NCC COVID-19 Mental Health Handbook

The ESRD National Coordinating Center has published a new 17-page booklet called The COVID-19 Mental Health Toolkit: Helping Renal Professionals Support the Well-Being of the ESRD Community.  It was developed by Network professionals and patient volunteers to serve as a guide for renal healthcare staff to help patients manage their well-being, and includes sections on taking action, increasing awareness, building community capacity, incorporating telemedicine, and getting ahead of the issues.  Find a copy at https://esrdncc.org/contentassets/abe8671eadac49c691c0f40eef52ef18/covid19mhtoolkit07312020508.pdf.

8/20+ Webinar on Emotional Balance

Quality Insights (ESRD Network 5), the Coalition for Supportive Care of Kidney Patients, and the Medical Technology & Practice Patterns Institute will present a free August 20, 2020 webinar, repeating it August 26, on Maintaining Emotional Balance in an Unbalancing Time.  The webinar will discuss how providers can respond to dialysis patients and their families when they encounter hard questions and emotional distress about COVID-19, including strategies for responding to anxiety and fear, the dialysis facility as a source of stability, and ways to honor the memory of patients who have passed.  Free CE credits will be available.  Register for the August 20 session at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSCKP8202020 or the August 26 session at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSCKP08262020.  See below for details:

COVID-19 Compassion Fatigue Webinar Recording

The June 22, 2020 IPRO Quality Innovation Network (ESRD Networks 1,2,6,9) webinar on COVID-19 and Compassion Fatigue (see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/category/facility-staff/burn-out/) was recorded, and is now available.  Find a recording of the webinar at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAR5M1_HZ_U, and a PDF of the slides at https://network2.esrd.ipro.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/06/COVID-19-and-Compassion-Fatigue.pdf.

7/21 Webinar on Mental Health Access for Minorities

The independent “think-tank” Bipartisan Policy Center will present an 8:30 am PDT July 21. 2020 webinar on COVID-19’s Adverse Impact on Mental Health Access for People of Color.  Black, Indigenous, and people of color populations have long experienced disparities in access to care, while mental health and substance use problems have increased dramatically due to the COVID-19 crisis.  Register at http://bpcevents.cloudapp.net/Pages/Home.aspx?eventid={56306DE0-71B5-EA11-A813-000D3A1BBB23}, but be mindful that the times they post, without indicating it, are most likely Eastern Time.  The 1½-hour webinar begins at 8:30 am PDT.

7/14+ NCC Weekly COVID-19 Webinars

The ESRD National Coordinating Center will present two COVID-19 “Quickinars” this week:

• July 14, 2020 for patients on Dialysis Access Care During COVID-19.
• July 15 for providers on Caring for the Mind, Body, and Spirit During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Both half-hour sessions are at 2pm PDT.  Find more information and register at https://esrdncc.org/en/covid-19/covid-quickinars/.

Summer Provider Newsletters

Network Provider Newsletters for Summer 2020 have been published.  They include articles on:

• Network Support for COVID-19.
• The ESRD QIP.
• New QIP website interface.
• Staff Burnout.
• Patient Psychosocial Needs.
• NCC “Web Hub” for Patients (Network 16 only).
• Seeking Volunteers for Spanish-Speaking PAC (Network 18 only).
• Data Currency in CROWNWeb.
• Links to Network Patient Newsletters.
• Patient Emergency Preparedness.
• Interruptions in Service.
• KCER Newsletter.
• Staff Changes.
• Link to Events Calendar (Network 18 only).
• Network email Updates.

Find them at:

• Network 16: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/NL/16.Provider+Newsletter-++Summer+2020.pdf.

• Network 18: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/NL/18.Provider+Newsletter+SummerJune+2020.pdf.

New COVID-19 Resources: Telehealth, Patient Safety

We’ve added several new COVID-19 resources to our collection, two for providers on Telehealth and a cartoon to explain what’s going on to patients who’ve been out of the loop about the Coronavirus:

• TeleEtiquette for Providers is our own production, with sections on Professionalism, Privacy, and Technology.  Find it at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/CV19/TeleEtiquette.Prov.pdf.

• Four Tips for Integrating Telehealth Into Nephrology Practices was produced by the ESRD NCC, and has four sections, on Advertising and Engagement, Team Support, Expansion, and Long-Term Use.  Find it at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/CV19/TelehealthNCC.pdf.

