Western Washington Area Health Education Center
2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310
Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 206.441.7137
Fax: 206.441.7158
News & Events
News Archives
Health
Professionals/
Student Placement
Volunteer/Retired
Providers Program
Statewide Office
of Rural Health
Community Health
Assessment, Planning
& Development
Primary Care
Provider Recruitment
Shop
WWAHEC
2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310
Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 206.441.7137
Fax: 206.441.7158
News & Events
News Archives
Health
Professionals/
Student Placement
Volunteer/Retired
Providers Program
Statewide Office
of Rural Health
Community Health
Assessment, Planning
& Development
Primary Care
Provider Recruitment
Shop
WWAHEC
2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310
Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 206.441.7137
Fax: 206.441.7158
News & Events
News Archives
Health
Professionals/
Student Placement
Volunteer/Retired
Providers Program
Statewide Office
of Rural Health
Community Health
Assessment, Planning
& Development
Primary Care
Provider Recruitment
Shop
WWAHEC
2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310
Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 206.441.7137
Fax: 206.441.7158
News & Events
News Archives
Health
Professionals/
Student Placement
Volunteer/Retired
Providers Program
Statewide Office
of Rural Health
Community Health
Assessment, Planning
& Development
Primary Care
Provider Recruitment
Shop
WWAHEC
2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310
Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 206.441.7137
Fax: 206.441.7158
News & Events
News Archives
Health
Professionals/
Student Placement
Volunteer/Retired
Providers Program
Statewide Office
of Rural Health
Community Health
Assessment, Planning
& Development
Primary Care
Provider Recruitment
Shop
News Archives
$1 Million in technology awards available to help doctors deliver better care
Awards totaling $1 million will be given to physician clinics and hospitals across Washington state to promote use of electronic medical records systems. Generally, these awards will be given to smaller and rural physician practices and smaller and rural hospitals by the Washington Health Information Collaborative. The awards of up to $20,000 each will be presented this fall to qualifying applicants. Inquiries and initial Letters of Intent from interested clinics or practices are now being accepted by the Collaborative.
The innovative technology awards are designed to improve the safety and quality of care by allowing healthcare practitioners to instantly and securely access accurate individual patient medical records, in addition to looking at aggregated data for improved decision-making. Electronic medical records will enable more consistent preventive care and enhanced care for patient populations with diabetes, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.
"The use of electronic medical records systems and other information technology has great potential for improving patient safety and the quality of care for patients," First Choice Health Chief Medical Officer Ze'ev Young said in announcing the second annual award. "But the cost of these systems is too high for some health care providers, especially the smaller and rural ones."
Enhancing the use of health information technology in physician clinics and hospitals will reduce administrative inefficiency and duplication, while improving the patient experience. "Information technology is used to improve quality and cost-effectiveness in nearly every industry and it is time for healthcare to catch up," said Steve Hill, Administrator of the Washington State Health Care Authority. "This award program will provide financial incentives and technical assistance for physician clinics and hospitals to get out of the old fashioned world of paper record keeping."
The Collaborative is a public-private partnership of First Choice Health, the Washington State Health Care Authority, Qualis Health and the Puget Sound Health Alliance, with a mission to improve the quality of patient care through the use of information technology. Funding comes from First Choice Health and the Health Care Authority, each of which has dedicated $500,000 to the 2006 awards program. Qualis Health will provide information technology consulting, quality improvement and other technical support to eligible award recipients. The Puget Sound Health Alliance provides award administration services for the program. "We all expect this program to grow, with additional employers and other purchasers, government agencies and others contributing the improvement of our state's health technology infrastructure," added Young.
Letters of intent will be accepted from eligible applicants until June 16, 2006. If the Letter of Intent demonstrates a physician practice's or hospital's readiness in any of the project areas, the entity will be invited to submit a formal application. The final awards are expected to be announced in September.
More information is available at www.WAHealthInfoCollaborative.org.
WWAHEC 2004-2005 Annual Report available for downloading
Western
Washington Area Health Education Center recently published its annual report
for 2004-5. An electronic
version of the report is available for downloading and a limited number
of printed copies are available by request. Please
contact us if you are interested in
receiving a hard copy of the report.
Western Washington AHEC worked with several stakeholders on the Rural Health Cinic Initiative - a two-year project designed to assess what financial benchmarks and other organizational factors contribute to the success and sustainability of a Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinic (RHC). The report summarizing the project's findings has been published by the Office of Community and Rural Health (OCRH), and is now available for downloading.
This report covers three surveys of the Rural Health Clinics in Washington State, documenting the role the RHCs play in the health care of Medicaid, Medicare and uninsured populations as part of the rural health care safety net. Consequently, for the first time Washington RHCs have baseline data for peer-to-peer comparisons of clinic performance and operational stability. Clinics were offered technical assistance in conjunction with the Initiative, and could compare their own data with other RHCs in the state.
