Employee Assistance Program takes a proactive approach to worker mental health care – The Aspen Times

Kris Mattera knows that life in the Roaring Fork Valley can be stressful.

As the executive director of the Basalt Chamber of Commerce, shes heard as much from members of the organization that represents local businesses. And with the COVID-19 pandemic in play, people are stretched even thinner on both fronts, both at home and at work, Mattera said.

Its just a lot for people to handle, and were just trying to get as many resources out there and available to people, so they can take advantage of them and kind of improve their situation because this doesnt appear to be a situation thats going to go away anytime soon, Mattera said.

That acknowledgment was the impetus behind the chambers decision to offer discounted group rates to members for Triad, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) based out of Grand Junction that offers mental health services and other life tools and resources for workers through their employers.

The Basalt Chamber of Commerce announced the benefit about a year ago but it had been in the works since 2020. The Aspen Chamber Resort Association now offers a similar discount program for its members for Triad; a kickoff webinar took place on Jan. 19. For both chamber programs, monthly rates start at $3.05 for each employee and may get even lower if more members sign up.

We knew (these services) were critical prior to the pandemic, but even moreso (now) youre seeing a lot of people discussing employee stress, mental wellness, coping mechanisms all these different factors that are happening, Mattera said. This is just yet another tool in the toolbox, and a low-cost way of providing benefits to employees that they may not otherwise have access to.

Triad takes a more proactive approach and often a more affordable one to employees well-being than might otherwise be covered with insurance for mental health care, according to John Gribben, the companys co-founder and owner-manager.

Counseling services are very much part of the program; the number of free sessions per employee depends on the package that employers sign up for. But employers can also add on legal and financial consultations, crisis support or workplace trainings for resiliency, communication skills or conflict resolution the idea being that if employees can address some of the external stressors in their lives, it might help with their internal mental health too, Gribben said.

That whole body mentality could go a long way for the sustainability and wellbeing of the local workforce, according to Christina King, a Basalt-based therapist who contracts with Triad and some other employee assistance programs.

It also has a return on investment that manifests in employees who are more present and more productive, King noted. The proactive approach might also help employees get help for mental health challenges before they require more intensive intervention.

When we dont address mental health in the workplace, or we dont really care and support our employees to support their needs, or create that mindset, (then) were spending more money on them on their insurances, or on whatever care they need for addiction, for anxiety, for depression, for them not showing up to work because of those issues, King said.

Many of the largest employers in the valley already offer employee assistance programs think Aspen Skiing Co., school districts, hospitals and municipal governments, according to Gribben.

But participation isnt as high for smaller businesses and employers with just a handful or a couple dozen staffers, Gribben said. He thinks that might be because a smaller employer either doesnt know about and or doesnt think they can afford an EAP, Gribben said. Thats where local business chambers come in, on both the promotion and the rate front.

Like King, Gribben and Mattera also identified what Gribben called a bottom-line benefit that adds to the more altruistic sales pitch of worker wellness.

I think having access to these resources, giving people different ways to cope, is really helpful. The greater the mental well-being of your employees, the more productive they are, the better it is for business, Mattera said.

If we all have great mental hygiene, thats good for the entire valley, she added.

kwilliams@aspentimes.com

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Employee Assistance Program takes a proactive approach to worker mental health care - The Aspen Times

‘Its been a tough couple of years’: Reinforcements to help exhausted hospital health care workers – WLWT Cincinnati

Hospitals jammed with the highest number of COVID-19 patients on record are beginning to get some relief as the Ohio National Guard arrives and reinforcements of a different kind step up to the task.The National Guard sent 70 troops to UC Hospital to help out in several clinical and non-clinical roles. They add to the 20 already there to help with the testing efforts.The troops are needed because of the high number of COVID-19 patients and the high number of staff out because of COVID-related issues.There are also other efforts to reinforce hospital health care workers."Our teams are doing a great job, but our teams are tired. Its been a tough couple of years," said vice president and chief nursing officer for the Good Samaritan region at TriHealth.TriHealth has a program called Helping Hands that puts more nursing staff in the hospital."We've reached out to these other areas which could be our physician practices or anyone that's not working at the bedside that can come in and help," Macy said. "We can use these resources anywhere because it's going to help in all of our units."So far, about 100 nurses have stepped up to help out.St. Elizabeth has a similar program that recruits nurses from outside the hospital to help relieve the pressure of the staffing situation. "If there are opportunities for folks who do not have front-line patient care jobs, if there are opportunities for them to volunteer and help, we're asking them to do that at this point," said St. Elizabeth COVID Dr. Jim Horn.

Hospitals jammed with the highest number of COVID-19 patients on record are beginning to get some relief as the Ohio National Guard arrives and reinforcements of a different kind step up to the task.

The National Guard sent 70 troops to UC Hospital to help out in several clinical and non-clinical roles. They add to the 20 already there to help with the testing efforts.

The troops are needed because of the high number of COVID-19 patients and the high number of staff out because of COVID-related issues.

There are also other efforts to reinforce hospital health care workers.

"Our teams are doing a great job, but our teams are tired. Its been a tough couple of years," said vice president and chief nursing officer for the Good Samaritan region at TriHealth.

TriHealth has a program called Helping Hands that puts more nursing staff in the hospital.

"We've reached out to these other areas which could be our physician practices or anyone that's not working at the bedside that can come in and help," Macy said. "We can use these resources anywhere because it's going to help in all of our units."

So far, about 100 nurses have stepped up to help out.

St. Elizabeth has a similar program that recruits nurses from outside the hospital to help relieve the pressure of the staffing situation.

"If there are opportunities for folks who do not have front-line patient care jobs, if there are opportunities for them to volunteer and help, we're asking them to do that at this point," said St. Elizabeth COVID Dr. Jim Horn.

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'Its been a tough couple of years': Reinforcements to help exhausted hospital health care workers - WLWT Cincinnati

Death of Stanford nurse brings attention to healthcare workers mental health – KRON4

STANFORD, Calif. (KRON) Its a problem facing health care workers across the country, including here in the Bay Area.

Friends of a Stanford nurse who committed suicide last week say his death is bringing attention the to importance of mental health for healthcare workers.

A recent study says that over the past two years of caring for COVID patients, nurses and other first responders reported high levels of stress, depression, and fatigue.

Friends and co-workers of 27-year-old Michael Odell are heartbroken.

The travel ICU nurse from Oklahoma had been working at Stanford Hospital before committing suicide last week.

Josh Paredes was best friends with Odell. As a fellow nurse, he says the stresses of the job have become overwhelming for so many in the health care field.

Paredes believes its important for people to hear Odells story.

A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine included a survey of more than 500 doctors, nurses, and other health care workers who have been treating COVID patients.

Within it, they found 74% saying they were depressed, 37% reported they were experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and 15% said they have had thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

Stanford nurse Gabby Ladue helped in the frantic two-day search for Odell who abruptly left work and went missing last Tuesday.

The search ended tragically on Thursday when Odells body was found at the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge.

Ladue says right now frontline workers across the country need more support.

Odells colleagues are hoping employers will step up in their efforts to address the well-being of their workers.

For Paredes, Odells death is pointing out the need for these conversations.

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Death of Stanford nurse brings attention to healthcare workers mental health - KRON4

Cryan Vows to Address Health Care Needs of Veterans Denied Treatment – InsiderNJ

Cryan Vows to Address Health Care Needs of Veterans Denied Treatment

Trenton Senator Joe Cryan, the newly-selected chair of the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, said that he will follow through on issues discussed at a forum on the health care needs of veterans who are being denied treatment because they left the service with other than honorable discharges.

After participating in the Veterans Zoom Roundtable, sponsored by the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, Senator Cryan said he wants to fix a system that prevents veterans from access to care because of conduct resulting from service-related trauma, such as PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Military Sexual Trauma. He has already started to work on a legislative remedy.

These were heart-wrenching accounts of veterans who served, sacrificed and suffered on behalf of our country, said Senator Cryan, referring to the former soldiers and surviving family members who gave accounts of their experience. Its a cruel irony that former soldiers are being denied treatment and benefits because of so-called bad paper discharges for conduct caused by their military experience. This is an injustice that needs to be fixed.

