1. Monthly RHCC On-Call
Each month, the NWRHCC has a different person on call to handle after hours emergency needs. Jordan Rennie is the duty officer for May. Should you need assistance from the RHCC, please call 1-855-469-7422. To request Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), mobile medical assets, or other equipment from the RHCC, please complete the PPE and Mobile Asset Request form located here.
2. Regional Coalition Meeting
The Northwest Region Healthcare Coalition monthly meeting is June 8. We are using the WebEx conferencing system. If you are a routine attendee for this meeting and you do not have the WebEx calendar invite, please contact us before the meeting. The meeting agenda and previous meeting minutes will be sent on the Tuesday prior to the meeting.
Credit: Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association
Credit: Virginia Department of Health
1. Virginia Department of Health Weekly Situation Report
The Virginia Department of Health Office of Emergency Preparedness offers a weekly report with key takeaways, key figures, and other information affecting public health and healthcare.
Want to know more, read here »
2. Virginia Long-Term Care Clinician Network Monthly Update
About the Network: The Virginia Long-Term Care Clinician Network (LTC-CN) brings together medical directors and clinicians practicing in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other congregate care settings, such as Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
Want to know more, read here »
Join the Network
3. Virginia Department of Health Weekly Influenza Activity Report
The Virginia Department of Health offers a weekly report that tracks visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for influenza-like illness.
Want to know more, read here »
4. Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program (HAI High Sign Newsletter)
Our HAI/AR Program newsletter, the HAI High Sign is published on a regular basis and distributed electronically to hospital infection preventionists, key stakeholders from other healthcare facilities and membership organizations, as well as health department staff.
Want to know more, read here »
Credit: Health & Human Services
Credit: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
Credit: Hospital Preparedness Program
The Express: May 2023
This issue of The Express highlights the following new and updated resources:
- Buffalo Strong: Response and Recovery to an Active Shooter Incident (Speaker Series Recording)
- Updated Mini Modules to Relieve Stress for Health Care Workers
As many of you prepare for the start of the 2023 hurricane season, we invite you to access our Hurricane Resources Page, which includes resources such as:
- After the Flood: Mold-Specific Resources
- Major Hurricanes: Potential Public Health and Medical Implications
- Healthcare Facility Evacuation/Sheltering (Topic Collection)
Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA)
Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) provides timely, accurate, and credible information to clinicians related to emergency preparedness and response and emerging public health threats. COCA fosters partnerships with national clinician organizations to strengthen information-sharing networks before, during, and after a public health emergency.
Want to know more, read here »
Credit: U.S. Food & Drug Administration
1. FDA Drug Shortages
Current and Resolved Drug Shortages and Discontinuations Reported to FDA
2. Medical Device Shortage Update
Medical Device Shortages During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Credit: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Nothing
Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Credit: Federal Emergency Management Agency
Credit: U.S. Fire Administration
Credit: U.S. Fire Administration
The InfoGram
- Hurricane Season is Just Around the Corner
- Cyber Threats
- More
Credit: Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Credit: Virginia Fusion Center
Region 3 National Emergency Management Basic Academy
The National Emergency Management Basic Academy is the essential program for individuals committed to emergency management as a professional goal. Similar to basic academies operated by the fire service and law enforcement communities, the National Emergency Management Basic Academy provides learners with a broad foundation in emergency management policy and practice.
Where: *Central Virginia Community College
Where: **Liberty University in Lynchburg
* (L0101) Foundations of Emergency Management – August 14-18, 2023
** (L0102) Science of Disaster – September 19-21, 2023
** (L0103) Planning: Emergency Operations – October 17-18, 2023
** (L0146) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) – November 15-16, 2023
** (L0105) Public Information and Warning – December 12-14, 2023
To view current offerings and register for these courses, please log in to the Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center: https://covlc.virginia.gov/
Credit: 123RF
1. Making Mitigation Work (Webinar Series)
The Natural Hazards Center, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is pleased to present the Making Mitigation Work Webinar Series. These free one-hour webinars feature innovative speakers and highlight progress in mitigation policy, practice, and research.
Save the dates for future Making Mitigation Work webinars:
May 16, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
June 13, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
Click here to register for free
2. Infection Prevention Education Series
NETEC has released a new education series on infection prevention and control for special pathogens. The courses in this program are designed for nurses, physicians, emergency responders, and other health care professionals—bringing you back to the basics of infection prevention and control. Earn up to 1.5 continuing education credits and complete the program in as little as 1.5 hours.
