DHHS' COVID-19 Website

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Benchmarks' Updates & Resource Page

Benchmarks' Thursday Child Welfare Webinar Recording

Upcoming Benchmarks' Webinars Please align your calendars with the dates below. Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar Date: Friday, March 19, 2021 Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am Register Here Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod Date: Friday, April 2, 2021 Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am Register Here Benchmarks' Legislative Report Download Here

COVID-19 Vaccination Update Today, Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen announced that beginning on March 17, people in Group 4 who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk and people who live in additional congregate settings will be eligible for vaccination. The rest of Group 4, which includes other essential workers, will become eligible April 7. North Carolina follows the recommendations of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as to who is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, sickle cell disease, obesity, or smoking. A complete list is available in our Deeper Dive. In addition, this population includes anyone who is living in higher risk congregate or close group living settings who is not already vaccinated, including people experiencing homelessness or living in a homeless shelter and people in a correctional facility, such as jail or prison. More information can be found online in our Deeper Dive Group 4: Adults at Higher Risk of Exposure and Increased Risk of Severe Illness (Higher-Risk Conditions and Additional Congregate Settings).   Currently eligible groups – health care workers, long-term care staff and residents, people 65 and older, and childcare and school staff – will continue to be prioritized. Some vaccine providers may not be ready to open to people with a medical condition on March 17 if they are still experiencing high demand for vaccines in Groups 1, 2 and 3. As always, we rely on you as a trusted messenger to help people make informed decisions. We have developed a suite of resources to support your outreach efforts. Please visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov and vacunate.nc.gov regularly as we add new materials. Our communications toolkit includes: Video Library Social Media Graphics Flyers Website and Newsletter Graphics Postcards Presentation COVID-19 Update March 12, 2021 COVID-19 Stakeholder Update PRESS RELEASES since the last update include: NCDHHS Secretary, Rev. Barber Receive COVID-19 Vaccine   North Carolina WIC Program Receives Telehealth Intervention Strategies Grant  NCDHHS Expands Demographic Data on Vaccine Dashboard  Food and Nutrition Services Participants Can Now Use Benefits for Online Purchases from BJ’s From the Governor’s Office: Governor Cooper Encourages Students Interested in Public Service Internships to Apply for NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps Gov. Cooper Announces People with High-Risk Medical Condition in Group 4 Will Be Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Beginning March 17 Governor Cooper Signs COVID-19 Relief Bill into Law Governor Cooper Signs School Reopening Bill into Law   NEW resources since the last update include: NEW Vaccine strategic roadmap NEW FEMA bilingual poster NEW virtual backgrounds available NEW videos added to vaccine video library Updated Vaccine FAQs in Spanish; Vaccine FAQs in English UPDATED guidance since the last update includes: NEW EOs in Spanish Updated Child Care toolkit Updated Guidance for Individuals Who Have Been Vaccinated UPDATED reports since the last update include: County Alert System Vaccinations Dashboard COVID-19 Clusters in North Carolina Report Outbreaks and Clusters Reports Patients Presumed to be Recovered Report Risk Factors for Severe Illness Report CLI Surveillance Report NEW EVENTS ADDED to the community testing events page UPDATED Contact Tracing numbers

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 Workplace Violence: Protecting Health Care Workers Time:  1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm   Register Here

Thursday, March 18, 2021 Advanced Hot Topics in Medicaid Transformation Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm   Register Here

Friday, March 19, 2021 NC Medicaid's Move to Managed Care: What Health Care Advocates Need to Know Time:  12:00 pm thru 1:30 pm   Register Here

Friday, March 19, 2021 State-funded Community Living and Support I/DD and TBI Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm   Register Here

Monday, March 22, 2021 Reframing Childhood Adversity: Promoting Upstream Approaches  Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm   Register Here

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Virtual Career Fair for Individuals with Disabilities Time:  9:00 am thru 4:00 pm   Register Here

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Labor Trafficking in the US Time:  10:00 am thru 12:00 pm   Register Here

Thursday, March 23, 2021 IDD and Me, Understanding and Supporting Individuals with IDD Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm   Register Here

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Are You Ready For Value-Based Reimbursement? An Executive Guide For Assessing Readiness In A Value-Based Market  Time:  10:00 am thru 11:15 am   Register Here

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Partners Community Cafe' Occurs Monthly, Fourth Wednesday of the Month This Month's Topic: Medicaid Transformation-An Introductory Discussion Time:  10:00 am thru 11:00 am   Register Here

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 It's OK Not to Be OK: Physician Burnout and Mental Health  Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm   Register Here

Thursday, March 25, 2021 Federal Panel Discussion on Rural Health  Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:30 pm   Register Here

Friday, March 26, 2021 NC DHHS Supported Living Level 2 &3 STAKEHOLDERS MEETING Time: 2:30 pm thru 4:30 pm   Register Here

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Rehabilitative or Habilitative: What is the Difference and How Does it Affect Services Time:  12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm   Register Here

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Police Interactions and Creating Positive Outcomes Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm   Register Here

Friday, April 2, 2021 Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am   Register Here

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 Identifying Bias and Addressing Stigma in the Clinical Setting Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm These sessions are approved for continuing education credits for doctors, nurses, and social workers (live attendance only). The University of Vermont designates each session of this internet live activity for a maximum of: 1 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)TM: each physician should claim only those credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity; up to 1 Nursing Contact Hours; and  1 general continuing education credits for social workers completing this course 1 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Credit      Register Here

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 Bridging The Gap From Data To Data-Driven Performance Time:  10:00 am thru 11:15 am   Register Here

April 28, 2021 The Ethics of Feedback within the Therapeutic Milieu  Time: 9:30 am thru 11:45 am   Register Here

Wednesday, April 28, 2021 Understanding the Harm Reduction Approach:  Principles and Practice Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm These sessions are approved for continuing education credits for doctors, nurses, and social workers (live attendance only). The University of Vermont designates each session of this internet live activity for a maximum of: 1 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)TM: each physician should claim only those credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity; up to 1 Nursing Contact Hours; and  1 general continuing education credits for social workers completing this course 1 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Credit      Register Here

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 Developing New VBP Services That Increase Quality & Decrease Service Costs  Time:  10:00 am thru 11:15 am   Register Here