HEALTH NETWORK FOR RURAL SCHOOLS

TEAM MEETING MINUTES

NOVEMBER 17, 2003

 

1.        Nancy received a small supply of EOU parking permits that can be used for HNRS team meetings.  EOU is requiring that employees who work on campus, even for a limited number of hours per week, must either purchase a parking permit or park outside the campus.  So I’m only allowed to issue the  visitor permits for our HNRS meetings. 

 

2.        Lee notified us that nearly 3000 copies were charged to the HNRS in October and a significant number were also charged in Sept.  Vicki said that she made about 30 copies in Oct; Michelle said that she made about 40.  Nancy and Lee are investigating this.

 

3.        Discussion was held regarding how to thank the hospital and the county for their support of the HNRS.  Vicki suggested putting a note in the school newsletters and then sending a copy of the newsletters to the hospital and the county.  Nancy will write the note and will distribute it as follows:

-          to Michelle for the NP school newsletter

-          to Vicki for the Cove school newsletter

-          to Diane for the Elgin Wheel and the Imbler newsletter

-          to Kathy for the Union school newsletter and the Union town paper

 

4.        Vicki developed a schedule of “assignments” for attending the groups that are serving in an advisory capacity for the HNRS.  Nancy said that she has a report showing services provided for the entire HNRS and by school.  (Thank you, Lee, for producing the report.)  If you would like to bring some of this data with you to your school’s meetings, please let me know.

 

5.        Lasa Baxter asked that we not write narrative comments on our Medicaid Admin time sheets.  For each “positive hit” (the categories that are claimable) we need to write a sub-code in the note section.  However, no narrative comments should be included.  Also, if you happen to perform a similar activity at two different times (for example, if you are engaged in an E.1.1 activity at 8am and again at 11am, you only need to write the sub-code once).   Only those codes that are claimable should have a sub-code written in the notes section.  When you are engaged in activities that aren’t claimable, these are recorded on the “bubbles” but are not recorded in the notes section. 

 

6.        Discussion was held re: the problems that have resulted from having to mail the Health History forms and HIPAA notices to parents.  We decided to do the following:

-          the statement that parents are to sign to indicate that they have received the Notice of Privacy Practices paper will be included in the Health History form so that parents only have to sign one form

-          Nancy will arrange a meeting with the school secretaries to talk with them about the problems we’re having and gain their insight into how to address these

-          Vicki asked if Lee might be able to run a report showing what students still do not have a HIPAA form in their file (Is this do-able, Lee?)

 

7.        Selina asked about the Release of Info form.  Vicki will obtain a copy of the release form used by a school health program that OHSU operates in Beaverton.  Nancy will ask another school health director about the forms they are using. 

 

8.        Lastly, I talked about why I’d like to have the HNRS staff work together on at least one major health promotion project annually.  Two of the principles that the HNRS was founded on are pertinent to this discussion:  a) an emphasis on prevention and b) the provision of family-focused care.  These principles can be achieved through health promotion efforts that reache out to families in some way.  In addition, because the HNRS employs so many part-time staff and is offered in five different school districts, I would like to have the entire team participate in at least one health promotion effort that incorporates all disciplines and all schools.  I believe this will help the program to remain an integrated whole.  Finally, I am very interested in setting comprehensive health goals and in tracking outcomes, so that the HNRS can be focused, as opposed to simply be a service that “patches up” whatever problem happens to arise.  Given the craziness of your daily routines in the schools, I believe that, unless we set some broad goals, we’ll never know if we’ve really had an impact.

So, again, what I am requesting is that we collectively target at least one major health need annually and plan interventions that will have these components:

a)       a focus on prevention

b)       a focus on impacting families as well as students

c)       all HNRS disciplines will play a role

d)       all schools served by the HNRS will be included

e)       outcome measures will be tracked

Everyone at this meeting seemed willing to have obesity be the health need we’ll focus on.  What I would like us to do at the December meeting is to brainstorm possible interventions that will meet the five criteria I’ve listed above.   Thus, I’m asking that everyone give thought to this and come with some ideas. 

I realize, of course, that each of you are engaged in many other preventive activities throughout the year and I certainly don’t expect that each of these activities will meet these five criteria.  My goal is only to assure that we have at least one comprehensive goal that we’re all engaged in pursuing and tracking.  Thanks.

 

9.        The December HNRS team meeting was rescheduled.  It will be Monday, Dec 8th from 8 – 11am at Patrice’s home (weather-permitting).  Everyone:  please bring brunch foods.  If we’d happen to get snow, please check your email before leaving town.  I’ll send a message with an alternate meeting site. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!