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The Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 25 published its procedure for implementing changes to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage for any state that took in numerous evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 provided for the adjustment to protect such states from an adverse fluctuation in their FMAP based on Katrina evacuees.
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council this week launched a series of national public service print and billboard advertisements to encourage people experiencing mental distress from last year’s hurricanes to seek help. Distributed to media outlets nationwide to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the ads are part of a $110 million federal effort to speed mental health recovery to survivors of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma who are struggling with long-term psychological effects.
The ads urge audiences to assess how they and their families are doing and to call a confidential, toll-free number, (800) 789-2647, to speak with a trained professional who can provide information and referral to local mental health services. They can be viewed at www.samhsa.gov or www.adcouncil.org.
[ via AHA News Now ]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $34.7 million to Louisiana to provide crisis counseling to Hurricane Katrina victims, second only to the $137 million it awarded for crisis counseling in New York after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. The money will be used to support Louisiana Spirit, a federally funded crisis-counseling assistance and training program. In a news release, Roxane Townsend, deputy secretary at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said, "There will still be a critical need to open up more treatment facilities such as inpatient mental-health beds, outpatient clinics and other services, but the ability to reach out to people with basic counseling services and trained counselors is a needed step."
[ via Modern Healthcare's Daily Dose ]
Lessons Learned from Katrina and Other Recent Disaster Events: Strategies To Keep Your Hospital Running When Another Disaster Occurs is an offering of Mississippi Hospital Association's E-Learning initiative. This initiative was begun to offer our member hospitals and their employees needed educational offerings without leaving their hospitals. This program will be a replay; however, some of the presenters will be available to answer questions. The program will take place on June 20 from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m.
The target audience for this webinar is CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CNOs, HR managers, JCAHO coordinators, materials management, engineering directors, nursing leadership, hospital leadership, safety officers and staff, performance improvement staff, risk managers, telecommunications department, emergency department and nursing home administrators.
The faculty includes:
Judith T. Edwards, RN, MS, CEN, CHS-V, Director, Emergency Preparedness for the Hospital Corporation of American (HCA) - Ms. Edwards is also the Commander for the GA-3 Disaster Medical Assistance Team.
Coletta Barrett, Vice President, Mission, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Ms. Barrett is also an emergency preparedness consultant for the Louisiana Hospital Association.
Anne Carol (AC) Castello, MA, Director of Community Health Initiatives, Florida Hospital Association
Joyce Pearson, Program Manager of Emergency/Terrorism Preparedness, Mississippi Hospital Association
Any type of disaster can occur at any time and any place. In the devastating aftermath of Katrina, we have learned that many of our emergency plans are flawed. Hospitals must be prepared. This offering addresses the major needs and issues that emerged from Katrina and strategies to help your organization be prepared for the next disaster.
Program Topics:
At the completion of this program, the participant will be able to discuss the experiences of recent disasters that occurred in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana; identify the major needs and issues that emerged from Katrina and other recent disasters; list the components of developing a comprehensive and effective emergency plan and describe the role of the ESF-8 and services available to local hospitals.
There is a site fee of $155 for this course. Advance registration by June 6th is required to ensure delivery of instructional materials. Please contact Diane Clift at (800) 289-8884 or (601) 368-3217 or Margaret Cooper at (800) 289-8884 or (601) 368-3385 for more information or to register.
The bipartisan Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, headed by Susan Collins, R-Maine, recently published a report entitled “Hurricane Katrina: a Nation Still Unprepared.” In the report, the committee calls for abolishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and replacing it with a “beefed up” agency. Their advice is being met head on by the White House and is getting a mixed reaction from lawmakers and experts.
The new agency, which would be called the National Preparedness and Response Authority would consist of, among other things, a leader answerable directly to the President and 5 rapid deployment “strike teams” designed to handle local and state wide disasters.
Proponents of the report claim that FEMA’s problems, of which 85 were cited specifically in the report itself, show that FEMA is beyond repair. The only solution, they claim, would be to completely dismantle, reorganize and rebuild the agency.
Many opponents say such a radical overhaul is impractical. They contend there is no way the government could pull off such a large restructuring in time for hurricane season – which starts June 1st. These critics point to the last major restructuring of the federal bureaucracy which took place in 2002 when the Department of Homeland Security was created. It took over a year.
More importantly, many believe that even if the change could take place before the start of the hurricane season, it would make no difference. The reality is the new organization would be filled with the same people who held positions in FEMA, and the people, not the structure, make or break an organization. Congressman Kevin Brady, R- TX, whose district was hit by Hurricane Rita, agrees. "Congress can reorganize FEMA every month for all I care. But until we fund it right, run it right, and lead it right, it's going to keep making the same mistakes."
Trent Lott, on the other hand, is still mulling it over. He says, “I think the idea of starting over is at least worth considering.”
Ironically enough, the most outdated aspect of FEMA may be one of its newest changes – it was put under the Department of Homeland Security in 2002. A lot has changed since 2002, and taking FEMA back outside the Department of Homeland Security would not only free up its budget, but would also ensure that it was led by someone with disaster experience.