• Dialysis Treatment during Coronavirus: Stigma is a video cartoon from Healthcare Ready (https://healthcareready.org/about/) that aims to soothe patient alarm from the strange and threatening new reality at the intersection of COVID-19, ESRD, and PPE.  Find the cartoon at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDhMwHcOn-k&feature=youtu.be – or watch it below…

6/22 Webinar on COVID-19 & Compassion Fatigue

The IPRO Quality Innovation Network (Networks 1, 2, 6, and 9) will present a July 22, 2020 webinar on COVID-19 and Compassion Fatigue.  For an introduction to Compassion Fatigue, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7keppA8XRas&feature=youtu.be.  For more information on the webinar, see below.  Register for the webinar at this link.

5/26+ COVID-19 Weekly Webinars

A number of organizations are hosting weekly webinars on COVID-19.  These include:

• ESRD NCC half-hour “Quickinars” for providers and patients.   Find more information, recordings of past Quickinars, and register for current presentations at https://esrdncc.org/quickinars:

• • • Tuesday May 26, 2020 patient Quickinar on Combating Uncertainty and Fear in the COVID-19 Era (En Español), presented by a PD patient, Network Ambassador, and patient and family engagement SME.  She will share how Spanish-speaking patients are coping with fears surrounding COVID-19, and Provide links to COVID-19 information in Spanish.

• • • Wednesday May 27, 2020 provider Quickinar on COVID-19 Communication – Quick Tips to Connect, presented by the Director of Outreach and Development for the non-profit Academy of Communication in Healthcare, Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Patient Experience, and Assistant Clinical Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

• Coalition for Supportive Care of Kidney Patients half-hour of Open Discussion for Professional Providers Wednesday May 27, 2020 – see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/4-1-weekly-staff-support-calls/.

• CMS Stakeholder Engagement Call for Dialysis Providers Wednesday May 27, 2020, call 833-614-0820, passcode 6152699, audio webcast link https://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=5779&seid=2123#/main/simplify.

• • • They also offer Tuesday May 26, 2020 “Office Hours” for general Medicare questions, and Lessons from the Front Lines on Friday May 29, 2020.  For details, including recordings of past events, see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/4-21-cms-shareholder-engagement-calls/.

• This week’s Wednesday May 27, 2020 Coalition for Compassionate Care of California hour-long COVID Conversations is dedicated to Skilled Nursing facilities; see https://mailchi.mp/coalitionccc.org/no-one-should-die-alone-on-the-street-746076?e=67e1ad4c31.  For weekly details and registration, recordings of past events, and additional resources, see https://coalitionccc.org/covid-conversations-education/.

5/19+ COVID-19 Weekly Webinars

A number of organizations are hosting weekly webinars on COVID-19.  These include:

• ESRD NCC half-hour “Quickinars” for providers and patients at 2 pm PDT.   Find more information, recordings of past Quickinars, and register for current presentations at https://esrdncc.org/quickinars:
  • Tuesday May 19, 2020 patient Quickinar on Caregiving During COVID-19: Tips from Kidney Caregivers, presented by a caregiver and a Network Patient Services Director.
  • Wednesday May 20, 2020 provider Quickinar on What to Do and Say to Support Psychological Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic, presented by a nurse who uses “a human-centered co-design approach [as] she works with healthcare leaders to generate flourishing cultures and exceptional outcomes by integrating patient/family experience, quality, safety, and joy in work.”

• Coalition for Supportive Care of Kidney Patients half-hour of Open Discussion for Professional Providers at 11:30 am PDT Wednesday May 20, 2020 – see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/4-1-weekly-staff-support-calls/.

• CMS Stakeholder Engagement Call for Dialysis Providers at 2:30 pm PDT Wednesday May 20, 2020, call 833-614-0820, passcode 3287645, audio webcast link https://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=5779&seid=2117#/main/simplify.  The bare registration portal, and the email verifying your registration, appear to be named “Lessons COVID Dialysis.”
  • They also offer Tuesday May 19 and Thursday May 21, 2020 “Office Hours” for general Medicare questions, and Lessons from the Front Lines on Friday May 22, 2020.  For details, including recordings of past events, see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/4-21-cms-shareholder-engagement-calls/.

• Coalition for Compassionate Care of California hour-long COVID Conversations on CCCC Decision Aids, Ventilators, CPR, Transfers, And Comfort Care – noon PDT Thursday May 21, 2020.  For weekly details and registration, recordings of past events, and additional resources, see https://nwrnbulletins.wordpress.com/2020/04/12/4-15-cccc-covid-conversations-webinars/.