Volume 10, Number 33 — August  11, 2021

Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

August 16 is the official launch date of "Trusted Messages from Trusted Messengers" in home care. Both home health and home care agencies can register to participate in one of the Health Resources & Services Administration grants aimed at encouraging COVID vaccinations. The National Minority Health Association is the only grantee delivering the message about the importance of getting vaccinated through our own trusted messengers who provide care in homes. 

Register here. Funds will be distributed to patients/clients, home care workers, and home care agencies for each shot deliver to an arm. Continue reading for a summary and link to our exclusive interview with NMHA Executive Director Burgess Harrison.

A hearty welcome to our newest sponsor, Cortex. We will publish our interview with company President and co-founder Josh Albrechtsen next week.

In This Week's News

Burgess Harrison, Executive Director of the National Minority Health Association, delivered a presentation at this week's HIMSS conference in Las Vegas, in which he laid out the organization's mission to advance health equity as well as an invitation to participate in the HRSA grant. Scroll down and click on the headlines to read this and other news items in this week's issue.

There is still time to share your insights into our industry through the "Healthcare at Home 2021 Best Practices and Future Insights Study," conducted by BerryDunn and sponsored by a dozen of home healthcare's and hospice's state and national associations and tech vendors. Agencies that join the study will enjoy a number of benefits, including advance access to the BerryDunn interactive benchmarking portal. See how to sign up in the article of the same name, below.

Telehealth Advocacy: 430 organizations signed on to a letter asking Congress to make sure support for telehealth services does not fall of a metaphorical cliff after the current Public Health Emergency comes to an end. We publish several pertinent quotes from the letter.

Speaking of telehealth, we spoke with our friends from VivifyHealth at their HIMSS booth this week. They announced new product developments to enhance the reach and usability of their remote patient monitoring technologies.

Lastly, in this week's Vendor Watch column, we captured two partnership announcements from Forcura, one with Kno2, the patient communication and data interoperability company, and the other with Axxess.

Worth the Trip

Naturally, we are aware that our country is farther away from getting rid of COVID than we were a few months ago, and that some states are suffering more than others. But at this time, we are still planning to see you at the HCAOA Annual Leadership Conference at the Hilton Orlando Hotel, September 26-27. We will be talking about the latest technologies we have discovered to help with staff recruiting and retention, as well as how to boost your online reputation. The following week, we will be looking for you in New Orleans at the NAHC Home Care & Hospice Conference & Expo, October 3-5.

Remember that our landing page, where all of our news items live, is a permanent archive. Use our search engine to find every topic we have covered since going electronic in 2005.

Have a great week. Keep making a difference!

Minority Populations Dying at Higher Rate from COVID
Expert defines difference between 'health equality' and 'health equity' at HIMSS conference, invites membership and participation in HRSA grant.

Healthcare at Home 2021 Best Practices and Future Insights Study
There is still time to participate in this year's survey and be among the first to gain exclusive access to the BerryDunn interactive portal with detailed benchmarks based on survey data.

430 Organizations Urge Congress to Address 'Telehealth Cliff'
Letter to Congressional Leaders Highlights Telehealth Priorities.

Vivify Health Announces Product Enhancements at HIMSS21
Leading remote patient monitoring company introduces enhancements at this week's HIMSS meeting.

Vendor Watch
— Forcura continues adding strategic partners
— Kno2 and Axxess announce Forcura partnerships