Bill Aims to Stop Growing Violence Against Healthcare Workers
This week, the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) joined lawmakers and healthcare workers at the state Capitol to advocate in support of HB 6741, An Act Improving The Safety Of Health Care Providers And Patients, a bill proposed by Senator Henri Martin and raised by the Public Health Committee in an effort to address growing violence against healthcare workers.
The press conference was led by Senator Henri Martin (R-Bristol), Senator Heather Somers (R-Groton), Senator Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock), Representative Kathy Kennedy (R-Milford), and Representative Sarah Keitt (D-Fairfield), and healthcare workers from Bristol Health and Middlesex Health. Testimony in support of the bill was submitted by Hartford HealthCare and Stamford Health.
In testimony and at the press conference, CHA discussed how hospitals’ continuous efforts to prevent violence and make hospitals safer – as part of wide-ranging efforts to retain and grow the healthcare workforce – would benefit from state support as proposed in HB 6741. CHA also highlighted the work Connecticut hospitals have done to establish workplace safety committees, provide ongoing education and training on crisis prevention and de-escalation techniques, identify patients at risk for intentional harm to themselves or others and take steps to mitigate these risks.
HB 6741 would require the development of a marketing campaign by the Department of Public Health (DPH) addressing the issue of violence against healthcare professionals as a serious problem and encouraging civility in healthcare settings, establish a hospital security grant program for securing hospital entrances and public spaces or for other measures to ensure the safety of caregivers and patients, and encourage hospitals to establish policies and procedures that govern when a hospital may require a patient receiving nonemergency healthcare to leave the hospital when such patient’s behavior or conduct constitutes a threat to the safety of a healthcare provider, staff member, or other patient.
Read CHA’s written testimony, watch CHA’s remarks before the Public Health Committee, and watch the press conference.
Support for Increasing Medicaid Rates, Opposition to Policies That Strain Hospitals
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This week at the state Capitol, CHA testified in support of proposals to increase Medicaid rates and bolster healthcare workforce training, and against bills that would result in more financial strain on Connecticut hospitals.
HB 6885, An Act Concerning Medicaid Payment Rates, would increase Medicaid payment rates for services provided by individual, fee-for-service providers, and emergency medical transportation providers to Medicare rates for the same services and require a study of Medicaid payment rates for certain long-term acute care hospitals and methadone maintenance providers. CHA’s testimony emphasized the significant underinvestment in Connecticut’s Medicaid program in general and specifically how Connecticut’s Medicaid reimbursement for hospital services is among the lowest in the nation. CHA is advocating for HB 6885 to be expanded to not only increase Medicaid rates to providers, but to also require Medicaid payment at 100% of Medicare for the services rendered by Connecticut’s hospitals.
CHA testified in opposition to HB 6669 An Act Protecting Patients And Prohibiting Unnecessary Health Care Costs, a bill that would ban facility fees in free-standing buildings and clinics, lower threshold for penalties in the CON process, require market review for all mergers/acquisitions, and require certain 340B reporting.
In extensive testimony before the Public Health Committee, CHA raised significant concerns about the facility fee ban, which could result in a loss of more than $435 million in reimbursements to hospitals and would hinder efforts to provide access to care in community settings most convenient for patients (click here to watch CHA’s testimony on facility fee and CON provisions).
CHA also testified that the 340B provisions in the bill would require costly and impractical reporting and create a significant risk that hospitals will use the program less because the administrative burdens will outweigh the benefits of participation (click here to watch CHA’s testimony on the 340B provisions).
Connecticut Children’s, Hartford HealthCare, Middlesex Health, Stamford Health, Trinity Health Of New England, and Yale New Haven Health all submitted testimony in opposition.
CHA also testified in opposition to SB 1203, An Act Concerning Medical Debt, which seeks to change the statutory requirements related to hospital financial assistance policies, including the collection of payments from patients, prohibit the collection of medical debt related to 340B drugs, and tie compliance with federal price transparency regulations to the collection of medical debt. CHA’s testimony emphasized that Connecticut hospitals already go well beyond statutory obligations by extending their financial assistance policies to those who are underinsured. At the time of publication, testimony opposing the bill was also submitted by Middlesex Health, Trinity Health Of New England, and Yale New Haven Health.
Tell Your Lawmakers, Don’t Devastate Connecticut Hospitals
As CHA continues to raise awareness about the destabilizing impact of multiple legislative proposals, CHA has launched an advocacy campaign at ProtectCTCare.org. The website connects visitors with information about policy proposals being considered at the state Capitol that would devastate Connecticut hospitals.
