Amanda Williams - Southern Regional AHEC

September is National Cholesterol Education Month

High cholesterol, which causes heart attacks and strokes, is one of the major risk factors for heart disease.

High cholesterol comes from what you eat, like food that are high in trans-fat and saturated fats. An example of these foods are full-fat dairy products, poultry, meat and tropical oils like coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Our body makes all the cholesterol that is needed through the liver. Trans-fat and saturated fats causes the liver to make more cholesterol than it normally would. The more excess cholesterol that is created, the more it will build up in the walls of the arteries eventually making the arteries become narrower and blood flow to the heart slows down or becomes blocked.

Other factors that can affect cholesterol levels are: being inactive (regular physical activity may lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise your good cholesterol (HDL), having relatives with high cholesterol, smoking, being older because our cholesterol levels naturally rise as we age, smoking and stress (long term stress raises a person’s blood cholesterol levels generally because when people are stressed they are more likely to eat fatty foods).

Some ways to lower your stress level, which helps with lowering your cholesterol levels are to reduce your stress triggers (which could be practicing time management, setting priorities and pacing yourself). You can also practice relaxation techniques everyday which can vary from deep breathing, mindful mediation, incorporating art and music. Visualization can help you take a journey to a calming, peaceful place or situation. This incorporates using your touch, smell, sound and sight senses.

It is important to remember stress relief strategies takes some experimenting and practice but it is a great way to help manage your cholesterol and overall well-being.

Mobile Outreach Clinic Brings Health Access to Community’s Vulnerable

With Funding Help from Southern Regional AHEC and NC AHEC

On Tuesday, August 24th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at Fayetteville State University’s Southeastern NC Nursing Education and Research Center, celebrating “Bringing Care to the Community” and revealing the Beyond the Bedside Mobile Nursing Clinic. Its financial sponsor and FSU partner, TRUST, along with Clinical Site Development Grant funding from Southern Regional AHEC through the NC AHEC Program, helped to bring the mobile unit, housed within a retrofitted RV, to realization. Soon, the Bronco-blue-and-white mobile clinic, clad with the buoyant, bright artwork of FSU student Albert Bass, will travel to the areas of Cumberland County in most need, to meet the basic healthcare needs of our citizens.

At the ceremony, FSU Chancellor Darrell T. Allison noted that the unit is a win/win for the campus and the community, especially during a pandemic. It offers an affordable solution to those who need healthcare, but do not have the transportation necessary to travel to their doctor’s office. The service also provides hands-on clinical experiences to nursing students attending FSU. “We celebrate this momentous occasion to further prove that we are doing what we said we would, by serving the citizens of Cumberland County”, he told the guests on Tuesday afternoon. “The people of our community will come to see this as a symbol of FSU’s example and service.”

Southern Regional AHEC is proud to be part of this important project that coincides with our organization’s mission to increase access to care while increasing the number and diversity of healthcare professionals in our region.

Prepaid Health Plan Information Added to NCTracks Automated Voice Response System

Effective July 1, 2021, enrollment and eligibility data was added to NCTracks for managed care (MC). The added information will allow authorized users to search the following:

MC Prepaid Health Plan (PHP) provider name
MC PHP provider contact information
MC Advance Medical Home (AMH) and primary care provider (PCP) name
MC AMH and PCP contact information

In addition to the changes made in the NCTracks portal, the corresponding 270/271 companion guide (located on the Trading Partner Information Page) has been updated to reflect the additional information. Trading partners and providers are encouraged to review these important updates.

NCTracks Home Page

Raise Awareness With Youth Skills Day

Youth Skills Day was adopted as a resolution on December 18, 2014 by the United Nations General Assembly and this day is celebrated on July 15th yearly. A part of this resolution was the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 which was to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Youth Skills Day was created to raise awareness about the importance of technical vocational education and training (TVET) as well as, the development of other skills relevant to both global and local economies.

This year’s Youth Skills Day will have a more challenging context resulting from the pandemic creating a disruption of TVET. The need for the development of youth skills may have been enhanced as we are emerging from the pandemic. Per COVID, young adults (under 25 years old) were 3 times as likely to be unemployed. Now, 1 in 6 young adults are out of work because of COVID.

