Enjoy your Thursday NCMS Morning Rounds

Feb. 4, 2021

NC COVID-19 Vaccinations Increase

The NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported that over 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered across the state since the vaccine first became available in December through last Friday. To get the latest data on the vaccination effort in North Carolina, the state’s vaccine dashboard is updated every weekday. View the dashboard here.

The state is pushing to administer the total allotment of vaccines from the federal government in order to continue to receive the maximum supply for the state. In a press release, NCDHHS listed the many health systems, county health departments and primary care practices that have been allocated vaccines and have been working hard to get the vaccine to those who are eligible. Read the press release and view the list of providers here.

For the next three weeks, the state is guaranteeing baseline vaccine allocations to providers. In addition, it will set aside doses of the state’s allocation to ensure equitable access to underserved and rural communities.

Vaccine supply continues to be very low and there may be wait times for those eligible to be vaccinated. Patients can find out when they will be eligible to get their vaccine through the online tool, Find My Vaccine Group, which guides the user through a series of questions to determine which vaccine group they are in. People can then sign up to be notified when their group can get vaccinated. North Carolina is currently vaccinating people in Groups 1 and 2, which include health care workers, long-term care staff and residents and people 65 and older.

In the meantime, it is crucial to continue urging patients to wear a mask, wait at least six feet apart and wash hands often.

To see how North Carolina is doing in vaccine administration compared to other states, view the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine data tracker here. The data may differ from state numbers due to reporting times and how the data is collected. The CDC recommends visiting the local sources for the most up-to-date data on vaccinations.

Some Timely Health Equity Updates

Several organizations have recently released reports and issued challenges around racial equity and chronic disease prevention.

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), which is headed by Chief of the NC Chronic Disease and Injury Section of the NC Division of Public Health Susan Kansagra, MD, challenged providers to address racial equity through chronic disease prevention. The announcement includes proposed action steps and a one-year strategic map. Get the details here.

Last month, the office of the US Surgeon General released a new report titled ‘Health and Economic Prosperity–A Report of the Surgeon General.’ The report uses the vital conditions for health as an underlying framework and stresses the importance of wellbeing and business involvement in community health. See the report here.

The American Lung Association and the Center for Black Health and Equity published a new resource titled ‘Better for It.’ This science-based, factual guide outlines strategies for beginning conversations around the COVID-19 vaccine in communities of color. Access the guide here.

Finally, if you’d like to learn more about health equity and the African-American population, register for the Center for Black Health and Equity’s ‘The State of Black Health Virtual Conference,’ on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 2-3. Among many topics, the conference will address cancer, mental health, menthol, gun violence and the disparate impact of COVID-19 on African American populations. Learn more and register here.

NCMS Specialty Society News

Did you know that the NCMS offers association management services to 10 medical specialty societies in North Carolina? These include the NC Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (NCSEPS) and the NC Society of Pathologists. For a list of all 10, please visit our specialty society webpage here. The NCMS offers these groups a wide range of services including advocacy, membership maintenance and recruitment, meeting management, financial management and communications support.

Here are several important updates.

NC Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons
The NCSEPS held its 2021 Codequest Meeting virtually on Jan. 23. If you were not able to attend this training with Sue Vicchrilli, COT, OCS, OCSR, you still have an opportunity to access the training and receive up to four credits of general CME. Access the recorded Codequest session here.

NC Society of Pathologists
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) created a brief survey to help us understand how COVID-19 has impacted our member pathologists and their practices. The results of this survey will inform CAP leaders, policy makers/influencers and government regulators of the economic and personal challenges pathologists are facing. Following are the details:

  • Purpose of study: To identify areas where the CAP can best help our members and inform CAP leaders, policy makers/influencers and government regulators of the economic and personal challenges pathologists have faced due to the pandemic.
    • Time to complete: Approximately 10 minutes
    Deadline: Tuesday, Feb. 9
    • For participants who complete the study: A copy of the results and a $5 Starbucks or Amazon.com gift card as a small token of our appreciation.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE.

If you have completed prior CAP COVID Impact studies, thank you for your participation. CAP will continue to administer an additional follow-up study in approximately four to six months to continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic.

Please complete this important survey and encourage your colleagues to do so as well.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to David Gross, Director, Policy Roundtable, at [email protected].

In the News

At-Home Covid-19 Test To Ramp Up Production With $231.8 Million Federal Contract, CNN Health, 2-1-2021

Learning Opportunity

Annual Winter CME Virtual Conference co-hosted by the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, NCOMA, and NCS-ACOFP, Feb. 13 – 14.
Attendees can earn up to 16 hours of AOA Category 1-A credit or 16 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Review lecture topics here. Conference registrants will have 30 days to view the conference content and earn CME credit.

View registration rates here. Learn more and register online here. Registration ends February 9th.

For questions, contact Nancy Guy, Conference Coordinator: [email protected] or 910-893-7960.

If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!