Newsletter created by and about the South Central Kentucky Area Health Education Center

South Central Kentucky AHEC

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Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® WKU Archives Records WKU Archives Fall 1989 UA66/13/4 The AHEC Vision, Vol. 1, No. 1 South Central Kentucky AHEC Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records  Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, and the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact topscholar@wku.edu. CONTINUING EDUCATION Laura J. Nicholson Health Education Coordinator The South Central AHEC has co-spo nsored seve ral recent wo r kshops and conferences. In September AHEC participated in the Hospice Horizons workshop, Long Term Care Consumer Co nference , and the first Geriatric Grand Rounds. Hospice Horizons was held at the Medical Center on September 14th. The keynote speaker was Kathy Roche , RN , MA, from Baltimore, Maryland . Topics focused on the development of hospices and ethical iss ues in the allocatio n of h ea lth ca r e resources. "Who Speaks For The Nursing Home Resident?" was the topic of the Long Term Care Consumer Conference held on September 16th a t We s t e rn Ke ntu cky University. Keynote speaker ~;::: Susan Rourke from Detroit, Michigan, who is the President of the National Coalition for Nursing Home Reform. Attendees, many o f whom were nursing home residents or family members, were given an opportunity to hear about Consumer Councils in other states, and to consider organizing an area wide Long Term Care Consumer Council locally. If fo rmed, i t will be th e first s uch group in Kentucky. T he host site for AHEC's first SOUTH CENTRAL AHEC Dr. Kenneth Holtzapp/e speaking at the GeriaJric Grand Rounds Geriatric Grand Rounds was Homewood Healthcare in Glasgow. Speakers were Kenneth Holtzapple, M.D., and Richard D . Blondell, M. D. from the Department of Family Practice at University of Louisville. Dr . Ho lt zap ple i s chairman of the department, and Dr. Blondell is d irector of the residency program. Topics discussed were the relative ro les and responsiblities of the physician and nursing home staff regarding decubiti and the use of rest r a ints. A se ri es of the se p rog rams is be ing planned for physic ians, nurses, administrators, and other health p ro fe ss io nals. Informatio n will be available soon about the next Grand Rounds. We are looking for other long term care facilities to host future Geriatric Grand Rounds. If you are interested, please call AHEC at (502) 74S-332S. "Successful Aging: Overcoming the Barriers to Nutrition and Health" , is the topic of discussion for the 415 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HALL WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY BOWLING GREEN , KY. 42101 WKU- Pnn11ng peid from ..... flndl. KRS S7 .37li National TeleConference on November 1st at the Medical Cente r in Bowling Green. AHEC is co-sponsoring a workshop preceeding the TeleConfere nce, titled, "Teaching the Older Adult Dietary Compliance." Advance registration is required. A $20 fee includes lunch and attendance at both sessions.Registration check-in beg ins at 9:30 a .m., fo llowed by the workshop. The T eleConference will begin after lunch. Application has been made for Continuing Education Credits for registered nurses, dieticians, dietetic technicians, nursing home admi nistrators, certified home economists, physic ian assistants, pharmacists, and medical doctors. For complete information contact AHEC at (S02) 74S-332S. PHYSICIANS HONORED Dr. Gilbert Woodall Medical Director The s ixth distri ct Kentucky Medical Association honored twenty six physicians who have served as Preceptors for medical students and residents completing rural rotatio n s in th e South Central AHEC area. The meeting was held August 2 4th in Bow lin g Green. Th e preceptors were recog ni zed for the ir wonderful contributions in recruitment and retention efforts. Certificates of appreciation from AHEC were presented. Noo-Pro&Org. U.S. POSTAGE BUU::RATE Bowii,,g Grcca, JCy. <2l01 Penn.it No. J5l8 FALL 1989 Volume J Number I Editor: Laura J. Nicholson AHEC STAFF Director: Lucy Juett Medical Director: Gilbert Woodall. M.D . Pharmacy Coordinators: ].Baxter Brown Pharm. D. Melinda Joyce Pharm. D. Allied Health Coordinator: Ken Whitley Library Senices Coordinator: Pam Jarboe Health Educalioo Coordinator: Laura J. Nicholson Secretarial Staff: Jane Lash Pat CanLera M~11,,ES SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER DIRECTOR'S LETTER OF WELCOME Welcome to the firs