Learn More
3. CBERS 2023 – Exercise Design for Community Partners
Participants will learn the fundamental steps of how to design a training exercise and participate with other community partners in a tabletop exercise. This is a free offering by the Virginia Department of Health. The bold location and date is the closest to the different parts of our region (East, West, North, and South).
The dates are locations are:
Newport News – May 22, 2023
Dinwiddie – May 4, 2023
Fairfax – June 6, 2023
Stafford – June 7, 2023
To register, click here.
1. 1 Dead in Virginia Hospital Shooting
A shooting at Richmond, Va.-based VCU Medical Center North Hospital resulted in one man killed and another taken into custody.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Mariah Taylor of BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW
2. Concerns Grow Over Potential for Summer MPOX Resurgence
Chicago is seeing an increase in MPOX, drawing concerns from some experts about the potential for a nationwide resurgence of the virus this summer, according to a May 8 report from NBC News.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Ashleigh Hollowell of BECKER’S Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
3. White House Struggles to Find new Leader of Pandemic Preparedness: Report
The White House is still searching for a director to helm a newly established office that would oversee pandemic preparedness and response efforts once the COVID-19 public health emergency ends May 11, people familiar with the matter told Politico in a May 5 report.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Erica Carbajal of BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW
4. Atlanta Hospital Reopens Following Shooting
Northside Medical Midtown hospital in Atlanta reopened May 8 following a shooting inside the facility May 3 that killed one and injured four others.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Ashleigh Hollowell of BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW
5. Cyberattacks Associated with Increased Strokes, Wait Times at Nearby Hospitals
Hospital ransomware attacks can also constrain resources at nearby facilities and should be considered a “regional disaster,” a May 8 study in JAMA Network Open found. s.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Giles Bruce of BECKER’S HEALTH IT
6. Sentara Introduces new Name and Logo
Sentara is pleased to announce the next evolution of the Sentara brand. Our new name, Sentara Health, reflects our enhanced focus on promoting the overall health and well-being of our consumers – our patients, members, and communities – who are at the center of everything we do.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Sentara.com
7. New CMS Waiver will Allow Hospitals to use Micro Electrical Grids as Backup Power
Consider using a healthcare microgrid system (HCMS) for your facility’s required emergency electrical backup to lifesaving systems now that CMS has approved a new categorical waiver. The alternative energy system could help you meet upcoming requirements to reduce greenhouse emissions as well as provide a backup to the longstanding emergency generators at hospitals and most other healthcare facilities.
Source: Accreditation & Quality Compliance Center
8. COVID-19 Vaccines Requirements to end May 11 Along with PHE
CMS is ending a requirement that all hospital providers and suppliers be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of the end of the public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, according to new guidance issued on May 1. Want to know more, read here »
Source: A.J. Plunkett of Accreditation & Quality Compliance Center
9. What Workplace Violence Prevention can Learn From Emergency Management
A new survey of 500 healthcare professionals has delved into obstacles these professionals face, with personal safety, mental health, and burnout rising to the top. Among the findings in the report, nearly half (46%) of respondents said that a violent incident occurred in their organization in the past year. Nearly three-quarters (72%) said that a patient becoming violent is their biggest safety concern at work.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Matt Phillion of Accreditation & Quality Compliance Center
10. What Workplace Violence Prevention can Learn From Emergency Management
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week recommended health care facilities use a risk-based assessment, stakeholder input and local metrics to determine how and when to require universal masking to prevent COVID-19 transmission. The universal masking guidelines are no longer tied to CDC’s community transmission metric, which will not be available after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends tomorrow, the agency notes. The revised infection prevention guidelines continue to recommend universal masking under specific circumstances, including in work units or areas of a facility experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. CDC no longer recommends testing all nursing home admissions for COVID-19, leaving testing to the discretion of the facility. For more information, see the CDC’s updated guidelines.
Source: AHA Today
11. Hospitals Prepare for Surge in ERs as Title 42 Ends
Hospitals near the southern U.S. border are preparing for a surge of patients as Title 42, the tighter policy of U.S. border enforcement enacted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, comes to an end.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Molly Gamble of BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW
12. FKC Corporate Hurricane Season Preparedness Checklist
Another hurricane season is approaching! Hurricane preparation for the east coast and gulf states is a yearlong task. Now’s the time to confirm ‘we’re ready’. The dialysis communities are checking the list and preparing the clinics, the clients, the staff, and the partners.
Want to know more, read here »
Source: Fresenius Kidney Care Disaster Team