An other than honorable (OTH) discharge occurs when the veterans service records show some misconduct, but they have not been involved with a court-martial. The OTH status often inhibits them from accessing federal and state services and benefits, including health care. Veterans with bad paper discharges are at greater risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, homelessness, drug addiction and suicide.

Senator Joe Vitale, chair of the Senate Health Committee, also participated in the forum and will work with Senator Cryan on the legislation.

These are men and women returning home with the wounds of war, including wounds that arent visible, said Senator Vitale. The current policy cuts them off from vital services, including addiction treatment, mental health services and other behavioral treatment they need to recover. These are treatments that can save lives.

There are an estimated 8,000 New Jersey veterans with less than honorable discharges that impact their health benefits, the forum was told.

Former Governor Jim McGreevey, the Reentry Corporations chair, moderated the discussion.

This is a matter of basic decency for the men and women who have worn the uniform of Americas armed services, said McGreevey. They should be provided with the care they deserve and have earned to treat the trauma-caused conditions they endured in service to others.

Senator Cryan said that he has already started working on legislation to fix the system and that he will collaborate with Senator Vitale, the Reentry Corporation, veterans groups and others. He will also examine progress made in other states.

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Cryan Vows to Address Health Care Needs of Veterans Denied Treatment - InsiderNJ

Naperville Helps! Campaign Relaunched To Aid Health Care Workers – Patch.com

NAPERVILLE, IL As the current coronavirus surge continues to impact individuals and families worldwide, the Naperville Helps! GoFundMe has been relaunched to benefit local health care workers and other first responders.

Naperville Helps! was first launched at the start of the pandemic by the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Naperville Alliance. The initiative has since donated nearly $100,000 and partnered with dozens of local restaurants to provide over 6,000 meals to employees at Edward Hospital.

"We are honored to help support the amazing healthcare workers at Edward Hospital as they work hard to help keep our community healthy. Whether you can give a few dollars or a few hundred dollars, that money has double the impact as it helps to support our downtown restaurants AND allows us to provide meals to local healthcare workers," Danielle Tufano, Executive Director of Downtown Naperville Alliance, said in a news release.

Tufano added, "In speaking with representatives from the hospital, they agree that a project like this could not have come at a better time and they greatly appreciate all of the support from the community".

Click the link to donate to the Naperville Helps! campaign. All proceeds will be used to get meals delivered to health care staff at Edward Hospital.

Kaylin Risvold, President and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement, that making a donation is a great way to "bring businesses together with our larger community to not only say 'thank you' but to spread a smile through a donated delicious snack."

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Naperville Helps! Campaign Relaunched To Aid Health Care Workers - Patch.com

HEALTH CARE BRIEFING: HHS Responds to GOP Testing Funds Inquiry | Bloomberg Government – Bloomberg Government

The Biden administration told Republican senators it had $18 billion in unobligated funds for coronavirus testing, mitigation, and contact tracing, according to a summary obtained by Bloomberg Government, a pool of unused money that will likely factor into negotiations on a coronavirus relief bill, Jack Fitzpatrick reports.

Health and Human Services officials told Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) the agency had $18 billion in unobligated funds for those purposes late last week, though only $4.6 billion of those funds havent been allocated for a specific purpose, according to the response. Most of the unobligated funds, $16.6 billion, were appropriated in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Blunt and Burr requested details on coronavirus test funding in a letter this month, as the Biden administration raced to provide more testing to the public amid a surge in coronavirus cases due to the omicron variant. Any legislation providing further funds for coronavirus relief will need to have stronger reporting provisions, Blunt said in a Wednesday hallway interview. He said he appreciated the administrations response to his questions.

HHS had $97 billion for testing, mitigation, and contact tracing from 2020 legislation and the March 2021 American Rescue Plan, officials said. While officials didnt provide a comprehensive list of how those funds were spent, they provided examples of major expenditures. Some of the funds were routed to programs outside their original purpose; $2.3 billion of testing funds were used for coronavirus-related expenses for unaccompanied children entering the U.S. or to backfill funds used for the same purpose. Another $155 million was used as part of the Biden administrations program to resettle some Afghans into the U.S.

The funds included:

Bidens pledge to provide 1 billion free rapid Covid-19 tests to Americans is set to be a boon for test makers, as the omicron variant has left pharmacies and clinics scrambling to find supplies. The federal government has committed to spend at least $4.2 billion to develop, manufacture and produce rapid antigen tests since the start of the pandemic in 2020, according to a review of BGOVs contracts database. And thats before fulfilling Bidens latest pledge for free tests. Supplying the first 500 million will cost $4 billion, a top U.S. official said. Kristen V. Brown and Paul Murphy have more.

ALSO HAPPENING ON THE HILL

Health Care Strike Risk Runs High as Hundreds of Labor Deals End: Hundreds of union contracts will expire in 2022 at health-care facilities from Boston to Sacramento, setting up fights over staff-to-patient ratios, pay, and other safety concerns as beleaguered workers continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. The cluster of expiring labor agreements will force health-care management to reckon with the physical and mental toll the pandemic has had on workers during the worst staffing shortage in memory.

At least 207,000 health-care workers are covered by the more than 400 labor agreements set to expire this year, according to an analysis of federal disclosures and contract settlement data compiled by Bloomberg Law. That figure is a conservative estimate that will only grow throughout the year as more companies report information on expiring contracts to the federal government. Read more from Andrew Wallender, Ian Kullgren, and Allie Reed.

Bidens Shot Mandate for Federal Workers Blocked: The Justice Department will appeal a federal judges national preliminary injunction against Bidens executive order mandating that all federal workers consent to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or else face termination. The order poses a threat of irreparable harm to the liberty interests of employees who must choose between violating a mandate of doubtful validity or consenting to an unwanted medical procedure that cannot be undone, Judge Jeffrey V. Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas said. Read more from Kathleen Dailey.

Omicron Nears Peaks in U.S. as Some Regions Still Face Struggle: The omicron variant is starting to loosen its grip on the Northeast, but experts warn that it will take more time for the latest wave of Covid-19 to recede nationwide. The shape of the omicron wave may look different in various parts of the country, depending on vaccination rates and hospital capacity in those areas. Nationally, the omicron wave could peak as early as this week, projections from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington say. We are going to go through a couple more weeks that are very difficult on our hospitals, but come mid-February, March, we should be in a very good position, said Ali Mokdad, a professor at IHME and chief strategy officer for population health at the University of Washington. Read more from Madison Muller

More Headlines:

Georgia Sues HHS Over Repeal of Medicaid Work Rule: Georgia is suing the HHS over its withdrawal of the states authority to require work as a condition of Medicaid eligibility. The Friday lawsuit comes around a month after HHS informed Georgia it cant impose work requirements on beneficiaries or charge premiums beyond those allowed in the Medicaid statute. Work requirements were a policy priority under the Trump administration, which approved proposals to impose them on adult beneficiaries in 12 states. Read more from Christopher Brown.

Judge in Planned Parenthood Case Defends Abortion Laws: A federal appeals court judge on the panel hearing a Louisiana abortion case involving Planned Parenthood assailed the organization for accusing the state of a sham investigation into its fetal disposal practices, offering a strident defense of abortion restrictions. Judge James Ho slammed Planned Parenthood in a concurring opinion he added Thursday to a previous ruling from the Fifth Circuit, which said in July that the group could move forward with part of its abortion rights lawsuit against Louisiana health officials. Read more from Mike Leonard.

Input on Streamlining Drug Payment Approvals Sought: The HHS is seeking input on how to use information technology to make it easier for health insurers to get approval of a prescription drug before they pay for it. The request for information seeks to improve the prior authorization process, which private insurers and other payers use to ensure that a drug or treatment gets covered by the patients health plan. The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology released the request on Friday. Read more from Christopher Brown.

