National Immunization Awareness Month is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of routine vaccination for people of all ages.

In an effort to improve physician skills and experience with Telehealth, Northwest AHEC and Wake Forest School of Medicine Internal Residency were awarded a grant to produce online learning for physicians and distribute medical supplies to patients.  Funding allowed telehealth technology capabilities to be fully integrated in two clinics.

• Colorectal cancer was the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths in North Carolina in 2019.
  
  
• Data from 2020 shows that 20% of people aged 50-75 in the US have never been screened for this disease.
  
  
• In March 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) changed screening recommendations to lower the age to begin screening from 50 to 45.
  

Many Veterans seek and receive care outside of the Veteran's Administration system.  Military service is an important part of a patient's history.  The 'Have You Ever Served' initiative, spearheaded by Michele Obama and Jill Biden, provides general intake questions to explore a Veteran's military history, areas of concern and common military health risks, along with other resources.

Achieving the goals of Healthy NC 2030 requires engaging partners across multiple sectors to improve population health and drive health equity over the next decade (Healthy NC 2030, p.17).

Clinical Corner is a one-hour CME activity, divided into 4 microlearning modules. It is focused on high priority health indicators in North Carolina, as outlined in Healthy North Carolina 2030. 

Join the Practice Support Team at Northwest AHEC in observing Recovery Month. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the first case of monkeypox virus infection in a North Carolina resident, identified by testing at the State Laboratory of Public Health. Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious, viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over. Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or with varicella zoster virus (chickenpox). Most infections last two to four weeks. 

Collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) of your patients is an important step in providing patient-centered health care.

Building on the success of previous ‘Lunch and Learn’ offerings to regional primary care practices, Northwest AHEC provided ten online self-paced modules in 2020-2022 on a variety of topics related to Best Practices in Opioid Prescribing and Management.

Patients, caregivers, family members exposed to someone with COVID-19 and calling your office asking what they should do?