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Anti-bacterial hand gels are quickly catching on with consumers. They also are
becoming the norm among health care professionals, some of who disinfect their
hands up to 50 times a day.
In an effort to increase hand hygiene, a University of Nebraska Medical Center
(UNMC) study was conducted to evaluate whether the use of anti-bacterial hand
gels would reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections -- called nosocomial
infections. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), an estimated 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections occur in the U.S.
each year, with 99,000 associated deaths. Some of these deaths are probably
related to poor hand hygiene in health professionals.
Though researchers found a doubling in the rate of hand hygiene compliance
associated with the use of hand gel, researchers did not see a corresponding
reduction in hospital-acquired infections.
Read
the full article.
Nebraska is home to 30 of the "most prosperous" rural counties, according to a
study by Illinois economist, Andrew Isserman. These prosperous places aren't
vacation havens or golf course retirement compounds. They are everyday places,
most of them, where people live, work and learn.
Isserman recently proposed that instead of looking for success in growing
populations and higher incomes, rural communities should seek to become
prosperous. They should be places with affordable and well-maintained housing; a
well-educated population; plenty of work; and few poor families.
Rural poverty, rural distress, rural population loss, and rural competitive
disadvantages receive ample attention in the press. This research focuses
instead on rural prosperity, something often overlooked. In fact, more than 300
rural counties and 200 mixed rural counties are considered "more prosperous"
than the nation as a whole. Isserman's research seeks to understand why-- by
studying location, the economy, urban-rural linkages, highways and airports,
human and social capital, diversity and homogeneity, knowledge and creativity,
and climate and topography.
See the list of
Nebraska counties or read the
full
report.
(AP) — A report that suggests a growing number of poor children in Nebraska is
troubling because poverty affects nearly every aspect of a child’s life, a
children’s advocacy group said.
“Children that experience poverty ... are more likely to experience other risk
factors, like child abuse, neglect,” said Annemarie Bailey Fowler of the group
Voices for Children, which recently released its annual Kids Count report for
2007. She said children from poor families are less likely to have adequate
health care and nutrition, which could affect their progress in school. The
report stated that 15 percent of Nebraska children were living in poverty and 36
percent were from families considered to be low income. And, between 2000 and
2005, the report stated, the poverty rate for Nebraska children rose 50 percent.
Read the full article.
— Omaha World Herald, January 15, 2008.
(Lincoln Journal Star) -- Time is winding down on bill introductions in the
Legislature. Thirty were introduced on Tuesday, the next to last day of
introductions in the 2008 short session. Since 1986, introduced bills have
ranged from 424 in 1990 to 564 in 2000 for the 10-day session. Read more about
legislation affecting health care in the NHA's
Rotunda
Review.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update, January 23, 2008.
In December, President Bush vetoed a bill that would more than double spending
on the State Children's Health Program (SCHIP) for a second time, saying the
bill would encourage too many families to replace private insurance with
government-subsidized health coverage. With the economy struggling, Democratic
lawmakers are now stressing that more families will need to rely on SCHIP this
year if unemployment increases. The House is set to vote on whether to override
Bush's second SCHIP veto.
Read the full article.
— AP/Yahoo News, January 23, 2008
New Howard County Community Hospital and Medical Clinic entry
SAINT PAUL – Howard County Community Hospital and Medical Clinic will host an
open house and dedication February 3 at 2 p.m. to celebrate the opening of the
hospital's new physician clinic and front entry. The new clinic is
11,000 square feet with space for six physicians. The spacious new 2,500
square foot hospital lobby entrance will serve both the hospital and
the clinic located at 1113 Sherman Street in Saint Paul. For more information
call 402/754-4421.
LINCOLN – Jeromy Dillman prides himself on his eagle-eye vision. The specialist
with the U.S. Army National Guard spotted the roadside bomb from atop his
gunner’s perch in the lead scout vehicle of a convoy near Balad, Iraq, on Feb.
21, 2007. He yelled to alert his crew and they swerved to dodge the bomb, but it
hit the wheels on the driver’s side and detonated. The impact of the blast
ejected Dillman from the vehicle as shrapnel tore through his left leg and
pelvis. He suffered a closed-head blast injury that resulted in a major
concussion and a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Read the full
article.
OMAHA – Robert Glow has joined Children’s Hospital as executive director of the
new specialty pediatric practice entity being developed under an affiliation
agreement between the hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s
College of Medicine. The agreement, finalized and approved in September 2007,
established a means to integrate resources and further elevate Omaha’s status in
the area of pediatric health care. The specialty pediatric practice entity will
be based at Children’s Hospital. Glow will lead its development and
implementation, with a focus on enhanced research opportunities, the recruitment
of specialists and the expansion of specialty health care services for children.