More Headlines:

To contact the reporters on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jack Fitzpatrick in Washington at jfitzpatrick@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Zachary Sherwood at zsherwood@bgov.com; Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com; Michaela Ross at mross@bgov.com

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HEALTH CARE BRIEFING: HHS Responds to GOP Testing Funds Inquiry | Bloomberg Government - Bloomberg Government

5 Healthcare IT Trends Entrepreneurs Should Watch in 2022 – Entrepreneur

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The pandemic has catalyzed significant changes in the healthcare industry, particularly on the technology front as patients, payers and providers look for ever-newer ways of delivering, receiving and being reimbursed for care.These have created new opportunities for business leaders committed to delivering innovative solutions, and, of course, entrepreneurs with the best ideas are positioned to most readily obtain funding.

According to Deloitte, venture funding for healthcare tech doubled year-over-year in 2020 and further accelerated during 2021 with record levels of investment through special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), private equity, venture capital and debt financing.

A closer look at five healthcare IT trends to watch:

The healthcare industry has been transitioning to cloud-based tools for some time now, but adoption has generally lagged among smaller/independent groups. Over the last two years, the need to quickly access information and deliver virtual care to patients has further accelerated this move to the cloud, especially among smaller independent groups, and this will continue in 2022.

Before 2020, telemedicine adoption rates were low. While less than 1% of patient appointments were conducted virtually in 2019, telehealth use has increased by a factor of 38 from the beginning of 2020 to February of 2021, according to McKinsey & Company a sea change in care delivery, and at a speed virtually unheard of in the healthcare space. Over the last two years, many have transitioned from experiencing their very first virtual healthcare encounter to expecting this new convenience from any provider they select. In addition to patient sentiment, increased acceptance by insurance companies and a reduction of regulatory hurdles have rapidly increased physician adoption of telemedicine. Look for virtual care to continue to make inroads in the months and years ahead.

Related: What Entrepreneurs Need to Know About the Post-Pandemic Telehealth Industry

Similar to the trajectory of telemedicine, technologies that enable remote monitoring of patient health and chronic care management are quickly gaining broader acceptance, including devices that capture real-time data regarding blood pressure, weight, oxygen levels, activity and other vitals collectively driving efficiencies and better care. New vendors and devices are entering the market daily, and well likely see an expansion of current use cases in 2022. Such trailblazing technologies ones that increasingly secure health insurance reimbursement create a path for other innovations and will continue to multiply exponentially so long as they drive better health outcomes and are reimbursed by commercial and governmental payers.

Today, virtual and augmented reality tools are used primarily for tasks like physician training and enabling complex procedures and surgeries in remote areas. They are also used in behavioral health, as well as in physical and occupational therapy, but theres an emerging opportunity to apply them more broadly. Keep watch regarding how virtual and augmented reality will integrate into telemedicine and other care delivery methods in the new year and beyond. Businesses that can demonstrate proof of concept, while complying with privacy regulations and insurance requirements, will be in a leading position, particularly as the metaverse expands.

Related: How Health Tech Startups Are Solving the Anti-Aging Problem

Machine learning, artificial intelligence and other automation systems are already used widely in some specialties. For example, internal medicine practices commonly use AI embedded with electronic health records to screen test results for outliers, and many practices leverage data-driven clinical decision support. In this year and beyond, providers will take things to the next level use these technologies to provide clinical insights that further improve outcomes and automate mundane tasks. These hold vast potential for streamlining back-office operations like claims reviews, as well as associated tasks like retrieving and delivering data to insurance companies to support claim adjudication. Look for broader use of automation to handle these sorts of tasks from beginning to end, eliminating manual data entry and freeing staff for higher-level work. It will also help medical organizations deal with a tight labor market.

Related: 3 Great Ways to Solve Hiring Challenges

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5 Healthcare IT Trends Entrepreneurs Should Watch in 2022 - Entrepreneur

Study: Dothan SE Health among US systems that give unnecessary care – AL.com

Southeast Health is among the top 11% of U.S. health systems overusing low-value health services, according to a Johns Hopkins University study published in JAMA last week.

The study analyzed Medicare claims data from 2016-2018 at 676 U.S. health care systems for 17 services previously identified as unnecessary, such as MRIs for patients with mild traumatic brain injuries, spinal fusions for back pain, pap smears for women over age 65, and hysterectomies for benign diseases the low-value service that was used the most.

A health systems usage of these types of services relative to its peers serves as a proxy for whether its hospitals provide unneeded care, according to the study.

Southeast Health placed at No. 12 in the cross sectional study that found those that most overused health care had more beds, fewer primary care physicians, more physician practice groups, were more likely to be investor-owned, and were less likely to include a major teaching hospital.

Southeast Health is owned by the Houston County Health Care Authority, and is a not-for-profit system. The Houston County Health Care Authority also owns the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, which graduated its first class of students in 2017.

Unnecessary procedures, tests, and screenings are linked to lower quality of care and worse patient and worker safety, and drive up healthcare costs. Specifically, researchers stated in the studys introduction that this wasteful care is physically, psychologically, and financially harmful to patients.

Among the top over-users were St. Dominic Health Services of Jackson, Mississippi, Irving, Texas-based USMD Health System, Community Medical Centers of Clovis, California, and Providence, Rhode Island-based Care New England Health System, according to the study. Opelikas East Alabama Medical Center ranked No. 5.

While the study did identity several features of health systems that top those rankings, it determined that In-depth exploration of the drivers of health care overuse is needed at the level of health systems as their incentives may not be aligned with high-value care.

A Southeast Health spokesperson said Wednesday that it has just learned of the study and withheld comment.

We will need time to evaluate the information and to analyze the metrics used to determine the outcomes, Mark Stewart, director of community relations, said in an email.

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Study: Dothan SE Health among US systems that give unnecessary care - AL.com

Is It Possible to Change the Structure Of The Brain With Meditation?

Yes, it is! Join us now to find out what happens in your brain when you meditate! 

Where do you stand when it comes to meditation? Have you tried it? Many people don’t know this, but this process of just sitting and breathing mindfully can change the structure of your brain! Wondering how can meditation change the brain? In that case, you came to the right place! 

Different types of meditation have existed for thousands of years now. However, until recently, it was not common to meet plenty of people who practice it in different parts of the world!  Do you know someone who does?

We didn’t really until we went to a self-defense meeting six or seven years ago! Honestly, we were a bit shocked because we expected only to learn Kung Fu, Muay Thai, and other martial arts. But the thing was that, although we did practice those things, the training included yoga, tai chi, mediation, etc., too! 

                           

At first, meditation seemed awkward, you know!  Why would we spend time just sitting and doing nothing, we thought. What the heck is the point of it?  But as we kept on attending these meetings, our perspective started to change!  What made us see things differently? 

Well, we have noticed that all the people who have been practicing meditation for some time have an incredible sense of calmness, compassion, and self-awareness. They appear as if traveling on some kind of cloud of tranquility above the storm of anxiety most of us feel all the time. We noticed that they also have better dating sites. This realization inspired curiosity, so we started to read and research to learn more about meditation. Somewhere along the way, we learned that meditation changes brain structure!  Honestly, in the beginning, it sounded like some kind of science fiction! Okay, meditation can help you relax, but how does it change your brain chemistry? It sounds ridiculous! But it isn’t!  Further investigation showed that mediation changes the brain indeed! Of course, it is not something that happens after a session or two! But a long-term, properly done meditation has physical, tangible effects. Now we know that this is incredible for many of you! So we decided to write an article about what actually happens and how long does it take for meditation to change the brain. If you are the least bit curious, you will enjoy this text!

                         

Meditation Changes Brain Structure 

Before moving on to explaining how to practice meditation to change your brain, let's see what is happening.  It is known that meditation renders a calming effect on the brain.  People who practice meditation regularly are far less anxious or stressed than those who don’t. But what does it mean to claim that meditation can change your brain? Well, as surprising as it may sound to you, various studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can change brain structures.  A study we found in Psychiatry Research showed, based on the scan analysis, that eight weeks mindfulness training program increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus. According to the scientists working on these issues, increases correlate to improved emotional regulations. Decreases, on the other hand, are attributed to increased risks of the development of negative emotions. 

