In Today’s Issue
IHA Health Equity Progress Report: Benefits of Participating
Gov. Proclaims Sept. 18-22 Illinois Health and Hospital Association Week
Register by Oct. 19 for Sexual Assault Patient Care Training
Showcase Your Hospital’s Accomplishments in Community Health
Youth Suicide Risk Due to Overdose Rises During School Year
COVID-19 Information
Briefly Noted
IHA Health Equity Progress Report: Benefits of Participating
IHA’s 2023 Racial Equity in Healthcare Progress Report (Progress Report) is a quality improvement tool that documents individual and collective advancement toward health equity in the Illinois hospital community. Participating in the Progress Report—offered through an online assessment survey—will help guide your equity efforts through concrete feedback on individual hospital strengths and areas of opportunity.
With the goal of full membership participation, IHA launched this year’s Progress Report on Sept. 5 with several resources to guide members through the 34-question assessment survey: a guidance document, fillable pdf planning form and complimentary IHA webinar—“2023 Racial Equity in Healthcare Progress Report: Submission Process"—on Sept. 27 from 12-12:30 p.m.
Benefits of completing the Progress Report include gaining:
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Insights into how your organization is doing, covering both strengths and areas of opportunity, through an analytic report from IHA in early 2024;
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A roadmap for measuring progress, assessing implementation of key strategies, and understanding provider and community assets.
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A powerful story to tell your patients, staff and communities of your organization's health equity efforts and accomplishments.
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A view of how much your organization and the Illinois hospital community has achieved in just a few years.
For members who’ve participated in the first two Progress Reports, doing so this year will provide greater detail into your progress and work ahead. First-time participants will get the essential baseline report to measure progress going forward.
Click here to submit your 2023 Progress Report by the Oct. 17 deadline. Click here to register for the Sept. 27 submission process webinar. Contact us at HealthEquity@team-iha.org with questions.
Gov. Proclaims Sept. 18-22 Illinois Health and Hospital Association Week
In recognition of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association’s 100th anniversary in 2023, Gov. JB Pritzker proclaimed Sept. 18-22, 2023 to be “Illinois Health and Hospital Association Week.”
As representative of Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals and 40 health systems, the official proclamation highlighted that, “IHA strives to support each person’s quest for optimum health, ensuring that all individuals and communities have access to high-quality health care at the right time and in the right setting,” and emphasized that “IHA works closely and cooperatively with members of the state legislature and state agencies, never more so than during the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect and improve public health.”
Click here to view the official proclamation.
Register by Oct. 19 for Sexual Assault Patient Care Training
The Illinois Attorney General is hosting the “Foundation to Provide Sexual Assault Patient Care in the Emergency Room” training session on Wednesday, Oct. 25. This four-hour training will be provided via WebEx from 12:30-4:30 p.m.
This training will benefit nurses, advance practice providers, physicians, law enforcement, advocates and first responders. The training is designed to improve response to sexual assault patients, providing an overview of sexual assault laws and related information such as the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act (SASETA), neurobiology of trauma, drug-facilitated sexual assault, strangulation and the medial forensic exam. This training does not count toward training hours to become a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner or a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner.
Register for this training by Oct. 19 by filling out this form and submitting it to sane@ilag.gov. Space is limited, and interested parties are encouraged to register early. For enrollment assistance, contact Theresa Geary at 866-376-7215 or sane@ilag.gov (dial 7-1-1 to access TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services).
Contact us with questions.
Showcase Your Hospital’s Accomplishments in Community Health
Has your hospital collaborated with local stakeholders to create a positive impact within the community? You are invited to apply for the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) 2024 Dick Davidson NOVA Award, which celebrates collaboration among hospitals, health systems and local partner organizations to improve community health through healthcare, economic or social initiatives. Award winners have successfully engaged community members to identify issues and worked together to develop solutions, like implementing a suicide prevention program in schools or helping seniors age in place with monthly screenings, meals and education.
This annual award will honor five AHA members, who will be recognized at the 2024 AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego. AHA is accepting applications now through Nov. 13.
To learn about past honorees and apply here. If you have questions, email nova@aha.org.
Youth Suicide Risk Due to Overdose Rises During School Year
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and the third leading cause of death among youth ages 10-19 in Illinois. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. With the school year underway for Illinois students, the Illinois Poison Center (IPC) is offering tips to teachers, parents, and caregivers to help prevent suicide attempts.
“Suicide attempts by overdose rise during the back-to-school period and throughout the school year,” said IPC Medical Director Michael Wahl, M.D. “For some students, going back to school appears to trigger stress and anxiety, making it even more important that teachers, parents and caregivers are on the lookout for behavioral changes.”
According to the latest Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) data, 186 Illinois youth and young adults died by suicide in 2022; over 9% of these deaths were from intentional self-poisonings.
Studies show that suicidal overdose attempts in children and teenagers increase while school is in session. A study published in Clinical Toxicology concluded there was a significant increase in the number of suicide attempts by self-poisoning cases in age groups of 10-18 years during the traditional school months of September-May compared with June-August.
IPC’s toxicology specialists provided consultations to hospital staff for almost 12,000 suicidal overdoses (all ages) in 2022.
As suicide continues to be a growing public health problem, click here for resources to help prevent suicide and how to look for warning signs.
COVID-19 Information
Since the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11, Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) is releasing updated COVID-19 data every other week. Click here for the most recent hospitalization update. IDPH will continue to report the weekly number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, as well through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.
Briefly Noted
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a clarifying statement last week following a Sept. 11-12 meeting of the Non-prescription Drug Advisory Committee to determine the effectiveness of oral phenylephrine as an active ingredient in over-the-counter cough and cold products that are indicated for the temporary relief of congestion. While the Committee concluded that current scientific data do not support that the recommended dosage of orally administered phenylephrine is effective as a nasal decongestant, the FDA emphasized in its statement that it has not yet made a final decision on the matter. The agency said it will consider the input of the advisory committee and the evidence before taking any action on the status of oral phenylephrine.