Marvelous Monday! Enjoy your NCMS Morning Rounds.

June 21, 2021

 

NCMS Legislative Update

As usual, a lot is happening at the General Assembly. As of last Friday, the Senate budget was expected to be released late Sunday (June 20) or early today and will likely be voted on later in the week. Stay tuned to our legislative blog, as we’ll have an analysis document and a link to the full version of the budget. Please keep in mind, this budget has a long way to go and is just a starting point from the Senate side.

HB96 (Allow Pharmacists to Admin. Injectable Drugs.) was heard in the Senate Health Care committee and was voted out favorably. This bill has an amendment that includes several items the NCMS has requested be a part of this new bill version. One significant change to the bill states that instead of allowing pharmacists to prescribed certain medications, it would have to be done under a standing order by the State Health Director. For more details about this bill, a link is available on our blog.

HB96 is supposed to go to the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee next. Due to the Senate budget coming out, it’s unclear if the committee will take up the bill this week. If so, we think additional changes we’re requesting will be made to this bill at that time.

We’re projecting a busy week with the House Health Committee being calendared, along with the Senate budget. We’ll have a lot to report to you. Stay tuned!

Resource For Your Vulnerable Patients: Operation Fan and Heat Relief

Individuals age 60 and older, as well as adults with disabilities, are eligible for fans to provide relief from the heat from now through October 31. As individuals age and develop chronic medical conditions, they are less likely to sense and respond to changes in temperature. They may also be taking medications that can worsen the impact of extreme heat. Operation Fan and Heat Relief helps vulnerable adults at risk for heat-related illnesses stay safe during the summer. Eligible individuals can request a fan through their local county agency.

Learn more.

Back to School Vaccinations

The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign aims to get children and teens vaccinated so they are protected when they go back to in-person learning. Whether your organization is looking to catch children up on missed vaccines or promoting the COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents, you can find the Campaign’s many resources to promote well-child visits and vaccines on InsureKidsNow.gov.

In the News

North Carolina in Mental Health State of Emergency, Providers Say, Becker’s Hospital Review, 6-17-21

Learning Opportunity

Beyond Do No Harm: Structural Racism in Tech-Forward Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Solutions, Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 3:00 – 4:15pm ET / 12:00 – 1:15pm PT

Panelists will discuss:

  • How tech-forward approaches promote and perpetuate structural racism and bias
  • The risk of normalizing structural racism and bias in tech-forward SDOH approaches
  • Steps that both limit and address harm to the community when tackling SDOH

Learn more and register here.

 

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