Studies suggest that different kinds of meditation change eight specific areas of the brain, which are related to the regulation of emotions, meta-awareness, memory processing, body awareness, etc. Dr. Kristin Naragon – Gainey, who was in teams that conducted some of the studies, says that there is no denying that regular meditation greatly changes aspects of brain functioning. It not changes the areas of the brain but also the way they communicate with each other.

How Long Does it Take 

Many people told us, “Okay, I got it! But how many hours of meditation to change the brain are necessary?” It is essential to know that a single session of meditation can be enough for you to start feeling better.  Some studies showed that people experience better mood, decreased stress and blood pressure after one session. More long-term effects, such as increased focus, start kicking in after several weeks. But if the question is only related to the ways to change brain meditation, then you should know that you need to practice meditation to change brain waves for about eight consecutive weeks before you see any results. 

Once you decide to start changing brain chemistry meditation, keep in mind that consistency is critical for best results.  You won’t notice any drastic changes if you practice meditation, say once in a month or two!  This is not to say that you have to do it every single day either! But, the research shows that you need to practice 10 – 20 minutes at least three times per week if you want to enjoy all the benefits. 

How to Make Most of Meditation

  • For many people, the idea of sitting and doing nothing for thirty minutes seems impossible. But no one told you that you have to meditate that long. Start with short, five minutes sessions, and do them once or two times a week.  Setting a goal to practice meditation every day or for a long time is farfetched for beginners and is likely to fail. 
  • Designate a calm and safe space. Technically, you can meditate in the middle of the street if you want! But most people search for a quiet place where they can feel safe and focused. 
  • Concentrate on breathing.  If you are starting to practice meditation, you should know that the easiest way is to focus on your breathing.  It is not uncommon for the mind to wander when you are a beginner. Breathing will help you refocus in this case.
  • Try guided meditation. Many people find that it is challenging to quiet down their thoughts in the beginning.  In that case, you can try a guided meditation. You can find some YouTube videos, download the app, or join a group. 

                                 

Let’s be clear about something! Although meditation changes the brain, it is not a cure for any disorder or disease! But it can be beneficial if you practice it regularly! What does it mean? Well, any meditation, and especially mindfulness, can help you cope better with daily stress you experience at work, anxiety, etc., by helping you focus on here and now and your needs! Have you practiced meditation so far?

About author

My name is Rebecca Shinn. I am a consulting psychologist who occasionally writes articles for blogs. I hope this helps make psychology more accessible. I am fond of running and traveling.

Single-payer health care is back on the table at the California Capitol – Capital Public Radio News

This week, California lawmakers will take up the latest attempt to get all state residents covered under the same health plan an idea referred to as single payer health care thats been sparking debate at the Capitol for the past five years.

Under the new plan, dubbed CalCare, all Californians would be insured by the same entity and would be able to access any doctor, regardless of network. Supporters argue that this will reduce price gouging and give all residents equal access to care.

AB 1400 is sponsored by the California Nurses Association, who first introduced single payer legislation in 2017. At the time, the proposal had an estimated $400 billion price tag and no funding source.

After it failed, an Assembly committee gathered to discuss options for reforming the states health care delivery system. The committee put together recommendations for how to make coverage more affordable and accessible for all Californians, which informed legislation that emerged in the following years.

The new proposal would create a tax to fund the single payer option. The tax would apply to companies earning more than $2 million, businesses with 50 or more employees and individuals making more than roughly $150,000 a year.

Carmen Comsti, lead regulatory policy specialist with the nurses association, says the tax will generate somewhere between $160 and $170 billion annually.

We are talking about ensuring that everybody gets comprehensive benefits without copays or deductibles, Comsti said.

Opponents argue that a single payer system eliminates choices for those who might prefer to stay on a private plan, and that legislators should work instead to make sure everyone is insured and that all coverage is affordable a model often referred to as universal health care.

A coalition that includes the California Association of Health Plans, the California Hospital Association and the California Medical Association issued a release about the new proposal.

Californians need and deserve a stable health care system they can rely on at all times, especially now, wrote coalition spokesperson Ned Wigglesworth. We urge the Legislature to reject this legislation that will risk the health care of the residents of our state when they need it most.

The coalition also voiced concern about the proposed tax structure being an economic burden to California families.

Comsti said the taxes are necessary to reform an unsustainable system.

Were already paying for all the costs of healthcare in California, she said. With single payer health care, we could pay less overall.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was a supporter of single payer health care during his campaign, but more recently has been an advocate for options that build off the current system.

Assembly Health Committee Chair Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) announced Thursday that he will vote to move the proposal forward, citing frustration with high drug prices, insurance company profits, claim denials and other woes of the current, fragmented health care system.

People are angry, Wood told CapRadio. They're frustrated, they're scared to get sick and the system is broken.

Wood said the proposal has a ways to go and that he will put his concerns in writing for the bills author, Ash Kalra (D-San Jose). He said the primary reasons single payer has failed in the past have been cost, and opposition from health plans and other business interests.

He said its important to keep discussing all potential solutions, even if they dont ultimately cross the finish line.

For me, no is not the answer, Wood said. We're going to have to resolve this and we're going to have to make improvements in the system because it's not going to go away.

Wood is also pushing his own bill, AB 1130, which would establish an Office of Health Care Affordability to analyze spending across the health care system and propose ways to cut costs related to plans, hospitals and prescription drugs.

To move forward, AB 1400 must pass the health committee by Jan. 14 and pass the Assembly by Jan. 31.

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Single-payer health care is back on the table at the California Capitol - Capital Public Radio News

Grant will help improve access to health care – Washington Daily News – thewashingtondailynews.com

Access East, Inc. recently announced it has been awarded a four-year, $795,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Care Services Outreach program. Access East, in partnership with Vidant Beaufort Hospital, a campus of Vidant Medical Center, along with the Beaufort County Health Department and Agape Community Health Services, have established the Beaufort County Rural Health Outreach Consortium. The consortium partners will implement the Rural Health Access Program with a focus to improve access to care and care coordination in Beaufort County.

The consortium is committed to establishing a stronger health network for all residents of Beaufort County. The goals of the program are to increase access to care, improve self-management of chronic disease, connect residents to needed resources and decrease emergency department usage for non-acute/emergent care by connecting residents to a primary care provider.

Vidant Beaufort Hospital offers a mobile wellness unit the Community Health Improvement Coach that will travel to locations throughout Beaufort County offering free health and wellness screenings. The goal is to provide much needed screenings in rural communities in hopes of catching chronic disease in the earliest stages.

The rural health access program also provides a community health worker and benefits advocate who will be a vital asset to those enrolled in the program serving as a liaison between health/social services and participants to facilitate access to supportive services and primary care providers. Program enrollees will receive health education, case management services, and link program participants to services to address social determinants of health.

Our programs at Access East have strengthened the resources to improve health service delivery for the past 20 years throughout eastern North Carolina, said Shantell Cheek, director of uninsured programs for Access East and director for rural health access program. We are looking forward to seeing the impact this program and its related services will have to improve the health and quality of life for the residents of Beaufort County.

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Grant will help improve access to health care - Washington Daily News - thewashingtondailynews.com

Health care workers face fatigue as they deal with more COVID-19 patients – News 12 Bronx

Jan 11, 2022, 4:11amUpdated 3h ago

By: News 12 Staff

COVID-19-related hospitalizations are up in New Jersey. There are currently 6,075 COVID patients in New Jersey hospitals, according to state data.

Almost 80 of these patients are at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. At the height of the pandemic, there were 250 patients on ventilators. Now there are only five. But it is up from last month, which is not the direction hospital officials were hoping to see things go.

The surge comes as health care workers are running out of steam and patience.

What we saw in November was single-digit patients, says Michele Acito, executive vice president and chief nursing officer. After the holidays, we increased to 94 patients. Very concerning.

The health care workers are taking care of more patients now than they have seen since the early days of the pandemic. Acito says her staff is having a hard time.

Here we go again with our third wave and people are really getting theyre getting tired, exhausted, working harder, working longer and its becoming difficult, she says.

Too difficult for many who are burned out and not worth the risk for others who left the industry. Health care workers are also getting sick with the Omicron variant, leaving fewer of them to take care of more patients.

