- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Investments in Rural America, Invites Public Nominations for Rural Innovators Initiative
- Rural Victims of Intimate-Partner Violence Need More Resources and Support, Study Finds
- A Tribe in Maine Is Using Opioid Settlement Funds on a Sweat Lodge to Treat Addiction
- Fact Sheet: USDA, HHS Announce New Actions to Reduce Impact and Spread of H5N1
- Call for Experts: Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence
- Bill to Expand Definition of 'Village' Qualifying for Water Funds Passes Alaska House
- Child Care Workers Caught in Middle of Michigan's Broken Child Care System
- Few Options Available for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Big Bend
- In Rural Texas, ERs Are Facing a Growing Mental Health Crisis
- Ways and Means Members Put Forth Solutions to Strengthen Telehealth Access and Improve Health Care for Rural Communities
- Sage Memorial Hospital in Navajo Nation Constructs New Facility to Improve Health Care
- How the State, Tribes and Federal Government Are Working to Curb SD's Syphilis Epidemic
- Rural Children Struggle to Access Hospital Services, Say Researchers
- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
Joe Biden Spells Out Platform to Improve Rural America
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden introduced a new platform for improving rural America. A large focus of Biden’s plan
NIOSH COVID-19 Update
As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, below is a summary of new information posted this week.
General Resources
Two New NIOSH Science Blogs are Now Available on Respiratory Protection
- The Blog, Respiratory Protection vs. Source Control – What’s the Difference?, helps readers understand the difference between respiratory protection, which protects the wearer, and source control, which protects others.
- The Blog, Supplementing the Supply of N95s With Reusable Elastomeric Half Mask Respirators, discusses the use of reusable elastomeric half mask respirators (EHMRs) as a substitute for N95 respirators. This comes as organizations rely on other types of respiratory protection due to the high demand and limited supply of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Industry-Specific Resources
Update to Wildland Firefighter FAQs
Updates to the Wildland Firefighter FAQs webpage address new concerns, clarify that testing recommendations are relevant to prevent infection and the spread of COVID-19 regardless of test result or exposures, and update the screening terminology to be consistent across the CDC website.
Limiting Workplace Violence Infographic Translated
The webpage Limiting Workplace Violence Associated With COVID-19 Prevention Policies in Retail and Services Businesses has a newly translated infographic. “Basic dos and don’ts for EMPLOYEES to prevent workplace violence” has been translated into eight languages: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, Haitian-Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian.
New Fact Sheets
CDC recently published fact sheets for two additional groups that provide suggestions for preventing the spread of COVID-19
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Releases State Suicide Prevention Plan
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s Administration, in collaboration with the General Assembly and other agencies, released Pennsylvania’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Plan. The plan, which was developed by the state’s Suicide Prevention Task Force, is a four-year strategy to reduce suicide in Pennsylvania by fighting stigma, increasing training and education on suicide and mental health, improving data collection for suicide, and supporting clinical practices and treatment to prevent suicide and help those who are struggling or in crisis know that things can and will get better.
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the country, claiming more than twice as many lives each year as homicide. In Pennsylvania, 2,017 people completed suicide in 2018 (up from 1,272 suicides in 1999), reflecting a 43.3 percent increase in the age-adjusted suicide rate. Approximately 1.4 million adults attempt suicide annually in the United States, with more than 85 percent reporting having made a suicide plan prior to their attempt. Throughout National Suicide Prevention Month in September, we remember those lost to suicide and support loss and suicide attempt survivors and all who experience suicidal ideation every day. We must build an open dialogue around suicide so anyone who is struggling can discuss what they are experiencing and feel safe, supported, and know that help is available.
Suicide Prevention Task Force
In 2019, the Wolf Administration announced the formation of a statewide Suicide Prevention Task Force comprised of leadership from Prevent Suicide PA, members of the General Assembly, and the departments of Human Services (DHS), Health (DOH), Corrections (DOC), Aging (PDA), Education (PDE), Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Transportation (PennDOT), Agriculture (PDA), Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP). Because suicide is so far-reaching, this diverse array of expertise is necessary to build a comprehensive prevention plan.
From late August through early December 2019, the task force held 10 listening sessions across Pennsylvania. More than 800 Pennsylvanians shared their stories of how suicide and mental health difficulties impact their lives and communities and made recommendations to inform the task force as they developed the statewide plan.
In January 2020, the task force released an initial report, which included key themes heard during the task force listening sessions. The goals and objectives of the task force were refined based on public feedback.
The final Statewide Suicide Prevention Plan lays out the task force’s findings into actionable themes with eight specific goals and objectives:
- Goal 1: Reduce stigma and promote safety, help-seeking, and wellness by increasing suicide awareness and prevention education.
- Goal 2: Promote trauma-informed approaches to support all Pennsylvania residents as part of our suicide prevention efforts by coordinating with Pennsylvania’s Trauma-Informed Care Task Force.
- Goal 3: Provide quality training on the prevention of suicide and management of suicide risk across multiple sectors and settings.
- Goal 4: Promote screening to identify individuals at risk for suicide across sectors, including health care, behavioral health, educational and correctional settings.
- Goal 5: Promote and implement effective clinical and professional practices for assessing and treating those identified as at risk for suicidal behaviors.
