August 2021 | Issue 5
TRENDING RESOURCES
A recent Los Angeles Times article highlighted some good news amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: Native Americans have a higher vaccination rate than any other major racial or ethnic group. This promising development comes on the heels of a preliminary Medicare COVID-19 data report that confirms COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted American Indians and Alaska Natives. Help keep up vaccination rates by letting patients know they can find a COVID-19 vaccination site by
  • visiting Vaccines.gov,
  • calling their health care provider and/or
  • contacting their local state or tribal health department.
The Resources for Integrated Care's COVID-19 Vaccination Blog also offers promising practices for connecting hard-to-reach individuals with COVID-19 vaccination.
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SAMHSA Training and Technical Assistance Related to COVID-19 | Learn more
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Funding opportunity: FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Indigenous Communities (COVID-19 recovery)
WHAT'S NEW
Summer 2021 Issue of Addressing Addiction in Our Native American Communities
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) On-Demand StAT (Standards, Approaches
and Tactics for Infection Control & Prevention) Learning Series for Hospital Clinical Staff and Leaders
IN THE KNOW
The Joint Commission Accreditation Overview for Hospital Staff | Access tip sheet 
This one-page overview offers key tips for achieving The Joint Commission (TJC) hospital accreditation.
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Accreditation and Certification Preparation Activity Guideline | Check out guide
Developed by PATH, this guide provides support for facilities' preparation efforts for accreditation. It contains tools, resources and other guidance, including a planning timeline and checklist.
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Accreditation, Certification and Patient-Centered Medical Home Huddle Series Recordings
The weekly PATH huddle series, which provided overviews and discussion around achieving accreditation or certification, was completed last month. All huddle recordings are now posted to the PATH website for any-time access.
IHS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
IHS Hospital Achieves PCMH Certification
Congratulations to one of our partner Indian Health Service (IHS)-managed hospitals for obtaining Joint Commission Certification for Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). The hospital's PCMH team concentrated on The Joint Commission elements of performance (EPs) and used the PCMH assessment tool from PATH to identify areas for concentration and action planning. The hospital team visited an IHS-managed hospital in Arizona to learn some of their practices, which helped them in achieving their certification. 
One key item adopted was beginning a surveyor visit with a presentation about the hospital and its transformative changes. The PATH team worked with the hospital PCMH team in preparation of the presentation. A complicating factor in this transformation was the hospital began its project to become PCMH-certified prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and was then delayed until operations began again near April 2021.   
 
The Area Office worked with PATH to standardize processes and policies for accreditation across all its service units. This standardization makes it easier for all staff to review, improve processes, perform mock surveys and audit each other to maintain readiness for accreditation.

Looking for support in achieving PCMH certification or TJC accreditation? Contact us: [email protected].
UPCOMING EVENTS
PATH Learning and Action Network (LAN) | Register
  • A different topic explored each month through presentation and peer-to-peer discussion with partners across the country
  • Next LAN: August 26 - Strategic Planning

NEW Huddle Series: Culture of Safety | Learn more and register
  • Delves into the many elements of what a Culture of Safety is and the various strategies and tools that can be used to promote one, from team development and leadership skills to data analysis and community support
  • Day: Tuesdays, September 21 - October 19
  • Time: 30-minute huddle session begins at 10 a.m. CT | 9 a.m. MT 8 a.m. PT
Other virtual trainings:
"Connecting Prevention Specialists to Native Communities"
National American Indian & Alaska Native PTTC and SAMHSA's Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center
Monthly, every third Friday, beginning tomorrow, August 20 | Register
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"Being Trauma & Healing Informed"
Native Wellness Institute
September 16 - 17 | Registration fee: $175 | Register
PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE TRIBAL HEALTH (PATH) | Visit the PATH website
This material was prepared by Comagine Health for the American Indian Alaska Native Healthcare Quality Initiative under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. NQIIC-AIHQI-117-08/12/2021