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North Sound ACH

North Sound Accountable Community of Health

Blog

New Administrative Staff

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Our team is thrilled to have two new staff members! Kassy Kadoun joined us as Finance Associate, and Vanessa Diaz as Administrative Associate earlier this month.

Originally from Shelton, WA, Kassy Kadoun moved to Bellingham in 2015 to attend Western Washington University, where she received her degree in Business Administration with a focus on Management. Kassy has experience working in the fields of administration, finance, and marketing. Most recently, she managed the scheduling, production, and finances at a local branding company.

At North Sound ACH, Kassy will handle all expense reports, payroll processing, and various financial statements, along with assisting in other administrative tasks to support the team. Although she is new to the field of healthcare, she is excited to further her knowledge and experience in the field of finance while learning more about public health.

Vanessa Diaz grew up in the Skagit Valley and is an enrolled Samish Indian Nation tribal member. She earned her degree in Medical Assistant Phlebotomy and has over twenty years experience working in the medical community, supporting the front and back office of medical offices ranging from primary care to specialty clinics. Most recently she worked at the Upper Skagit Tribal Community as the Purchased and Referred Care Clerk. In addition to her work, she is part of the wrestling team board and coaches soccer.

In her role, Vanessa will provide administrative support to staff, senior leadership, and various advisory groups focused on health system transformation initiatives and strategies. Vanessa brings much positive energy with her, and excited to join the team that can make a difference in the communities that have helped shape and mold the person she is today.

Welcome, Kassy and Vanessa!

Kassy Kadoun, Finance Associate; Vanessa Diaz, Administrative Associate

Chief Operating Officer Selected for National

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Nicole Willis has been selected to serve on the American Medical Informatics Association’s inaugural Health Informatics Certification Commission. The Commission’s work will expand health informatics certification opportunity for professionals and complement the clinical informatics subspecialty certification.

The 14 member Commission will be responsible for eligibility, examination development, and recertification requirements. Commission members represent different primary health domains, practice settings, and career stages. The Health Informatics Certification Commission is a committee of AMIA that will be autonomous with respect to all certification decisions and operations.

“I am excited about the opportunity to participate in the Health Informatics Certification development process,” shared Nicole. “AMIA is well-positioned to help shape, strengthen, and build leadership capacity in the wide spectrum of health informatics, and I am eager to be part of this inaugural national effort.”

The Commission members bring a broad range of perspectives and significant expertise to their work. They represent individuals who have training in nursing, health informatics, public health, pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, and nutrition.

For more information visit: AMIA Health Informatics Certification Commission:

https://www.amia.org/ahic-certification-commission

Note from Liz (Nov 2019)

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A growing number of communities are observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in October rather than Columbus Day. Our team, as part of our learning journey, has been exploring the (incorrect) mythology of our nation being ‘discovered’ as a ‘new land’. In reality, the nation was rich with culture, history, and people who had been here, and remain here, even after many attempts to remove them and eliminate them from the history books.

To honor Indigenous communities is to acknowledge the horrors and injustices of the past, and those that continue today. There is much to learn. We are thankful to gracious teachers in our region’s tribal communities who share with us, patiently offering correction and further resources when we inevitably make mistakes.

We reached out to Candice Wilson, former North Sound team member, to hear her thoughts on this time of year. An article was shared by our team that we want to share with you: For Native Americans, Fall is the Least Wonderful Time of the Year.

Please continue to join us on this learning journey.

Liz

Another recommended reading: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People (ReVisioning American History for Young People) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. You can get this at your local library.

Candice Wilson: Fall Holidays (Nov 2019)

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I read the article, For Native Americans, Fall is the Least Wonderful Time of the Year. There’s a lot of truth to it. I didn’t realize that Fall is like this for us, but it is. I’d like to ask you to take a moment to reflect on what it would mean for you as an Indigenous person.

Now Si’am Ne Schalecha Si’am – Greetings Friends & Family

The ambiance of Autumn. For those of us blessed to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of the North Sound we feel the welcoming cooler weather, the cool crisp air, the morning dew, we see the fog that blankets the landscape, and we change our clocks back an hour for daylight savings. It’s the transformation of seasons. A reminder that change allows us to find purpose.

I am hopeful that you find a sense of purpose to change the way you observe the norm, to look at a perspective differently, to summon and evoke thoughtful and meaningful considerations.

‘What would that look like?’ you may ask. It would look like a consciousness of reckoning. An acknowledgement of People who have been here since time immemorial. There would be a recognition of “Indigenous Peoples Day,” without controversy, but a mere validation of salutation. Imagine even more so, that there would be no more derogatory mascots or chants for schools, colleges, or professional sports teams. No more Native American caricature Halloween costumes or outfits. Visualize a transformation of the normative and envision a gratitude for Indigenous People. A symbolic appreciation to be right and just, to be the norm.