While you see no sense of urgency in public, we see a tremendous overwhelming in our hospitals, says Debbie White, president of HPAE, the union representing 13,000 New Jersey medical workers.

White says what her members really want are the resources they need to do their jobs. They also want the public to do their part in slowing the spread.

Take those measures. Do the things we did in the beginning masking while indoors, dont hang out in big crowds, stay safe, says White. Do those things we did in the first wave. Thats the only thing that will stop or at least slow the spread.

Health care workers are also asking for patience as they deal with shortages and larger hospital populations.

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Health care workers face fatigue as they deal with more COVID-19 patients - News 12 Bronx

Philly ER doctor: Omicron wave threatens to overpower exhausted health-care workers | Expert Opinion – The Philadelphia Inquirer

There is a saying in emergency medicine: anyone, anything, anytime. We are the safety net of the health-care system, the first in line and sometimes the last resort.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ive been amazed by the resilience and dedication of my fellow health-care workers. We have had to reassess, reorganize, and recreate our emergency department to handle a new version of a disease we didnt entirely understand, to make resources stretch just a little further. But the omicron wave is the first time Ive felt in danger of being overwhelmed. For the U.S. health-care system, omicron isnt mild.

Throughout the pandemic, we have handled surges, in both the number of patients and severity of illness. But coming on the heels of the delta wave and shared COVID-19 fatigue, this wave threatens to overpower exhausted health-care workers.

READ MORE: One year on the front lines: Philly's essential workers check in

Unlike earlier in the pandemic, I am now a patient as well as a physician. At 39 weeks pregnant, I wonder each day if tomorrow will be worse. Is it as challenging in labor and delivery as it is here in the emergency room? When I deliver this baby, will there be enough nurses, a room for me, and a doctor to catch her? What if, God forbid, something happens and I need to go to the emergency room? Today I am the physician in triage, apologizing to sick patients for the long wait while trying to manage the waiting room. Tomorrow, could I be one of them?

Still, I am hopeful. Learning to manage a new disease has brought with it an unending firehose of new information. Every day new helpful data emerges, new papers are published, new announcements are made. Knowing everything I possibly can about this disease is the first step toward being able to manage it and fight back. There have been dazzling scientific advancements with new vaccines and new medications, and frequently changing guidance around their use, but one of the early lessons has stood the test of time: basic infection prevention tools do work.

Masks, personal protective equipment, clean ventilated air, access to testing, and quarantine and isolation protocols are the cornerstones of strategy to control any infectious disease. If I am seeing a patient who I think may have COVID-19, I follow our safety protocols. I wear an N95 mask, eye protection, a gown, and gloves. This protection has yet to fail me.

Isolation of those known to be ill is another tried and true tactic in infection control. Previously, these patients were isolated in certain areas of the ER. This meant when I wasnt in their rooms, I could take off my mask, breathe, have a sip of water, and change into a surgical mask for a while. I could trust our safety protocols.

But when I go to work now, almost everything has changed. The hospital is full, so patients who are sick with COVID-19 or with any other ailment are waiting longer in the emergency room. Luckily, fewer COVID-19 patients are severely ill compared with previous waves, but many still are, and they arrive in an unending stream.

So now my N95 never comes off, not even to take a sip of water. Now, texts are coming in about new infections not just in patients but in my colleagues, too. We are the front line, and we want to provide every patient with timely, compassionate, and thorough care. Watching people in need of care wait for hours breaks us in a thousand tiny ways. We want to be there for our patients. We want to have the space, the time, and the resources, to protect not only them but also ourselves.

READ MORE: COVID-19 surge has overwhelmed some Pa. hospitals and now their workers are getting sick, too

And, more than anything, Ive wanted to protect this baby. Ive carried her through this surge, and as I come into the hospital to deliver her, I look forward to her life on the other side of this incredibly challenging period. I remain hopeful for better days ahead.

Efrat R. Kean is an emergency medicine physician at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. She has most recently been leading Jefferson Healths COVID-19 Rapid Response Teams as part of Pennsylvanias Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams.

Editors note: Dr. Kean delivered a healthy baby girl just prior to the publication of this piece.

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Philly ER doctor: Omicron wave threatens to overpower exhausted health-care workers | Expert Opinion - The Philadelphia Inquirer

County seeks to expand mental health care for those facing incarceration – Austin Monitor

Tuesday, January 11, 2022 by Seth Smalley

Nearly 20percent of inmates booked into Travis County jails in September 2021 needed mental health treatment, but a month after their incarceration, only a third of them were receiving the needed treatment.

That was the conclusion reached byDr. Steve Strakowski, associate vice president for regional mental health at Dell Medical School, who examined the planning process for clinical and legal care for individuals who interact with the countys criminal justice and mental health systems.

Weve struggled for years to try and figure out how to keep people whose main problem is either undiagnosed or poorly treated mental health issues out of our jails,Commissioner Brigid Shea told Strakowski at a discussion last Tuesday. We havent been successful. Weve tried all kinds of different approaches so I appreciate you stepping up.

Strakowski found that the systems that usually handle these kinds of patients are currently overwhelmed. In November, 74 people were on the waitlist for the Austin State Hospital and the average wait for admission was 92 days.

Throughout this time, there have been ongoing efforts locally to try to resolve this challenge of managing people who are ending up in jail or the criminal justice system, who need mental health care, some of whom almost certainly would have been better managed outside the criminal justice system, Strakowski said. Unfortunately we just havent been able to get these efforts aligned in order to create some significant forward movement. And so thats really what were proposing to try to organize and do today.

The expected timeline for project planning is six to eight months. Committees are being established, and the vision, mission and core principles of the project will be ready before the end of February. Strakowski expects the working group to present its findings and recommendations to commissioners by August.

County Judge Andy Brown said, Im excited about the possibility that the steering committee can help shape our common vision, so that we can really thoughtfully invest in people and services in this community and build the mental and behavioral health system that we really need to prevent people from entering our jail system.

We do have a lot of resources, a lot of people interested in this field, Commissioner Margaret Gmez added. We need something like this to kind of bring everything together, not under anybody else but together so we can touch every part of the community with these services.

Editors Note: Andy Brown is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent nonprofit of theAustin Monitor.

Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Austin Monitors work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.

There are so many important stories we don't get to write. As a nonprofit journalism source, every contributed dollar helps us provide you more coverage. Do your part by donating to the nonprofit that funds the Monitor.

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County seeks to expand mental health care for those facing incarceration - Austin Monitor

United Way, UPMC, community partners thank health-care workers – Williamsport Sun-Gazette

RALPH WILSON/Sun-GazetteHundreds of luminarias, above, lit the front lawn of UPMC Williamsport as part of the Lights of Hope celebration on Friday. The event was a collaboration of UPMC Williamsport, Lycoming County United Way and Sojourner Truth Ministries to celebrate the hope of the new year.

Luminarias glowing at dusk across the snow-swept front lawn of UPMC Williamsport sent a message of hope as the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new year.

The 1000 lights are also a means of giving thanks to the many health-care workers who have responded in time of need across the community.

I witness hope coming to fruition, Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter told the few who braved unforgiving cold and brisk winds to gather for the Lights of Hope Celebration late Friday afternoon.

The mayor extended condolences to those who have lost family members and friends to COVID-19, while thanking the health-care providers who have put in long hours to care for patients in the midst of the pandemic.

Again, I want to say thank you, he said.

Ron Reynolds, president, UPMC Muncy and Lock Haven Hospitals, said the resolve, resiliency and sacrifices of health-care staff are indeed signs of hope.

UPMC personnel, he noted, are prepared and adaptable while working in state-of-the-art facilities.

He vowed a commitment to discipline and vigilance by UPMC will continue.

Ron Frick, president of the Lycoming County United Way, borrowing a quote from George Washington Carver, said, Where there is no vision, there is no hope.

The United Way has been recognizing health-care workers at UPMC with various events.

In late December, UPMC employees were able to pick up free coffee at several local restaurants.

Frick noted the support UPMC has given to United Way over the years.

