BILLINGS CARE TRANSITIONS COALITION

Even as the economy and Montana ‘opens up,” many of those in need of healthcare, either at home or some type of healthcare facility, won’t enjoy the same level of contact and interaction with caregivers and healthcare providers as they did prior to shelter-in-placed and social distancing orders were ordered in response to the threats posed by COVID-19. Healthcare professionals and providers are doing a terrific job by (1) working to deal with an array of the newly-imposed constraints and (2) expanding the use of telehealth.  Through all of this, new procedures and policy must recognize the abysmal state of patient healthcare literacy and patient prescription drug literacy, in the case of the latter, particularly as it applies to opioids. There is an abundance of literature regarding how healthcare providers assume that patients understand more than they are actually able to comprehend and apply. In the COVID-19 environment, as constraints and the ...

As the Governor’s across the nation relax shelter-in-place restrictions and “open up the economy” by issuing guidelines for businesses and patrons to observe, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted between 15 and 20 April   indicates most Americans (80%) say strict shelter-in-place measures are worth it in order to protect people and limit the spread of coronavirus. Fewer (19%) say the strict shelter-in-place measures are placing unnecessary burdens on people and the economy and causing more harm than good .  For complete summary of the tracking poll click here .

According the Kaiser Family Foundation, “about 4.5 million people work in the long-term care industry in facility settings such as skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities, and home health agencies, which provide clinical and personal care services in the home.”  As they care for family members and loved ones, COVID-19 presents significant challenges for these workers and their employers, with reports of widespread and sometimes deadly coronavirus infections among patients and staff in such settings, especially in hard-hit states.     Here is an except of a Just Released  report from (KFF): Most are in close contact with patients .  For instance, aides and personal care workers, who provide medical and/or personal care and come into direct and frequent contact with patients, account for 53 percent of all long-term care workers. Health care providers such as doctors and nurses account for 14 percent of long-term c...

The Billings Transition Care Coalition with meet virtually on the fourth Thursday of each month at 0700 hours. Next meeting: Thursday, April 23, 2020 – 0700 hours Presenter: GREG HOLZMAN, MD Montana’s Chief Health Officer Topic: The Most Current Information and Developments on COVID-19 Here is how to access the virtual meeting: Join Zoom Meeting https://mpqhf.zoom.us/j/863539270?pwd=Mk5rTnlXTENwNVhDVm1hZ1NwNHZEUT09 Password: 055499 One tap mobile +13462487799,,863539270# US (Houston) +16699006833,,863539270# US (San Jose) Dial by your location         +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)         +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)         +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)         +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)         +1 253 215 8782 US         +1 301 715 8592 US         85...

The Covid-19 Crisis Too Few Are Talking About:  Health Care Workers’  Mental Health Stat News Jessica Gold 3 April 2020 In the midst of this global pandemic, people are talking about the urgent and critical need for  personal protective equipment . They are sharing concerns about the impending  lack of respirators  and the need for  testing . And they are encouraging people to #flattenthecurve through  social distancing . But no one is talking about a potential mental health crisis facing health care workers on the frontlines of this pandemic. To an outside observer, health care workers look strong and resilient in the face of the unknown. They  inspire  us as they  go to work  every day, at great personal risk, to keep others safe. But, as a psychiatrist, I spend much of my life observing and listening — I know that their calm surface appearance is the only armor th...