The days are getting longer, and summer is right around the corner! For most people, summertime fun is the highlight of the year; and it’s important to stay safe while outside, especially with kids.  

Emily Carlson, RN, Bright Start home visiting nurse, points out, “I live for summer, and I love getting my littles involved in fun outdoor activities. Mental health for everyone in our household seems to rise when we’re able to be outside. I have had a lot of clients say they also feel so much better when being able to get fresh air outside. I look forward to doing some visits outdoors with clients while on a walk with them.” 

Bright Start home visiting nurses share childcare tips and summer safety precautions with financially eligible first-time mothers in communities across the state. Anyone can use the Bright Start Referral Form and get personal support from a professionally trained nurse for themselves, a loved one, or a patient.  

Emily recommends the following summer fun tips to keep kids safe.   

• Wear broad spectrum sunscreen
  The risk for cancer doubles after just five sunburns! Take cover in the shade and wear protective clothing and hats. To learn more about the sun and sunscreen visit this link: Sun Safety: Information for Parents About Sunburn & Sunscreen – HealthyChildren.org  
• Water safety and visibility
  Keep careful watch of children to increase water safety. Looking at a text, checking a fishing line, or applying sunscreen gives enough time for a child or weak swimmer to drown.  Dress children in bright swimsuits that contrast with the surroundings to make them easier to see.
• Apply insect repellent to prevent bug bites
  Choose an insect repellent to keep children safe from bugs, people’s least favorite thing about those warm summer months! Bites from insects leave kids miserable with itching and put them at risk for West Nile, which is present in South Dakota. Using repellent can be helpful in keeping them away, typically in the form of lotions or sticks for children.  

First-time mothers who meet the income requirements can enroll or be referred to the Bright Start Program and receive personalized nursing care from pregnancy through the child’s second birthday.

Emergencies are unexpected and being prepared often saves lives. Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) provides the structure and tools to keep communities and volunteers safe in the event of a public health emergency. Point of Dispensing (POD) sites are essential for distributing medical counter measures, such as vaccines or other medications, to larger amounts of people.  

“It’s not ‘if’ a POD will be needed but ‘when.’ Most PODs are in the process of reestablishing POD teams through community outreach efforts, educating their communities, and establishing relationships with key leaders,” claims Brad Richardson, MBA, MS, FACHA.

“The South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) completed thorough assessments of PODs throughout the state, measuring overall readiness of manpower, logistics, and training. The PODs that SDFMC has engaged with are now motivated to get to work!” 

SDFMC partnered with the South Dakota Department of Health (SD DOH) and 28 POD leaders to provide support in the areas of planning, training, operations, and community engagement. SDFMC works directly with the SD DOH Regional Preparedness Coordinators to offer guidance, direct support, and recommendations to improve community POD readiness.  

POD sites across the state provide mass action to prevent, mitigate, or treat adverse health effects during a public health emergency. Community engagement and volunteer recruitment are critical for maintaining an effective POD. Being educated about the role of the POD strengthens a community’s readiness to activate a POD, when needed. South Dakota needs emergency preparedness volunteers throughout the state to achieve overall readiness.  

Overall assessments help identify POD challenges, shortfalls, and compare the more successful PODs to those that were struggling. SDFMC is creating individual work plans for each POD to work toward achieving overall readiness and meet PHEP guidelines. Many city officials are eager to see the impact PODs can have on South Dakotan communities.  

Lawrence County Emergency Manager Paul Thomson said, “The work accomplished on the POD Plan in such a short time would not have been possible without the assistance of SDFMC.”  

Any South Dakotan can volunteer to support the POD in their community. Learn more about PODs by visiting the South Dakota Emergency Preparedness website: https://doh.sd.gov/providers/preparedness/PODs/default.aspx.    

From the pregnancy test to the first kick and finally holding the baby for the first time, each moment creates a memory and strengthens the bond between a mother and baby. Learning about secure attachment helps create a better bond from the start of the parenting journey. First time mothers who meet the income requirements can enroll or be referred to the Bright Start Program to learn more about secure attachment to improve baby bonding.    

“As a Bright Start nurse, I strive to assist every mom and baby to develop secure attachment through positive interactions. I love to see the joy and laughter when a child and parent interact,” says Amy Paulson, RN, Bright Start coordinator for the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC). “A Bright Start nurse can provide tips on responsive, nurturing caregiving, reflect with you on your history, and be available to partner with you during pregnancy, infancy, and toddlerhood.”   

Secure attachment is a special emotional bond created when one feels valued, loved, and safe. Attachment theory is based on the joint work of J. Bowlby and M. S. Ainsworth in the 1950s.  “A securely attached child will store an internal working model of a responsive, loving, reliable caregiver, and of a self that is worthy of love and attention and will bring these assumptions to bear on all other relationships.” (John Bowlby and Attachment Theory)

Paulson points out, “Developing secure attachment creates a multi-generation effect as securely attached children will develop into secure adults and parents.” 

Secure Attachment Tips:

• Comfort a crying baby by swaddling, rocking, or walking.
• Talk to and repeat the sounds the baby makes.
• Cuddle and hold the baby often.

