Final Recommendation Statement: Screening for Cervical Cancer

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for cervical cancer. The Task Force found that women aged 21 to 65 years benefit from screening. The Task Force recommends the Pap test for women aged 21 to 29 years and three strategies to screen women aged 30 to 65 years: Pap test, HPV test, or both in combination (cotesting). The Task Force recommends against screening in women younger than 21 years and in women older than 65 years who have had adequate prior screening. The Task Force also recommends against screening at any age in women who do not have a cervix. View the full recommendation.

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2018 Breastfeeding Report Card Released

CDC

The CDC released the 2018 Breastfeeding Report Card. Highlights for Kansas include:

  • Kansas is one of only four states to exceed national averages and Healthy People 2020 goals in four core measures: any breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding at 3 & 6 months and any breastfeeding at 12 months. Kansas also improved in each of these measures over last year.
  • Kansas formula supplementation rates in the first two days of life continue to decline and are well below the national average of (13.5%  Kansas vs. 17.2% U.S.).
  • Kansas is one of only 12 states to exceed 40 percent of births occurring in baby-friendly hospitals (Kansas is 41.1% respectively, far exceeding the national average of 27.6%). The expected percentage of babies born in baby-friendly hospitals in Kansas is expected to climb to over 50 percent within the next two years. This is a dramatic increase from zero percent only three years ago.
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AHRQ Releases New Opioid Management Toolkit for Primary Care Providers

AHRQ

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new toolkit to support a structured, team-based approach to improving the management of patients who take opioids to ease chronic pain. The majority of patients taking opioids for chronic pain are managed by primary care providers and their staff. The Six Building Blocks toolkit supports improvement in six areas: leadership and consensus; policies, patient agreements and workflows; tracking and monitoring patient care; planned, patient-centered visits; caring for complex patients; and measuring success. The website was developed as part of a collaboration among AHRQ, the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Attend Report on “State of Kansas Medicaid” on September 17

Kansas Hospital Association

You are invited to attend a presentation and report on “The State of Kansas Medicaid” prepared by a research team from the Harvard School of Public Health that is being hosted by the REACH Healthcare Foundation on Monday, September 17, 1-3 p.m., at the Community Forum in Lenexa City Hall, 17101 West 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa, KS 66219. The report offers state policy makers and health leaders important information and insights regarding Medicaid expansion. Register today!

The presentation will feature Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researcher Dr. Benjamin Sommers, who will discuss findings from a survey of Kansas health consumers about their health care and Medicaid. The survey is part of a study of consumer perspectives on Medicaid that was conducted in Kansas, Indiana and Ohio.

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Parent Health Literacy Training Opportunities

Kansas Head Start Association

There are two Parent Health Literacy training upcoming opportunities for  this fall!

Attendees will receive the resources needed to teach parents how to use the “What To Do When Your Child Gets Sick” book using effective, evidence based teaching methods.  The training is free.  3 CEUs are available for $15.

The KHSA Parent Health Literacy project partners with agencies, medical providers, schools and human services organizations who serve families with young children to provide this important health literacy resource. This training is appropriate for any staff who work directly with parents/patients, supervisors and program directors.

For more information about the Parent Health Literacy Project, read the brochure and KSHA website.

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Sign Form and Support “Raise the Sale Age to 21 for Tobacco”

Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition

Youth smoking rates in Kansas are higher than the national average. Raising the sale age for tobacco products to 21 could reduce the prevalence of Kansas smoking by 12 percent, saving thousands of lives and millions of dollars. Get involved today! Simply fill out the individual and organizational support forms to let Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition know you are ready to join the fight!

Individual Form

Organizational Form

For more information, follow Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition on Facebook or visit the TFKC website.

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The Death Certificate and its Importance to Public Health

The Rural Monitor

As a physician you have had the responsibility of signing a death certificate for a patient.  The death certificate is an important vital statistic document not only to families but for impacting healthcare policy and public health interventions. Read the full article: The Death Certificate: A Document to be Honored and Accurate

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Rural Kansas Photography Contest opens Sept. 1

KU Rural Health Education and Services

Do you have an eye for photography or know someone who does? The Rural Kansas Photography Contest opens Sept. 1. To showcase healthcare providers, there is a Healthcare Heroes category.  Focus on a healthcare hero in your community. Grab your camera and shoot a portrait or casual shot and provide a few sentences (600 character max) on why this healthcare hero has earned his/her cape (individuals or a group of any healthcare provider or first responder).  The photo contest is a great way of displaying  what a great place Kansas is for healthcare providers to live, work and play. Go to Rural Kansas Photography Contest  for details including categories, samples, and contest rules. Winners will be voted on by the public on National Rural Health Day, Thursday, Nov. 15. Share this link to sign up for online voting: http://bit.ly/ksphotovote .

 

 

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Registration Open for 2018 Breastfeeding Conference

Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition

Registration is now open for the 2018 Breastfeeding Conference, November 1-2 in Wichita. Register online. Day 1  focuses on building the capacity of local breastfeeding coalitions to successfully create communities supporting breastfeeding. Registration is FREE for Day 1 and will include a KBC membership for 2019 for all attendees. On Friday, November 2, attendees will learn about “hot topics” in lactation to provide clinical skills and breastfeeding knowledge for healthcare professionals and others who serve families. The registration fee for Day 2 is $110. Application for Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs) has been submitted to the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and for continuing education by the Kansas State Board of Nursing.

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New Breastfeeding Data Available

Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition

The CDC recently released breastfeeding data from the National Immunization Survey (NIS) for babies born in 2015. Good news – rates increased in all measures of breastfeeding in Kansas! Read more.

 

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