Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan
Oct 19, 2018 - The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) announced the Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS), an effort to increase the knowledge of Tribal and federal health leaders and advocates through the creation and dissemination of a national-level, comprehensive profile of the public health system and infrastructure in Indian Country. To support this work, NIHB is requesting 261 Tribal health directors from Tribal health departments/entities representing 573 federally-recognized tribes from 35 states to participate. To learn more and to receive instructions on completing the well-based scan, join the pre-launch webinar on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.
Source: National Indian Health Board
view details

HHS Awards $293 Million to Expand Primary Health Care Workforce
Oct 18, 2018 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced funding through the National Health Services Corps (NHSC) and the Nurse Corps programs, which provide scholarships and loan repayment to providers for working in areas of the country with limited access to care. $293 million in funding will connect primary care providers and students to rural, tribal, and other underserved communities across the country.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
view details

The Doctor And The Epidemic: Three Years At Ground Zero Of The Opioid Crisis
Oct 15, 2018 - Highlights the work of Dr. Rahul Gupta, a West Virginia doctor who worked as the state's chief health officer during the height of the opioid epidemic. Discusses stigma and the creation of a data profile based on 830 residents who fatally overdosed in 2016 to serve as a "social autopsy" to help local health officials identify and connect people to resources. Also touches on a contaminated water crisis in the state and on Gupta's future work, including mothers with opioid use disorder and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Source: 89.3 WFPL
view details

Compassion, Faith Drive FPOY to Help Patients, Community
Oct 11, 2018 - Will Cooke, M.D. has been named the American Academy of Family Physicians 2019 Family Physician of the Year. Provides highlights from his career, including his work with HIV/AIDS patients and how he helped his community of Austin, IN during the worst drug-related HIV outbreak in the United States.
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
view details

CDC: Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority Federal Register
Sep 25, 2018 - The Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services has been amended to reflect the reorganization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in order to increase scientific capacity, strengthen infrastructure, create efficiencies across the organization, and improve links between the national centers.
Source: Federal Register
view details

The Forgotten Frontier: Nursing Done in Wild Places
Sep 20, 2018 - Highlights the history of the Frontier Nursing Service, which was founded in 1925 in Appalachian Kentucky to provide healthcare in a remote area with few healthcare providers. Features reports and documentaries that captured the care provided, including midwifery services, vaccinations, and other services to meet the healthcare needs of the population.
Source: Circulating Now
view details

CDC: Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations Federal Register
Sep 18, 2018 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking public comment by November 19, 2018 on revisions to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is the annual survey used to collect state-level information on health risk behaviors, health conditions, and preventive health services.
Source: Federal Register
view details

Update on Tribal Consultation for the Sanitation Deficiency System Guide
Sep 7, 2018 - Blog post from the Indian Health Service (IHS) on the Sanitation Deficiency System (SDS) - A Guide for Reporting Sanitation Deficiencies for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Homes and Communities. This guide is used to standardize collection of data and reporting on current sanitation deficiencies affecting AI/AN homes and communities and, by extension, health. IHS is engaging tribal consultation on proposed updates to the guide.
Source: Indian Health Service Blog
view details

Dead Reckoning: America's System of Coroners and Medical Examiners is Facing Unprecedented Challenges
Aug 31, 2018 - Details the increased workload on coroners, medical examiners, and forensic pathologists in part due to the opioid epidemic, focusing on Kentucky to shine a light on the national issue. Coroners' offices are struggling under the increased workload and expense, in some cases risking or even losing their accreditation. But even with funding, medical examiners can be difficult to recruit or retain due to high medical school debt and the lower pay scale and there are only 500 board-certified forensic pathologists in the country, less than half of the estimated need. This increased pressure can lead to less in-depth investigations of deaths, which may also impact public health.
Source: Governing
view details

A Conversation with Michael Fischer
Aug 28, 2018 - Radio interview with Michael Fischer, M.D. MPH & TM, Antibiotic Stewardship Expert for the Health Care Safety Group of the Infectious Disease Control Unit at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Discussion includes his work with antibiotic stewardship at the DSHS and how to build an antibiotic stewardship program, among other things.
Source: Rural Health Leadership Radio
view details