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Monday, August 5, 2002
Bush Signs Nurse Reinvestment Act
President George W. Bush last week signed legislation offering incentives to men and women to seek employment and advance within the nursing field. The Nurse Reinvestment Act, sponsored by Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), creates the Nurse Corps Scholarship program, and extends the Nurse Loan Repayment Program for nursing education. H.R. 3487, which is effective immediately, also establishes nurse retention and patient safety enhancement grants, geriatric training grants for nurses, faculty loan cancellation programs, a career ladder grant program and public service announcements to promote the nursing profession and careers in nursing.

Watch for an OHA bulletin outlining the bill and stay tuned for opportunities to build on partnerships with nursing schools and for strategies in applying for Nurse Reinvestment Act funding. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org; Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

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(Editor’s note: StateHealthClips.com has gone to a subscription service. Please note that the link to access clips will change daily. If you visit www.statehealthclips.com, you will be required to enter a subscriber password. No password is required for the link published in HEALTH e-NEWS Plus.)

Tuesday, August 6, 2002
OHA Asks Members to Join Pollution Prevention Efforts
The OHA Environmental Leadership Council has received an Environmental Protection Agency grant extension, giving OHA members another opportunity to participate in the Mercury Elimination Resolution. Hospital support of this effort will help to ensure that OHA and its members will continue to be leaders in pollution prevention in Ohio.

Nineteen health care organizations have submitted a resolution to eliminate Mercury in health care by 2005, and others are encouraged to become a part of this effort. OHA would like to thank participating hospitals for their pollution prevention efforts.

Hospitals interested in adopting this resolution can fill out the survey and sign the resolution located at www.ohanet.org/p2/. A complete listing of the hospitals that have adopted a resolution to eliminate mercury in their facilities is also available at the above Web site. (Susan Zabo, susanz@ohanet.org)

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(Editor’s note: The news clips are being password-protected on the OHA Web site. OHA members will be notified separately of the password. HEALTH e-NEWS Plus subscribers can still access news clips through the daily e-mail without a password.)

Wednesday, August 7, 2002
HCAP Schedule Announced with Two Cycles
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has decided to allow for two assessment/payment cycles in this year’s Hospital Care Assurance Program (HCAP). Originally, the department had proposed a single cycle due to time constraints. OHA was able to convince the department having to pay their entire assessment at one time would have created cash-flow problems for some hospitals. The first assessment is due Aug. 27 and the second Sept. 11. The first payment will be made Sept. 6 with the second payment made Sept. 23. Final assessment notices have been sent to hospitals. OHA is still finalizing the 2002 HCAP distribution model and will soon release the final model, which will be available on the HCAP section of OHA’s Web site at www.ohanet.org/hcap/. (Ryan Biles, ryanb@ohanet.org)

Taft Invites 9/11 Responders to Remembrance Event
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft will host a statewide community service event on the first anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy to remember lost loved ones and recognize Ohioans who responded to the disaster. A celebration of American pride, the event will be held at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Many of Ohio’s health care employees and organizations volunteered time and resources to aid in the relief effort following the terrorist attacks last fall. These volunteers, and any other individuals or groups who participated in relief efforts, are invited to take part in the remembrance event by filling out the form located at www.ohanet.org/terrorism_preparedness/911form.pdf and returning it to the Governor’s Office by Aug. 9. Visit www.ohanet.org/terrorism_preparedness/taftletter.pdf for Taft’s invitation to the event. For additional information call the Office of the Governor at 614.466.3555.

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Thursday, August 8, 2002
Ohio Ahead of the Curve on Nursing Shortage Solutions
As the nation turns its attention to the national nursing shortage following yesterday’s report of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Ohio hospitals continue to work toward solutions to the nursing shortage.

JCAHO reported that the growing shortage of nurses is endangering the lives of patients and put forth three strategies to transform the nursing workplace to combat the shortage. JCAHO calls for an organizational culture of retention, a bolstered nursing education infrastructure and financial incentives for hospitals to invest in nursing. The JCAHO white paper and press kit are available at www.jcaho.org/news+room/Press+Kits/Nursing+Shortage+Press+Kit.htm.

Ohio hospitals have already begun working toward goals similar to JCAHO’s through OHA’s Strategic Direction objective to attract and retain talented and dedicated employees. Set in motion two years ago, OHA’s Strategic Direction envisions hospitals as attractive environments in which employees and medical staff are appreciated and fulfilled. Using this model, Ohio hospitals take their responsibility for solving the workforce shortage very seriously. Initiatives underway include seeking magnet hospital status, implementing nursing scholarships and promoting the field of nursing.

Another step ahead of JCAHO is OHA’s FutureThink effort, created to design the future of clinical care delivery and form an action plan for solving the health care workforce shortage. OHA will continue to work with member hospitals through initiatives such as FutureThink, which is geared to employing technology, preventative health care and other strategies to more creatively and efficiently utilize the limited human resources. For more information on the health care workforce shortage, best practices for recruitment and retention, nurse essays and more, visit OHA’s Hospital Workforce Forum at www.ohanet.org/workforce/. American Hospital Association (AHA) members can access an AHA Member Advisory and talking points at www.aha.org. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)

Ohio CEO Elected to AHA Board
Frank Perez, president and CEO of Kettering Medical Center Network was this week elected to the American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Trustees. The board is the policy-making body of AHA, and has ultimate authority for the control and management of AHA’s direction and finances. Perez’ term will begin Jan. 1, 2003, and end Dec. 31, 2005. Perez is a former member of the OHA Board of Trustees and serves on the board of the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care. AHA elected four additional new members and re-elected two members to the board

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Friday, August 9, 2002
Hospitals Urged to Distribute Patient Safety Info
The Ohio Patient Safety Institute (OPSI) last week sent hospitals the second in a series of patient safety information. Hospitals are encouraged to use and distribute the Inpatient Patient Safety Flyer, available at http://www.ohiopatientsafety.org. The flyer was created to help hospitals educate patients and their families about getting involved in their health care to prevent errors and improve quality care.

Formed in response to the growing challenge of reducing medical errors, OPSI is working to improve patient safety in Ohio and provide high quality care by educating health care providers and the public. OPSI was created through collaboration of OHA, the Ohio State Medical Association, Ohio Osteopathic Association and OHA’s allied associations. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

Ohio Avoids Human Infection of West Nile Virus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 89 human infections, including four deaths, from West Nile Virus in the U.S. so far this year, but Ohio and surrounding states have reported no cases of human infection. The West Nile virus arrived in Ohio last year, with 71 of the state’s 88 counties citing cases of infected birds or mosquitoes.

The state established a West Nile Virus Workgroup in 2000 with the mission of developing a statewide plan to prevent and combat the disease. In its effort to educate Ohio’s citizens and prevent the spread of this disease, the workgroup brought together the Ohio Departments of Health, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Aging as well as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio State University Department of Preventative Medicine, local health departments and the United States Department of Agriculture. Their plan, including surveillance, testing, public education and mosquito control, is available at http://www.odh.state.oh.us/ODHPrograms/ZOODIS/WNV/Pubs/WNVStPlan.PDF.

West Nile Virus is a viral disease transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito that can cause infection in the brain and spinal cord. The disease has appeared primarily in birds, mosquitoes and horses, and humans cannot contract the disease from another infected person or horse. Symptoms of the disease include fever, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands. People over 50 have a greater risk of developing a severe case, which may include more serious symptoms. Prevention is the primary way to fight West Nile Virus, as it currently has no specific treatment or vaccine.

For more information about West Nile Virus in Ohio, as well as statistics and maps depicting the disease’s activity, visit the following Web sites:

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