Members of the public can contact their lawmakers through the website to urge them to oppose policies that strain the healthcare system, and to support policies that grow the healthcare workforce and make quality healthcare more affordable and accessible.
Visit ProtectCTCare.org to learn more and contact your legislators.
Planning for Success: Leadership and Management Skills
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Connecticut Hospital Association, 110 Barnes Road, Wallingford, CT 06492
Fees:
- Acute Care Hospital Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the linked brochure for details.)
- Other Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the linked brochure for details.)
- Non-Member: $250
This session will introduce participants to a leadership framework for analyzing personal values, leadership style, motivation drivers and influences, and communication style.
Participants will explore and determine the type of leader they want to be, and create a path to becoming the best version of themselves.
This session is taught by Sarah Campbell Arnett, MA, NCC, BC-DMT, BCC, CCMP, a popular presenter for CHA members.
This session is the first in the six-session Essential Skills Every Leader Needs education series. To register for the full six-session series, please e-mail CHA Education Services at EducationServices@chime.org.
- Click here to register online for the individual session.
Professional Presentation Skills
Monday, March 27, 2023 from 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Connecticut Hospital Association, 110 Barnes Road, Wallingford, CT 06492
Fees:
- Acute Care Hospital Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the linked brochure for details.)
- Other Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the linked brochure for details.)
- Non-Member: $250
One of the key roles of a leader is communicating information to employees, peers, and other leaders. To be effective, this information should be clearly structured, concise, and delivered with confidence.
This engaging workshop will provide techniques to develop an organized presentation that is customized for a given audience, analyzes best practices for effective presentations, and increases confidence during delivery. Participants will be able to apply learning through one-on-one practice and feedback.
This session is presented by Elena Hackney, MEd, owner of EngageMeTraining, who brings more than 20 years of experience facilitating leadership development.
This is session two of the six-session Essential Skills Every Leader Needs education series. To register for the full six-session series, please e-mail CHA Education Services at EducationServices@chime.org.
- Click here to register online for the individual session.
Write Like a Professional
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Connecticut Hospital Association, 110 Barnes Road, Wallingford, CT 06492
Fees:
- Acute Care Hospital Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the linked brochure for details.)
- Other Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the linked brochure for details.)
- Non-Member: $250
Professional, well-crafted written communication is important for leaders in any industry. Using the correct tone, medium, grammar, and level of formality shows that you care about the recipient of your messages and that you have taken time to understand your audience.
At the end of this session, learners will be able to employ each element above to communicate on a professional level with a variety of audiences. Participants will be able to apply their skills through one-on-one practice and feedback.
This workshop is provided by Elena Hackney, MEd, owner of EngageMeTraining.
This is session three of the six-session Essential Skills Every Leader Needs education series. To register for the full six-session series, please e-mail CHA Education Services at EducationServices@chime.org.
- Click here to register online for the individual session
Having Difficult Conversations
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Connecticut Hospital Association, 110 Barnes Road, Wallingford, CT 06492
Fees:
- Acute Care Hospital Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the attached brochure for details.)
- Other Member: $200 (Discount pricing is available for those who attend the entire series. Please see the attached brochure for details.)
- Non-Member: $250
This session focuses on understanding the principles of and the tools needed to initiate challenging conversations. This interactive session begins by discussing conflict —an inevitable challenge every leader faces, and includes a structured approach to addressing conflict effectively.
The session will explore the role conflict plays in the process of change and when conflict can be healthy — key factors in understanding how to resolve differences in perspective and experience present among individuals.
Participants will leave this session with a step-by-step approach for having difficult conversations. The process includes determining goals, expected outcomes of the conversation, evaluating the present moment and audience, and preparing and delivering the message.
Sarah Campbell Arnett, MA, NCC, BCDMT, BCC, CCMP, will present.
This is session four of the six-session Essential Skills Every Leader Needs education series. To register for the full six-session Essential Skills Every Leader Needs series, please e-mail CHA Education Services at EducationServices@chime.org.
- Click here to register online for the individual session.
PROUD Enduring Recorded Sessions
On Demand
Virtual Sessions
As care providers, there is much to learn about helping families managing substance use disorders to be successful. Parents Recovering from Opioid Use Disorders (PROUD) includes an education series for healthcare and service providers, giving them tools to help individuals and families manage the many challenges they face.
The education series includes several recorded, one-hour sessions, open for a year from their recording date. These sessions provide continuing education credit for a variety of professions, are free to participants (registration is necessary), and are available on demand to fit into busy schedules.
- Click here to view and register for available sessions.
