2012 NeRHA Annual Conference
Younes Conference Center
Kearney, NE
September 19th and 20th 2012
For more information contact Melissa Beaudette
mbeaudette@mwhc-inc.com or 402-421-7995
2011 Nebraska Rural Health Conference
Presentations:
Why Rural Matters at the Community Level and Emerging Challenge and Opportunities in Rural Health, Charles W Fluharty, RUPRI (Charles W. Fluharty)
20 Years of the Rural Health Education Network, Patrik Johansson, MD, MPH (Patrik Johansson)
There is No Health without Mental Health
Exactly What is a Patient-Centered Medical Home? (Miller_Taft)
Affordable Care Act: What is in it for Rural Areas? (Judy Baker)
Legislative Update and the State of Rural Health in America (Brock Slabach)
STEMI Care for ALL Nebraskans (Donald Rice)
A Consideration for Critical Access Hospitals – The 340B Program (CAPT Dave Ellison)
Workforce 2020/Retention Methods for Rural Practice (Carly Woythaler-Runestad/ )
UNMC College of Public Health (Ayman El-Mohandes)
The Affordable Care Act in Rural Nebraska (Jon Bailey)
An Update on NeHII and How it is Impacting Rural Health (Deb Bass)
Nebraska Trauma System (Dr. Stothert)
Health Information Technology and Meaningful Use (Conway Fattig)
2011 Award Recipients
President’s Award – The Center for Rural Affairs
NeRHA 2011 President, Carly Woythaler-Runestad, Jon Bailey, NeRHA Executive Director, John Roberts
The Center for Rural Affairs, A private non-profit organization founded in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs works to establish strong rural communities and create genuine opportunity for all while engaging people in decisions that affect thequality of their lives and the future of their communities.
The Center’s history on rural health issues dates to 1994 when the Center Board convened a Rural Healthcare Task Force and studied rural health care issues and developed recommendations on rural health care access and infrastructure. Beginning in 1998, the Center released periodic papers describing the status of rural health and the disparities in rural health. In 2009, the Center began a full-scale project on health care reform and established itself as one of the nation’s leading rural health care reform grassroots and advocacy organizations. This project began when the Center’s primary constituents -farmers and ranchers and rural small businesses – brought the issue to the forefront of the Center’s agenda. Recognizing that the health of people in rural areas is central to the viability of rural communities, the Center for Rural Affairs made increasing the affordability and accessibility of health care in rural areas a top priority.
Center for Rural Affairs staff authored a series of reports and papers on topics related to rural health and policy and provided them to the public and to lawmakers. They organized meetings and discussions across the state on rural issues in health care reform and played a key role in mobilizing rural people in the health care reform debate.
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Center for Rural Affairs educated rural people on how they benefit from changes to the health care system and on weaknesses in the law unique to rural people and places. The Center for Rural Affairs continues to influence health care reform implementation in Nebraska and other rural states by engaging rural people and bringing rural issues to the forefront.
Outstanding Rural Health Practitioner – Dr. Amy Vertin
NeRHA 2011 President, Carly Woythaler-Runestad, Dr. Vertin, NeRHA Executive, Director John Roberts
This year the award goes to Dr. Amy Vertin of Crete, NE. Being a lifelong resident of Crete, NE Dr. Vertin renewed her hometown commitment on a professional level when she joined Crete Area Medical Center medical staff in April of 2010 as the Director of Emergency Services. Since her appointment as the Emergency Department Medical Director, Dr. Vertin has aggressively pursued excellence in emergency management for
Crete Area Medical Center as well as EMS in the Crete area. During her first year at the medical center, she worked diligently to assemble a high quality emergency services team dedicated solely to improving services and providing exceptional care for every patient entering the emergency room.
A Doane College and UNMC graduate, Dr. Vertin has implemented the most current
best practices to the care provided in all areas at Crete Area Medical Center. She has coordinated many community wide efforts to improve patient care in the pre-hospital arena. She has also developed multi-disciplinary teams to provide a forum for case review, sharing of best practices, and competency training.
“Dr. Vertin has the ability and desire to look at the big picture of the work environment, showing concern for how medical providers and nurses alike are impacted by change and working collaboratively to find the best solutions for all entities,” stated Ruth Stephen, Chief Nursing Officer at CAMC.