While conducting the survey WWAHEC staff consulted with clinics on the RHC application process; provider recruitment and retention issues; and local, state and federal resources, among many areas. Staff visited 49 western Washington RHCs within a 60-day period to complete surveys.
Results were used by the Washington Rural Health Clinic Association to develop training and education programs for their members, and will be used to help form policy positions to support RHCs by the many rural health stakeholders in Washington. WWAHEC also participated in presentations on the Initiative at the Northwest Regional Rural Health Conference and at the National Rural Health Conference.
The report is a collaborative effort between WWAHEC, Eastern Washington AHEC, the OCRH, the Washington State Department of Health, and East-West Consulting. You will be redirected to the OCRH website if you choose to download this document.
Western
Washington AHEC is pleased to co-sponsor Keeping Elders Healthy:
Strategies for Healthcare Providers with the UW's Northwest
Geriatric Education Center (NWGEC). The workshop will be held March 10 from
8:00 am - 4:45 pm at the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles. This health
promotion workshop is one of a series of onsite daylong educational/training
programs that the NWGEC is conducting for providers working at rural
clinics, community hospitals and health departments in Washington state.
Presenters will cover topic-specific intervention strategies that have been
shown effective with older adults. Participants will receive a certificate
of attendance; CNE credits will be available for an additional fee of $35.
Download the registration form or
contact NWGEC at 206-685-7478 for more information (e-mail:
patann@u.washington.edu).
You will need
Adobe Acrobat to open the registration
form.
In June, 2005, Clover Park Technical College released a male nursing marketing and recruitment video on DVD titled, "Nursing: It's More than a Job." Viewers can exciting music, fresh graphics and diverse interviews that offer a unique perspective on the nursing industry.
Forming the connections with men and recruiting them in to a field dominated by women is the goal of the video. The release of this DVD marks a tremendous effort to use nontraditional means to reach a market that is largely untapped. Numerous studies have shown that the nation's severe nursing shortage h as been exacerbated by the low percentage of males, currently around six percent, in the profession. The situation within Washington state is even more discouraging, with roughly two percent of the nursing workforce made up of men.
Clover Park Technical College was awarded the Best Practices: Recruiting and Advising Innovation Grant from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in the fourth Quarter of 2004. CPTC believes that this video will help men understand that "nursing is more than a job."
To view the DVD go to http://cptc.edu/videos/malenursingstreaming.wmv. You will need Windows Media Player to view the video. Or go to http://cptc.edu, right-click on "Clover Park produces new Male Nursing Video" under the News items, and choose "Save Target" to download the video to your computer. For more information about the DVD, contact Shawn Jennison at (253) 589-6048.
Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, appointed Laurie Wylie, Western Washington Area Health Education Center Executive Director, to serve on the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
The National Advisory Council on the NHSC consults with, advises and makes recommendations to the Secretary and the Administrator of HRSA regarding the NHSC, the NHSC Scholarships, Indian Health Service Scholarships, and Health Professional Shortage Area Designations. In addition, the Council reviews and comments on regulations promulgated by the Secretary for these programs.
The newly elected 2004-2005 WRHA Board of
Directors - Front Row Jim Heilsberg, Steve Wilson, Carole Halsan, Susan
Eastman, Carrie MacLachlan, Jeanette Weyrich Back Row Kathy McVay, Sue Lani
Madsen, Debra Plemmons, Bob Davis, Jodi Palmer (WWAHEC Assistant Director &
recently elected Secretary of the WRHA Board of Directors), John Anderson,
Vic Dirksen, Nancy Vorhees.
Board members not pictured: Tom Jones, Robert Maudlin and David Olson
WWAHEC, the Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative and the UW Telehealth Services are pleased to present our third videoconference in the Western Washington Rural Hospital Videoconference Series, A New Look at Reducing Falls in Hospitals and Long-Term Care Settings. As many as thirteen rural hospitals will host attendees on Thursday, June 8th, from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please contact one of the co-sponsoring hospitals.
The program's featured speaker, Cindy Sayre, MN, ARNP, chairs the UW Medical Center's Fall Prevention Committee. Ms. Sayre facilitated the very popular Diabetes Update in September; she joins us having recently attended a conference on transforming Fall Prevention practices. Space is limited, so early registration is advised.
This 90-minute program is free to nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, counselors, pharmacists and other health care providers in rural Western Washington communities. For information on the series please contact Jodi Palmer, MSW, Western Washington AHEC Assistant Director.
