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Monday, June 6, 2005
Measles Cases in Indiana may be Contagious
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) recently received notification from the Indiana State Department of Health that cases of measles have surfaced in an area with a low immunization rate. The initial patient had recently returned from an eastern European country currently experiencing a measles outbreak.

Ohio health care providers are encouraged to consider the diagnosis of measles in patients meeting a clinical case definition. A child from this group was recently hospitalized in an Ohio pediatric hospital with probable measles and other individuals who may have been exposed to measles could travel to Ohio while incubating the disease. Ohio residents could also be exposed to the disease if traveling in Indiana. If a provider finds reason to suspect measles, the local health department should be notified immediately. For questions about the use of MMR vaccine and immune globulin in response to this situation, call the ODH Immunization Program at 614.466.4643.

Foundation Announced New Grant Cycle

OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities kicks off its second round of 2005 grants today, sending out a request for proposals for Hospitals as the Healthiest Workplaces in Ohio! grants. Hospitals soon should receive complete information by mail on applying for the grants, which provided $100,000 in funding last year. These grants focus on creating sustainable programs in hospitals that weave wellness into the hospitals' culture, leading to healthy behavioral changes and eventually control of health care benefits costs.

All not-for-profit and government-operated Ohio hospitals and health systems that are members of OHA are eligible to apply for the granst, which will provide funding for the grant period of January through December 2006. Hospitals will be awarded grants of $10,000-$25,000, and have the potential for renewal in 2006 and 2007. Applications must be postmarked by July 29, 2005, and grants will be awarded in fall 2005. Long-term commitment from the hospital’s leadership and in-kind and staff support are key components of successful applications. For additional questions, contact Lynne Ayres at 614.221.7614 or lynnea@ohanet.org.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Trauma Committee Seeks to Fill Open Position
A position on the State Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Board’s Trauma Committee is now available and OHA has the opportunity to submit three nominees to be considered for the committee appointment. Candidates must be “a representative of a hospital that is not a trauma center and actively provides emergency care to trauma patients. The representatives may be hospital administrators, physicians, nurses or other clinical professionals.” Trauma committee members must have substantial experience in their area, be residents of Ohio and may be members of the State EMS Board—but the committee can not include more than one member practicing at the same hospital, health system or EMS organization.

OHA must submit its nominees by June 17 and provide a resume and a letter from the nominee expressing his or her interest in serving on the Trauma Committee. Those interested in being considered as a hospital representative for the Trauma Committee should contact Bridget Gargan, OHA’s vice president of state policy and advocacy, at 614.221.7614 or bridgetg@ohanet.org.

RNs, LPNs Offered Financial Planning

Women in health care can earn education credits while getting free financial planning advice through the Ohio Women & Money 2005 workshop, offered by State Treasurer Jennette B. Bradley. The free workshop offers courses in nine locations statewide on budgeting, investments, retirement, credit and debt management, and more. It also includes lunch with a guest speaker and a 30-minute question-and-answer session. Workshops are scheduled between June 3 and Aug. 19. The Ohio Board of Nursing recognizes this program for 4.5 hours for all registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. Visit www.ohiowomenandmoney.org/ to register and for more information.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005
HHS Rolls out National Health Info Network Plan
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced plans for the creation of a national health information network as well as a federal advisory commission on standards for health care information technology. HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said requests for proposals would be issued this week for: architecture and design of the Web-based network; assessment of and solutions for potential privacy and security problems; a prototype process for aligning standards to allow different manufacturers’ software to exchange data; and criteria to evaluate features and functionality of electronic health records.

The commission, officially named the American Health Information Community, will include up to 17 members and have specific tasks to advance the use of technology in health care. When it expires in five years, the commission must also select a private-sector organization as its successor. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

Cherokee Awards Recognize Outstanding Health Care Professionals

Nominations for the 2005 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award—a national nurse and health care recognition—are now being accepted. Hospitals can nominate nurses and other non-physician health care professionals for exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation through July 31. As an additional incentive to nominate a worthy health care worker, Cherokee Uniforms will donate $1 for every professional nominated to Nurses House, a national fund providing short-term financial assistance to registered nurses facing serious hardship.

