Kansas Pharmacist SIDP certification scholarship program
KHC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Healthcare-Acquired Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program are pleased to again partner to provide reimbursement assistance to select candidates who successfully complete the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Certificate Program.

Pharmacists are eligible if they are actively working with a Kansas acute care hospital and/or long-term care facility to advance its antimicrobial stewardship program. KDHE will accept scholarship applications through Feb. 22, 2021. Up to 15 scholarships may be awarded. Click here for more information:
https://www.khconline.org/files/HAIAR/Kansas-pharmacist-SIDP-ASP-certificate-reimbursement-program-fillable.pdf


Upcoming KHC webinars: Advance Care Planning Sessions II and III
Our January and March webinars—hosted by the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative in partnership with the Center for Practical Bioethics, the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, and the Health Quality Innovation Network—will feature parts two and three on Advance Care Planning (ACP). Part I is available in the KHC Education Archive. These sessions are intended for physicians, mid-level practitioners, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals.

10-11 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27
Register here
Part II: This session will cover the principles guiding clinicians in carrying out advance care plans. It will detail the difference between capacity and competency, shared decision making, substituted judgement, and best interest principles.

10-11 a.m., Wednesday, March 24
Register here
Part III: This session will cover the role of standardized medical order sets in relation to ACP. It will address advanced illness medical order sets and accelerated ACP for use in a health crisis or amid a pandemic.


Kansas Moves to Phase 2 of the Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
This week, Gov. Kelly announced that Kansas is moving into Phase 2 of its vaccination plan. With this move, all those ages 65 and older, those in eligible congregate settings, and all high-contact critical workers will now be prioritized for vaccination, in addition to anyone from Phase 1 who has not yet been vaccinated. For more details, see the governor’s announcement.

Also, a Kansas Vaccine Distribution Provider Manual has been released, intended to guide local decisions in allocating vaccinations. Counties are to determine how their supply of doses will be allocated by population groups in Phase 2.

KDHE also launched a tool that summarizes current vaccine allocation and announced plans to launch an interactive map of providers offering vaccination.


CDC/KDHE Learning Needs Assessment
KDHE is conducting a statewide Learning Needs Assessment in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to learn training needs of frontline healthcare personnel for infection prevention and control. Please help spread the word to your hospital’s frontline staff seeking their participation in this survey.

This brief assessment will be helpful to KDHE and the CDC to inform decisions on the development and delivery of future training to best meet the needs of you and your colleagues in order to prevent or stop the spread of infections. Your participation is voluntary, and responses will be anonymous.