September 18, 2017
  As summer memories fade into fall, w e are excited to be putting finishing touches on our CNE events for the end of 2017 and into the new year. Be sure to go to CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION  (below) to check out the timely topics KCNA speakers will be addressing. 
     Then visit  www.kcnurses.org , register and mark your calendar. We'll look forward to seeing you!
 
         -- Sue Vermeulen & Rose Williamson
            KCNA Staff

P.S. Remember to. . . 
 

News2Use is published monthly for KCNA members and other nurses throughout King County. To comment or submit content, email [email protected].
SPOTLIGHT ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER & RECOVERY
September is National Recovery Month
Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sponsors National Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate those who recover. This year's theme is "Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen  Families  and Communities." This recognition month: promotes the societal benefits of prevention, treatment and recovery; celebrates people in recovery; lauds the contributions of providers; and promotes the message that recovery is possible. Recovery Month spreads a positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, that treatment is effective and people can and do recover. 
     To learn more, access SAMHSA, or one of these specific programs:
 
Opioid overdose-related ICU admissions up 34% over 7 years  
Opioid-related admissions and deaths in hospital ICUs spiked significantly between 2009 and 2015, according to new research. 
Researchers examined a national hospital database, finding  a 34 percent increase in overdose-related ICU admissions over the seven-year study period. Deaths in the ICU due to opioid overdoses nearly doubled. Researchers observed the steepest rise in overdose-related ICU deaths post-2012.  The average cost of care per ICU overdose admissions rose about 58 percent. Read more.

On second thought: Opioid epidemic IS national emergency
President Trump has declared the nation's opioid crisis a national emergency.  The move came two days after he declined to declare a national emergency during a press briefing on the epidemic. The Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, established by President Trump via an executive order in March, first recommended  the president make such a declaration in its interim report July 31. 
     More than 140 Americans died every day from a drug overdose in 2015, according to the commission's report. New data suggests that number has grown significantly in the last two years. Click here for more information.

NOTE:
A conference on nurses' roles in handling the opioid epidemic will be held October 13 in Seattle. Also, KCNA will offer a seminar entitled "Substance Use Disorder: It can Happen to You" on December 6. For more information, see CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION, below. Also, under RESOURCES you will find an opioid prescribing toolkit. 

CONTINUING  NURSING EDUCATION
Register now: Upcoming CNE events from KCNA
More information and registration at www.kcnurses.org

Dinner Seminar: Money Matters
Tuesday, October 24  *  6:30-8:30 p.m. 
Ivar's Salmon House, Seattle
KCNA MEMBERS ONLY. This free, no-obligation workshop is designed to provide an overview of financial planning and investing. Speaker Adrian Hedwig is financial advisor at Salal Investment Services. Register by October 16.
 
Special Viewing: Defining Hope
Wednesday, November 1  *  7 p.m.
Locations TBD 
1.25 Contact Hours
There will be more than 100 one-night-only screenings of the documentary Defining Hope, scheduled to coincide with National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. The movie follows eight patients with life-threatening illnesses and the nurses who care for them. More information at www.kcnurses.org.
 
Fall Nursing Summit: 
Learning about Homelessness
Monday, Nov. 20 * 5:30-8:30 p.m. 
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
1.5-hour Certificate of Completion
The summit will include: 1) "The Meaning of Home: Nursing's Role in Effectively Addressing Homelessness," with Josephine Ensign, DrPH, RN, NP-C, author of Catching Homelessness: A nurse's story of falling through the safety net, and 2) Taking Action for the Homeless: help pack 400 cold kits for distribution to Real Change vendors. Representatives of Real Change will be on hand. Register by November 13.

Share your expertise. Become a Mentor!     
The KCNA MentorLink Program connects KCNA members with other members (new nurses or nurses new to a position) and nursing students to facilitate supportive mentor relationships. Minimum commitment is six months; most teams have contact every few weeks. There is no cost to participate. To get involved, complete an application at www.kcnurses.org/members/mentorlink and return it by  November 6. Then plan to attend the orientation on  November 29, 5:30-8 p.m. The orientation program will include dinner.
 
Dinner Seminar: Substance Use Disorder-
It Can Happen to You
Wednesday, December 6  *  5:30-7:30 p.m.   
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
1.5-hour Certificate of Completion
    This seminar will address substance use disorder within the general population and among health care providers. Participants will learn about signs and symptoms, treatment options, legislative actions, and the role of nursing in addressing this national crisis. Speaker Heather Stephen-Selby, BSN, MSN ARNP-BC, RN is assistant executive director of nursing practice, education and research at WSNA. Register by December 4.

Mark Your Calendar: 2018 CNE Programs from KCNA
More information and registration at www.kcnurses.org

Dinner Seminar: Human Trafficking
Thursday, January 25, 5:30-8 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
2-hour Certificate of Completion
This session will raise awareness regarding the prevalence, risk factors and health consequences of sex trafficking, with speaker Kelly Martin-Vegue, RN, MSW, The Center for Children & Youth Justice. 

