KY Community Health Worker Bill Gains Ground / Public News Service

Kentucky lawmakers are consider an invoice to allow Medicaid to reimburse certified community health workers (CHWs).

Proponents said it would help turn the tide for healthcare workers quit the job in the stress of the pandemic.

Celine Mutuyemariya, community policy strategist for the Urban League of Louisville, explained that CHW positions are often funded by grants, which can be difficult to maintain.

She argued that a more reliable source of funding would mean more CHWs would be available to meet healthcare needs, especially for people in underserved communities who might otherwise be reluctant to visit a doctor.

“What community health workers do is they help build trust with preventive health care systems,” Mutuyemariya explained. “Like having a primary care provider, having a dental provider and seeing them regularly.”

According to the Kentucky Association of Community Health Workers, the state saves more than $11 for every dollar invested in these services. And Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention research indicates that CHWs improve a wide range of health conditions for the people they serve, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health.

The bill passed the Kentucky House and is now before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

Mutuyemariya emphasized that CHWs help people navigate the health system, access care and meet basic needs, so they don’t end up in hospital emergency rooms.

“Your entry point into health care services would be emergency health care services,” observed Mutuyemariya. “It’s the source, which has been standardized the most, and it’s not cost-effective. It’s not effective in terms of improving health outcomes.”

Tiffany Taul Scruggs, patient services outreach coordinator for Sterling Healthcare, said her team of CHWs were working around the clock in seven counties to ensure patients made their appointments during the pandemic, transporting nearly 1 300 people in 2020.

She added that many would otherwise end up in the emergency room or suffer from lack of care.

“They would go without food, access to food, or resources to feed themselves, to house themselves, to move around,” Taul Scruggs said. “They would do without it. I mean, they would completely do without it.”

The Kentucky bill would also broaden the pathway to higher education through the state’s community and technical college system to ensure that appropriate college credits are awarded to those who complete certified training in CSA.

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As school districts and local governments lift COVID mask mandates amid falling case numbers, a new study found that masks were effective in Arkansas schools.

The researchers looked at data from August to October 2021 in Arkansas school districts during the Delta Variant surge. They found that schools with mask policies in place had 23% fewer new infections than schools without.

Dr. Mark Williams, dean of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for medical sciences, who contributed to the study, acknowledged that the results are not completely surprising, but said that it was always reassuring to see that the masks seemed to have kept more children safe.

“There could have been instances, for example, where kids might not have worn their masks,” Williams pointed out. “That could have been a possibility. But what seems to have happened is that in school districts where there were mask mandates, it was pretty well administered.”

The research was conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. A Department of Health spokesperson said the results provide strong evidence that masking in schools is an effective way to reduce the burden of COVID-19 among students and staff.

Williams added that he hopes the research moving forward can inform school districts in developing public health policy. He argued that requiring masks when flu cases are on the rise could help stop the spread.

“Plans can be put in place so that if certain airborne diseases start to increase and reach a certain level, imposing a face mask policy that uses face masks as a public health prevention will be very, very effective,” advised Williams.

The evaluation was one of the first of its kind to measure the real effectiveness of masking in school settings. Between March 2 and March 8, Arkansas reported another 3,200 cases of COVID-19.

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Oregon lawmakers concluded the legislative session with a measure to ease the state’s nursing shortage.

In its final week, the Legislative Assembly passed House Bill 4003a measure that will allow nursing students to obtain a license allowing them to work with limited tasks and gain experience in hospitals.

Idaho and Washington already have similar trainee nurse licenses.

Jana Bitton, Executive Director of the Oregon Nursing Centersaid there was a shortage of nurses before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has compounded the problems.

“A lot of people I’ve spoken to, both within the nursing community and outside the nursing community,” Bitton said, “all have horror stories of themselves or a member of the nursing community. family or a friend who got sick, with COVID or something else, and having to go to the emergency room and wait an extraordinarily long time to be able to see a provider.”

Bitton said the shortage is greater in some workplaces and in rural parts of the state.

Some critics balked at the idea of ​​student nurses providing care. The Oregon Nursing Association says the bill is a great first step, but more is needed to alleviate the shortage.

Bitton said the newly created license will also help ensure that future nurses can support themselves.

“This permit is really going to help nursing students,” said Bitton, “who need a place where they can practice their skills while they’re in school, give them the opportunity to earn money and support their education. also help workplaces improve their workforce. »

The bill also extends a wellness program to registered nurses so they have access to free therapy sessions. Bitton said the pandemic and other events like wildfires have taken a mental toll on nurses.

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Mask requirements end Saturday in Washington statemore than two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the transition could be stressful for some. Dr Trenton James – psychiatrist for Kaiser Permanente in Seattle – said stress, fear and exhaustion are normal responses to this health crisis.

He said people shouldn’t ignore the strain the pandemic has put on mental health – and can take care of themselves in other ways to help ease that stress.

“Identify good self-care routines and stick to them,” James said. “You know, I often encourage my patients to be kind to themselves and focus on the essentials, like going for daily walks. Even being able to get out and enjoy the sun, when we have it, and breathe some fresh air.”

Washington, California and Oregon all decided to lift mask requirements for indoor environments on Saturday.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention also revised its recommendations, saying people who are not in counties with high transmission rates can do without masks.

But Kaiser Permanente and other Evergreen State hospitals still recommend that people wear masks in crowded environments and public indoor spaces.

James said many people are feeling COVID fatigue and some are even angry at policies designed to keep people safe. He described them as typically secondary expressions that stem from fear, anxiety, and depression.

“Another really important thing is just being able to ask for help when you’re overwhelmed,” James said. “And there’s a lot of uncertainty right now, but keep in mind this won’t last forever.”

James said it’s also important to keep in mind that official guidance on masks and other safety policies may change as the pandemic continues, so people should follow the latest guidance from state authorities. and federal.

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