t ed ition of The AHEC VISION, a quarterly n ewsletter published by the South Central Area Health Education Center. The p urpose of this newsletter is to share significant accomplishments of the South Central AHEC and to provide a forum for upcoming events. The Kentucky AHEC program is a collabora ti ve effort of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, the University of Ken tucky Medical Center and six regional centers designed to affect the distribution of health manpower throughout the Commonwealth. The South Central AHEC, located in Bowling Green , Kentucky, was established in October I 986 and serves a geographic region of 27 counties. Western Kentucky U niversity, t hrough its Department of Health and Safety, accepted the very important role of host institution in support of this AHEC. The South Central AHEC has the distinction of being the only AHEC hosted by a regional university as well as being the largest AHEC in terms of service a rea. T hese charac teristics pose unique challenges and opportunities for the South Central AHEC. The goal of the South Central AHEC is to improve the recruitment and rete ntion of health professionals in rural and under served areas. Programs designed to accomplish this goal include: ■ clinical rotations for health professions students and residents ■ continuing education programs ■ library I learning resource networks ■ health career awareness / promotion programs The South Central AHEC is staffed with highly qualified health professionals serving in the capacity of Center Director and Coordinators of Medicine Nursing Pharmacy, Allied Health , Health Education, and Library Services as well 'as suppor~ staff. Many different strategies have been utilized nationwide to address the recruitment and retention of health professionals but none have been as successful as the AHEC program. the South Central AHEC serves as a bridge between the universit ies and local communities. The re is no limit to the accomplishments possible through this cooperative relationship. HEALTH CAREERS PROMOTION TASK FORCE Rural areas h ave traditiona ll y experienced difficulty in the r ecru itment and retention of health professionals. This problem has escalated recently as a result of manpower shortages in certain health care professions. Statistics ind icate this trend will continue due to declining enrollments in many of the health care educationa l programs. . . . See page 3 for the story of the Task Force created to work on this problem. IOUTll a>m.11. Xllfflltlrf mA H:1.11.n1 KWCAllOIICOl!D ALLIED HEAL TH ADVISORY COMMITTEE Ken Whitley Allied Health Coordinator The first meeting of the Allied Health Advisory Committee for th e South Central Kentucky AHEC was Tuesday, Septembe r 26th at the Haycraft House in Elizabethtown. Guidelines were set for the newly created committee, followed by discuss ions of ways that the committee could assist AHEC in meeting its overall goals and objectives. The following practitioners are serving as representatives of their disciplines: Cytotechnology Mark Mathis, Hardin Memorial Hospital, Elizabethtown Den ta) Hygiene Nancy Forshee. of /ice of Dr. John Kelly, Franklin Health Care Administration Bruce Hayes, Taylor County Hospital, Campbellsville Medical Technology Yvonne Herman , Graves-Gilbert Clinic , Bowling Green Physical Therapy Susan Glasgow, Lakeview Rehabilitation Hospital, Elizabethtown Physician Assis tant Kathy Seelig, Bowling Green Radiology Technology Theresa Johnson, T.J. Samson Hospital. Glasgow If your profession is not represented and you are interested in serving on the Allied Health Advisory Committee , please call Ken Whitley at (502) 745-3325. Pictured, from left to right is Dr. Richard Swigart from University of Louisville, Kenneth Whitley from South Central AHEC. and Dr. Thomas Robinson from University of Kentucky. PRECEPTOR RECOGNITION RECEPTION The first an nual South Central AHEC "Preceptor R ecognition Reception" was held on Tuesday, September 19th. Thirty-six Allied Health Preceptors were honored fo r vol unteering to supervise studen ts of their own professions, who choose rural rotations. Twelve representatives from the University of Louisville and the U ni ve rsity of Kentucky , along with AHEC staff , awarded certificate·. of appreciation to the preceptors in attendance. The reception was held at the Haycraft House in Elizabethtown. G uest speakers were Dr. Richard Swigart , Direr.to r of t h e University of Louisville's College o f Allied Health , and Dr. Thomas Robinson, Dean of the College o f Allied Hea lth Professions at the University of