Ohio QI Initiatives
OACHC continues to work closely with the Ohio Departments of Medicaid and Health, as well as with the Ohio General Assembly, on policies and funding to support the work of Ohio’s Community Health Centers. As such, a number of QI opportunities are in process of rolling out to Ohio’s FQHCs (if not already launched), many with similar if not overlapping timelines. As you are making decisions internally whether or not to participate, we thought it would be helpful for you to see all of the QI opportunities we are working on with our state partners. In some cases, and depending on the scope of work and how it impacts your health center team, you may be limited to participating in only one QI initiative.
Please see the chart below with an at-a-glance snapshot of information pertaining to each opportunity, as well as who to contact at OACHC for additional information. Please note, information provided below is up-to-date as we understand it today, however subject to change.
Click Here to Download Chart
2015 Health Center Data is Here
HRSA released the 2015 UDS data recently. This a summary of data collected from Health Centers and look-a-likes. OACHC gathered information from Ohio's data and put it in the infographic you see below.
UDS Resources and Information
Below you can find more information on the results.
Happy National Health Center Week!!
This is our favorite week here at OACHC! We get to travel all over the state of Ohio to visit our member's health centers and join in celebrating National Health Center Week. Ohio's Community Health Centers have created some great events to get community members engaged and informed! Check out our facebook album to view pictures of this week, as we have been documenting our travels! Visit www.ohiochc.org/nhcw to learn more about National Health Center Week!
View all of our pictures here!
Proclamations
Don't Forget to Vote!
You have until August 15th at 5PM to vote for your Ultimate Health Center Champions! There are 3 categories to vote in: Heavyweight, Welterweight and Featherweight. You can vote once per day, per email address! Visit www.ohiochc.org/champs to view the rule and to vote!
Any chance that your health center is looking for a provider?
3RNet is featuring Ohio on their homepage the week of August 15-21, 2016. They get about 2,000 visitors each week which is a LOT of people who can learn about Ohio and your health center!
New to 3RNet? It only takes a few short minutes to get started. Are you a 3RNet veteran? Now is the time to check your profile and make sure all of your vacancies are accurate and up-to-date.
National Health Center Week offer: The first two health centers to send a 3RNet posted vacancy description to Heather Porter will have their vacancy promoted by 3RNet through social media during the Ohio week (two health centers, one per health center). Deadline to submit is August 10.
With workforce challenges being a key issue for health centers and one of the primary barriers to health center patient growth, it’s no surprise that many leaders report clinical vacancies as one of their foremost concerns. According to NACHC’s Workforce Report 2016, “almost all health centers (95%) are experiencing at least one clinical vacancy today“. Additionally they report that “health centers on average have 13% of their clinical workforce staff positions currently vacant”.
These statistics are staggering and although there are many resources available to assist with your recruitment efforts, 3RNet is a FREE resource that you may not be aware of which can lead like-minded clinicians to your virtual doorstep.
Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNet) is a nonprofit network of members and organizations designed to bring together health care professionals with job opportunities in rural and underserved communities throughout the country. Each state has one member responsible for the job postings on the website; in Ohio, OACHC serves in this capacity as the gateway for access to recruitment services offered on the 3RNet platform. Through this function, OACHC passes along access to FQHCs and providers in rural and underserved areas throughout Ohio the ability to post jobs and advertise their health centers. For more information and instructions please access this flyer.
Don’t Forget - New Meningococcal Vaccine Required for the Upcoming School Year
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Parents can do a number of things to ensure a healthy future for their child. One of the most important actions parents can take is to make sure their children are up to date on their vaccines. Following the recommended immunization schedule provides the best protection from serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases.
Getting vaccinated according to the recommended immunization schedule is one of the most important things a parent can do to protect their child’s health. Diseases can quickly spread among groups of children who aren’t vaccinated. Whether it’s a baby starting at a new child care facility, a toddler heading to preschool, a student going back to elementary, middle or high school – or even a college freshman – parents should check their child’s vaccination records.
Child care facilities, preschool programs, schools and colleges are prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases. Children in these settings can easily spread illnesses to one another due to poor hand washing, not covering their coughs, and other factors such as interacting in crowded environments.
Ohio Law
A new law in Ohio requires a vaccination against meningitis for students entering the 7th and 12th grades. The requirement starts with the 2016-2017 school year.
Ohio 7th Graders
- meningococcal (serogroups A, C, W and Y) vaccine
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine
Ohio 12th Graders
- second dose of meningococcal vaccine
- must be administered on or after the 16th birthday (If the first dose of meningococcal vaccine was administered after the 16th birthday, a second dose is not required.)
About Meningoccal Disease
- most commonly affects adolescents and young adults
- can cause death within hours (can be fatal in 24 to 48 hours)
- can be prevented by vaccination
- symptoms are similar to flu
- transmissible through contact with nasal secretions or the saliva of an infected person
How to Prevent
- vaccination
- cover sneezes & coughs
- don’t share eating utensils, drinking glasses or straws, or water bottles
- vaccination
Parents and guardians can learn more about meningococcal disease by talking to a healthcare provider or local health department about immunization and other ways to prevent this terrible and deadly disease. You can also learn more by visiting the National Meningitis Association at www.nmaus.org.
NEW THIS YEAR!
In celebration on National Health Center Week 2016, OACHC is launching a friendly competition to determine the Ultimate Health Center Champions. All of Ohio's Community Health Centers will be competing in three separate divisions; Heavyweight, Welterweight & Featherweight.
One winner in each weight class will be recognized based on the total number of votes received in that class. There will also be a "Winner by Decision" that receives the most votes overall. Voters will be able to vote once a day per email address when the contest officially opens, so be sure to start voting on August 1st and keep coming back! Please see contest rules for more details.
The contest starts August 1st and will end August 15th. Check back at www.ohiochc.org/CHAMPS to learn more!
