Archive for the ‘Healthcare’ Category

Richmond Activities for National Health Center Week

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

National Health Center Week August 9 – 13, 2010 will be celebrated at several Richmond locations.  On Monday, August 9th the “Kick Off” celebration will start at 10:00am, in the parking lot of Vernon J. Harris Medical Center.  Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott will be in attendance. Also, on Monday Marlowe’s Telecom, LLC will be speaking about Diabetes Education.

Additional activities for the week include:

Tuesday August 10, Mental Health /Project Strength Day at Vernon J. Harris Medical Center
Wednesday August 11, Dental Day at Glenwood Medical Center
Thursday August 12, Health and Wellness Day at Northside Medical Center
Friday August 13, Staff Picnic at 12:00pm

Free medical, oral and cancer screening will be available each day at Main Street Medical Center.

M. H. West & Co., Inc. CEO Interviewed by Times Dispatch on Healthcare Reform

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Marilyn WestTimes Dispatch: What are some strategies for providers and businesses trying to understand what the legislation means for them?

M. H. West & Co., Inc, CEO, Marilyn West: All of it doesn’t happen at one time. My advice to clients is not to act too quickly. A lot of the information that continues to come out there still requires a lot of interpretation as to what it means and what it does not mean. Take a careful look and scan what is happening to your organization internally, use findings and play that against what the health-care-reform requirements are once we figure out what everything really means.

“I think whether you agreed or disagreed with health-care reform, we needed something to help us get to another place. We have a law on the books now. We have to figure out a way to strategically respond to it. We have to look at the customers we serve.  What are your current capabilities in providing services to them. A lot of the emphasis is on wellness, too, so there’s a lot of education that needs to take place.”

Read the Entire Article here.

Creative Roads to Inclusion Conference

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

M. H. West & Co., Inc. associates Radcliffe Chambers and Erica Cage attended the Creative Roads to Inclusion: For Persons Growing Older with Lifelong Disabilities conference. The event was sponsored by The Virginia Center on Aging and the Virginia Public Health Association. Ed Ansello, Ph.D., of the Virginia Center on Aging, and Thelma Bland Watson, Ph.D., of Senior Connections both gave warm welcoming remarks. Keynote speaker, Paul Raia, Ph.D., Vice President of the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire spoke about the importance of building emotional connections with those who have dementia.

After Dr. Raia’s keynote speech, participants participated in self-selected breakout sessions.  WEST associates attended sessions on Cultural Competency: Person-Centeredness, which explored the need for cultural competency in organizations and how this knowledge can enhance overall operations and The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Past, Present, and the Future!, which discussed future implementations of the landmark legislation.

Radcliffe noted that as the nation’s population continues to age, it is more important than ever to support organizations and laws that care for the elderly and their caregivers.

This Week is National National Public Health Week

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

National Public Health WeekNational Public Health Week 2010 has a focus on the special role communities play in building a healthier America, and the American Public Health Association is encouraging each one of us to make changes – both big and small – in our families, neighborhoods, workplaces and schools.  As you know, strong, healthy communities are dependent upon strong public health systems.  If every one of us took just a few small steps towards a healthier lifestyle, the next generation could quite possibly be the healthiest in the world! (more…)

VisionCheck Spotlights Health Care

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Eye ChartVisionCheck is an event held quarterly by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. It allows peers to network and discuss key topics and issues facing the the greater Richmond business community. On December 3rd, the VisionCheck topic was health care. Speakers at the event included: Doug Gray, Executive Director of the VA Association of Health Plans; Keith Hare, Director of Government Affairs, Medical Society of VA; and Paul Speidell, VP of Government Affairs, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

M.H. West & Co., Inc.’s Health & Human Services Analyst, Erica Cage attended and came away impressed with many of the speakers. She also found it insightful that the speakers focused the dialogue on health care pertaining to Richmond in particular.

Virginia Health Equity Conference

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Virginia Health Equity ConferenceM. H. West & Co., Inc. associates Meaghan West and Erica Cage attended the Virginia Health Equity Conference on September 10th and 11th. The conference was held at The Cultural Arts Center At Glen Allen and organized by the Virginia Department of Health. The event served as a valuable forum to discuss practices to strengthen communities and address the root social, political and economic causes of inequities in health in Virginia. Among the many illustrious keynote speakers were; Howard Frumkin, Director, National Center for Environmental Health and Adewale Troutman, who was featured in the award-winning PBS series documentary, Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

Meaghan was most impressed by the extent of information and research presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health institutions regarding Virginia’s lack of access to care for minority groups and low-income communities. Each speaker not only addressed the bad effects of health inquity, but also pointed out practices and policies which would strengthen communities from political, economical and even transportation perspectives. Their view of health was not limited to medical problems; it included several socio-economic factors such as stress, salary, transportation, and education as well.

Some Questions and Answers on Dealing with Flu

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

College students are being told to get a “flu buddy” to bring them food if they get sick and can’t leave their dorm rooms. Pregnant women are being urged to be the first in line to get H1N1 swine-flu vaccine. Working parents are anxiously counting their remaining sick days in case they have to stay home with a sick child.

Flu is unpredictable, so it’s hard to say just how bad this fall will be with seasonal-flu and swine-flu strains circulating.

We asked experts to respond to questions we are hearing from readers. We also pulled information from federal Web sites, including transcripts of briefings, podcasts and Web meetings with clinicians, public health officials and the news media. (more…)

Governor Kaine Announces Expanded H1N1 Call Center Support

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Governor KaineRICHMOND –Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is expanding its call center to handle questions that Virginians may have about the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. The toll-free number is 1-877-275-8343 and will be answered during state business hours. The department will adjust hours as necessary to accommodate call volume. Virginians also are able to ask questions via e-mail through the VDH home page at www.vdh.virginia.gov. State Health Commissioner Karen Remley, M.D., MBA said the call center’s increased operations coincide with the opening of public schools across the state this month. (more…)

Richmond Leads Country in One Slice of Job Growth

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Richmond HealthcareEmployment in the Richmond health-care and education sectors is up 10 percent from last year. And that is the highest percentage increase in those categories in the U.S., according to an analysis of mid-year Bureau of Labor of Statistics data by Buffalo Biz Journal Business First.

Richmond added about 8,000 jobs in health care and education since last year.

Bill Mezger, chief economist for the Virginia Employment Commission, said Richmond is well positioned for growth in both industries.

“Richmond is fortunate to have institutions in both of those fields located here,” Mezger said. “Most have been here for a long time and have continued to grow with national demand for health care and education.” (more…)

Marilyn West Attends the 2009 National Medical Association Convention

Friday, July 31st, 2009

National Medical AssociationFor the past 113 years, the National Medical Association (NMA) has conducted its Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly, the nation’s foremost conference devoted to medical science and African American health. Marilyn West, CEO of M.H. West & Co., Inc. was excited to exchange ideas with fellow experts at the convention.

The 2009 NMA Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly (held in Las Vegas from July 25th through July 29th), offered an exciting venue to interact with the largest spectrum of African American physicians, academicians and scientists in the country as well as other allied health professionals. Scientific presentations highlighted state-of the art research, new technologies, and practice management issues across twenty-five medical specialties.

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