Passed by the U.S. Congress on November 17, 2020 and heading to the White House for the President’s signature, the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act “requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take specified steps to increase cybersecurity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.”

Given the many recent security issues with “smart” devices and their rapid proliferation in the marketplace, we’re glad to see the U.S. Congress taking a step in the right direction to establish IoT security standards and best practices for the federal government.

Principles of Chronic Pain Treatment

Patients with pain should receive treatment that provides the greatest benefit. Opioids are not the first-line therapy for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care. Evidence suggests that nonopioid treatments, including nonopioid medications and nonpharmacological therapies can provide relief to those suffering from chronic pain, and are safer.

Effective approaches to chronic pain – Download:

//www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdf/nonopioid_treatments-a.pdf

We recognize the hardship that our residents and families are experiencing right now due to COVID-19. As part of our facility’s commitment to protecting residents, families, and staff from serious illness and complications, we are continuing to follow guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and will provide families with regular updates regarding our facility’s COVID-19 status and visitation policies via phone and email.

We remain committed to helping residents stay connected with their families and loved ones. We would like to work together with you to make this possible. Below are some ideas on how to keep in touch if you are unable to visit in-person, and ways we are supporting communication between our residents and their families:

//www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/supporting-loved-one-in-long-term-care-facility.pdf

For primary care providers treating adults (18+) with chronic pain ≥3 months, excluding cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care

Download:

//www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdf/PDO_Checklist-a.pdf

Availability of a safe and effective vaccine is one component of protecting the health and safety of hospital staff who are critical to reducing loss of life and ensuring continuity of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 vaccine becomes increasingly available, effective execution of a hospital’s vaccine administration plan is dependent on being adaptable to delivery schedules and other unpredictable challenges.

Click here to download the Toolkit:

//files.asprtracie.hhs.gov/documents/hospital-operations-toolkit-for-covid-19-administration-vaccine-logistics.pdf