Kentucky. T he event served to emphasize and recognize the number of individuals who contribute to the success of the Allied Health rotations. ROTATION REMARKS "I learned a fantastic amount about patient relations and medical practices in the family setting . .. this whole thing made my impression of rural medicine improve 100%. Give Dr. Ko/fan A+. I couldn't have hoped for a better rotation." Family Practice Clerkship, New Castle. "Mark Mathis is an exceptional instructor. His patience with my questions made me certain that he really cared about my progress . . .It was an o-verall wonderful learning experience." Cytotech. Student, Hardin Memorial Hospital , Elizabethtown "I wish I had another 4 weeks." Medical Student, Internal Medicine Associates, Bowling Green. page 2 HEAL TH CAREERS PROMOTION PROJECT Lucy Juett Center Director The South Central AHEC has c reated a Health Careers Promotion Task Force to educate s tudents and parents about the opportunities h ea lth careers provide and statewide program options at every educational level. The Task Force will encourage middle school, high school, and no n - tra d it ional students to consider a career in health as a viable option. The twen ty-seven counties of this AHEC region will be divided into four subregions, with a Task Force serving each of t h e following combined counties: Region 1 Bullitt, Meade, Hardin, Larue, Grayson, Breckinridge Region 2 Trimble, Shelby, Spencer, Henry Nelson, Washington, Marion Region 3 Barren, Allen, Simpson, Hart Metcalfe, Warren, Edmonson Region 4 Clinton, Monroe, Russell, Adair Cumberland, Taylor, Green A member of the AHEC s taff will cha ir the Task Force, along wi th additional staff being assig ned to provide assistance to each region. Each region will elect on an annual basis a Chairperson, Chair-elect, and a secretary. The need for a Health Careers Promotion Task Fo r ce is r ecog ni zed b y the Kentucky Hospita l Association, who has offered support to this program. Members of the Task Force will include representation from the various health care providers, medical auxiliaries, long term care associations , chambers of commerce, civic groups such as scouti ng organizations and 4-H clubs, guidance counselors and the sc hool system including voca tiona l , middle, and high schools, community colleges and universities. Each Regional Task Force will plan a minimum of three projects a year , according to what they decide would be appropriate for thei r area counties. Future editions of the AHEC VISION newsletter will highlight these programs. Inte rested volunteers from all four regions wi ll meet sometime this fall · in Elizabethtown. If you are interested in sening on the Health Careers Promotion Task Force fo r your region , please contact the South Central Kentucky AHEC office at Western Kentucky University (502) 745-3325. Dr. Kathy Smith, a family practice resident , recent ly spoke on health careers to an attentive audience at the Girls Club in Bowling Green. 900Tl1 CllnMI. ICllffllCKT >MJ4 HZALTH IWCA110N Cl'.lfflll LIBRARY SERVICES Pamela Jarboe Library Services Coordinator An impor ta nt facto r in the retention of health professionals in rural areas is the a vailability of current medical information. A survey of the medical libraries in the twenty-two hospitals in the South Central AHEC region was recently conducted. The results of the survey were not unexpected. Only one hospital has a full-time librarian. In over half of the facilities , the directors of medical records have the responsibility of responding to information requests. Several of the hospitals are lacking in computers, modems, or fax machines that would enable access to information. The South Central AHEC is interested in establishing a library resource network which wi l l improve accessibil it y of informat ion. The networks wi ll encourage area hospitals to share resources with other hospitals. Sever al library services a re already being offered through the Sou th Ceo tr a l A HEC to health professionals, ins ti tutions , and students participating in rotations through AHEC. These include: ■ Computer Searches ■ Bibliographies ■ Abstracts ■ Reference Services ■ Gathering articles and inf or mat ion ■ User Education ■ Technical Assistance For services or information contact: Pamela Jarboe Monday-Friday 8:00 - 4:30 (CST) at AHEC (502) 745-3325 or "Fax" number (502) 745-5928 page 3 

UA66/13/4 The AHEC Vision, Vol. 1, No. 1

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UA66/13/4 The AHEC Vision, Vol. 1, No. 1

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