- New Federal Health IT Strategy Sets Sights on a Heathier, More Innovative, and More Equitable Health Care Experience
- The New Story of Old Age in Rural America: Neighbors and Community Lend a Hand
- Upcoming Virtual Workshop: Partnering for Success: Building Partnerships for Health Workforce Training and Education
- New Center Focuses on Preserving Rural Rental Housing Units
- Boys Do Cry: Rural Michigan Men Are Opening up about Mental Health
- Huge $14M Donation Will Help Bring Much-Need Ultrasound Equipment To Rural Wyoming
- UVM Researchers Tackle Rural Health Disparities
- Culture-Responsive Care Addresses Mental Health Disparities in Tribal Communities
- Reentry Program for Those Incarcerated Offers 'A Model for Us to Follow'
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Initiative to Increase Investments in Person-Centered Primary Care
- Study Identifies Higher Rates of Suicide in Some Remote Minnesota Regions
- Rural Employment Recovery Halts
- Workforce Training Center in Chewelah Would Give Internships to Rural High Schoolers
- Some Rural Hospitals Are Removing All Inpatient Beds, Leading to Confusion and No Margin for Error
- FCC Increases Broadband Speed Benchmark
Cost-Effectiveness of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
This month, HRSA published a pair of manuscripts demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS).
These two papers present findings from the first formal evaluation of the RWHAP’s cost-effectiveness at a national level. The first paper presents a new and innovative mathematical model that can be used as a tool for estimating the cost-effectiveness of the RWHAP under a variety of policy scenarios and assumptions. The second paper compares estimated health care costs and outcomes over a 50-year period in the presence of the RWHAP relative to those expected if the comprehensive and integrated system of medical and support services funded by the RWHAP were not available.
Read the first paper.
Read the second paper.
Cancer Disparities among Rural Racial/Ethnic Minorities in U.S.
New research from the University of South Carolina shows that rural Black populations have the highest cancer mortality rate in the U.S.
The report, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, also indicates cancer mortality rates among rural White and Black populations exceed those of their urban counterparts. The report summarizes how racism and social determinants of health disproportionately affect rural racial/ethnic minorities, examining cancer disparities in particular, and offers recommendations to reduce them. The research was funded by HRSA in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute.
Rural Health System Part of Operation Warp Speed Trials for Covid-19 Treatments
By Liz Carey
On the Canadian border of Upstate New York, a small health system is a rare example of rural-based clinical trials for treating Covid-19.
Read more
Report: To Fix Rural Problems We Have to Overhaul Existing Rural Programs
By Anya Slepyan
Researchers found that the federal development programs aimed at partnering with rural communities are ineffective in the rural environment of today.
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White House Staffers Brief Rural Health Advocates on Biden’s American Rescue Plan
By Liz Carey
The Biden administration wants to provide vaccines to federally qualified health centers serving hard-to-reach populations. Also on the table is $160 billion in community support for supplies, testing, and public health personnel.
Read more
Rural Transit Systems Must Balance the Safety of Passengers and Drivers
By Olivia Weeks
The pandemic challenged rural transit systems with maintaining their services and keeping everyone on board safe.
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Rural Covid-19 Cases Drop While Rural Death Rate Holds Steady
By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
The impact of the winter surge continues to be felt in the number of Covid-related deaths that occurred in rural America last week.
Read more
Expanding Diabetes Prevention and Management through Health Center Outreach
According to the Community Preventive Services Task Force, Community Health Workers (CHWs) may address a broad range of health issues and include interventions that focus on diabetes among members of their community. Interventions are delivered to community groups or individuals at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, primarily through information on improvements in diet, physical activity, and weight. This training, hosted by the National Center for Health in Public Housing, will address diabetes resources for CHWs, explain the roles and competencies of CHWs in diabetes prevention and how CHWs can help patients with diabetes with food insecurity and other social determinants of health via community resources. Learn more and register.
Quarterly Heart Health Office Hours and Other Resources
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is celebrating American Heart Month this year by launching a quarterly Heart Health Office Hours. It is a web-based learning series highlighting evidence-based interventions to improve heart health. The inaugural session–Are Hypertension Control Innovations that Maximize Team-Based Care Effective?–on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 3:00 pm, will feature two health centers sharing their experiences implementing team-based care to improve hypertension control. Registration is required. You can also access a suite of resources from NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, hypertension toolkits from the CDC, and The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension that outlines goals and strategies to improve hypertension control. The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has also provided the following resources: Roadmap Quality Improvement Tool to Improve Blood Pressure Control for African Americans, NACHC SMBP Implementation Toolkit, Million Hearts® national SMBP Forum, and their Hypertension Screening and Control Action Guide.
Telehealth “Passport” Cuts through Licensing Red Tape
The Federation of State Medical Boards has launched Provider Bridge, a license-portability initiative that will allow certain clinicians to work across state lines. Clinicians can register and receive a digital Provider Bridge Passport, which collects their active licenses, disciplinary history, specialty certifications and DEA registration and NPI numbers. The clinicians can then submit that passport to a health system, hospital or other care provider in need of help. It’s currently limited to physicians and physician assistants, but the Federation plans to expand the program to other healthcare professionals. Read more.