This collaborative approach to leadership extends beyond the walls of CAMC. She currently serves as the Medical Director of the Crete, Dewitt, Dorchester and Wilber EMS squads. Her leadership has resulted in improved communication between the squads and the medical center, streamlined processes and the development of squad member skills.
This year, she worked in conjunction with local EMS squads, local law enforcement, public school administrators, area college students and CAMC medical staff to conduct a community wide disaster drill. The purpose of the drill was to create a scenario where all community entities would come together and learn how to better communicate and fine tune existing processes. This led to a multi-day EMS skills fair designed to provide EMS squad members advanced life-saving and service training from CAMC medical staff.
Perhaps one of the most notable outcomes in her short tenure at CAMC is the successful
completion of a 9 month process to earn the designation of CAMC as a basic Level Trauma Center. This Certification places Crete Area Medical Center as an integral and elite member of the Statewide Trauma System.
“Dr. Vertin’s ability to lead and inspire other makes her a truly effective leader,” stated Carol Friesen, president & CEO at CAMC. “She brings together people from different walks of life to aspire to a common goal of providing exceptional care for our communities.”
Outstanding Rural Health Achievement Award– Dave Palm
NeRHA 2011 President, Carly Woythaler-Runestad, Dave Palm, NeRHA Executive Director, John Roberts
This award recognizes individuals for leadership and noteworthy initiative in promoting the development of community-oriented, rural healthcare delivery. Dave has worked diligently for many years to improve healthcare in rural communities. From resource
allocations to program development, Dave has provided the frame work for many of the rural healthcare programs in place today.
During this past year Dave has worked assiduously to promote the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project. With great insight, Dave recognized this program as a tool to bring out rural hospitals together to work towards common quality, safety and financial goals. The benefits and outcomes of this project have the potential to positively affect the lives of so many in our rural communities. The health of the whole community will improve as a result of addressing and implementing best practice standards that will result from so many of us working together.
Dave initially set a goal of receiving participation agreements from 40 critical access hospitals for this 3 year program, Dave ended up with 61 of 65 CAH’s signing letter of understanding. Dave smashed his goal of 40; this could only have been achieved through hard work and determination to do the right thing for our patients and our hospitals. In July, JAMA published an article regarding the substandard care given to patients in CAH’s. I think this article came at a great time and fueled Dave’s determination to reach for the stars with the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project. This program will change lives, it will change the way we do business in our rural hospitals and it will help to promote the level of excellence that we are all striving to achieve.
It is Dave’s leadership and grace that creates a culture of excellence in his department as well as those of us who work with him. The results of Dave’s vision and hard work will have lasting effects on our rural Communities and critical access hospitals.
Nebraska Rural Health Awards
Each year, the Nebraska Rural Health Association honors people who have contributed to rural health care through leadership at its annual conference. These awards recognize individuals and organizations who take on leadership roles in healthcare and their communities. Each year, the Nebraska Rural Health Association solicits nominations for four awards and you input is very valuable to us.
The Outstanding Rural Health Practitioner Award
recognizes an individual that is a direct service provider who provides direct patient care such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and others. This individual must exhibit outstanding leadership in bringing and/or improving health services in rural Nebraska. Factors taken into consideration include providing outstanding care; collaboration and multi-disciplinary teamwork; involvement in the community; involvement in education; and lasting contribution to the rural health care system.
The Rural Health Achievement Excellence Award recognizes an individual in the health care industry or leadership and noteworthy initiative in promoting the development of community oriented rural health care delivery. Factors for selection should include: distinctive efforts to promote and/or improve rural healthcare and provide lasting contributions to health care. This award recognizes noteworthy initiatives in the development of community-oriented rural health care delivery.
The Rural Health Distinctive Consumer Advocate Award: It is important to recognize that rural health care delivery systems will survive only with the involvement of rural consumers. This award honors an individual consumer, who is not an employee in the health care or health insurance industry, for active participation within his or her community and/or region regarding rural health service delivery issues. For example, the award winner may have testified to the state or national legislature on rural consumers’ health care needs or made lasting contributions to rural health care in their community, region, or state. The nominee should be current on rural consumer health care issues and must have shown leadership in community and education regarding health care changes, needs, or improvements.
Awards will be presented at the annual Nebraska Rural Health Conference in September.
