ACROSS THE STATE

Nebraska is No. 7 healthiest state

Report ranks Nebraska 34th in states getting CDC funds

Women’s Health Week free walking packets available

The power to save a child

IN THE NATION

CDC’s early 2007 estimates show rise in uninsured

Index shows jump in public concern over health care affordability

MEMBER NEWS

Governor endorses Mike Gloor for Legislature

PATIENT SAFETY/QUALITY

HCAHPS data added to Hospital Compare site

WORKFORCE

Group asks White House to convene conference on nurse, physician supply

EVENTS

Nebraska is seventh healthiest state

Nebraska is No. 7 on a list released this week of the nation’s healthiest states published by CQ Press. The states were ranked based on 21 factors that reflect access to health care providers, emphasis on preventive care, how affordable health care is, and how generally healthy the population is. Nebraska dropped one position in the rankings from 2007. Access to primary care and the large number of hospital beds available across the state weighed in on the state's rating, according to AOL.com.

Minnesota was named the Healthiest State in America, beating out Vermont, which had claimed the title six of the past seven years. Vermont is third this year. New Hampshire came in second, with Maine, Massachusetts and Iowa placing fourth, fifth and sixth.

The Health Care State Rankings study ranks states in teen birth rates, access to doctors, infant mortality, smoking, cancer cases and other areas with more than 500 tables of state health care comparisons. The report is published by the reference and textbook-publishing division of Congressional Quarterly and is part of a new State Fact Finder Series that also ranks states by crime, education and much more. For more about the report, click here.

— Lincoln Journal Star, March 28, 2008.

Report ranks Nebraska 34th in states getting CDC funds

LINCOLN (AP) — A nationwide report said Nebraska ranked in the bottom third of states for money awarded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but it still received the most in the Midwest.

The report being released today by the nonprofit Trust for America's Health said the state received $34,988,576 — or $19.72 per resident — from the CDC in fiscal year 2007. That put Nebraska 34th among the states for the amount of CDC money given for public health initiatives such as awareness campaigns and disaster planning.

According to the report, the average amount given to states was $17.23 per person. In the Midwestern region, the average was $16.24 per person. The region also includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The report also said Nebraska received $23,629,971 in grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration and $2,741,751 in grants from the federal Hospital Preparedness Program. The state ranked 25th in the amount of money spent on public health, which was $63,008,127 — or $33.51 per resident — in 2007.

— Associated Press, April 2, 2008.

Women’s Health Week free walking packets available

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s and Men’s Health, the Women’s Health Advisory Council and the Walking Works Program of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska are collaborating on a project to encourage women and their families to walk.

In observance of Women’s Health Week (May 11-17), a free Mother’s Day gift packet is available from the Office of Women’s Health. The packet includes a Mother’s Day card that encourages walking, a pedometer (for the first 250 persons), a bookmark, a walking log, and a health tracker wallet card. Information will also be enclosed on a program from the U.S. Office on Women’s Health called the WOMAN Challenge that provides six “virtual” routes in the United States to track walking progress for individuals or teams. Click here to read more and for ordering instructions.

The power to save a child

She smiled nervously.  "This is hard," she said.  Then she shook him slightly. A light in Mikey's brain blinked. Schimmer had just damaged his vision.  "Oh, my gosh, I hardly shook him," she said.  Conversation in the room stopped as she gave him two more forceful shakes, causing his head to snap back and forth on his tiny neck. His entire head filled with red light.  Schimmer had most likely caused serious injury or even killed him.

But Mikey is a doll. He's roughly the size of a 6-month-old child and is used to show what little force it takes to seriously injure or kill an infant by shaking him. Schimmer, the vice chairwoman of the Crisis Center's board of directors, shook the doll as part of a demonstration for her fellow board members, most of whom were surprised at how little force it took to cause injury. 

To help educate people on why shaking a child is unacceptable, Roxanne Vipond, director of Child Care Solutions, has used the Mikey doll for various workshops and classes. Many of the classes are for licensed child care and preschool providers who are required to complete 12 hours of training each year. The training includes information on shaken baby syndrome, which became a requirement under LB 994.

The law, which was passed in 2006, also requires that hospitals provide written information on shaken baby syndrome, sudden infant death/safe sleeping and child abuse/neglect to parents before they leave the hospital with a newborn, said Marla Augustine, Nebraska Health and Human Services spokeswoman.

Videos and brochures on shaken baby syndrome and SIDS are available on the Health and Human Services Web site, www.dhhs.ne.gov/sids/. Read the full article.

— Sarah Shulz, Grand Island Independent, March 30, 2008.

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CDC’s early 2007 estimates show rise in uninsured

An estimated 43.7 million U.S. residents were uninsured when interviewed during the first nine months of 2007, up from 43.6 million in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today. Based on the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey, the estimate includes 6.8 million children. An estimated 54.5 million residents were uninsured for at least part of the year prior to the interview, and 31.2 million were uninsured for more than a year, up from 30.7 million in 2006. An estimated 17.5 percent of privately insured respondents were enrolled in a high-deductible plan and 4.5 percent were enrolled in a consumer-directed plan, a high-deductible plan with an account to pay for medical expenses.

