast interview featuring the new Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH who until her appointment served as Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Many of the priorities and strategies Dr. Walensky identified as she began her role as CDC Director apply to the work we do as health care leaders during this pandemic and as part of our ongoing operations.
These priorities and strategies include:
- Supporting and reassuring our teams that the work they do is both vital and appreciated.
- Communicating important messages and building trust through the use of consistent, scientific data and respect for the valid concerns of those we are communicating with.
- Finding a way to balance COVID-19 as our #1 priority with the need to refocus our efforts on other important work such as mental health, hypertension management, opioid and substance misuse, and vaccination rates.
- Ensuring that equity is part of our foundation. We need to listen and learn from consumers and our staff regarding “what truth they will listen to and from whom” so they can fully understand the implications of the health care decisions they are making.
Read On Our Website
Best Practice Corner
Each month Alliant Quality collects exemplar practices from organizations across the seven-state region. Thank you for your leadership, creativity, and perseverance.
- Online Tool to Help Determine Vaccine Eligibility: NCDHHS launched a new online tool to help North Carolinians know when they will be eligible to get their vaccine. Find My Vaccine Group walks users through a series of questions to determine which vaccine group they are in. People can then sign up to be notified when their group can get vaccinated. Learn More About the Find My Vaccine Group Tool Here
- Photo Contest to Focus on the Bright Spots: Kudos to Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) for sponsoring a Long Term Care photo contest to spotlight the resiliency of staff and residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Click Here to Submit a Photo Before 3/6/21 (for Member Facilities Only)
- Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr.’s Birthday safely during COVID-19: At Signature HealthCARE at Orange Park in Florida, local police officers commemorated MLK Day with residents by walking around the building, smiling, and waving through windows while carrying posters celebrating the life and work of Dr. King. Read the Full Story Here
Do you have a promising practice to share? Please reply to this email and we will feature you in an upcoming issue.
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AHSCAST - Making Health Care Better
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Everyone deserves quality health care.
Join Alliant Health Solutions every other Thursday as they interview guests committed to making health care better. If you are a health care consumer, provider, insurer, system, or consultant, this is the podcast for you. View All Podcast Episodes |
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Events
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Upcoming Learning & Action Network (LAN) Events
- Nursing Homes: What is an Adverse Drug Event (ADE)? Let’s Look a Little Deeper
Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT (30 min call)
Register Now
- Community Coalitions: Data Deeper Dive -- One Coalition's Experience Using Data to Reduce Readmissions
Thursday, March 25 at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT (30 min call)
Register Now
Register for Upcoming LAN Events
View Last Month's LAN Events
- Nursing Homes: Immunizations: Fears, Myths & Truths
Recorded on February 16, 2021
Tune into last month's LAN conversation featuring Alliant Quality's Immunization and Chronic Conditions Lead Libby Massiah, MPA, and Tanya Vadala, Pharm.D, from IPRO, as they discuss common historical immunization myths as well as present facts to educate and encourage immunization acceptance.
Listen to the Conversation | View Slides
- Community Coalitions: Authentic Conversations to Increase Vaccination Confidence
Recorded on February 25, 2021
Tune into last month's LAN conversation featuring Zaboria Hill, CNA, Dr. Swati Garr, Dr. David Holcombe, and Dr. Dianne Bennett-Johnson on increasing vaccination confidence. As one senior adult said, “The conversation was really interesting. Often we get graphed or charted to death and the important messages get lost.” Another listener shared, “I didn’t want the conversation to end.”
Listen to the Conversation | View Slides
Watch all previous LAN Events and Bite-Size Learnings
Infection Prevention Shop Talks
- March 2021 Shop Talk Call
Thursday, March 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT (60 min call)
Updates and support for surveillance, tracking and infection prevention in nursing homes using National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This WebEx is focused on submitting COVID-19 data, but may include other components such as C.diff, UTIs, and hand hygiene.
Register Now
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Resources
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- Trends in US Emergency Departments Visits for Mental Health, Overdose, and Violence Outcomes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A recent CDC study found ER visit rates for mental health conditions, suicide attempts, drug overdoses, and some forms of violence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prevention is possible. Read the Study | Access Stress Coping Resources
- How Healthcare Workers Can Support Each Other
The current burden on healthcare workers is unique. While the general public can provide support from afar, it’s important that people on the frontlines help each other with the mental burden of this pandemic. In situations like this, the support of colleagues can make a huge difference in your day-to-day wellbeing. Read More
- Mental Health and COVID-19 Information and Resources
As the number of cases of COVID-19 increases, so does the need for mental health services. Visit Mental Health America’s website for a variety of screening, coping, and general mental health tools and resources. Learn More
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Access FREE expert guidance on this topic: Contact Stacy Hull |
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- Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 14-20)
Patient Safety Awareness Week is observed to acknowledge the need to improve care safety throughout the system and celebrate efforts to improve care. Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Download a Patient Safety Toolkit or Guide:
- Updated Infection Control Training Opportunities for Nursing Homes
Check out these educational opportunities for nursing home leadership, infection preventionists, and staff. Details including continuing education credits, and time required are listed on the handout. Learn More
- PPE Guidelines: What, When, and Wear
Our new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidelines Flyer is now available for nursing homes. What, When, and Wear describes what PPE are required in various healthcare work settings and includes important considerations to keep staff safe while wearing PPE. Download Flyer | Download Spanish Version
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Alliant Quality has many resources to help you navigate NHSN!
