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Monday,
July 17, 2006 In the second phase of federal funding, Ohio will receive $8 million of the $225 million allocated to help states prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the $225 million allocation last week as the second part of $350 million included in recent emergency appropriations for upgrading state and local influenza preparedness passed by Congress in December. In February, the first phase of $100 million was awarded to states for planning and exercising of pandemic response plans and to identify gaps in preparedness. This second phase will fund the addressing of those identified gaps in planning. To see the funds allocated to each state, visit www.pandemicflu.gov/news/allocation.html. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org) Dates Set for Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced that the fifth annual Cover the Uninsured Week will be held April 23-29, 2007. Cover the Uninsured Week is designed to raise awareness that too many Americans are without health insurance—gambling with their lives every day. The campaign will work to ensure that people who are uninsured get enrolled if they are eligible for public coverage programs. Today, nearly 46 million Americans do not have health insurance and 1.3 million of those are Ohioans. Learn more about Cover the Uninsured Week at www.covertheuninsured.org. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org) OHA Testifies at Public Hearing on HCAP Rules OHA testified today in support of proposed rules for the 2006 Hospital Care Assurance Program (HCAP) distribution formula at a public hearing held by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Each year, OHA determines whether to recommend changes for the HCAP distribution to ODJFS. For 2006, the OHA Board of Trustees recommended two changes to the formula, and the proposed rules reflect those recommendations. The rules now head to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review for final approval in August. A copy of OHA’s testimony is available at www.ohanet.org/hcap/. (Ryan Biles, ryanb@ohanet.org)
Hospital Help Needed to “Spread the Message Not a Disease” The local health department of 15 counties of central Ohio developed and coordinated a three-phase public health campaign: “Spread the Message Not a Disease.” Handwashing, as the most fundamental practice to reduce the spread of disease, is the first phase of the campaign. Vinyl clings, posters, table tents and flyers are available at no cost to any organization or group interested in displaying the campaign pieces. These resources, along with a television commercial broadcast throughout July at local theatres and cable networks, are available at www.uchd.net/. The second and third phase of the campaign, slated for later this year, will focus on covering coughs and staying home when sick.
Comment Period on Charitable Organization Rules Extended The attorney general’s office this week extended the deadline for comments on the proposed rules governing charitable organizations from July 28 to Aug. 21. OHA continues to communicate with the attorney general and his staff as well as participate in a coalition with other charitable organizations that would be subject to the proposed new rules.
Thursday, July 20, 2006 Hospitals Lead the Way Ohio hospitals continue to receive recognition for maintaining outstanding service in health care. The 2006 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize was awarded to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati for excellence in patient care, research and medical education. The Ohio University-Chillicothe/Berger Health System Associate Degree Nursing Program, Circleville, received the top Recognition of Excellence honor in the “Educating America’s 21st Century Workforce” category at the Workforce Innovations 2006 Conference. This award recognizes innovative and effective strategies to prepare workers for the challenges of a workforce that requires higher skills and more education.
The Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists recently accredited both the Ashtabula County Medical Center laboratory and the Ashtabula County Medical Center’s blood gas laboratory-respiratory care services.
Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Warren, received a three-year accreditation as a Chest Pain Center from The Society of Chest Pain Centers. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine awarded a five-year accreditation to Trumbull Memorial Hospital Sleep Center as a sleep disorders center, making it the first accredited sleep center in the area.
The Adena Health Foundation awarded nine grants to Community Health Partners in Highland, Jackson, Pike and Ross counties. This was made possible through the use of funds from the Sugarloaf Gift Shop at Adena Regional Medical Center, Chillicothe.
Gov. Bob Taft
reappointed Elizabeth (Betty) Gregg, a pharmacist at Grant
Medical Center, Columbus, to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
(Mary Sterenberg,
marys@ohanet.org)
With the ultimate goals of curbing rising health care costs and continuing to improve health care quality in Ohio, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio has received a federal grant to work with stakeholders such as hospitals toward improving health information technology and exchange. OHA encourages hospitals to participate in working groups or topical meeting scheduled during the month of August to offer a hospital perspective and help lay the foundation for interoperable health information exchange in Ohio. Pertinent meeting topics for hospitals include: pharmacy, patient safety, billing, eligibility and administrative data, behavioral health, rural health and hospital care. View the meeting schedule at http://hispc.pbwiki.com/Events.
The Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration grant aims to: 1) assess business policies, practices and state laws that affect health information exchange in Ohio; 2) help Ohio collaborate with federal agencies and other states on best practices and barriers to interoperable health information exchange; 3) identify and propose practical solutions for interoperable health information exchange; 4) develop plans to implement at the state and federal levels. Learn more about the grant at http://hispc.pbwiki.com/. (Kim Keiser, kimk@ohanet.org) © 2001-2008 OHA. Last updated
January 03, 2008. |