— AHA News Now, March 27, 2008.

Index shows jump in public concern over health care affordability

Low-income Americans and the uninsured are among those who are increasingly concerned about health care affordability, according to an index released last week by Catholic Healthcare West. The annual Health Security Index, launched last year, uses a CHW survey to measure people’s perceptions of their ability to afford and access health care. Health care affordability was the top concern for one-third of Americans, up from 22 percent last year. While this year’s overall index was unchanged at 66, the index declined for those who are uninsured (48), African American (62), earn less than $35,000 per year (59), or in fair to poor health (55). Six in 10 Americans supported universal health care even if it meant raising taxes. Seven in 10 said employers should be required to provide coverage, and six in 10 said all Americans should be required to purchase coverage, with those who cannot afford it subsidized by the government.

— AHA News Now, March 31, 2008.

Governor endorses Mike Gloor for Legislature

Gov. Dave Heineman said he has no problem "taking sides" early on in a campaign and he did so on Tuesday. He endorsed District 35 legislative candidate Mike Gloor, the president and chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center.  Heineman said Gloor is a friend, whom he respects, but the endorsement goes beyond that.

"When you think about what kind of state senator you want, this is the guy—smart, trustworthy, respected, business and community leader who will be an outstanding state senator," the governor said. "In the era of term limits," Heineman said, "it's important to have a senator who can go to the Legislature ready to hit the ground running on day one. Gloor is such a person and is a leader."

Heineman spoke to a group of about 30 community and business leaders gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp. offices. He said there are four key issues with which Gloor can assist Grand Island and Nebraska: balancing the budget; creating a tax-competitive environment to promote job growth; reforming health care, Medicare and bringing more accountability to the Health and Human Services system; and providing a 21st-century quality education to the state's children. Read more.

— Tracy Overstreet, Grand Island Independent, April 2, 2008.

HCAHPS data added to Hospital Compare site

The Hospital Quality Alliance recently made available to consumers the first data from the hospital patients’ experience of care survey (HCAHPS). Posted on the Hospital Compare Web site, data from the patient survey provides a standardized look at hospital care in 10 areas, including communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of staff, communication about medication, pain management, discharge information, the hospital’s quietness and cleanliness, and the patient’s willingness to recommend the hospital to others. The initial data was collected from patients at more than 2,500 hospitals, and will be updated quarterly, with most of the nation’s hospitals providing data by year-end. “Ultimately, this tool benefits everyone as it helps consumers and patients find out how often a hospital provides certain aspects of care while allowing hospitals to focus care improvement efforts on areas where patients feel it is most needed,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock, who chairs the HQA. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also moved to the Hospital Compare site Medicare payment and volume data for a select group of patient diagnoses.

— AHA News Now, March 28, 2008.

Group asks White House to convene conference on nurse, physician supply

The Council on Physician and Nurse Supply has called on the White House to convene a conference to address the national shortage of nurses and physicians. “The shortage of nurses and physicians is a serious matter that should be addressed at the highest levels,” said Linda Aiken, council co-chair and professor of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. The council estimates 30 percent or 30,000 more nurses must graduate annually to address projected shortages, and calls for increased public financing for bachelor’s level nursing programs so more nurses can proceed to graduate education and become teachers. It notes that more than 30,000 qualified applicants to bachelor’s nursing programs were turned away in 2006, largely due to a faculty shortage. The council also recommends expanding medical schools and graduate medical education positions at teaching hospitals to address an anticipated shortage of 100,000-200,000 physicians over the next 15 years.

— AHA News Now, March 26, 2008.

Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership “Living a Good Life...at the End of Life” Annual Conference
April 1 - 3, 2008 – Embassy Suites, Lincoln, NE

Memorial Health Care Systems Annual Health Fair, Seward, NE
April 2, 2008

Minority Health Week Activities
April 6-12, 2008

Nebraska Department of Every Woman Matters Celebration of Life
April 11, 2008 – PlaMor Ballroom, Lincoln, NE
The Nebraska Breast and Cervical Cancer Advisory Committee is holding a fundraiser for Every Woman Matters on Friday, April 11 at the PlaMor Ballroom in Lincoln. All money raised helps pay for treatment for women who are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer or pre-cancer through the program and do not qualify for the Medicaid Treatment Program. 

National Healthcare Decisions Day
April 16, 2008

Elderfest '08 sponsored by Providence Medical Center
April 17, 2008 – Wayne City Auditorium, Wayne, NE

Rebuilding Lives in Nebraska: 2nd Annual Brain Injury Conference
April 24 - 25, 2008 – Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, NE

Nebraska Association of Medical Staff Services (NeAMSS) 2008 Education Conference
April 25, 2008 – Georgetown Club, Omaha, NE

Alegent Health April Events Calendar
April 1-30, 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.