All Treats! No Tricks!

Halloween is right around the corner, are you prepared for it? Unlike most years, this season will have its challenges and will look a lot different. States, cities and communities will all have different rules and regulations about what is and isn't allowed for Trick or Treating and it is good practice to know what is happening in your area. If you are in Ohio, most news outlets have this information as well as your local health departments. 

As masks have been an ongoing part of our lives for the past few months, they may be part of your Halloween costume too! Make sure you have on a costume that is breathable and does not restrict your movement or vision. When consuming food and other substances, again, double check your local health department for guidelines on consumption. Ensuring safety is everyone's main goal of any exciting activity! 

Helpful Links:

CDC: Holiday Celebrations 

Responsible ReStart Ohio: Celebrating Halloween

Experts Share Halloween Health Safety Tips

This blog post is sponsor by Executive Interiors, LLC

Contact:
Susan Queen, Director of Sales + Design
614.774.2079
squeen@executiveinteriorsco.com
www.executiveinteriorsco.com   

2020 Virtual Fall Operations Conference

Thank you SO much to everyone who helped make our first large digital event possible! We were able to hold 22 sessions across 5 days.... 

   

With fun activities as breaks...

   

An engaging Virtual Scavenger Hunt with our Sponsors and Exhibitors...

And, we celebrated some of our health center award recipients!

Thank you for *gathering* with us this Fall! 

We can't wait to *see* you all again in April at our Annual Conference! 

Paramount Advantage: Transportation Assistance Program

Paramount Advantage Honors Commitment to Members with Transportation Assistance

Medicaid members often need support getting to and from appointments. That’s why Paramount Advantage Medicaid has designed a transportation program with easily accessible options. Paramount’s goal is to help members stay healthy by improving medical appointment adherence.

Paramount Advantage members have access to 30 one-way trips (or 15 round trips) per year. Several transit options are available, including: Bus pass, cab, Lyft, mileage reimbursement, van, and wheelchair-accessible services.

 Eligible destinations include:

• Dental, medical, mental health and addiction, therapy, and vision appointments
• Health and disease education
• Pharmacy (stand-alone, added during trip scheduling, or called in by provider for return ride)
•  Prenatal and postpartum appointments, as well as NICU visitation and prenatal/postnatal education
• WIC, food clinics, grocery store, and delivery, emergency food banks (call Member Services to set up)
• Medicaid redetermination and SSI appointments
• Summer cooling stations

Member scheduling: To schedule, members just need to call 866-837-9817, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. We ask that they schedule at least two full business days and up to 30 days in advance. 

Provider scheduling: We offer a provider-only scheduling line, in the event you need to request transportation on behalf of a member for things like urgent sick visits, same day appointments, hospital discharges, lab, pharmacy, or radiology appointments. Using this scheduling line you may also request trip statuses or even re-dispatch a cab or Lyft if a member is a “no show” patient.

COVID-19 guidelines: Due to COVID-19 we have some special guidelines in place. All members/patients and drivers must wear a face-covering during all points of transit. If a patient is COVID-19 positive or suspected to be, please refer them to BLS ambulance transit.

Paramount is glad to have the opportunity to help its members, who are very grateful for this program. It thanks you for your continued partnership to improve the health and well-being of our most-at-need and vulnerable Ohioans.

If you have any questions about Paramount’s transportation assistance program, don’t hesitate to contact Tim Petee, Paramount, Director of Regional Operations at tim.petee@promedica.org. Learn more by visiting paramounthealthcare.com/medicaid. Download the brochure! 

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month. From natural disasters to national emergencies, it is important to be prepared for literally anything. Below are resources on how to prepare ahead time for an emergency and how to handle a situation that might arise out of nowhere. 

Resources:

• OACHC's Emergency Preparedness Info
• Ohio EMA Releases New School Tabletop Exercise Toolkits
• Ready.gov
• Energy.gov
• Disaster Safety for People with Disabilities

Humana: Corporate Sponsor Spotlight

 

Humana is a leading national provider of Medicare, Medicaid, commercial, and military health plans. We have over 200,000 members across Ohio, and employ 2,600 Ohioans in every corner of the state. Humana supports physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.

Max Fletcher, Strategy Advisor
773.680.4141
mfletcher24@humana.com
www.humana.com

Music & Health

If you haven't been watching the news lately, there is a viral video of twins listening to Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight" for the first time EVER. For most people over the age of 30, this might seem like an "uhhhh how have they never heard that song??" but just remember hearing some of your favorite songs for the first time and all the feels it gave you.

According to NAMI, music can act as a medium to help people process emotions. It can also work as a "regulating or calming agent" when you are experiencing anxiety. Just think, how often are you doing a task and think to yourself  'Dang, I would be able to focus soooo much better if only I had some music.'

Music can help relieve stress but it can also cause stress too. Consider the times you have been in the car and needed to focus and had to turn down the music so you could "see" better. However, if you are feeling unhappy, be sure to pick songs that make you feel good. Pick songs that make you move as exercise will help you release endorphins and endorphins make you happy :)

Helpful Links:
Twins React to Phil Collins
The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health
Music Can Be a Great Mood Booster
Music and Mood

The New Age of Telehealth

With the pandemic sweeping the globe, everything has made a quick switch to virtual. This includes healthcare! Telehealth is extremely important to help patients and healthcare workers maintain a safe distance while also allowing patients easy access to quality healthcare, wherever they live. During a telehealth visit patients can receive many of the same benefits as an in-person visit.

• Telehealth Implementation Quick Guide
• HHS Telehealth Resources
• Telehealth Emergency Rule
• ODM Telehealth FAQ
• Updated Telehealth Information
• Filed Telehealth Appendix
• ODM Emergency Telehealth Infographic Medicare FQHC Telemedicine Update from PMG