The health of the community is essential, he said. Think of the value of our community.

Fighting for the health of everyone who lives here is a core mission of the United Way, according to Frick.

Angelique Labadie-Cihanowyz, executive director of Sojourner Truth Ministries, gave a prayer of thanks to all UPMC staff.

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United Way, UPMC, community partners thank health-care workers - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Steward Health Care Week 22 high school star athletes of the week – Deseret News

Boys Basketball

Rex Sunderland, Davis (Sr.)

Defending 6A state champions Davis hasnt let up this season as it sits at a perfect 13-0 and the steady play of experienced guard Rex Sunderland has been one of the big reasons why.

So far this season hes averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.5 steals. The only category he doesnt lead Davis is in rebound.

He leads 6A in steals and ranks sixth in steals.

Last week in Davis 54-48 region-opening victory over Layton he was red shot shooting as he scored a career-high 30 points.

Rex is our playmaker on both offense and defense. He leads the team in steals and scoring. He has developed into an amazing defensive player. He is also amazing off the dribble offensively. He breaks the defense down off the dribble and distributes the ball to make the correct basketball play. He is all this and remains an incredible teammate, said Davis coach Chad Sims.

Tina Njike, Skyline (Jr.)

A first team all-stater last year, junior Tina Njike has picked up right where she left off this season.

Njike ranks in the top 10 in 5A in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounds (11.6 rpg) and blocks (2.1 bpg). Shes recorded a double-double in six games so far this season.

Last week in Skylines first two region games of the year, she recorded 13 points in a 58-47 win over Brighton and then three nights later scored 19 points as the Eagles rolled past Park City 74-35.

Tina is an unbelievable athlete who works as hard or harder than anyone in the gym. She brings a vocal presence and a great attitude. She wants to get better, but more importantly, she wants her teammates to get better too because she understands that a team will always beat an individual. I have been the luckiest coach in the state, getting to work with her and learn from her, I wish her the best this year and next. She is a force to be reckoned with, said Skyline coach Sam White.

Tobler Dotson, Cedar (Sr.)

Tobler Dotson has enjoyed a great senior season so far, but the best could still be to come.

Heading into the final month of the season, Dotson owns a top three 4A time in six different individual events and the best and a 4A-best time in three.

Tobler trains with unrelinquished determination, refusing to put in any less than his best. He has created a hardworking and uplifting culture at Cedar High School, said Cedar City assist coach Garrett Dotson.

Dotson owns the best time in 4A in the 200 individual medley (2:01.20), 100 butterfly (54.40) and 100 breaststroke (1:00.18). At state last year he finished second in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. The swimmer who edged him in both of those races is swimming in another classification as Dotson will head into the state tournament as a swimmer to beat in several events.

Dotsons 100 breaststroke time this season ranks in the top 10 in the entire state.

Kaylee Coats, Green Canyon (Sr.)

Kaylee Coats is tearing up the pool in 4A this year and will be one of the swimmers to beat when the state tournament rolls around next month.

Tobler owns the top time in 4A in four events this season and the second best time in a fifth event. Her 4A-best events are 200 individual medley (2:16.75), 50 freestyle (25.46), 100 freestyle (55.49) and 500 freestyle (5:32.88). She is the defending state champion in the 500 freestyle, and was the runner-up a year ago in the 200 freestyle.

Kaylee is an awesome swimmer because she works hard, has a great attitude, is a great teammate and always exhibits great sportsmanship. She is always complimenting and encouraging her competition which is rare. Kaylee is always eager to learn and never backs down from a challenge, said Green Canyon coach John Kane.

Coats 200 IM time ranks in the top 10 in the entire state this season.

Dillon Dick, Uintah (Sr.)

A state runner-up last year, Dillon Dick is having a great senior season as he looks to get over the last individual hurdle thats eluding him.

Last week at the Tournament of Champions at Uintah High School, Dick dominated the field at 150 pounds as he rolled to the individual title improving his overall record this season to 26-3.

Dillon has always been a talented wrestler but this year he has really focused on improving areas of his wrestling that are not as strong. It has been impressive how much he has improved this year as a senior and his hard work and focus have been phenomenal, said Uintah coach Phillip Keddy.

Dick has been invited to participate in the Utah All-Star Duals at UVU this week for the second straight season.

Grace Holman, Juab (Jr.)

In her first year competing at the high school level, Juab junior Grace Holman is proving herself to be a very good wrestler.

Last week at the Tournament of Champions at Uintah High School, Holman pinned all three of her opponents to finish first at the 120-pound bracket. She also finished first this season at the Days of Thunder Tournament at Desert Hills High School and the Paul Williamson Memorial tournament in Parowan.

This week shes been invitation to participate in the Utah All-Star Duals at UVU.

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Steward Health Care Week 22 high school star athletes of the week - Deseret News

Health care workers brave bitter cold temperatures at testing sites in Milwaukee – WDJT

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} } } $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'none'); } }); var currVideoId = WVM['player_state' + fullVideoId]['VIDEO_ID']; //console.log("current Video " + currVideoId); var nextVideoId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currVideoId); var myTitle = WVM.getPlaylistData(fullVideoId, nextVideoId, 'noprefixtitle'); //console.log("setting title " + myTitle); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'inline'); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).html(myTitle); }; WVM.sendbeacon = function(action, nonInteraction, value, eventLabel) { var eventCategory = 'Video'; if (window.ga) { //console.log("sending action: " + action + " val: " + value + " label " + eventLabel); ga('send', 'event', { 'eventCategory': eventCategory, 'eventAction': action, 'eventLabel': eventLabel, 'eventValue': value, 'nonInteraction': nonInteraction }); } }; WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex = function(mediaId, returnArrayIndex){ var currId = null; if(mediaId == null){ return null; } for(var x =0; x 20){ if(fullDuration > 1 && ((fullDuration - fullCurrent) > 1) && !$('.vjs-loading-spinner').hasClass('badspinner')){ console.log("hiding spinner"); $('.vjs-loading-spinner').addClass('badspinner'); } } var duration_time = Math.floor(this.duration()); //this is a hack because the end video event is not firing... var current_time = Math.floor(this.currentTime()); if ( current_time > 0 && ( fullCurrent >= (fullDuration - 10) )){ var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ if('desktop' == "iphone" && playerState.AD_ERROR){ console.log("skipped timeupdate end"); }else{ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } } } if(!playerState.START_SENT){ WVM.sendbeacon('start', true, playerState.VIDEO_ID, playerState.VIDEO_TITLE); playerState.START_SENT = true; } var currentTime, duration, percent, percentPlayed, _i; currentTime = Math.round(this.currentTime()); duration = Math.round(this.duration()); percentPlayed = Math.round(currentTime / duration * 100); for (percent = _i = 0; _i = percent && __indexOf.call(playerState['PERCENTS_TRACKED'], percent) 0) { playerState['PERCENTS_TRACKED'].push(percent); } } } }); //player.off('ended'); player.on('ended', function(){ console.log("ended"); playerState.IS_PLAYING = false; WVM.sendbeacon("complete", true, playerState.VIDEO_ID, playerState.VIDEO_TITLE); var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); }else{ console.log("Playlist complete (no more videos)"); } }); //player.off('adserror'); player.on('adserror', function(e){ //$('#ima-ad-container').remove(); WVM.lastAdRequest = new Date().getTime() / 1000; console.log(e); console.log("ads error"); var errMessage = e['data']['AdError']['l']; playerState.AD_IS_PLAYING = false; playerState.IS_PLAYING = false; // && errMessage == 'The VAST response document is empty.' if(!playerState.AD_ERROR){ var dTime = new Date().getTime(); WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl = WVM.getFirstPrerollUrl(); console.log("calling backup ad tag url: " + WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl); WVM.activePlayer.ima.changeAdTag(WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl + "?" + dTime); WVM.activePlayer.ima.requestAds(); //WVM.activePlayer.src({ // src: masterSrc, // type: 'video/mp4' //}); //WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl = ""; } playerState.AD_ERROR = true; }); //player.off('error'); player.on('error', function(event) { if (player.error().code === 4) { player.error(null); // clear out the old error player.options().sources.shift(); // drop the highest precedence source console.log("now doing src"); console.log(player.options().sources[0]); player.src(player.options().sources[0]); // retry return; } }); //player.off('volumechange'); player.on('volumechange', function(event) { console.log(event); var theHeight = $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .vjs-volume-level').css('height'); var cssVolume = 0; if(theHeight){ cssVolume = parseInt(theHeight.replace('%', '')); } var theVolume = player.volume(); if(theVolume > 0.0 || cssVolume > 0){ $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .mute-overlay').css('display', 'none'); }else{ $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .mute-overlay').css('display', 'block'); } }); WVM.reinitRawEvents(playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); setInterval(function(){ WVM.reinitRawEvents(playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); }, 2000); } if(!WVM.rawCompleteEvent){ WVM.rawCompleteEvent = function(e){ var playerState = WVM['player_state175287']; console.log("firing raw event due to all other events failing"); var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } }; } if(!WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent){ WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent = function(e){ var playerState = WVM['player_state175287']; var rawVideoElem = document.getElementById('html5-video-' + playerState['ORIGINAL_ID'] + '_html5_api'); var fullCurrent = rawVideoElem.currentTime * 1000; var fullDuration = rawVideoElem.duration * 1000; var current_time = Math.floor(rawVideoElem.currentTime); console.log("raw timeupdate: " + fullCurrent + " out of " + fullDuration); if ( current_time > 0 && ( fullCurrent >= (fullDuration - 50) )){ var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); if(newMediaId){ console.log("loading new video from rawtimeupdate"); WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } } if(!$('.vjs-loading-spinner').hasClass('badspinner')){ $('.vjs-loading-spinner').addClass('badspinner') } }; } WVM.reinitRawEvents = function(playerId){ var playerState = WVM['player_state' + playerId]; var rawVideoElem = document.getElementById('html5-video-' + WVM['player_state' + playerId]['ORIGINAL_ID'] + '_html5_api'); //COMPLETE EENT if( WVM['player_state' + playerId].COMPLETE_EVENT){ rawVideoElem.removeEventListener('ended', WVM.rawCompleteEvent, false); } rawVideoElem.addEventListener('ended', WVM.rawCompleteEvent, false); //TIME UPDATE EVENT if( WVM['player_state' + playerId].TIMEUPDATE_EVENT){ rawVideoElem.removeEventListener('ended', WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent, false); } rawVideoElem.addEventListener('ended', WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent, false); WVM['player_state' + playerId].COMPLETE_EVENT = true; WVM['player_state' + playerId].TIMEUPDATE_EVENT = true; };