Could this possibly be? It’s up to you. Because during this time of the year, we as Indigenous People, either avoid the ignorance altogether, excuse it, or never-it-mind, or cringe at the thought of being dishonored or disgraced. By chance we speak up, in hope to educate others.

The change of season is good. Change of heart & mind is even better. Transformation is meaningful when we evolve with compassion and understanding. It is the purpose of change. I hope you consider change.

Est’itemsen – I am doing the best that I can.

Hy’shqe – thank you.

Quatz’tenaut – Candice Wilson

Project Managers Reflect on Partner Site Visits

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Our project managers Lindsay Knaus, Heather McGuinness, and Amanda Robins shared some takeaways from recent partner site visits.

From Lindsay: 

This summer’s site visits provided a unique opportunity to connect with partner organizations and learn more about their work on the ground-level. Throughout July and August, we met with partners and their teams across the North Sound region to learn more about implementation efforts and build relationships. 

Through these visits, we were able to go on tours, meet team members, obtain resources and information used for clients and patients, and connect partners across sectors and counties to improve care coordination efforts. 

I learned first-hand about the unique challenges around transportation for San Juan County partners. I gained a new appreciation around planning events and meetings with partners in rural areas, specifically those who can only be reached by ferry or plane. Navigating the ferries during the summer months gave me an appreciation for the unique challenges around access to care and hospital discharge planning between island and mainland partners.

A key takeaway for me was being able to hear partners success stories and through those, connecting the dots between partners working both across sectors and counties to aid care coordination effort.

This experience was extremely valuable to bring back to our ACH team to determine strategies for supporting partners in their implementation work.

From Heather:

This summer’s site visits were a great opportunity for ACH staff to connect with partner organizations. At each visit, project managers sat down with the team to to learn more about how their work was going related to the Medicaid Transformation Project. Partners were able to ask questions and get clarity on ACH expectations, the reporting process, and where to get access to training and technical assistance. ACH staff were able to get a deeper understanding about partner successes and challenges in implementing strategies.

At many site visits, ACH staff were invited on tours of the facilities, which gave us an opportunity to see the work of partner organizations in action. These tours also gave us the chance to learn about programs outside of the scope of ACH work – for example, WSU Extension’s programs to support agricultural workers in starting their own businesses and supporting farmers’ mental health. 

 One key takeaway was the importance of collaboration: nearly all partners expressed a desire to connect with partners working on similar strategies, both to learn from one another and to strengthen referral partnerships.

From Amanda:

Site visits this summer allowed for a wonderful opportunity for me to meet our partners face-to-face and begin developing a long-term relationship rooted in achieving the goals of Medicaid Transformation together. Partners were wonderfully gracious hosts and were clearly excited about the initiatives they are implementing. Learning more in-depth about the challenges that partners are facing in implementing transformation strategies allowed me to recognize areas for collaboration between partners as well as areas where our whole region needs support. Sharing these insights with the greater ACH team allows us to develop plans to thoughtfully support and engage partners in our region. 

As someone who comes from a direct service background, it was great for me to spend time on site with partners and be reminded of the many lives our healthcare system touches. 

Through getting to know our partners and the specific work they are achieving, I more fully understand the depth and breadth of the work we are undertaking and how to help partners in accomplishing the work, region-wide, together.

Partner Feature: Island Senior Resources Presents at National Meeting

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By Lindsay Knaus, Project Manager

Island Senior Resources presented at this year’s All-In: Data for Community Health National Meeting in Baltimore, MD.  This event is intended to bring data sharing pioneers together to share solutions and accelerate progress toward improved health equity.

Island Senior Resources’ director Chasity Smith’s presentation was titled, “Screening for Social Determinants: What’s in a Tool?”

Island Senior Resources, Island County Human Services and Public Health, Island Senior Resources, and WhidbeyHealth are all participating implementation partners with the ACH, working cooperatively on a number of initiatives related to ACH health improvement strategies. Their work has developed into cross-sector collaboration aimed to address service gaps, barriers, and risk factors in order to improve health equity in Island County.

These partners’ goal is to develop a coordinated referral system and social determinants screening tool. The tool includes demographics and nine core measures covering medical, social, and basic needs. The tool acts as both a screener and referral generator, connecting each person with the right resource.  The organizations aim to identify the needs in their community, better understand the causes, connect people with help, and improve health and well-being.

Implementation began with a local primary care clinic as the pilot site, integrating the screening tool into clinical workflows as of Fall 2019. The pilot will be followed by a formal review and process improvement plan.

Chasity’s presentation provided insights for those looking to develop a coordinated screening and referral system across sectors, using collaboration.  It also provided a rural perspective on this process, from the creation and modification of a screening tool, implementation and timeline considerations, and how small projects can be used to leverage the discussion on multi-sector data sharing in rural communities.