Newsletter
May 2020
AHA Extends Certification Guidelines for BLS, ACLS, and PALS
In March, the American Heart Association published guidelines that AHA issued certifications (BLS, ACLS, PALS) were considered valid for a period of 60 days past their expiration date. The guidelines have been updated to state that extensions will be granted for 120 days past their expiration date, as social distancing and shelter in place orders remain in place for most of the country.
May is Drowning Awareness Month
PEDIATRICIANS:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) publication on "Prevention of Drowning" recommends pediatricians work with families and caregivers to educate families on water safety and drowning prevention. Some recommendations for pediatiatricis to assist with drowning prevention are:
Pediatricians should know the leading causes of drowning in their location so they can appropriately tailor their prevention guidance to caregivers. Pediatricians can provide specific targeted messages by age, sex, high risk of drowning, and geographical location.
Children with special health care needs should have tailored anticipatory guidance related to drowning risks. Children with epilepsy, ASD, and cardiac arrhythmias are at particular risk. When swimming or taking a bath, children of any age with epilepsy should be supervised closely by an adult at all times. Children with poorly controlled seizures should discuss water safety with their physician before swim activities.
Counseling parents and adolescents about water safety provides an opportunity to stress the problems related to alcohol and drug use during any activity. Specifically, the discussion should include a warning about the increased drowning risk that results when alcohol or illicit drugs are used when swimming or boating. Because male adolescents have high risk of water-based injuries, they warrant extra counseling.
Pediatricians should help facilitate a conversation between caregivers and their children about levels of water competency to decrease the frequency of children or parents overestimating swimming skills and equipping older children with the ability to make informed decisions when not in the presence of their parent or guardian.
Pediatricians should support the inclusion of CPR training in high school health classes.
In the U.S. drowning takes an average of 3,500-4,000 lives per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day.
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury related death for children ages 1-4. Drowning remains in the top 5 causes of unintentional injury related death from birth to 54 years old.
In addition to fatal drownings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that in 2016 an additional 9,000+ victims were seen at U.S. Emergency Departments for a non-fatal submersion injury.
23% of child drownings happen during a family gathering near a pool.
Lack of barriers around water contribute to a majority of drowning deaths.
Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for 1-4 year olds who take formal swim lessons.
No one is drown-proof and drowning doesn’t discriminate.
Drug and alcohol use can be large contributing variables to drowning risk.
Drowning is the cause of death for most boating fatalities.
It is estimated that for every fatal drowning victim, another 5 to 10 victims receives hospital related care for non-fatal drowning injuries.
Drowning is fast and silent. It can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds. Drowning doesn’t always look like we would expect.
To prevent drowning, a multitude of safety strategies should be in place to reduce risk. The NDPA utilizes an approach referred to as “Layers of Protection”.
CLICK HERE for more information from the American Heart Association (AHA) for water safety.
CDC Printable Flyers for COVID Symptoms and Prevention
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has created printable flyers resources for providers available in 5 languages. To access and download these resources go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
Webinar - Immunization: You Call the Shots - Module Fifteen - Pneumococcal Disease and Vaccine
A CDC TRAIN affiliate webinar. You Call the Shots is an interactive, web-based immunization training course. It consists of a series of modules that discuss vaccine-preventable diseases and explain the latest recommendations for vaccine use. Each module provides learning opportunities, self-test practice questions, reference and resource materials, and an extensive glossary. This fifteenth module in the series discusses pneumococcal disease and its related vaccine.
ACCME: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
To access this on demand training go to https://www.train.org/cdctrain/course/1089902/?deliveryName=USCDC_450-DM24587&activeTab=about
CDC CERC Webinar: Psychology of a Crisis
CDC’s CERC webinar on the Psychology of a Crisis addresses how people process information differently during a crisis. We’ll examine the psychological barriers to communication that tend to emerge in crises, factors that impact perception of risk, and how to build trust to communicate more effectively.
