The Med-Call Healthcare team came out today to help prepare Thanksgiving meals for families in need.  The organization is the Chicago Basket Brigade.  For more information go to:  http://www.chicagobasketbrigade.org/Home.html

Happy Holidays to all!

“Our motto at Med-Call Healthcare is ‘Good People’.  We wanted to embody that and do something special to make a difference this holiday season.” said David Hoke, Chief Operating Officer,  Med-Call Healthcare.

This program will allow healthcare facilities throughout Illinois and Indiana that work with Med-Call Healthcare for their per diem, contract and permanent placement staffing needs to designate as much as $12 per shift to the charity of their choice.

Founded in 1989, Med-Call Healthcare is one of the most respected healthcare staffing companies in the Midwest. For over 22 years, they have been providing effective staffing solutions to healthcare facilities. They only place the most qualified and experienced personnel and they take great pride in the fact that their client satisfaction is among the highest in the industry

Those changes began soon after passage of the law in March 2010, and will become more substantial when the core measures go into effect by 2014. “This decision means millions of people will have access to the basic healthcare and preventive services that they’ve lacked,” said Karen A. Daley, RN, PhD, MPH, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association, which has been a staunch supporter of the ACA since its passage.
“Instead of getting sicker and developing serious and costly complications because they can’t afford to manage their health conditions, people will get the care they need to recognize problems earlier or avoid them altogether,” she said. “There will be savings throughout the system.” The ANA has touted the law’s potential to increase the profile of RNs in the healthcare system through new models such as accountable care organizations and medical homes. These models would rely on RNs’ expertise in care coordination, the ANA has said.

In 2011 the law also made available $71.3 million in grants to strengthen the nursing workforce through programs supporting education for nurse faculty and advanced practice nurses, among others.   The long-term goal of such programs is to alleviate a possible nursing shortage in the wake of what is expected to be an influx of newly insured patients. “[Nurses] are well-positioned to lead in providing essential prevention and wellness services and care coordination for individuals and families,” Daley said. “The law enhances opportunities for nurse practitioners and nurse midwives to provide primary care. This will increase accessibility for the growing number of people needing basic health services.”

With the law upheld, a long list of reforms to the healthcare system can continue. The mandate for people to buy insurance or pay a tax, which was central to the court challenge, will take effect in 2014. That same year, state-based exchanges for buying insurance will begin operating.  Along with tax credits and the expansion of Medicaid — which was affected by the Supreme Court ruling, but can still go through in some form — these provisions could extend coverage to more than half of the estimated 50 million people who lack insurance.  “Though people will continue to require emergency care, this decision means that millions of people will have access to basic, primary healthcare and preventive services, which should ultimately reduce the numbers of patients seeking routine care in the ED,” said Gail Lenehan, RN, MSN, EdD, FAEN, FAAN. “Patients will get the care they need earlier instead of becoming seriously ill and requiring complex, acute care in a hospital ED.”

Key provisions of the law center on insurance reform, prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, imposing annual or lifetime coverage caps or discriminating on the basis of gender when setting premiums. These measures, along with a requirement for insurers to cover young adults through their parents’ policies until age 26, can stand with the mandate remaining in place.  Numerous other changes to the healthcare system include incentives to both patients and providers to increase preventive care; Medicare-payment incentives to providers to improve quality of care while lowering costs; and grants to build and expand community health centers, which are staffed by nurses and nurse practitioners.

Lola A. Coke, APRN-BC, PhD, CNS, FAHA, FPCNA, president of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association, lauded the ACA’s emphasis on preventive care. She said the ruling addresses “important disparities in the application of evidence-based strategies for management of high blood pressure, cholesterol disorder and diabetes.”   The PCNA plans to support RNs and APRNs in implementing team-based approaches to preventive cardiovascular care. The ruling “will go a long way in amplifying what we can do, and how many patients we can reach, in the clinical setting.”   (FROM NURSE.COM)

For 12 of the 13 years since including nursing, Gallup’s annual poll of the country’s most trusted professions has ranked nurses as the most trusted professionals in the United States.  In the 2011 poll, nursing — which represents the largest group of health care professionals — achieved an 84 percent positive rating in honesty and ethical standards.

Every May, to coincide with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, the nation recognizes nurses for the work they do and their dedication to providing the best health care possible.  All nurses pledge to make a commitment to practice the profession faithfully, to maintain and elevate the standard of the nursing profession, to loyally aid physicians in their work, and to be devoted to the welfare of those committed to their care.

Nurses play an pivotal role in improving patient outcomes, increasing access to care, coordinating care and reducing health care costs.  Most often, nurses are the first health care professionals encountered by patients.

Even though the profession continues to grow and evolve, the public’s trust in nursing has remained constant.  The public’s high regard for the profession makes nurses well-positioned to help lead the future of health care and to emphasize prevention and wellness in patients.

This week is Nurses Week, and we want to take a moment to thank our wonderful staff of nurses, and nurses everywhere, for their commitment to health care and everything they do to make the world a better place.

Jodie has worked as a Chicago based sales professional for the past 12 years, with broad based expertise selling a variety of consumer products and business development services.  Prior to these years, she worked in the entertainment industry developing and selling film and television projects in Los Angeles.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University.

Recovery is hard enough on its own. Having someone who understands the specific care requirements and keeps everything running smoothly allows more time to focus on what is most important: a faster recovery.

Our patient companions are experienced aides who help with the patient’s basic needs, and provide individual companionship. Our companions are assigned to one patient only and remain at the patient’s side. You can count on Med-Call Healthcare to provide the same quality, caring companions for hospitalized patients as well as those who need in-home assistance while recuperating after discharge. Call today to learn more!

For more information, please call their recruitment department at 312.795.0765 ext 104.

The first RN and first woman has been nominated to serve as Army Surgeon General.  Major General Patricia Horoho, MSN, MS, RN, a member of the North Carolina Nurses Association, currently serves as Chief of the US Army Nurse Corps.  In May, her nomination was announced by Defense Secretary, Robert Gates.

On September 11, 2001 Horoho was at the Pentagon; her quick and efficient response to the wounded earned her recognition as a “NURSE HERO” from the American Red Cross and Nursing Spectrum magazine.

Only special people are nurses!