Update

 
A Newsletter for the HHQI Underserved Populations (UP) Network            
  
September 2013 

 

UP Network Announcements  
Telephone  

 

The UP Network calls will resume to twice a month beginning in September. Below is the listing of events for September and October.
Registration is now open for both the September 11 & September 25 webinars - click here or on the date of each session.
    

 

 

Building An Identification & Referral System for Patients at-Risk for Diabetes in Primary Care Centers

  • Learn how to partner with primary care, public health, and other community organizations to address Type 2 Diabetes
  • Find out how electronic registries can impact healthcare communities

Speakers: Gina Wood, MPH, RD, LD, WV Bureau for Public Health, Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease and Emma White, RN, Healthcare Quality Improvement Coordinator, West Virginia University Office of Health Services Research, School of Public Health

 

 Registration is now open (Note: There is a new call in number. Make sure you register!)

 

Webinar: September 25, 2013 @ 3-4 PM (ET)  

 

Community Mental Health on Wheels

  • Review of Mental Health Services at the VNA of Ohio
  • Review of Psychiatric Bridge Program Grant Services at VNA of Ohio
  • Discuss Mental Health as an underserved population in home care and how VNA meets these needs

Speakers: Amy Silbaugh, Manager, Mental Health Services and Gary Mahoney, Psychiatric Bridge Program, Mental Health Services VNA of Ohio

 

Registration is now open

 

Webinar: October 9, 2013 @ 3-4 PM (ET)  

 

Registration coming soon!

Challenges and Opportunities in Advancing Health Equity: Awareness of the Economic Case for Health Disparity Reduction

 

Speakers: Dr. Brian Smedley, Vice President and Director, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Dr. Madeleine Shea, Vice President, Population Health Center, Delmarva Foundation

 

 

 

Click here to access the flyer for additional UPcoming sessions.

 

You can also listen to archived UP Events here.

 

 

UP News & Highlights

 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Vital Sign Publications

 

The CDC has released updated findings on preventable cardiovascular health deaths. The healthcare community has a large task ahead to educate and engage patients, including underserved populations, and the community at-large, on best practices to reduce heart attacks and strokes. Perfect time to align with both HHQI and the cardiovascular health focus initiative and Million Hearts® initiatives!

Who is at more risk to die early from heart disease and stroke?
Men are more at risk than women. Black men and black women are twice as likely to die early compared to their white counterparts. American Indian/Alaskan Natives are more at risk than whites.

  
 
Does geography impact risk of cardiovascular death?
 
It does!! Check out the map in the Vital Signs on which counties and states have high risk if preventable death from heart disease and stroke. Notice that southern states and counties have the highest overall risk. Awareness and Assessment is essential to create and/or implement interventions strategies.
 

UP Opportunity

 

HHQI has launched the Home Health Cardiovascular Data Registry (HHCDR) as part of our commitment to assist agencies to prevent heart attacks and strokes. This groundbreaking database will power new custom cardiovascular data reports that will help participating home health agencies identify the biggest opportunities for improvement.

 

We are looking for agencies that serve African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives populations to participate in the HHCDR. Race/ethnic populations have high risk for death from cardiovascular disease (see MMWR report above), and the HHCDR a great opportunity to track progress at the agency level.

 

This is a great opportunity for home health to obtain data outside of the OASIS-C data set that provides very little data on cardiovascular health.
  
Click here for more information on the HHCDR and how to sign up or contact us at HHQI@wvmi.org
  

Tools/Resources of the Month

 

CDC Vital Signs - Getting Blood Pressure Under Control

 

 

This 4-page tool provides great information about why a person needs to control their high blood pressure to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Use this tool as a patient handout or as a clinician guide to discuss with patients.
Tip: Work on one section at a time or break the tool into separate pages to introduce to improve health literacy

 

For more tools and strategies to reduce risk for heart attacks and strokes in the underserved populations see the Cardiovascular Health Part 1 BPIP (pp. 33-34 & 70). 
For more information or to suggest future UP topics or speakers, please contact us at hhqi@wvmi.org.
  
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Click here for more information about the HHQI National Campaign.