Save the Dates!
6th Annual New England Small Rural Hospital
Performance Improvement Summit
Current Issues in Performance Improvement
Is Your Rural New England Hospital On Track?
May 6th, 2010
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
New England Center, UNH, Durham, NH
Key Topics to Include:
- Development of rural relevant measures for small hospitals
- How can hospitals reduce re-admissions
- Boards-on-Board: Perspectives from the IHI; a toolkit you can use
Don’t miss the chance to learn what other Small Rural Hospitals are doing to address these issues!!
Sponsored by:
Massachusetts State Office of Rural Health
New Hampshire State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
Maine State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
Vermont Department of Health, Office of Rural Health
In collaboration with:
The New England Rural Health RoundTable
Download Registration Information and the Application.
For Sponsorship opportunities, please see the Sponsor Signup Sheet.
Save the Dates!
Two key events are coming up in the fall of 2010.
Friday, Sept. 24, 2010 is the date for the 5th Annual Rural Oral Health Conference, which will take place at the Westford Regency Inn & Convention Center, Westford, MA. If you have attended these meetings in the past, you know what a wealth of information the speakers provide.
Thursday, Oct. 28 and Friday, Oct. 29 are the dates for the 13th Annual RoundTable Symposium. Location is The Inns & Spa at Mills Falls, Meredith, NH, on Lake Winnepesaukee. This venue offers a choice of accommodations and is easily accessible. More information to follow! View the Mill Falls website for more information on the venue.
NH Contract to Expand/Improve Rural Healthcare Services
With the recent awarding of a contract to “bundle” three key grant programs – the FLEX, SHIP, and SORH grants - the NH Department of Health and Human Services, Rural Health and Primary Care Section, is looking forward “not just to provision of services but enhancement of services.”
Performance Management Institute, LLC, Portland, ME, was the successful winner in an open and highly competitive bidding process to provide services to the Federal Rural Health Capacity Services (FRHCS) Program, according to Alisa Butler-Druzba, Administrator, Rural Health & Primary Care Section, New Hampshire DHHS- Division of Public Health Services.
Now rolled into one contract are the FLEX (Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program,) the SHIP (Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program), and the SORH (State Office of Rural Health grant) programs. The two-year contract runs though August 31, 2011 with potential for renewal for up to two additional years. Funds for the contract total $393,000 per year over the two year time period.
Read More About the Expanded Services
NH Survey of Third-Graders Shows Improvement in Oral Health
Here is good news from Nancy Martin, Oral Health Program Manager, NH Department of Health and Human Services:
New Hampshire has just released the results of its 2009 Third-Grade Healthy Smiles-Healthy Growth Oral Health-BMI (Body Mass Index) survey. More than 3,000 students were reached state-wide, in 81 schools. The survey data represent the first state and regional obesity data and the first oral health data. When compared to 2001statewide data from the first oral health survey, the 2009 results indicate that the oral health of NH's children has improved. Read the full report.
And More Good News on Oral Health: NH Legislature Approves Sealants Rule
Susanne Kuehl, President, New Hampshire Dental Hygienists' Association (NHDHA), reports that the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCA) has approved a rule that will allow dental hygienists under public health supervision to apply sealants without a prior examination by a dentist. The Board of Dental Examiners approved the rule in September; the last step before the sealants rule takes effect is for the Board to file the final rule with the Office of Legislative Services and this action is expected soon.
Kuehl says the sealants rule is a huge step forward for preventive dental healthcare. NH hygienists will soon be able to provide services to more children who now needlessly suffer from tooth decay, she says. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "...only about one-third of children aged 6-19 years have sealants. And, although children from lower income families are almost twice as likely to have decay as those from higher income families, they are only half as likely to have sealants."
Alisa Butler-Druzba,(l),
and Pam Smith,(r)
Pamela Smith, Assistant Director for the MA State Office of Rural Health, recently became one of the first graduates of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health’s (NOSORH) Leadership Institute. Her mentor was Alisa Butler-Druzba. In addition to her work with the Massachusetts SORH, Pam is a significant contributor to the RoundTable. Most recently, she helped plan our very successful Symposium.
Read more…
Round Table's 12th Annual Symposium
“Take Two Aspirin and Call Me… in 100 Days: Rural Workforce Challenges”
The RoundTable’s12th Annual Symposium on Oct. 30 brought members together in Portland, Maine to grapple with the issue that’s at the top of everyone’s worry list: workforce!
See the speakers presentations, and read more about why attendees agreed:
"Let's do this again!"
New -
Policy Committee Issues Statement on Healthcare Reform Legislation
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