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Health care workers braved the cold Monday, Jan. 10 to test people for COVID-19 as testing begins to taper off in some areas.

Despite those single-digit temps, health care workers stood outside all day Monday to make sure everyone who needed a test got one.

"We have a tent that we can come in, a warming tent, and the cars move through pretty quickly through here, so it's not too bad," Certified Nursing Assistant Louise Noelle said.

While testing still remains high, Nick Tomaro with the Milwaukee Health Department said it is beginning to taper off. Since last Thursday, testing at the three city of Milwaukee sites has dropped off 25 percent.

"We have obviously tried everything we can for staff. Parkas, hot hands, gloves, we have heated areas inside our building. Can't say enough about the staff, they're working really, really hard," Tomaro said. "I think it has to do with the holidays to a certain extent. I think there's a lot of factors for people coming in for testing around the holidays -- trying to be safe, getting together with family, some people traveling."

Summit Clinical Labs in New Berlin is also seeing a drop-off on testing, but staffing has become an issue.

"We are down, about 15 percent of our workforce is sick. We're just like any other workplace. We're having the same issues as everyone else, so it is kind of crazy having the added demand with rest of the workforce," co-owner Faisal Ahmed-Yahia said.

He said Monday saw shorter lines than last week. He expects to test about 200 fewer people.

"I think it was just a perfect storm of omicron and then the holidays, and now the holidays are starting to taper off, people that have had exposures and what not," Ahmed said.

If you do get tested at one of the city of Milwaukee testing sites, the city said it is quicker to pre-register before you go.

Excerpt from:

Health care workers brave bitter cold temperatures at testing sites in Milwaukee - WDJT

CIOs plan big investments in EHR optimization and pop health IT – Healthcare IT News

The electronic health record is the foundational piece of health information technology for most hospitals and health systems.

Chief information officers and other health IT leaders depend on the data from their deployed record systems, and most keep EHR optimization top of mind each budget season.

Population health management platforms are another essential technology, and depend on finely-tuned EHRs to work optimally.

More CIOs are investing in population health systems in conjunction with their clinical teams to help keep patients healthy while managing the quality and cost imperatives of value-based care.

Despite the various pronouncements over the years of a new "post-EHR" era, ongoing operation of electronic health records and pop health tools still demand significant spending. But how much investment? And where should those dollars be allocated?

For the fifth installment in Healthcare IT News' feature series, "Health IT Investment: The Next Five Years," we asked eight health IT leaders to discuss their spending plans as they look toward the near-term future of EHRs and pop health.

This ongoing series offers in-depth interviews with CIOs and other technology leaders to learn about the priorities they set with their investments in six categories: AI and machine learning; interoperability; telehealth, connected health and remote patient monitoring; cybersecurity; electronic health records and population health; and precision medicine and emerging technology.

Click here to access all the features currently available.

The eight health IT leaders we spoke with for this installment are:

The massive Providence will complete its journey to an all-Epic EHR environment this quarter.

"EHR is only step one of 10," Moore said. "So how do we optimize that environment? How do we simplify the experience for caregivers? How do we get better insights from patients? How do we use the standard EHR? The EHR helps us act as a single health system versus a collection of 51 hospitals. And so we will evolve there.

B.J. Moore, Providence

"And then for population health, we've got these foundational items in place, so population health will continue to be a focus," he continued. "I don't own population health, only the foundational pieces that my team provides to support that initiative. But I know we're increasing the investment in population health work."

"We are just beginning to dip our toe in the water of population health as it hasn't been a priority with our population or payers thus far," said Mistretta of Virginia Hospital Center. "Most of our primary care practices already are designated PCMH with key players, but the real push now is to coordinate care from the practice to the hospital and back to the practice.

"We recently hired a population health coordinator who will have primary responsibilities to monitor and place high-risk patients with social services and coordinate follow-up care as appropriate," he added.

Mike Mistretta, Virginia Hospital Center

From the EHR perspective, the organization will continue to build out social determinants of health and implement focused disease registries for those it wishes to prioritize.

"We also are starting to really dive into health maintenance campaigns and starting to examine the development of specific disease registries," Mistretta said. "We still have a lot of work to do to put this information once gathered into an operational workflow so it becomes meaningful.

"Selling this type of care again hasn't been hard once we define a business case, but it remains to be seen how deep we will be able to dive into pop health without a well-structured case," he continued. "We do see this as a growth opportunity as we expand our ambulatory services in the coming years that can possibly double our practice volumes in the next five years with the right business case. Right now it is still a little early to tell exactly where this is going to go in our market."

Among the various training, mentorship and fellowship programs Regenstrief Institute takes part in and leads, the institute and the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health are home to the Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Research Training Program in public and population health informatics, funded by the National Library of Medicine.

"The specific Regenstrief-FSPH program is known as the Indiana Training Program in Public and Population Health Informatics," said Grannis of Regenstrief Institute. "The highly regarded program prepares graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to work in a broad spectrum of entities in the healthcare industry and academia, as well as for local, state and federal public health departments.

Dr. Shaun Grannis, Regenstrief Institute

"These trainees fill a need for informaticians who can design, validate and implement solutions for organizations key to the maintenance and improvement of human health," he added.

The information that exists in EHRs can be hugely helpful with population health.

"We are invested in making it accessible and useful to clinicians and to administrators who make decisions critical to provision of the best care possible," he said. "For example, our Health Dart application gathers relevant data and displays it for the provider to aid in decision making and free up more time to be spent with patients.

