We offer this publication as a member service of the West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA).

Not all patients with diabetes are alike. With vast differences in the approach to the management of symptoms across the lifespan, Joslin Diabetes Geriatric Diabetes Program Director and NCECE Consultant Medha Munshi, M.D. discusses the unique and personal approach necessary for appropriate treatment of older adults with diabetes. In observance of Diabetes Awareness Month we explore their unique aspects.

"Older adults, in general, are living longer and are more functional, healthier, and more active through later years of life," said Dr. Munshi. "All of us will be seeing more older adults with diabetes. Just as clinicians treat pediatric patients with diabetes differently, older adults aren't just adults with wrinkles."

To read the full article by Harvard University, click here. 

We are happy to bring you this supplemental training and hope you will join us for the Assister Readiness Webinar Series.  We hope these videos are a useful tool to help you get ready for Open Enrollment!

Additional resources to assist in your Outreach and Enrollment efforts can be found on the WVPCA website  as well as on the WV Office of the Insurance Commissioner (WVOIC) website.

On November 1st the American Heart Association recognized primary care awardees at the annual West Virginia Target: BP™ recognition event. The Association was proud to see primary care centers obtain the Participant and Gold Awards for the lifesaving work they are performing in the region.

 

Target: BP™, created in partnership with the American Medical Association, was launched in response to a growing body of evidence that shows high blood pressure is a contributing factor to many major health conditions like heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other disease consequences.  It is the second most preventable cause of heart disease and stroke deaths; second only to smoking.   With West Virginia leading the nation in hypertension, getting blood pressure under control is vital to improve health outcomes.  Thanks to a generous grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the American Heart Association has been able to bring Target: BP™ to over 40 primary care locations across 16 counties in West Virginia since 2017. 

The awardees receiving recognition for 2019 include:

The full press release can be viewed and shared here. 

On behalf of our State Health Officer please see an update on vaping-associated lung injuries, including reporting requirements and guidance for healthcare providers on evaluating patients with suspected e-cigarette, or vaping product use associated lung injuries.  Please distribute widely to public health partners.

To read the full WV HAN 163, click here, and find the related clinical evaluation resource here. 

The West Virginia Children's Health Insurance Program will now cover maternity services, the state Department of Health and Human Resources announced on Tuesday.

People eligible for coverage include current members and newly pregnant women older than 19 years old with an income between 185% and 300% of the federal poverty level and no other health insurance coverage.

Coverage includes medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, behavioral health and prenatal care, in which a mother is eligible for services for 60 days after delivery and the child is eligible for coverage for up to one year.

Full article can be found through the WV MetroNews website.

To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter, click HERE