- Goal 6: Provide trauma-informed care and support to individuals affected by suicide deaths or attempts to promote healing.
- Goal 7: Promote safety among individuals with identified suicide risk, including firearms safety and awareness of the relationship between opioids and other substances to increased risk of suicide.
- Goal 8: Improve the capacity to utilize data reporting systems relevant to suicide and improve the ability to collect, analyze, and use the information in a timely manner so we can inform further suicide prevention efforts.
Moving forward, the task force will continue working with stakeholders at the local, regional, and state levels to support and monitor the implementation of the plan, and will begin with developing measurable, achievable action items.
Mental Health Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or suicidal ideation or have in past, know that help is always available:
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
- The Spanish-language National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-888-628-9454
- For the Mental Health Crisis Text Line: Text PA to 741741
- Support and Referral Helpline: 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.
- TrevorLifeline for LGBTQ individuals: 866-488-7386
- Trans Helpline: 877-565-8860
These free resources are available 24/7. If you are concerned about someone else’s well-being, these resources can help you be a life-saving assistance. No matter what you are going through, help is available.
Read the final report of Pennsylvania’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Plan online. Members of the public can submit feedback on the plan at RA-PWSuicidePreventn@pa.gov.
National Health Care Scorecard: Where Does Your State Rank?
Becker’s Hospital Review
An analysis of state health system performance revealed Hawaii is the top-ranked state for access to healthcare, quality of care and other key measures.
The Commonwealth Fund’s “2020 Scorecard on State Health System Performance” assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 49 performance indicators grouped into four dimensions: access and affordability, prevention and treatment, potentially avoidable hospital use and cost, and healthy lives. The data used for the scorecard is from before the emergence of COVID-19. Access additional information about the performance indicators here.
The annual scorecard showed Americans are living shorter lives than they did in 2014 and are dying in greater numbers from treatable conditions. Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Kentucky and Mississippi had the biggest increase in premature death rates between 2012 and 2013 and from 2016 to 2017.
The report also found that Black Americans are twice as likely to die from treatable conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and appendicitis, as white Americans. Though these disparities were found in every state, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma reported the highest rates of premature deaths among the Black community.
The report also looked at healthcare prices. It revealed the prices commercial insurers paid for hospital inpatient care were higher than Medicare prices in every state. Because insurers often pass along higher costs to employers in the form of higher premiums and deductibles, the report concluded that healthcare prices are driving spending growth and rising consumer healthcare costs.
Immunization Recommendations for 2020-2021 Influenza Season
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updated its recommendations for prevention and control of seasonal flu with vaccines for the 2020-2021 flu season. Influenza vaccination of persons aged ≥6 months to reduce prevalence of illness caused by influenza will reduce symptoms that might be confused with those of COVID-19. See CDC’s interim guidance for immunization services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oral Health Value-Based Care: The FQHC Story
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are remaking modern health care with an integrated oral health care approach. Health centers and their dental programs are using telehealth and implementing value-based tools for prevention, creating better disease management and positive patient oral health and overall health outcomes. A recently released white paper, Oral Health Value-Based Care: The FQHC Story, from the DentaQuest Partnership and NACHC explores how.
CDC Updates Dental Settings Guidance During COVID-19, Again
On Aug. 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) again updated its Guidance for Dental Settings During the COVID-19 Response. This updated guidance helps give clarifies the previous interim guidance and offers the following:
- Provides a section for routine delivery of care during the pandemic and a second section for delivery of care recommendations for patients with suspected or known COVID-19
- Offers a reminder for dental health care professionals of transmission risks outside of patient care areas
- Offers clarification on engineering controls for open bay operatories, reprocessing treatment areas between patients and alternative disinfection methods
The last dental update for Pennsylvania was the August 13, 2020 PA Health Alert Network (PAHAN) regarding Exposure to COVID-19 in the Dental Care Settings.
Promising Practices Identified to Address COVID-19 among Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) will host a virtual symposium, Advancing the Response to COVID-19: Sharing Promising Programs and Practices for Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities, to highlight state, tribal, territorial and community-based efforts addressing COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority populations. The event is on Thurs., Sept. 17, 2020, 12:00 – 6:00 pm. Register here. Learn more here.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials Seek Volunteers
The National Institute of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has formed the COVID-19 Prevention Network to respond to the global pandemic. The COVID-19 Prevention Network is now enlisting volunteers to participate in clinical trials. Health centers can encourage participation by talking with patients and pointing them to reliable information about clinical trials. The COVID-19 Prevention Network’s website includes:
- Definitions of terms like “clinical study” and descriptions of available clinical studies
- A map of clinical trial locations across the nation
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- A volunteer sign-up portal
FQHCs are encouraged to share these resources with their patients and encourage them to consider joining a nearby trial.
170+ Countries (but not U.S.) Considering Global COVID-19 Effort
The Trump administration said it will not join a global effort to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute a coronavirus vaccine, in part because the World Health Organization is involved, a decision that could shape the course of the pandemic and the country’s role in health diplomacy. More than 170 countries are in talks to participate in the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) Facility, which aims to speed vaccine development, secure doses for all countries and distribute them to the most high-risk segment of each population.