Candidates may be nominated in two of the following categories but may only win in one: registered nurse, licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse, student nurse or non-physicians health care professional. The grand prizewinner in each category will receive an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two. To learn more or nominate a health care worker, visit www.CherokeeUniforms.com.

Thursday, June 9, 2005
Foundation has New Face, New Grants
OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities this week rolled out a new Web site—an eye-catching warehouse of reports on current grantees, explanations of available funding and other resources online at www.HealthyCommunitiesOhio.org. The new site follows on the heels of the request for proposals for the next cycle of Hospitals as the Healthiest Workplaces in Ohio! grants, offering complete information on how to apply for the grants. The site also includes information on current and past grants, opportunities for partnerships with the foundation, publications and more.

Hospitals should have received complete information by mail on applying for the grants, which provided $100,000 in funding last year. For more information on the grants, or to learn more about the Foundation for Healthy Communities, visit www.HealthyCommunitiesOhio.org. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org)

OHA, ODH Bioterrorism Contract Continued

The State Controlling Board recently approved a two-month continuation of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) contract with OHA’s Research and Educational Foundation to provide hospital bioterrorism and emergency preparedness services to hospitals through regional coordinators. These services, provided since 2002, will continue until Aug. 31, 2005, after which ODH will work through a grant process with the Akron Regional Hospital Association, Greater Cincinnati Health Council, Center for Health Affairs, Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio, Central Ohio Trauma System and OHA to ensure continuation of the regional hospital coordinator positions. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)

Friday, June 10, 2005
Annual Meeting Boasts Array of Sessions, Events
There is still time to register for this year’s OHA Annual Meeting, in its new location at the Columbus Hilton at Easton, and take advantage of a wide array of programming and special events. There are 14 tracks at this year’s meeting, covering everything from finance to compliance to patient safety to workforce. Check out the programming information at-a-glance at http://www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/program/AtAGlance.pdf.

Seats also remain available for several luncheons and other events held as part of the Annual Meeting. These include a compliance officers network luncheon, membership/advocacy luncheon featuring Rep. Ted Strickland, ACHE breakfast, HFMA/COPAM luncheon, public relations luncheon and the OHA Recognition Dinner where the Health Care Worker of the Year will be named. For more information on events, visit http://www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/TicketedMeal.pdf. To register for the Annual Meeting, visit www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/.

Hospitals Lead the Way
Ohio hospitals continue to receive recognition for everything from high quality care to excellence in public relations. Mercy Hospital of Fairfield and Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati, earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition from the American Association for Respiratory Care. Bay Park Hospital received recognition from the American Diabetes Association for providing a state-of-the-art diabetes management program. Marymount Hospital, Garfield Heights, earned the Gold Seal of Approval for stroke care from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and now has Primary Stroke Center Certification.

The following hospitals were recognized by VHA Inc., a national health care provider alliance: Upper Valley Medical Center, Troy, President’s Award of Honor; Licking Memorial Hospital, Newark, Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence; Middletown Regional Hospital, Supply Chain Management Improvement; Good Samaritan Hospital and Health Center, Dayton, President’s Award of Honor; Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, President’s Award of Honor.

H.B. Magruder Memorial Hospital, Port Clinton, was honored with the Business of the Year and Beautification Awards from the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce. Middletown Regional Hospital this week held the groundbreaking ceremony for its new facility. Alan Bleyer, president and CEO of Akron General Health System, was nominated for Modern Healthcare’s 2005 CEO IT Achievement Award.

The public relations efforts of OHA and several Ohio hospitals were recognized by the Public Relations Society of America at a Prism Awards banquet last month. Southern Ohio Medical Center, Portsmouth, OhioHealth and The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, received awards for PR excellence and OHA received an Award of Excellence for its work on the 2004 Ask Your Doctor Ohio campaign. Receiving a Prism Award of a different kind, St. Charles Mercy Hospital, Oregon, was recognized by the Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber of Commerce for its women’s care center.