Depressive Disorders are a category of Mood Disorders as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Depressive Disorders are generally characterized by disturbances to several facets of a person's mood, including, but not limited to motivation, self-esteem, eating habits, sleep schedules, etc. An individual experiencing depression may experience decreased interest in day-to-day activities, anhedonia, fatigue, poor concentration, lowered self-esteem, feelings of guilt and shame, social withdrawal and isolation, insomnia, hypersomnia, poor appetite, and over-eating. 

As Community Health Centers navigate the ever-evolving landscape of community healthcare, it's imperative that we continually seek innovative solutions to address the specific challenges our patients face.
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 At Neighborhood Health Center (NHC), we recently adopted one innovative solution that promises to improve medication access and patient outcomes within our clinics – prescription pharmacy lockers.

By Anthony Harvey, Data and Information Specialist, NWRPCA

​NWRPCA’s training needs assessment is conducted on an annual basis and is used throughout the following year to help determine what kinds of trainings and sessions we as a PCA should work towards offering to health center employees and affiliates throughout our region. Our most recently facilitated assessment (conducted 09/2023-10/2023) garnered over 300 participants from health centers across WA, OR, ID, & AK. 

In today’s digital age, the healthcare industry faces significant cybersecurity risks that can have severe legal, financial, and reputational consequences. Based on a claims report by Marsh, the parent company of Marsh McLennan Agency, the healthcare industry has consistently reported the highest number of claims annually from 2020 to 2023. Healthcare is an appealing target for cyberattacks due to the sensitive nature of the information stored on systems and the critical and time-sensitive nature of operations.