- 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
CMS Issues Notice of Funding Opportunity for CHART Model
President Trump signed the “Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access,” which directed the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to create a new, rural payment model. On August 11th, CMMI unveiled the details of their new model, the Community Health and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model. Wednesday, CMS announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Community Transformation Track within the CHART Model. This track will provide up-front funding to up to 15 rural communities across the country. CMS is accepting grant applications now.
Trump Administration Distributes $25M to Rural Organizations to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan tweeted HRSA’s intent to distribute an additional $25 million to rural organizations fighting the opioid epidemic. NRHA applauds the Administration’s continued work to fund and build upon the success of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP).
Trump Administration Reveals COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan
HHS and the Department of Defense (DOD) released their joint vaccination plan ‘From the Factories to the Frontline.’ This plan was released after months of planning and gathering information from stakeholders in the wake of Congress’ passage of the CARES Act, which included Operation Warp Speed. Operation Warp Speed is the plan to advance and fund several different potential vaccinations in the hopes of identifying a viable vaccination quickly. In reference to rural America, the Administration displayed their commitment to equitable delivery saying:
“HHS is also committed to ensuring rural populations can receive the vaccine, and has decades of experience working with public health partners addressing the needs of hard-to-reach populations. CDC will work with local communities, governments, and other partners to identify the best places and times to reach this population and utilize strategic distribution points via community health centers, schools, workplaces, mobile clinics, and pharmacies.”
CMS Removes Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR) from Regulatory Agenda
On Monday, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma tweeted the agency’s decision to remove MFAR from their regulatory agenda: a major regulatory win for NRHA and members. It was projected that MFAR would cost providers severely, specifically in rural America. NRHA continues to advocate CMS to remove other, unnecessary regulations from their agenda, most notably the Price Transparency regulation. This decision was a great step in the right direction, but NRHA and its members are continuing to advocate CMS to remove other gratuitous regulatory burdens on behalf of rural providers.
Capitol Hill Rural Advocates of the Week: September 14th-18th, 2020
For the inaugural week, NRHA is highlighting the fantastic efforts of Representative David McKinley (R-WV) and Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), who led a letter in the House of Representatives to stand up to pharmaceutical manufacturers attacking the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Representatives McKinley and DeGette corralled a coalition of nearly 250 bipartisan Members to denounce their actions and request U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar urge the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to exert regulatory authority to rein in these unwarranted attacks.
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Highlights Efforts to Ensure that PPE is Available, Accessible and Plentiful
Six months after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today highlighted the Wolf Administration’s efforts to respond to the state’s critical need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure that mitigation-related products, from masks and medical equipment to cleaning and sanitation supplies, are available, accessible and plentiful.
“In the early days of the pandemic, this administration took numerous steps to secure sources of PPE to ensure that Pennsylvanians were protected and that our health system was not overwhelmed,” Gov. Wolf said. “Our proactive and ongoing efforts to secure PPE, coupled with the flexibility and ingenuity displayed by Pennsylvania’s business community, helped us secure and allocate PPE. Because of the steps we took, our hospitals were not overburdened, and our medical system was not strained. Now, six months after the virus first appeared in the commonwealth, we can say with confidence that we are prepared to stay safe as we continue to fight this pandemic.”
Among myriad actions to support Pennsylvania’s health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Wolf signed an order in April to provide critical aid to hospitals with targeted PPE and supplies distribution.
The Wolf Administration is also working with eligible organizations that may be experiencing a shortage of respirators to connect them with the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS), which provides free decontamination and reuse of N95 respirators as needed during a time of crisis. The system uses a vaporous hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate up to tens of thousands of N95 masks a day.
“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that we needed to take definitive steps to acquire and manufacture PPE because we could not solely rely on existing systems to adequately supply the quantities we felt we would need,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “Without the combined efforts of multiple state agencies, strategic investment in Pennsylvania-based manufacturers and strong public-private partnerships, we would not have been able to acquire and distribute the critical PPE needed to protect our front line healthcare workers and first responders.”
The Wolf Administration created several opportunities to connect PPE-producing/distributing businesses to hospitals, medical facilities and other businesses.
The Critical Donations Portal was developed for individuals, corporations, or community organizations to inform the commonwealth of critical medical supplies available for donation.
The Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal was developed to source the most needed supplies for medical providers, emergency responders and health care professionals. This portal is for manufacturers, distributors and other suppliers to inform the state of supplies available for purchase and will allow us to more quickly and efficiently procure these supplies for hospitals and medical facilities across Pennsylvania.
The Manufacturing Call to Action Portal was developed to match manufacturers and distributors to fill specific supply chain needs to meet increasing demands for medical supplies and related products, assist manufacturers that have workforce needs or gaps and aid them in identifying skilled workers, and identify manufacturers that can pivot or innovate to fulfill the demand for medical supplies and related products.