Technical vocational education and training plays a key role in fostering resilience in young adults. These skill developments helps to bridge gaps, creating solutions for the present and the future. TVET can help youth with skills that are required to access self-employment, improve responsiveness to changing skill-demands by communities and companies, increase wages, and increase productivity. This can be opportunities for low-skilled people who are unemployed or underemployed, or out of school individuals and youth that are not in education, employment and training.

Youth Skills Day has highlighted more of a need during and after the pandemic. Youth generally work in the service industry, which has not recovered from the pandemic, and some jobs have vanished. At this time, many schools may not provide career counseling and development and this can impact their résumés and career development.

Youth Skills Day is important because we know employment offers many benefits to people diagnosed with mental health conditions, including their improvement in empowerment, self-efficacy, and economic status. We must also be aware how stigma can be a significant barrier to employment for anyone with mental health conditions, and especially youth, and we have to remain optimistic about career prospects. Under or unemployment is also linked to low birthweight, elevated rates of depression and increased alcohol use.

When youth have meaningful employment, it decreases the risk of involvement in criminal activity and the juvenile justice system and increases the chances of that youth graduating from high school.

Practice Support Services is Transforming Healthcare Delivery

Southern Regional AHEC Practice Support team is committed to helping providers in our region. The SR-AHEC Region consists of the following Counties: Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, and Scotland. We are committed to helping providers meet national standards and ready themselves for valued based care. Health care practices in North Carolina face many challenges. Our team is trained to work with you to transform the way in which care is delivered in your practice. This series includes self-paced online courses designed for medical assistants and other members of your team.

The services offered:

Improving Office Systems
Introduction to Team-Based Care
Chronic Condition QI: Hypertension & COPD
Chronic Condition QI: Diabetes & Heart Failure
Introduction to Motivational Interviewing
Health Literacy & Patient Education
Recovering Recovery in Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Chronic Illness Details

Link to SR-AHEC Application

SR-AHEC Continuing Professional Development Event Calender

Our Practice Support Coaching Team Offers Support for Transitioning to Medicaid Managed Care

“Medicaid Transformation” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Benefits and North Carolina AHEC are offering an evening webinar series to help prepare providers, practice managers, and quality managers for MMC which is going live July 1, 2021. These webinars are hosted by Shannon Dowler, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the NC Division of Health Benefit. The series will feature various subtopics on Medicaid Managed Care on the first Thursday of each month, Advanced Medical Homes on the second Thursday of each month, and clinical quality on the third Thursday of each month through June 2021. Topics will be listed as they become available. LINK

Other resources for Medicaid Managed Care for Providers, Practice Managers and Quality Managers

Link to Provider Playbook

COVID-19 Information, Education, and Resources

Southern Regional AHEC Practice Support staff will support community-based efforts for COVID-19. Our staff has begun teleworking and utilizing technology to conduct encounters with clinicians and practice staff.

We remain fully committed to supporting our community of clinicians and practice staff through this virtual outreach. Our practice support coaches will continue to provide services for you during the pandemic.

NCDHHS Information

Fact Sheet

CDC Information

Practice Support News

Meet Our Practice Support Team

DONNA BOWEN

PAULA LOCKLEAR

SONI MELVIN

DONNESHA McKENZIE

JANE MORAN

AMBER LONG

ALEXIS HELLER

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia, a disease that attacks the brain and it is defined as a progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age due to generalized degeneration of the brain. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive disease, symptoms gradually worsen over the years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but late-stage dementiacan affect an individual’s ability to communicate and respond to his or her environment. Early-onset Alzheimer’s occurs between ages 30 and mid-60srepresenting less than 10% of people with Alzheimer’s. Research suggest there are changes in the brain that may begin at least a decade before memory or other cognitive problems appear. Even though people may seem to be symptom free, there are toxic changes taking place in the brain.