WWAHEC, the Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative and the UW Telehealth Services are pleased to present our second videoconference in the Western Washington Rural Hospital Videoconference Series, Helping the Hurt: Nursing Pain Assessment and Management. As many as twelve rural hospitals will host attendees on Wednesday, February 22nd, from 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please contact one of the co-sponsoring hospitals.
The program's featured speaker, Pamela Stitzlein Davies, MS, ARNP, is a primary care provider for over 450 patients at the General Internal Medicine Clinic at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Seattle. She provides specialty care to patients with neuropathic pain, Restless Legs Syndrome and other neurological conditions. In addition to being an Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, Ms. Davies is also a member of the University of Washington's clinical faculty. Space is limited, so early registration is advised.
This 90-minute program is free to nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, counselors, pharmacists and other health care providers in rural Western Washington communities. For information on the series please contact Jodi Palmer, MSW, Western Washington AHEC Assistant Director.
September 13th Rural Hospital videoconference inaugurates series in style
The inaugural Western Washington Rural Hospital videoconference, Diabetes Update: Closing the Gap Between Evidence and Practice, was held Tuesday, September 13th, and was a rousing success. An estimated 75 people attended, with nine of the ten hosting hospitals tuning in to the broadcast. Cindy Sayre, MN, ARNP, was the guest speaker.
In addition to the co-sponsoring hospitals, this event was a cooperative effort of WWAHEC, the Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative, the UW School of Nursing department of Continuing Nursing Education, the UW Telehealth Services, and the UW Medical Center. The Diabetes was Update free to nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physicians, social workers, counselors and other health care providers in rural Western Washington communities. Continuing education credit was obtainable for a minimal fee.
Check back for more information on WWRHC programs, including future topics and feedback from attendees.
Inaugural Western Washington Rural Hospital Videoconference set for September 13th
WWAHEC and the Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative have joined with the UW School of Nursing department of Continuing Nursing Education, the UW Telehealth Services and the UW Medical Center to launch the first Western Washington Rural Hospital Videoconference, Diabetes Update: Closing the Gap Between Evidence and Practice. Ten rural hospitals will host attendees on Tuesday, September 13th, from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please contact one of the co-sponsoring hospitals.
The program's featured speaker, Cindy Sayre, MN, ARNP, is a Medical Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist at the UW Medical Center, and is a Clinical Instructor in Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems at the UW School of Nursing. Space is limited, so early registration is advised.
This 90-minute program is free to nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physicians, social workers, counselors and other health care providers in rural Western Washington communities. To receive continuing education credit of 1.8 contact hours, a fee of $35.00 is payable at the site. Contact hours will be awarded by the UW School of Nursing.
Western Washington AHEC participates in Healthiest State campaign
According
to national health ranking organizations, Washington state currently ranks
around 13th for health out of all 50 states. The Washington Health
Foundation has launched the
Healthiest State in the Nation
campaign, and Western Washington AHEC is proud to be a participating
organization. In order to improve our health, Washingtonians will need
to focus on access to services, quality of care, socio- economic
environment, public health, nutrition, physical activity and injury/disease
prevention. Check out the
schedule of events, link to other
campaign
partners, review the
Resource Exchange, and find out how you can
improve health in Washington.
Director of Pacific County Public Health and Human Services Receives Prestigious Award
Kathy Spoor, Pacific County Public Health and Human Services Director, is one of 10 outstanding individuals from across the country chosen to receive this year’s Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program award.
Spoor, who saw her grandmother struggle with the effects of childhood polio and lost her mother to a smoking-related illness, has dedicated her life to preventing illness among the residents of Pacific County. The Department offers all of the traditional public health services, from disease surveillance to tracking pregnancy outcomes, but under Spoor’s leadership has extended its work to include HIV and STD testing, family planning, low-cost or free pharmaceuticals, a host of youth development programs, and even dental care.
Western Washington AHEC has worked with Spoor to conduct a Primary Care Capacity Study for the Pacific County Health Department and in 2003 held focus groups to review results regarding health care access and quality.
Each of the recipients will be awarded $120,000 for their exceptional and effective approach to addressing the myriad health care challenges facing people in communities across the United States.
“This impressive group of leaders has demonstrated a proven commitment to strengthening their communities and enhancing the quality of life for our most vulnerable citizens,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “They’re outstanding people who have been in the trenches, often amid great controversy and against great odds, and make a difference every day.”
The program awards $1.2 million each year to individuals who have overcome significant challenges to expand access to health care and social services to underserved members of their communities. The winners will be honored at a June 15 event in Washington, D.C. Each will receive $105,000 to enhance their program and $15,000 as a personal award.
Nearly 700 nominations were submitted for this year’s honors. Since 1992, the program has given 133 awards to community leaders in 45 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
The Community Health Leadership Program is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving health and health care for all Americans. Read more about Kathy Spoor at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's site.