To access this information go to https://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/training/webinar_20180605.asp
Riley Error Prevention 2020 Schedule
AHA Webinar - High-Performance Teamwork in Incident Management
WHEN: May 13th 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Erin Eckert, MPA, Education Coordinator, Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality, will discuss how TeamSTEPPS supports the teamwork principles underlying the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides the national framework for managing disasters and emergency incidents of all sizes, from car accidents to our current COVID-19 response activities. Every organization develops its own response plans and procedures, but the NIMS framework is what allows effective alignment and sharing of capabilities and resources across multiple organizations, different disciplines and jurisdictional boundaries. We will discuss common challenges to effective teamwork in incident management – both within organizations and across organizations – and the TeamSTEPPS tools that can be used to overcome them.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the relationship between TeamSTEPPS teachable/learnable skills and the principles of NIMS
- Describe common challenges to effective teamwork in incident management
- Identify just-in-time TeamSTEPPS tools that can enhance effective communication and situational awareness in current incident management scenarios
CDC Hepatitis C Screen Recommendations Amid Dramatic Increase
Hepatitis C is increasing dramatically in the United States, particularly among younger adults, and 4 in 10 people don’t even know they have it. Hepatitis C is usually spread through blood, often from injection drug use. Less commonly, hepatitis C is spread through sex or from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy or childbirth. An acute infection develops when someone is first infected. Some people clear the virus, but most people with acute hepatitis C will develop a long-term (chronic) infection. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can cause severe liver damage, liver cancer, and even death. But hepatitis C is curable. The first step to being cured is getting a hepatitis C blood test. CDC now recommends testing:
- Every adult at least once
- Pregnant women during every pregnancy
- Everyone with ongoing risk factors regularly
For more information go to https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/vitalsigns/index.html
EAP Offers Online Group Sessions
Online group sessions
EAP has partnered with the IU Department of Psychiatry to host 30-minute online group sessions three times a week. Each session is facilitated by a licensed health professional who will also provide tips for increasing resiliency.Choose the day and time that works for you:
- Mondays at 5:30 pm
- Wednesdays at noon
- Fridays at 7:30 am
To register, email IUHealthEAP@IUhealth.org. You’ll receive a WebEx calendar invitation with call-in information in response.
Mindfulness meditation groups
EAP also is offering free mindfulness practice meditations every Tuesday and Thursday. This is an opportunity to slow down and calm the voice inside your head—no experience necessary.The group meets via WebEx every Tuesday and Thursday for 15 – 20 minutes beginning at 12:15 pm. To join by phone, call 317.991.9890 and use meeting access code: 733 149 574. To join by video, email IUHealthEAP@iuhealth.org to request a calendar invite.
The practice starts promptly, so if entering late, be sure to join quietly.
Questions? Call EAP at 317.962.8001.
CMS Webcast - Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19
Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters.
This week’s Lessons from the Front Lines:
Friday, May 1st from 12:30 – 2 p.m. ET
Toll-Free Attendee Dial-In: 877-251-0301; Access Code: 9545128To register go to https://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=5779&seid=1988#/main/simplify
Be Well Indiana
Now, more than ever, our fellow Hoosiers are facing unique challenges that affect overall mental health and well-being. To support Hoosiers in this unprecedented time of need, and beyond, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction are proud to introduce BeWellIndiana.org
The Be Well Indiana initiative is currently focused primarily on resources to help Hoosiers manage their mental health throughout the COVID-19 crisis, including links to trusted news sources, tips for staying healthy and safe at home, access to addiction recovery support and more. As the pandemic situation changes, Be Well Indiana will adapt and shift focus to address the most compelling mental health issues at the time. This site and initiative will remain a trusted, reliable source for Hoosiers, curated by DMHA and its partners, to find access to special programs and essential resources. You will also find videos featuring medical experts and other practicing Indiana clinicians addressing specific mental health topics. https://bewellindiana.com/video-resources/
We invite you to explore BeWellIndiana.org and share this resource among your communities. Follow FSSA on Twitter at @FSSAIndiana for the latest updates. You can also read and share the press release issued today by FSSA to announce the new site. https://www.in.gov/fssa/files/BeWellIndiana_press_release_FINAL.pdf