"Regenstrief also is working to train the next generation of doctors in the use of EHRs," he added. "Medical students get very little hands-on experience with the technology, yet it is a large part of everyday workflow. The Regenstrief Teaching EMR allows students to obtain realistic experience with health IT. The program is in use at 12 schools around the country, and we hope to expand that reach."

In past years, Penn Medicine has made significant investments in the design, build and deployment of its integrated electronic health record for the inpatient, ambulatory and home care environments.

"This investment already has enabled population health efforts and positioned the organization to further advance its value-based care initiatives," said Restuccia of Penn Medicine. "Going forward, we will look to further enhance these capabilities and use our advanced data analytics platform to identify and address areas of clinical opportunity."

Michael Restuccia, Penn Medicine

Kramer of OhioHealth believes their AI, interoperability, virtual health, digital outreach and analytics all are part of their EHR/population health strategy.

"Of the 17 models that are part of our AI program, four of them will contribute to identifying patients at risk," he explained. "These have become foundational tools for payers. They will become foundational for health systems working to identify risk and clinical care opportunities.

Dr. J. Michael Kramer, OhioHealth

"Examples that we are working on include risk of ED or hospitalization, risk of readmission, no-show, and identification of complex chronic conditions for care," he added.

South Shore Health has made significant investments in electronic health records and population health platforms.

"Like most organizations, we need to ensure that we have seamless solutions that work well together," said Babachicos of South Shore Health. "We also need to ensure these tools offer great patient engagement alternatives and that they can be customized to suit our needs while providing interoperability with the major electronic health record system.

Cara Babachicos, South Shore Health

"The key question over the next few years will be how to leverage the population health systems to understand our patients and use these systems as a mechanism to proactively reach out to the patients in new ways appropriate for the support of their care," she added.

Hocks at Sanford Health says they are focused on keeping people healthy, well and out of the hospital by providing patients with innovative services to improve their health and manage chronic conditions.

"We have partnerships with technology vendors to help our providers coordinate care across clinics and medical facilities and to connect our patients with community resources and social services that support health and well-being outside of the hospital and clinic settings," he said.

Matt Hocks, Sanford Health

"Technology advances in both hardware and software are in many respects the backbone to providing high-quality care to patients in rural communities," he continued. "For example, because of the digital infrastructure we have in place, Sanford providers can deliver behavioral health services to people living in remote areas who otherwise would need to travel up to three hours one way just to see a specialist."

Sanford Health also is exploring new technology that would allow clinicians to use two-way texting to routinely check-in with patients with chronic conditions. This would be available to all patients, regardless of their ability to own or use a smartphone.

A proactive, coordinated approach to managing population health is a critical element of Ascension's strategic plan, which accelerates its work to deliver improved health outcomes for the individuals and communities it serves.

"Our clinical, technology and experience teams have been working together to lay the foundation for a holistic, system-wide solution for population health, and we will continue to make significant investments in this area," said Desai of Ascension.

"Among other things, we moved our data to the cloud to make it easier to access and collate to give us insights into our patients' care needs," he continued. "We are implementing a care coordination platform to enable performance analytics to help identify groups and needs within defined populations, allowing for program creation as well as expertly coordinate and manage the care of these defined populations."

The organization also is reimagining its interoperability strategy to ensure it both understands where patients have been and what happens across the continuum.

"Our customer relationship management system will serve as our engagement engine, integrating with both the care coordination platform and the electronic health record systems to both notify clinicians of care gaps and nudge patients with outreach," he said.

"We are strengthening our analytics capabilities in stratification and risk assessment of our population, payer quality and risk adjustment to better understand the medical trends and continuity of care to better optimize the care delivery for the population," he concluded.

Twitter:@SiwickiHealthITEmail the writer:bsiwicki@himss.orgHealthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

Excerpt from:

CIOs plan big investments in EHR optimization and pop health IT - Healthcare IT News

Read the latest Gambit: Getting mental health care in the age of disaster – NOLA.com

Getting good mental health care has long been a challenge in New Orleans, writes contributor Domonique Tolliver in this week's Gambit. Stigmas around seeking help still linger, the number of doctors available to provide care hasn't kept pace with demand, and for many people, the cost of health care is just out of reach. Add to that: For Black New Orleanians, the process of finding help can be even tougher when there are few people in the mental health industry who are Black and can understand their experience with empathy.

In this week's Gambit, Tolliver spoke with young New Orleanians about the challenges to seeking mental health help during a time when it seems like the disasters just won't stop. Flip through the digital edition below to read more.

Cant see the e-edition above? Click here.

Also in this week's Gambit: New Orleans writer Jami Attenberg releases her new memoir; Blake Pontchartrain commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Mardi Gras Fountain; Political Editor Clancy DuBos celebrates City Council's decision to rename Robert E. Lee Boulevard for Allen Toussaint; a new Le Chat Noir is now open on St. Charles Avenue; a tribute concert at Snug Harbor will celebrate Danny Barker's birthday plus news and more.

If pandemic restrictions make it harder to pick up a Gambit in your usual spot, we have you covered. Our e-edition is available to download at bestofneworleans.com/current and read at your leisure.

If you enjoy this weeks issue, please share this digital edition on social media.

And as always, New Orleans, thank you for your support.

The Gambit staff

Getting good mental health care has long been a challenge in New Orleans.

See the original post here:

Read the latest Gambit: Getting mental health care in the age of disaster - NOLA.com

COVID hospitalizations hit 300, as many healthcare workers call in sick – KHON2

HONOLULU (KHON2) The state has reported more COVID cases in the first 10-days of January than the past three months combined.

And about 1,500 healthcare workers are out sick, as COVID hospitalizations reach above 300.

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On Monday, January 10, Queens Health Systems declared an internal state of emergency at Queens West, where the rate of hospital admissions outpaced the number of beds available.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, Queens West was at 112% capacity, and 96 providers were out due to COVID exposure.

The hospital said higher-risk patients may be transferred to Queens Punchbowl.

More than 10% of the healthcare workforce has had to quarantine because theyve also got omicron, explained Lt. Governor Josh Green. So what it means is, we have ambulances go past one hospital to another where theres more space, and usually its for a very temporary short period of time, like an eight-hour shift or a 12-hour shift, until were able to catch up with all the admissions because there are nurses and doctors and other, you know, social workers and so on that are out.

Hospitalizations typically rise three to four weeks after infection rates climb.

The state has been doubling COVID infections weekly.

On Friday, January 7, there were 247 people in the hospital who had COVID-19, by Monday, January 10, there were 311, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Thats a fairly material jumped over the last few days, said Hilton Raethel, Healthcare Association of Hawaii president and CEO. The good news is that our ICU numbers are not going up at a very high rate.

He said 11-12% of COVID hospitalizations involve an ICU stay, compared to delta where 20 to 30 percent of people hospitalized with COVID ended up in the ICU.

Raethel said he expects hospital numbers to climb through the month.

We fully expect given the infection rate and the positivity rate in the state that we will get close to or perhaps even exceed the hospitalization rate that we had during the Delta surge, he said.

The surge comes as staff fall sick, or come into close contact with omicron. Raethel estimated between 1,400 and 1,500 healthcare workers across the state were currently out due to covid.

About 30 nurses were out at Hilo Medical Center and the hospital is currently full.

Today, we have 12 holds in the emergency department, theyre waiting for beds upstairs, explained Elena Cabatu, Hilo Medical Center director of marketing.

Raethel said there are about 100 patients statewide in emergency rooms waiting for beds.

Which is a high number much higher than what we would normally have, he said.

He said it also stems from a staffing issue at nursing homes and long-term care facilities as well.

The hospitals are having trouble discharging patients to nursing homes because the nursing homes dont have sufficient staff to staff all their beds, Raethel explained. Its not a bed issue, its a staffing issue. So until we can figure out how to get more staff into our long-term care facilities, this will continue to be a problem.

For now, experts believe omicron will peak in late January.

Find more COVID-19 news: cases, vaccinations on our Coronavirus News page

A CDC forecast shows a similar timeframe with the surge peaking in about two weeks.

More here:

COVID hospitalizations hit 300, as many healthcare workers call in sick - KHON2