The newly opened Advanced Technologies Center at Big Bend Community College, Moses Lake, was the location for "Connections for Health Workforce Development," the May 4 semi-annual workshop for Health Skill Panel coordinators and panel members. Thirty-seven participants heard excellent presentations from Kyra Kester, of OSPI, and Anita Jinks, Tacoma Public Schools' Career and Technical Education Coordinator; Linda Tieman of the Washington Center for Nursing, Linda Snow of the Oregon Regional Clinical Placement group, and Mark Smith from the NW Radiological Consortium; and Madeleine Thompson of the Workforce Training Board staff... read more on the Health Skill Panels page
The Neighborhood Free Medical Clinic in Lacey invites you to help them celebrate their first "birthday" with the publication of their first newsletter. Volunteer Providers have helped make this Tuesday clinic a success in its community since March 30, 2004! You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.
International PR firm provides pro bono services to VRP Program
During the months of October and November 2004, international public relations firm Porter Novelli donated valuable marketing services to the Volunteer/Retired Providers (VRP) Program.
Facilitated by United Way of King County, Porter Novelli was linked to the VRP Program as a community resource willing to provide pro bono program marketing assistance. Porter Novelli, a corporate public relations firm with offices in 54 countries, provided several hours of labor, and involved the staff time of nearly 30 talented individuals. Founded in 1997, the Seattle office of Porter Novelli has received regional awards for work in the areas of tobacco education and prevention, including local media relations for the national Truth Campaign.
Christiaan Brown, Account Supervisor, and Will Ludlam, Partner and General Manager, lead the effort to organize Porter Novelli staff around the marketing needs of the VRP Program. Marketing campaign ideas were generated using a creative “multiple hats” brainstorming method that compartmentalizes ideas, first focusing on concepts without being burdened by concerns or criticism, and then refining those ideas through group scrutiny.
The more than 2 hour brainstorming session resulted in dozens of potential marketing directions, ranging from a candle lighting ceremony, to an ambassador project, to an e-mail campaign. Porter Novelli was extremely sensitive to the resource limitations inherent in planning around the VRP Program. As a valued community partner, Porter Novelli provided a much-needed resource, which would otherwise have been unattainable to the VRP Program.
The VRP Program budget was increased in the legislative session of June 2004, allowing expansion of the program to quadruple the number of participating providers. Unfortunately, response to the program expansion has been less than anticipated, raising fears that, without sufficient program growth, state funding would be slashed in the next fiscal year. For this reason, marketing assistance was sought from the for-profit community.
The VRP Program has been in existence since 1992. The program’s goal is to increase access to health care for underserved and low income patients by encouraging volunteerism among primary care providers. Site-specific malpractice insurance, paid for by the Washington State Department of Health, is coordinated through the VRP Program. Contact Christine Lindquist at 206-441-7137 if you are interested in participating in the program.
This one-day meeting on health workforce development issues was an excellent precursor to Workforce Strategies 2004. View a synopsis of the day's events, including an agenda, speaker's PowerPoint presentations, and attendee resources by going to our summary page.
Twenty-five youth from Western Washington were selected from over 130 applicants to participate in this summer's Health Opportunities Preparatory Experience, or Project HOPE. The program exposes high school students to health careers by placing them in six-week paid internships at local health facilities. In addition to spending rotations in several different settings under staff supervision, many of the interns participated in a 2-day Mini-Camp held at the University of Washington Medical School. To see a few photos from this summer's program, click here. Or go to the Project HOPE page for details about the program.
A number of week-long health camps in 2004 gave Washington high school students opportunities to learn firsthand what it’s like to be an emergency medical technician, doctor, registered nurse, or cardiovascular technician. Camps were organized either by a specific medical school/hospital or by a health skill panel. Check out pictures from one of the camps!
If you're a member of a Health Skill Panel in Washington, then you'll notice a change in E-News starting in September: The Health Skill Panels' Newsletter is now sent out as an HTML e-mail! Most articles are shorter with direct links to the resources and contain embedded e-mail addresses. You can read the latest issue of E-News by going to our new Health Skill Panel page and scrolling to the bottom. Download back issues of the E-News (in pdf format) at the E-News Archives page.
What's being done to prepare us in the event of a bioterrorist attack? For general information on Bioterrorism, or to read about Washington State preparations for response to bioterrorism events, click here.
Washington State Health Care: Future Changes and Trends (2002 to 2005) is now available from the Washington State Hospital Association. Please contact Natalie Mott at 206.577.1838 or nataliem@wsha.org to request a copy.
WWAHEC
2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310
Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 206.441.7137
Fax: 206.441.7158
or
Page updated 4/5/06