June 1-6, 2010
June 1-6, 2010 |
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In this Issue...
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Spring Newsletter |
| VRHA News |
| Members in the News |
By Steve Igo - Kingsport Times The Virginia director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency said she was “blown away,” while the commissioner of the Virginia Department for the Aging said the experience was breathtaking. Ellen Davis and Linda Nablo were talking about their first impression of Mountain Empire Older Citizens Inc.’s new PACE Center, an innovative way to care for the elderly by melding health care needs with social and personal needs, yet allow elderly citizens to live in their own homes as long as possible without institutionalized care. Davis and Nablo were present two years ago during groundbreaking ceremonies for the new facility, which began operating last December.
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| More Members in the News |
By Candice Nelson - WSLS10 More than 150 students with the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine met inside Burruss Hall at Virginia Tech for graduate rehearsal on Thursday. Many of these men and women went to medical school for different reasons. “I wanted to do something to give back. I always loved the sciences, and I found myself falling into medicine,” said Todd Fridley. “Both of my parents are doctors and they actually both teach here at VCOM, and they were both great role models for me,” said Fred Rawlins. Fewer people are going to medical school as the nation faces a doctor shortage. Some students at VCOM believe it’s because medical school doesn’t come cheap.
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| Virginia Rural Health News |
| Economy Slows Jobs for New Nurses |
By Sarah Bruyn Jones - Roanoke Times Josh Tucker graduated from Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke with an associate degree in nursing Friday morning. Next week he begins a job in the critical care unit at Martinsville Memorial Hospital. "I'm jumping right in," said Tucker, 25, of Horse Pasture. "I consider myself lucky to have a job when I finished school. It's tough this year." Students who have flocked to nursing school with the promise of jobs are finding that the economy has made landing a position immediately after graduating this spring more challenging. Still, while the number of entry-level jobs for nursing school graduates is limited, projections of a nursing shortage still exist, boosting the long-term prospects for job security. "This is the first year that I taught that students didn't have jobs when they left the college," said Rebecca Greer, director of the associate degree program at Jefferson. "In previous years, the majority of students had jobs at graduation. ... It's a reflection of the economy." Read the full article.
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Two of the co-founders of the Virginia Stroke Systems initiative were honored at the Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force (VSSTF) meeting this Spring. Dr David Suttle, Director of the Office of Family Health Services of the Virginia Department of Health, attended to present awards of appreciation from the VSSTF, Virginia Department of Health and the American Heart Association.
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| ACS Seeks Partners |
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is committed to reducing health disparities in our communities. ACS wants to increase your Community Health Workers’ knowledge of cancer and resources for cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, in a way that is both culturally appropriate and accessible. To that end, they have launched, Bridges: A Partnership of Community Health Worker Programs and the American Cancer Society. Based on regional demographics, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and rural populations are priorities. Please read the Bridges flyer for additional information.
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| Your Input Needed |
On June 15, 16, and 17 the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) will hold a series of interactive webinars to
obtain citizen input for a six-year (2011–2016) strategic plan that will guide future
ARC economic and community development efforts in the Appalachian Region.
To learn more, please visit the ARC webinars information page. Please join in these online events to help ARC address Appalachia's economic challenges and opportunities and improve quality of life for your community's residents.
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| National Rural Health News |
| Distance Technologies Help Rural Nurses |
Demand in rural areas for registered nurses with advanced training will continue to increase, said Polly Bednash, CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). “Fortunately for nurses already living in rural areas, more online programs are available to assist them in furthering their educations,” Bednash said. “Of the more than 630 RN-to-Baccalaureate programs available nationwide, at least 400 are offered partially online. These programs build on the education provided in diploma and associate degree programs and prepare graduates for a broader scope of practice.” Many of the more than 160 RN-to-Master’s degree programs are also available through distance technologies. A list of degree completion programs is available at the AACN web site. See: Schools Offering RN to Baccalaureate Programs, Fall 2009 and Schools Offering RN to Master's Programs, Fall 2009.
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| Change! |
By Wayne Myers, MD The monumental health insurance reform bill that passed last month is only the beginning. Within the evolving regulations and, perhaps, legislation, I think we’ll see several of the following trends. One important idea is “bundled payments.” The policy objective is to reduce incentives for doctors and hospitals to do so many tests and procedures. Bundling of payments, paying a single, predetermined lump sum to care for an entire episode of illness from diagnosis through hospitalization to recovery regardless of how often tests are repeated, will save startling amounts of money. It will be widely adopted in spite of frantic lobbying by imaging and related interests. For rural communities, bundled payments will accelerate movement toward the development of community health systems in which the docs, the hospital, the rehabilitation facility and home care join in a single organization. This will also increase pressure for rural hospitals and community health centers to develop an organizational framework under which they can join and prosper.
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Do you have exciting rural health news that needs to be shared? Do you know of an upcoming health-related event which should be on our calendar? E-mail Beth O'Connor at: boconnor@vcom.vt.edu |
Disclaimer: The VRHA circulates state and national news as an information service only. Inclusion of information is not intended as an endorsement. If you prefer to receive email in plain text or rtf format instead of html or if you receive this email more than once, email VRHA. |
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