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Amidst persistent capacity constraints within Massachusetts healthcare facilities, a coalition of leading organizations has renewed its call for proactive care planning by urging community members to take the simple step of designating a healthcare agent and completing a health care proxy.

The coalition is calling on every patient to designate a healthcare agent, or the person trusted to make care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make them for yourself. The importance of proactive decision-making became especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when thousands of patients across the nation were incapacitated and in need of representation regarding their care.

Capacity constraints have been a relentless challenge for a the commonwealth’s healthcare system in recent years. Completing a healthcare proxy is a simple step that adults over age 18 can take to ensure that they have a trusted representative making decisions on their behalf should they become incapacitated.

The coalition is highlighting three key steps for community members:

1. Choose someone you trust to be your designated healthcare agent and have a simple conversation about what’s important to you.
2. Complete a health care proxy form – you can do it all yourself! (This form from Honoring Choices Massachusetts is available in 15 languages.) You can also complete a form that comes directly from your healthcare provider.
3. Have a simple conversation with your care team about the care that’s right for you.

Completion of a health care proxy, the simple form patients can use to assign their agent, can also help alleviate some of the intense pressures healthcare organizations are now experiencing. Proxies empower caregivers to work directly with trusted loved ones and efficiently transition them to other care settings from the moment their hospital stay is winding down. Hospital case managers report that when patients lack a healthcare agent, it prevents them from being discharged and ties up acute-level beds for other patients in need. Patients do not get the level of care they need, while hospital wait times and care access for other individuals suffer.

Read more about the effort and partner resources here.

As healthcare organizations and caregivers navigate another challenging winter, the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association is sharing these basic measures that community members can take to help support the system:

• Practice patience and civility for the healthcare workers on the front lines
• Keep up with regular medical appointments and do not hesitate to seek care in emergency situations
• Seek care from your doctor or local urgent care center when appropriate
• Get your flu shot and keep up with COVID-19 boosters
• Remain vigilant about COVID-19 symptoms and exposure
• Take the easy step of creating a personal care plan and designating a health care proxy

We welcome you to share the full graphic below:

New VIDEO. Introduction to MA e-MOLST Web Portal for Honoring Choices Partners. Share with your clinicians and care teams.

Tools & Resources to Use the Portal Start Proactive Planning Conversations & Document Care Choices
The MA e-MOLST Web Portal offers health care providers and seriously ill, high-risk, and frail adults an effective communication approach to engage in proactive care planning conversations and document patient care choices in MA planning documents.

The web portal provides easy access to Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversation Guides, an electronic MA MOLST form (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), and links to complete a multi-lingual MA Health Care Proxy. The MA e-MOLST Web Portal is a joint pilot project of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care, Ariadne Labs, and Honoring Choices Massachusetts with support from Vynca, Inc.

Clinicians and their care teams can:

Start a serious illness conversation and understand what matters most

Download Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversation Guides

Document patient care choices in a MA MOLST form

If the patient chooses, complete the e-MOLST form in the web portal (English only)

Alternatively, download and complete a multi-lingual MOLST form, and upload to the web portal

Help ensure adults have a Health Care Proxy. Simply ask: “Do you have a Health Care Agent?”

If yes, check that a valid, up to date Health Care Proxy is in the patient record

If no, download and complete a multi-lingual Honoring Choices Health Care Proxy

Read more…

Vohra Wound Physicians will select one scholarship recipient to receive a $1000 cash scholarship, plus free tuition for Vohra’s Wound Care Certification course, valued at $650.

The next Vohra Wound Care Scholarship for Nursing Education and Nursing Certifications recipient will be announced on 12/31/20.

Whether you’re a nursing student at the beginning of your career or a seasoned practitioner with ample clinical experience, earning a Wound Care Certification is an essential next step in your professional development, arming you with the skills and expertise you need to advance your career, improve patient outcomes, and be happier and more successful at work.

The deadline to apply for the upcoming scholarship opportunity is 12/17/20 11:59 PM EST.

Apply here now…

The Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) is an independent collaborative of scientists, health professionals, scholars, and policy experts from around the world who are working in areas of brain health related to human
cognition. The GCBH focuses on brain health relating to people’s ability to think and reason as they age, including aspects of memory, perception and judgment. AARP convened the GCBH to offer the best possible
advice about what older adults can do to maintain and improve their brain health. GCBH members gather to discuss specific lifestyle issue areas that may affect people’s brain health as they age, with the goal of providing
evidence-based recommendations for people to consider incorporating into their lives.

Many people across the globe are interested in learning that it is possible to influence their own brain health and in finding out what can be done to stay as sharp as possible as they age. We aim to be a trustworthy source
of information, basing recommendations on current evidence supplemented by a consensus of experts from a broad array of disciplines and perspectives.

Knowledge about brain health is expanding rapidly. GCBH’s work empowers individuals to benefit from insights on the cutting edge of science and enhance well-being through the course of their lives.

Read more…

Telemedicine is changing lives – including for students in North Central Massachusetts.

Click here to learn more about Heywood Healthcare’s Tele Behavioral School Base Counseling Program.

Our hospitals are safe places to seek care for any medical emergency.  Your health can’t wait. We’re here for you.

In this video, listen as one of our hospital’s emergency department staff takes you through the patient experience when you arrive at Emerson Hospital’s ED during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical professionals care. They also experience higher rates of burnout and depressive symptoms than the general population.

In fact, suicide is estimated to be the second leading cause of death for medical residents, and American doctors take their lives at twice the rate of the general population. Samaritans, Inc. is here for you – and for your patients.

The mission of Samaritans is to reduce the incidence of suicide by alleviating despair, isolation, distress and suicidal feelings among individuals in the community, 24 hours a day; to educate the public about suicide prevention; to help those who have lost a loved one to suicide; and to reduce the stigma associated with suicide. Samaritans accomplishes this through services that emphasize confidential, nonjudgmental, and compassionate listening.

24/7 Crisis Services

Each day, people who are struggling turn to Samaritans in search of compassionate support. If you or anyone you know are feeling sad, lonely, hopeless, or uncertain about anything in your life, you can call or text Samaritans’ 24/7, free, confidential Helpline at 877-870-4673.

Grief Support Services

Losing a loved one to suicide is a uniquely painful experience. If you or someone you know or care for has lost someone to suicide, Samaritans offer several programs to support you in your grieving including peer support groups and individual home visits.

Community Education & Outreach

Samaritans also offers suicide prevention workshops. For health care professionals, workshops are geared toward helping both providers and patients. You and your team can learn:
•Risk factors and warning signs for suicide
•How to evaluate patients who may be suicidal and how to help them
•Coping skills and resources for patients, loved ones, and yourself

Visit Samaritans website to learn more about these programs and services, for yourself and/or your patients.

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