[ via Magnolia Report ]
The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act (GOZA) that was signed into law by President Bush in December of 2005 provides major tax incentives for business development in the 49 Mississippi counties that were included in the Hurricane Katrina disaster declaration. GOZA contains a number of incentives for businesses, including medical practices, that should be considered by physicians. The Mississippi counties included in the GO Zone are:
Adams, Amite, Attala, Claiborne, Choctaw, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson, Winston, and Yazoo Counties.
50% Bonus Depreciation: This is applicable to property or equipment that is placed in service in the disaster area after August 28, 2005, but before December 31, 2007. This property or equipment is eligible for a bonus depreciation deduction that could provide a substantial tax benefit in the form of an immediate first-year tax deduction equal to 50% of the adjusted cost of the asset. The ability to front-load an asset's depreciation in its first year of use makes the deduction more valuable in most instances. This particular benefit should be considered by physicians who are planning to install an electronic health record system.
Net Operating Loss Carryback: GOZA provides a special five-year carryback period for disaster zone losses for any tax year ending on or after August 28, 2005. Ordinarily, taxpayers may only carry net operating losses back 2-3 years.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit: A medical practice employing anyone who resided in the disaster area is eligible for an income tax credit equal to 40% of the first $6,000 of wages paid the first year.
Expensing for Certain Demolition Cost and Clean-Up: Taxpayers may deduct 50% of any qualified GO Zone clean-up cost. Qualified GO Zone clean-up costs include any amounts paid or incurred after August 27, 2005, and before December 31, 2008 (that would otherwise be capitalized), for the removal of debris from, or the demolition of structures on, real property that is located in the GO Zone.
The Mississippi State Medical Association has distributed information to their member physicians about the act, but if your physicians are not members of the MSMA, they may need to know more about the provisions applicable to physicians.
Here are some links that may be helpful:
A top Louisiana health official spoke in Washington on May 16 about the challenges of rebuilding the state’s health care infrastructure in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the ways information technology helped officials after the storm. At the annual meeting of the National Alliance for Health Information Technology, Fred Cerise, M.D., secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said the health care communities of New Orleans and other storm-ravaged areas are struggling to treat a high volume of uninsured patients with a smaller number of hospitals and clinicians.
The greatest challenge has been the delivery of care to patients with chronic disease and a continual need for medications, he said. Cerise noted that in the days following Katrina, officials were greatly aided in their efforts to coordinate care for victims by a state immunization registry for children, a state electronic disease surveillance registry, and by katrinahealth.org, which was a database of residents’ medication histories that was quickly organized by public and private parties.
[ via AHA News ]
Today’s senior citizens are a study, reliable generation. They have survived everything from the Great Depression to world wars. However, when a disaster like Hurricane Katrina strikes, many may feel alone and vulnerable.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina can be seen throughout the community, especially in senior citizens. Each age group is vulnerable in unique ways to the stresses of a disaster. In senior citizens some disaster stress reactions may be experienced immediately, while others may appear many months later. It is important however to remember that many of their responses to the devastation of Katrina are common.
Project Recovery is a program to assist people in coping with the stress caused by Hurricane Katrina. Services are available to anyone affected by Hurricane Katrina, such as the local community and family members. Services are free and there are no medical or financial screenings to qualify to receive services.
“The insight and experience senior citizens offer Mississippi is invaluable,” said Dr. Randy Hendrix, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. “If someone, especially a senior citizen, is having difficulty recovering from Hurricane Katrina or having anxieties about the upcoming hurricane season, we encourage them to get assistance.”
Some of the symptoms you or a loved one may be experiencing include:
It is important for older adults recovering from a disaster to talk about their feelings. Sharing their experiences can help them to understand they are not alone. Project Recovery is here to listen. The Project Recovery Helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-866-856-3227. The Helpline can also connect senior citizens with a trained Outreach Worker in their area who can provide services.
Project Recovery is funded through a grant by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and facilitated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The project is a division of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on April 7 issued an interim final rule with comment period that provides for continued Medicare financing of medical residents in training programs affected by natural disasters or public health emergencies. Effective immediately, the rule will apply retroactively to arrangements between home hospitals in the areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that temporarily closed parts of their residency programs and the host hospitals that accepted the displaced residents as well as to future disasters.
“The rule will enable residents from the affected hospitals to get Medicare support as they train at temporary host hospitals, and to regain their full residency funding when they return to their training programs,” said CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D. The rule will be published in the April 12 Federal Register, with comments accepted until June 12. A final rule will be published later this year. For more information, see the news release.
[ via AHA News Now ]
We have been notified by the Governor's Office that the Mississippi Department of Human Services has been designated to administer the Hurricane Katrina Block Grant funds. The Mississippi Department of Human Services will be accepting proposals to be used for human services, health services, and mental health services and for the repair, renovation and construction of human services, health and mental health facilities. The Subgrant Application/Proposal Package and additional information including project guidelines and deadlines are available on the MDSH website which can be accessed at www.mdhs.state.ms.us. The application is located under the "Request for Proposals" link.
Even if you have previously submitted a request or proposal to the Governor's office, please complete the application package that is on the MDHS website.
Applications/proposals need to be received by MDHS no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 14, 2006.
Mail application/proposal to:
Mississippi Department of Human Services
Attn: Derra Dukes,
SSBG 750 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39202
Direct questions to Mrs. Dukes at 601-359-4503.
MHA will provide additional information as it becomes available.