Seminar: Ethics Conversations & Health Equity
Saturday, February 10, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
4-hour Certificate of Completion
This workshop will feature three interactive sessions exploring ethics, upscaling social justice practice for health equity and value-based care, and mindfulness. Speakers include: Anne Poppe, PhD, MN, BSN, BA, RN; Doris M. Boutain, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC; and Christine Prenovitz, MSW, E-RYT.
 
District Meeting: 
Conversation with new WSNA Executive Director
Wednesday, February 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
1.5-hour Certificate of Completion  
Sally Watkins, PhD, RN, executive director of Washington State Nurses Association, will speak about current WSNA activities and provide legislative updates for 2018. There will be time for questions as well. 
 
Dinner Seminar: 
Health Care Ethics: Henrietta Lacks and Beyond
Wednesday, March 28, 5:30-8 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
2.0-hour Certificate of Completion    
Join Bridget Carney, PhD, RN, healthcare ethicist, to discuss the bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in light of related issues of healthcare ethics. Register by March 1 and KCNA will mail you a free copy of the book! 

Conference on nurses' roles in addressing opioid epidemic
The Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission is offering a conference entitled Choosing the Path: Healthcare Regulation and Substance Use Disorder on October 13 in Seattle. The program will bring together stakeholders to address the roles and responsibilities of nurses related to opioids and other drugs of abuse. Washington is leading the way in addressing the role of medically prescribed opioids in contributing to the epidemic. Find more information here. 

Geriatric Round Table to address suicidal ideation
Sound Aging Geriatric Education will discuss Mental Health: Suicide Ideation - Psychological Triggers and Resilience on Wednesday, October 4, 3:30-5 p.m. at Providence ElderPlace, Seattle. Suicidal ideation is a complex phenomenon that has multiple causes and psychological triggers such as perceived burden and loneliness. To register, contact Barbara Green at [email protected] or 206/799-7108.

Discussion: Guiding Children to Healthy Relationships
As part of its Courageous Conversations series, New Beginnings will host a discussion about helping children develop healthy relationships on Tuesday, September 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Greenwood area. Learn how to talk with children and teens about healthy relationships and establishing normal boundaries, and how to recognize signs of abuse. Ideal for those who want help to stop the cycle of violence. Register here.  

NURSING NEWS AND CLINICAL ISSUES
ANA/CDC publish White Paper: Nurses as Antibiotic Stewards
The American Nurses Association/Centers for  Disease  Control and Prevention Workgroup has published a White Paper entitled Redefining the Antibiotic Stewardship Team: The Role of Registered Nurses in Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Practices.  The group's purpose is to inform RNs about the problem of antibiotic resistance and "outline the group's ongoing efforts to place the nation's 3.6 million nurses in central roles in antibiotic stewardship efforts." Read/download the White Paper here . 


New test for quick determination of antibiotic resistance
Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a new method for very rapidly determining whether infection-causing bacteria are resistant or susceptible to antibiotics.  Antibiotic resistance is a growing medical problem that threatens human health globally, and one important contributory factor is the incorrect use of antibiotics for treatment. But tests designed to correctly predict antibiotic susceptibility or resistance take too long. Now researchers have developed an antibiotic resistance test that is fast enough to enable a patient to take the correct antibiotic home from the initial appointment. The test is primarily intended for urinary tract infections at this point; results are available in 10 to 30 minutes. Click here for more.  
 
AAP policy: Vaccinate for Hep B in first 24 hours of life
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new policy statement,  Elimination of Perinatal Hepatitis B: Providing the First Vaccine Dose Within 24 Hours of Birth ,  in the August  Pediatrics . According to the abstract, "approximately 1,000 new cases of perinatal hepatitis B infection are still identified annually in the U.S. Prevention of perinatal hepatitis B relies on the proper and timely identification of infants born to mothers who are hepatitis B surface antigen positive and to mothers with unknown status. . ." Read more. 

HIPRC weighs in during Suicide Prevention Month
Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center, among other prevention organizations, are using this month to raise awareness about suicide prevention. HIPRC is featuring a blog series to highlight research and resources around this critical issue. The HIPRC website lists blog topics, including:
*   Concerned about suicide? Asking doesn't hurt.
*   What do I do if someone is considering suicide?

RESOURCES
NCABN develops toolkit on opioid prescription
The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission would like to share a great resource on safely prescribing opioids. In response to the ongoing prescription opioid crisis, the National Council State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has gathered current information on prescribing guidelines, continuing education, federal, state and international resources onto one page of their website. Access the Opioid Toolkit here.

Inspirational TED talk: Madu on world-class health care
Ernest Madu is the leader of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica. He has proven there with careful design, smart choices and a dedication to serving public health, that it is possible to provide the best health care in the world in the developing world. He has been able to deliver more than $1 million per year in free and reduced-cost treatments, and his inspiring story tells us how it is possible to provide the best health care to the neediest among us.
Access the TED talk here. 

King County Nurses Association | (206) 545-0603 |  http://www.kcnurses.org
4649 Sunnyside Avenue North  Room 352   Seattle, WA 98103