 A Bright Start nurse provides personal care and support for new mothers through the journey of pregnancy to toddlerhood Paulson is trained in Partnering in Parenting Education (PIPE), “PIPE offers interactive activities related to listening, love, and play. We will review activities you can do with your child to improve physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning.”  

First time mothers who meet the income requirements can enroll or be referred to the Bright Start Program to learn more about secure attachment to improve baby bonding.   

May 11, 2023, marks the expiration of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the infection control recommendations for healthcare facilities. 

To support healthcare workers to understand the updated recommendations and how they may be implemented in various facilities and settings, all healthcare providers are encouraged to register and attend the Virtual Project Firstline Town Hall on May 16, 2023, at 11:30 AM Central/10:30 AM Mountain.     

“As the public health emergency comes to an end, we need to keep in mind that infection control practices will not. Education on infection control topics will always be needed. The importance infection control plays in the lives of everyone will still remain,” commented Jess Danko, MSHA, RRT, LTC-CIP, program manager for South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care.

“When entering a healthcare facility, we as patients, caregivers, and visitors have been assured that infection control practices are a part of the everyday practice of care. Infection prevention and control is a priority for quality healthcare delivery and South Dakota Project Firstline offers up-to-date training opportunities across the state.” 

South Dakota Project Firstline (SD PFL) provides onsite or virtual training and educational opportunities to all areas of healthcare. The training can be for a specific department in an in-person learning and sharing opportunity or it may be during a ten-minute virtual training during monthly staff meetings. SD PFL accommodates the needs of the healthcare facility and works to provide training when it is convenient for the teams and infection prevention staff. 

Cheri Fast, RN, CIC, LTC-CIP, WOCN, added, “A viral breakout that was only expected to last a few months turned the world upside down over the past three years. Even though the pandemic is officially over, we will never return to ‘normal’ as it was prior to COVID-19.” 

Learn more from CDC officials and fellow healthcare professionals, and about working together to stop the spread of infection at the Virtual Project Firstline Town Hall on May 16, 2023, at 11:30 AM Central/10:30 AM Mountain.    

It’s a special week in the medical field! May 6- 12, 2023, is Nurses Week and an opportunity to appreciate nurses who work tirelessly for their patients. South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) encourages everyone to reach out and send thanks to the nurses in their life.   

Nancy McDonald, BSN, RN, CPHQ, director of quality improvement for SDFMC declared,  

“Nurses care. They care for and about the people they serve in the clinics, hospitals, and long-term facilities throughout the state. Their perspectives and insights for improving health care systems and patient care are valued by SDFMC.”      

Nurses are valuable members of the SDFMC team. Their direct care and quality improvement expertise supports many SDFMC projects, including Bright Start and South Dakota Project Firstline.   

Bright Start provides professionally trained registered nurses to be another layer of support to financially eligible first-time mothers from pregnancy through the child’s second birthday. “We nurses provide great listening skills in an unbiased, nonjudgmental environment and building that trusting relationship with clients impacts positive health outcomes,” shared Valerie Wagner, RN, Bright Start Home Visiting Nurse. 

The nurse team from South Dakota Project Firstline provides infection prevention education and training to healthcare professionals and emergency medical services personnel across the state. “We all have the power to reduce the transmission of infection in our homes and our communities. We know we can do better and potentially reduce harm and save lives through awareness and education,” explained Cheri Fast, RN, CIC, LTC-CIP, WOCN, regarding the work of SD PFL. “The more frontline workers that have the education the greater impact we can have on improving the care and health outcomes for everyone.” 

Join the conversation and thank a nurse during Nurses Week from May 6-12 for their outstanding work and contribution to the families and communities they serve! 

Vaping is on the rise with youth in South Dakota. Teens and youth across the state are hopping on the trend, with little to no worry about how it is affecting them! To combat this growing issue, the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) hosted an anti-vaping hashtag and video challenge with South Dakota Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Chapters.  

Mindy Heuer, RN, CST, SDFMC program manager, points out,  

“The increase of vaping in our youth and young adults is rising every year so, SDFMC took this opportunity to work with our high school students in South Dakota!“ 

The challenge includes a competition for a winning hashtag and a corresponding video to promote anti- vaping in youth and young adults. Rapid City Central won the hashtag competition with #SmokingYouMustBeJoking.  The participating HOSA chapters then made a video using this hashtag. The videos are uploaded to the SDFMC Facebook page and students are encouraged to like and share their videos. This is a great opportunity to involve youth and young adults in the fight against this rising issue. 

SDFMC attended the 2023 Spring SD HOSA Conference at the end of March to present the winners of the competition.  

Vaping Challenge Winners: Rapid City Central- $250 Hashtag Award- #SmokingYouMustBeJoking Chamberlain- $1000 First Place Award Harrisburg- $500 Second Place Award Milbank- $250 Most Likes and Shares Award

This is SDFMC’s third year hosting the vaping video challenge and there was great participation from the South Dakota HOSA chapters, with some chapters submitted multiple videos. The following schools participated in the 2023 challenge: Milbank, Rapid City Central, Harrisburg, Chamberlain, Highmore- Harrold, Iroquois, and Fort Pierre. The full collection of videos can be viewed on the SDFMC website.   

Watch the videos on our YouTube Channel and Facebook page!