The West Virginia Primary Care Association offers the Patient Experience Surveys twice a year to participating health centers in an effort to provide Community Health Centers with information and insight from patients' viewpoints about services provided. Following the completion of the Spring 2018 survey period, the Patient Experience program continues to see growth since its inception.

 

Since the Spring 2016 survey period, the program has experienced 24 percent growth in the number of survey sites and 19 percent growth in the number of surveys the WVPCA has received.   We strive to improve the surveys each period using feedback from the participants and our strong relationship with the nationally recognized customer experience management platform Qualtrics to provide the best service and best reporting each survey period. 

 

If any non-participating organizations are interested in the Patient Experience program please contact Warne Dawkins at 304-346-0032. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Mindfulness for Stress Reduction Webinar Friday, May 25. Carli Mareneck, a respected leader and teacher, who promotes healthful living and creative expression through mindfulness and arts, led participants through several practical tools that can be used in any situation to achieve mindfulness and reduce stress. She was joined by Sally Hurst, Director of Outreach, Center for Rural and Community Health, WV School of Osteopathic Medicine, who assisted in demonstrating mindfulness techniques and discussed how practicing and teaching these techniques could assist those with a chronic illness reduce stress.

Participants joined along as Carli and Sally demonstrated five techniques and shared tips about how these exercises could be implemented into everyday life. Those attending learned basic mindfulness tools to result in:

If your clinic would like to learn more about Mindfulness for Stress Reduction, a recording of the webinar will be available. Contact Kelsey Clough for more information.

The WVPCA, in collaboration with Qualis Health, most recently hosted a 6-part PCMH 2017 webinar series with 48 participants representing 17 health centers!

 

Participants were introduced to NCQA's new competency-based recognition process, new terminology as well as the new web-based platform (Q-Pass) that is being used for the 2017 standards. The revised policies and procedures were reviewed and participants received a crosswalk demonstrating what's changed for 2017. Participants also received additional resources via a Dropbox, for easy future reference.

 

For future assistance with your PCMH work, please contact Shannon Parker, Director of Health Center Operations at [email protected].

Just a reminder with the recent flooding in West Virginia, this is a good time to make sure Continuity Of Operation Plans (COOP) are up to date.

 

Ensure all staff contact information is current as well as hazards/ risk assessment plans are still active.

 

If you need any assistance please contact Ruby Piscopo at 304.346.0032.

School-Based Health providers are faced with many challenges when working with students who are at risk for suicide. Adolescents may not disclose thoughts of suicide, and even if they do, the health care provider must make judgment calls about possible future behavior, often with insufficient or contradictory information.

The WVPCA recently held a webinar to address suicide prevention for youth. Barri Faucett, Director of Prevent Suicide WV, provided the expertise for this hour-long interactive learning opportunity. She addressed suicide prevention along with how poor mental health increases the risk and the role of gun safety. SBHCs are a critical venue for assessing not only a child's physical health, but their emotional health as well. It is known that an individual often has seen their medical provider in the past month before attempting suicide.  

Ms Faucett discussed the prevalence and significance of suicide along with the risk factors for suicide and a model of intervention. Participants were not only introduced to best practices in interacting with at-risk individuals in the health care setting, but became acquainted with tools and resources to better identify and support people who are at increased risk of suicide.

It was emphasized that suicide may be prevented through  strategies  that empower individuals, families and communities by improving clinical and preventive services while enhancing treatment and support services.

Senate Bill 273 is legislation passed during the 2018 Legislative Session with the goal of curbing the opioid crisis.  The following link is to a summary from the WV Board of Medicine  of notable statutory provisions in Senate Bill 273 which impose additional conditions, limitations and requirements on physicians  when prescribing Schedule II controlled substances.  The majority of the changes relate to the prescribing of opioids, though certain provisions encompass the prescribing of any Schedule II controlled substance. Please share this with all providers who prescribe schedule II medications.

"HRSA is excited to see CMS spell out a strategy to better serve rural populations that was informed by rural stakeholders who have a unique lens on the issues in their communities," said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D. "This builds on our long-standing collaboration with CMS and will highlight key issues for rural safety net providers like rural hospitals and community health centers for CMS and HHS."