- New to your facility? Click here to gain access. Have your 5-digit NHSN OrgID and previous NHSN user’s email to complete the form.
- Leaving and need to reassign access to your facility? Click here for instructions.
- Data submission for Point of Care Testing began November 20th. Click here for training slides.
- Click here for instructions on Adding Users to your NHSN account.
- Contact Marilee Johnson for support.
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Access FREE expert guidance on this topic: Contact Melody Brown |
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- Immunization Information System (IIS) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is your office or facility using your state IIS (immunization information system) or registry? The free state registry offers benefits including time and money savings and communication potential. Read the FAQ we developed to learn more. Download FAQ Document
- Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
Federal statute requires a number of items be documented for immunizations given, including the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS). The Immunization Action Coalition creates and updates the VISs and provides them in multiple languages- like Tag A Log. Check to ensure you are providing the most up-to-date VISs to your patients and see if there are other resources that might be helpful! Learn More
- March is National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month is observed to encourage informed food choices, healthy eating, and physical activity habits. The definition of healthy eating changes as people age: fewer calories are needed and absorption of certain nutrients may be reduced, especially among those with chronic health conditions. That means it’s more important than ever to help older patients choose foods that give them the best nutritional value.
Download a Toolkit or Guide:
- April is National Minority Health Month
HHS Office of Minority Health has announced #VaccineReady as the theme for National Minority Health Month this April. Learn More
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- New Inter-Facility Infection Control Transfer Form Includes COVID-19 Info
This updated Inter-Facility Transfer Form includes new fields for hospitals and receiving facilities to document and communicate COVID-19 infection history and date of diagnosis, COVID-19 treatments received, and COVID-19 vaccination status. This form also includes important details surrounding current infections or colonization with drug resistant organisms or pathogens of interest, antimicrobial therapy, and invasive devices. Please consider using this form to enhance communication regarding patients as they transition between facilities. Download Form
- Tip Sheet & Overview of CDC Vaccination Communication Toolkit for CBOs
Alliant Quality has produced a tip sheet overview of the new CDC Vaccination Communication Toolkit for Community Based Organizations. The tip sheet introduces the toolkit and can help guide conversations with community partners for collaborative implementation. Download the Tip Sheet
- National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN)
Alliant Health Solutions is partnering with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) on a national initiative to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations. As an NCRN community partner, we invite everyone to join, engage, and subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates and information. It will take a collaborative effort to combat the negative impact of this pandemic. Subscribe Now
- COVID-19 - The Impact on Case Management and Transitions of Care
The American Case Management Association released a Special Issue titled COVID-19 The Impact on Case Management and Transitions of Care which highlights valuable learnings from COVID-19 to improve care transitions and is authored by B.J. Boyle, Vice President and GM, Post-Acute Insights at PointClickCare. Boyle shares the following lessons impacting care transitions and patient experience as providers are re-examining care transitions during the pandemic and planning for future challenges:
- Understand your patient population to build an effective preparedness plan.
- Knock down silos. Collaboration is key to patient experience.
- Successful care transitions depend on data.
- Patient experience has, perhaps, never been more important.
Read the Issue
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Access FREE expert guidance on this topic: Contact Carolyn Kazdan |
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- Post Dialysis Zone Tool
The Post Dialysis Zone Tool is designed to assist health care professional in extended care facilities to assess ESRD patient's post-dialysis treatments. Download Tool
- LTC COVID-19 Module and NHSN
CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network is a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) tracking system, it provides facilities, states, and the nation with data needed to identify problem areas, measure progress of prevention efforts, and eliminate HAIs. The NHSN Long-Term Care Facility Component supports COVID-19 response through a LTCF COVID-19 Module with 3 key components: Surveillance Reporting Pathways, Point-of-Care (POC) Test Reporting Tool, and Vaccination. Learn More
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Members of the Beneficiary & Family Advisory Council are our partners in making healthcare better. To join us in this important work, contact Mel Brown or submit this referral form.
Browse resources our council has worked on below:
- Anticoagulation (Blood Thinner) Zone Tool
This Anticoagulant (Blood Thinner) Zone Tool was designed in collaboration with those prescribed medications as well as those that are prescribing and administering anticoagulants. The intended use is to educate patients/residents and family caregivers as they are being readied for discharge back home. Additionally, this serves as a reminder of what to do in case of a possible adverse event to have the very best outcome with quicker responses. Download Tool
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For more information about Alliant Quality:
www.alliantquality.org
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