There are an estimated 47 million people worldwide and 5.5 million Americans of all ages living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and without a change, this number is expected to grow to 76 million by 2030. Some of the signs of dementia are:

Challenges in planning or solving problems
Confusion with time or place
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
Memory loss that disrupts daily life

These are common signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, but remember each person is different. Only a doctor can diagnosis someone with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. A strong support network including support groups that allow caregivers to express concerns, share experiences, receive emotional support, find respite care, and have good coping skills are ways caregivers handle and relieve stress as they navigate with their loved ones on this journey.

May is National Mental Health Month

May is National Mental Health Month. Created in 1949, National Mental Health Month was established with the purpose of promoting the importance and awareness of mental wellness and mental health in all American’s lives, and to reduce the stigma people experience with a mental health diagnosis. Stigma continues to prevent people from seeking appropriate treatment. Suffering with untreated mental illness sometimes will cause individuals to self-medicate, with substances from alcohol to prescription drug abuse.

This past year has highlighted the need for mental health awareness in every aspect of our lives including how people suffered from isolation, grief, financial insecurity, food instability and sickness. We have seen and heard how the pandemic has created barriers to treatment, which is especially considering how one in six youth (6 – 17 years old) experience a mental health disorder and one in five adults experience mental illness each year. These conditions include depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

National Mental Health Month also focuses on mental health resilience. Resilient mental health can be defined as being able to cope with the ups and downs of life, and to maintain a positive outlook. A mentally and emotionally resilient person has the tools for coping with difficult situations. This makes the person focused, productive and flexible and it also makes them less afraid of new experiences and uncertain future. Mental health resilience is important in helping people to improve relationships, contribute to their community in a meaningful way, cope with stress, be physically healthy, realize their potential, and work productively.

April is Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness Month. This past year has certainly taught us the importance of learning to cope with our stress and finding healthy ways to deal with different situations. Healthy coping strategies can go a long way in living a healthy and positive life.

The American Psychological Association found in 2017 the most common sources of stress reported among Americans were the “future of our nation” (63%), money (62%), work (61%), political climate (57%), and violence/crime (51%).

One technique that experts recommend to address stress is to have a specific 30-day challenge. This challenge encourages you to do one action for your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing every day. This challenge can help you find ways to cope with your own stresses and may also provide helpful strategies in changing your mindset and outlook on stress.

The 3 important self-care practices to consider are:

Exercise Move every day for 10 minutes or more to boost your serotonin levels, feel a sense of accomplishment, and improve your energy.
Practice Healthy Boundaries Learn to say no to the things that diminish the quality of your life. These might include media, food, people, and unhelpful activities.
Set a Routine Make time in your schedule for taking care of the things that are important to you including work, play, and rest. Establish a regular sleep schedule.
Make sure to incorporate at least one relaxing and rewarding thing once a week.

Each March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Celebrates Nutrition Month

Hippocrates said “Let thy food be thy medicine.” Each March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates Nutrition Month. Nutrition Month was created to focus on reminding people to make correct food choices in addition to developing good exercising and eating habits. Throughout life, a nutritious diet supports an overall stronger mental and physical development and aging process, reduces risks of chronic disease, helps to maintain a desirable body weight and leads to overall well-being and health.

NewsWise published an article which addressed nutritional needs in different stages of life:

Teens to 20s — Build bone density by eating and drinking calcium-rich foods and beverages such as fat-free or low-fat dairy milk or yogurt or calcium-fortified soy beverages. Non-dairy sources of calcium include fortified cereals, beans, some leafy greens and canned salmon with bones.
30s to 40s — Eating a variety of nutritious foods, especially plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, peas and lentils for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber.
40s to 50s — Fine tune your healthful eating habits and continue to incorporate regular physical activity as your body changes due to fluctuating hormones and slowing metabolism. Also, continue to focus on ways to limit foods and beverages with added sugars, salt and saturated fat.
60s and beyond — Continue to include a variety of protein-rich foods to maintain bone strength and incorporate strength-building activities to maintain muscle. Good sources of protein include seafood, lean cuts of meat, eggs, beans, tofu and nuts. Animal-based protein foods also provide vitamin B12, which is a concern for some older adults.