The Business-to-Business Interchange Directory connects organizations and businesses directly to manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of COVID-19-related products and supplies. This directory is made available to entities that contacted the commonwealth through the portals.
These resources are all available through the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
“Our businesses and manufacturers showed us what is best about Pennsylvania throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — our innovation and can-do spirit,” said DCED Sec. Dennis Davin. “Companies stepped up when we needed them, providing products to protect their employees, communities, and the commonwealth as a whole. Today, we thank and applaud them for those efforts.”
The governor and Wolf Administration officials held the news conference at Americhem International, a Middletown-based wholesale distributor of janitorial and sanitizing products that serves a variety of industries, including commercial cleaning, hospitality, healthcare and more.
Americhem, which offers a variety of COVID-related mitigation products, is on the administration’s Business-to-Business Interchange Directory.
Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Advises SNAP Recipients of Potential Scams, Reminds of Safe Way to Apply for Assistance
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today advised Pennsylvanians of a potential text messaging scam telling people they are selected to receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. DHS and other government agencies do not and will not solicit participation in SNAP or any other public assistance programs via text, and Pennsylvanians should not reply or share any personal information if they are contacted in this manner.
“We are all living through difficult times, and unfortunately, there are people who will try to take advantage of others who may need help meeting essential needs,” said Secretary Miller. “If you receive unsolicited or random calls or text messages telling you that you qualify for assistance then asking for personal information, it is most likely a scam. Do not respond, and delete the message so you do not get caught in an identity theft scam.”
The United States Department of Agriculture publishes information about potential SNAP scams, but Pennsylvanians should always be aware of the threat of phishing schemes through unsolicited calls and text messages.
Pennsylvanians who have questions about whether a call, text, letter, or other communication is legitimate should contact DHS’ Office of Income Maintenance. Clients in Philadelphia with questions or who need a paper application mailed to them should call the Philadelphia Customer Service Center at 215-560-7226. Clients in all other counties can call the Statewide Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930.
If Pennsylvanians need help purchasing or affording food for themselves and their families, help may be available through SNAP. SNAP helps nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians by providing assistance each month for groceries, helping households purchase enough food to avoid going hungry. SNAP is our country’s most important and most impactful anti-hunger program. For every meal provided by a Feeding Pennsylvania food bank, SNAP provides nine. While SNAP is intended to be a supplemental program, during a pandemic and historic unemployment, resources are strained, particularly for our lowest income Pennsylvanians.
Applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. All Pennsylvanians experiencing financial hardships due to the pandemic, a lost job, or a change in income are strongly encouraged to apply and see if they qualify for assistance with food, health care, and other essential needs.
For more information about food assistance resources for people around Pennsylvania impacted by COVID-19 and the accompanying economic insecurity, visit the Department of Agriculture’s food security guide.
Pennsylvania Ag Secretary, State Veterinarian: New Animal ID Rules Help Track Disease, Prevent Outbreaks
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and State Veterinarian Dr. Kevin Brightbill reminded small-ruminant producers that new requirements for scrapie tags and premises IDs will help ensure better, faster disease tracing and control. Adhering to new federal requirements will help keep scrapie instances from becoming full-blown outbreaks, ultimately saving producers from devastating livestock and financial losses.
“We have made significant progress in eradicating this costly and fatal disease,” said Redding. “Our commonwealth must continue efforts to ensure the protection of our herds and flocks from scrapie as it threatens Pennsylvania agriculture. Establish a premises identification number for your herd or flock.”
Scrapie is known to be transmissible from infected to uninfected sheep and goats through exposure from birthing fluids and tissues. Clinical signs may be noticed 18 months to 5 years after exposure and include progressive weight loss despite no decrease in appetite, difficulty walking, fine tremors/shaking of ears and head and, most notably, extreme itching. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect animals against scrapie, and there is no known cure or treatment for the disease.
“Scrapie is a fatal infectious and progressive disease affecting the brain and spinal cord of sheep and goats and belongs to a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs),” said Brightbill. “There is no evidence humans have ever been infected with scrapie.”
In August 2018, a Pennsylvania goat sampled at slaughter in July 2018, was confirmed positive for classical scrapie. The goat was traced to a Pennsylvania herd that has both sheep and goats. The herd was designated as a source flock by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). An additional five sheep and one goat were confirmed positive for classical scrapie within that herd at the time of partial herd depopulation. Only sheep and goats shown to be genetically susceptible to scrapie were depopulated.
To establish a premises identification number (PIN) for your herd or flock please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Premises Registration Form to enroll your premises.
After a PIN has been established, dial USDA’s toll-free tag line at (866) 873-2824 to order scrapie tags for your herd or flock. The Pennsylvania Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (PVL) is offering genetic screening for owners interested in identifying scrapie resistant animals in their flocks. To find out more ask your veterinarian or call PVL at (717) 787-8808. Additionally, USDA APHIS offers free scrapie testing for deceased animals over the age of 14 months.