Prior to joining Children’s Hospital, Glow served as chief executive officer of
Creighton Medical Associates. He has also worked at the Creighton University
School of Medicine, Creighton University Medical Center and as a hospital
administrator for the Sisters of Mercy Health System in New Orleans.
OMAHA – Five cardiologists and a cardiac surgeon, formerly of Nebraska Heart
Institute (NHI), have joined the Alegent Health Clinic. Drs. Jeffrey Carstens,
Himanshu Agarwal, Atul Ramachandran, Joseph Thibodeau and Eric Van De Graaff,
Cardiologists, and Dr. Mohammed Quader, a cardiothoracic surgeon, will form a
new cardiovascular division of the Alegent Health Clinic The physicians,
currently with offices at Alegent Health Midlands Hospital and the University of
Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), will close their UNMC office and open an office
on the Alegent Health Bergan Mercy campus in the near future.
Read
the full article.
American Hospital Association (AHA) reminds hospitals paid under the
outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) to notify the program contractor by
Jan. 31 whether they plan to participate in the outpatient data reporting
program. The hospitals must participate in the program to receive a full
outpatient payment update in 2009. They must complete the notice of
participation, available on the
QualityNet Web Site, regardless of whether they have data for any of the
measures. About 1,200 hospitals have not yet returned the notice, according to
contractor FMQAI, which plans to FedEx a copy of the form to the hospitals this
week.
— AHA News Now, January 22, 2008.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and Health Research & Educational Trust
(HRET) have decided to make the HRET Disparities Toolkit available free of
charge to ensure all have access to this helpful resource. Updated in September
and previously available for a fee, the toolkit provides information and
resources to help hospitals, health systems, clinics and health plans collect
race, ethnicity, and primary language data from patients. Such data is needed to
track the prevalence and nature of disparities in care and focus efforts to
eliminate disparities and improve quality of care. The toolkit also aids in
educating and informing hospital staff about the importance of data collection,
how to implement a framework to collect the data, and how to use the data to
improve quality of care for all populations. To access the HRET Disparities
Toolkit, go to www.hretdisparities.org.
— AHA News Now, January 17, 2008.
(IndustryWeek) – According to a survey by Robert Half International, nearly one
out of every two senior executives (47 percent) surveyed said baby boomer
retirements will have the greatest impact on the workforce over the next decade.
Executives chose baby boomer retirements over issues of outsourcing and global
business interactions. Max Messmer, CEO of Robert Half International, addressed
the worries, saying, "Fortunately, many baby boomers are considering working
past the traditional retirement age to stay active and continue earning." To
help keep boomers employed, Messmer noted that businesses which "accommodate
valued staff members who are not ready for retirement but seek new work
arrangements, such as flexible or part-time schedules, are best able to keep top
performers."
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update, January 23, 2008.
Alegent Health Infant Memorial Service
Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, 2 p.m. – Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center
Chapel
Preventing Health Care Associated Infections Webinar
January 29, 2008
Recent Stark II Developments Impacting Hospitals - Reporting and
Phase II Webinar
January 31, 2008
The Joint Commission Medical Staff Standards: 2008 Update Webinar
January 31, 2008 Howard County Community Hospital and Medical Clinic Open
House and Dedication
February 3, 2008 – Saint Paul, NE
For more information call 308/754-4421.
What Women Want: How to Fill Your OB Beds Webinar
February 5, 2008
Memorial Health Care Systems "Getting to the Heart of the Matter" Lunch and
Learn
February 29, 2008 – Seward, NE
Center for Biopreparedness Education Hospital Incident Command Center Instructor
Training
March 6 -7, 2008 – Embassy Suites, Lincoln, NE
Memorial Health Care Systems Annual Health Fair, Seward, NE
April 2, 2008
Click here for a list
of upcoming NHA audioconferences and webinars.
Visit the
Events page on the NHA Web site for more information on any of the events.
If you have an event you would like listed in Newslink or on the NHA Web site,
submit it to Heather Bullock, marketing and events coordinator, at
hbullock@nhanet.org. Send news items to Christy Rasmussen, director of
communications, at crasmussen@nhanet.org.
NHA Newslink is published by the Nebraska
Hospital Association, 3255 Salt Creek Circle, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68504-4761.
Phone 402/742-8140, Fax 402/742-8191. Contact Christy Rasmussen, director of
communications, at 402/742-8151, or email,
crasmussen@nhanet.org.
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