All sheep and goats born in Pennsylvania must be identified with a PDA-approved form of official individual identification, prior to being transported live off the birth premises. No sheep or goat, of any age, shall be imported or shipped into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania without a department-approved form of individual identification. Additionally, per the Final Rule of the National Scrapie Eradication Program, all sheep and goats must be accompanied in transit by either a valid Interstate Health Certificate or owner shipper statement if the animals are moving in slaughter channels.
Up until January 1, 2021 the department will offer educational outreach and written notices of violation to gently prompt compliance. After January 1, 2021, entities failing to comply will be subject to enforcement and penalties as are allowed under the provisions of Pennsylvania’s Domestic Animal Law, including revocation of license, criminal prosecution and/or civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and injunctive.
Additional questions may be addressed by calling the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services at 717-772-2852 or RA-ahds@pa.gov. Questions directed toward USDA APHIS may be addressed by calling Dr. Stephanie Ringler at 717-599-9957.
Pennsylvania First Lady Sends Letter to Federal Government Urging for the Continuation of Child Nutrition Programs
Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf and 17 other First Spouses and Partners sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congressional Leadership, urging both federal entities to continue to work together to further extend and fully fund child nutrition program operations throughout the entire 2020-21 school year. The letter was also signed by:
- First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California
- First Gentleman Marlon Reis, Colorado
- First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, Delaware
- First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige, Hawaii
- First Lady MK Pritzker, Illinois
- First Gentleman Dr. Ted Daughety, Kansas
- First Lady Britainy Beshear, Kentucky
- First Lady Lauren Baker, Massachusetts
- First Lady Gwen Walz, Minnesota
- First Lady Lisa Bullock, Montana
- First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy, New Jersey
- First Lady Kristin Cooper, North Carolina
- First Gentleman Andy Moffit, Rhode Island
- First Lady Pamela Northam, Virginia
- First Lady Trudi Inslee, Washington
- First Lady Kathy Evers, Wisconsin
- First Lady Jennie Gordon, Wyoming
Together, the signatories represent over 30 million children across the country.
“Hunger is not a partisan issue; it is everyone’s issue. When we look at how many other state leaders were willing to put their names on the dotted line, we get a glimpse of how many other children and families are struggling to get food,” stated First Lady Wolf. “We understand that the parties we have written to have taken steps to continue these feeding programs, and we thank them for their effort. However, as we cannot see the end of the pandemic, when families financial situations will be back to normal, or when our education system will stabilize, it is imperative that we plan to assist our residents for as long as we can.”
In late August, the USDA announced the extension of nationwide waivers that allow schools and community partners to continue serving meals to all children at no charge until the available funding runs out, or as late as December 31, 2020.
While the actions of the USDA throughout the pandemic, including this most recent motion, have helped tremendously with feeding children and families across the nation, recent food insecurity statistics remain alarming. According to Feeding America research, more than 54 million people, including 18 million children, may experience food insecurity this year, marking a 46 percent increase in general food insecurity rates and a 64 percent increase in child food insecurity rates compared to pre-COVID-19 statistics.
Without Congressional action, the USDA’s authority to extend school feeding waivers and other crucial feeding programs will sunset on September 30, 2020, leaving families, schools, and community partners without the tools and resources they need to feed kids during this pandemic.
Share Our Strength, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty in the United States and abroad through campaigns like No Kid Hungry, has also been advocating for the extension of these critical waivers alongside more than 1,300 national and state-based organizations working to feed children and their families.
“Schools and community organizations need child nutrition waivers extended through the end of the academic year so they can plan and prepare their meal programs. And, with anywhere from 14 million to 17 million children not getting the food they need because of the pandemic, kids need the certainty of a nutritious meal,” says Lisa Davis, Senior Vice President of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. “Our nation’s First Spouses and Partners, who are fierce champions for children in their states, understand the scope of the hunger crisis this pandemic has caused in their communities. They know that extending child nutrition waivers through the entire 2020-2021 school year is critical to getting our nation back on the path to ending hunger.”
View the full text of the letter to Sec. Perdue and the USDA.
View the full text of the letter to Congressional Leadership.
New Brief Released on Internet Access in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Data Center released a new brief on access to broadband internet in the state. The report showed that subscriptions increased for the general population in Pennsylvania from 2015 (81.2%) to 2019 (89.0%). By 2019, access to broadband was comparable for those under 18 years of age and those 18 to 64 years of age (93.2% and 92.1%, respectively). Pennsylvania’s seniors, or those age 65 years and over, still had lower access to broadband in comparison (74.3%).
Click here to read to read the brief. Be sure to click the link within the brief to explore the interactive chart showing broadband internet access by age and race.