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- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
CMS Updates Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations
On March 10, CMS, in collaboration with the CDC, issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency.
This latest guidance comes as more than 3 million doses of vaccines have been administered within nursing homes, thanks in part to the CDC’s Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, following the FDA authorization for emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the updated guidance, facilities should allow responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status of the resident, or visitor, unless certain scenarios arise that would limit visitation for:
- Unvaccinated residents, if the COVID-19 county positivity rate is greater than 10 percent and less than 70 percent of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated,
- Residents with confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met the criteria to discontinue transmission-based precautions, or
- Residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine
The updated guidance also emphasizes that “compassionate care” visits should be allowed at all times, regardless of a resident’s vaccination status, the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate, or an outbreak. Compassionate care visits include visits for a resident whose health has sharply declined or is experiencing a significant change in circumstances.
CMS continues to recommend facilities, residents, and families adhere to the core principles of COVID-19 infection control, including maintaining physical distancing and conducting visits outdoors whenever possible. This continues to be the safest way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly if either party has not been fully vaccinated.
“CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional, and physical toll that prolonged isolation and separation from family have taken on nursing home residents and their families,” said Dr. Lee Fleisher, MD, CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director of CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. “That is why, now that millions of vaccines have been administered to nursing home residents and staff, and the number of COVID cases in nursing homes has dropped significantly, CMS is updating its visitation guidance to bring more families together safely. This is an important step that we are taking, as we continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining infection prevention practices, given the continued risk of transmission of COVID-19.”
High vaccination rates among nursing home residents, and the diligence of committed nursing home staff to adhere to infection control protocols, which are enforced by CMS, have helped significantly reduce COVID-19 positivity rates and the risk of transmission in nursing homes.
Although outbreaks increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission, as long as there is evidence that the outbreak is contained to a single unit or separate area of the facility, visitation can still occur.
More Information:
Biden Administration to Invest $250 Million in Effort to Encourage COVID-19 Safety and Vaccination Among Underserved Populations
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health
As part of President Biden’s National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness today, the Administration is announcing an effort to invest $250 million to encourage COVID-19 safety and vaccination among underserved populations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) will offer the funding as health literacy grants to localities, who will partner with community-based organizations, to reach racial and ethnic minority, rural and other vulnerable populations. The new initiative – Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19 – is expected to fund approximately 30 projects in urban communities and 43 projects in rural communities for two years. Cities, counties, parishes or other similar subdivisions may apply for the funding.
Recipients are expected to develop a disparity impact statement using local data to identify racial and ethnic minority populations at highest risk for health disparities, low health literacy, and not being engaged or reached through existing public health messages and approaches for promoting COVID-19 public health recommendations. Then they will create and operationalize a health literacy plan, partnering with community-based organizations and adhering to culturally and linguistically appropriate standards, to increase the availability, acceptability and use of COVID-19 public health information and services by racial and ethnic minority populations and others considered vulnerable for not receiving and using COVID-19 public health information.
“Information is power, especially the ability to understand and use information to support better health. Whether it helps us understand where to get tested or the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, information is a crucial part of keeping families and communities safe,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Health RADM Felicia Collins, MD. “Nowhere is this more important than in communities hit hardest by the pandemic, especially racial and ethnic minority communities and other vulnerable populations.”
Racial and ethnic minority populations experience higher rates of cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Social determinants of health, such as housing, education and work conditions, contribute to these disparities. Underlying chronic conditions, such as kidney disease, diabetes and obesity, are more prevalent among minority populations and increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness.
HHS OMH will be accepting applications for this new initiative through April 20, 2021.
Click here to access the notice of funding opportunity.
A technical assistance webinar for potential applicants will be held March 17, 2021 at 5:00 PM ET. Click here to register for the webinar.
Visit our Promotional Resources Page for resources to help you share this notice of funding opportunity.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides public health and science advice to the Secretary, and oversees the Department’s broad-ranging public health offices, whose missions include minority health, HIV policy, women’s health, disease prevention, human research protections and others. OASH also includes the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
The HHS Office of Minority Health is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.
For more information about the HHS Office of Minority Health, visit: www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov.
Rural Early Childhood Health Promotion Toolkit Released
The Rural Health Information Hub, the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis created a toolkit to help rural organizations with implementing early childhood health promotion programs in their communities. The toolkit expands on information published in previous toolkits, including the Oral Health Toolkit.
PCCY Announces Give Kids a Smile Week
Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) is hosting “Give Kids a Smile Week” from March 29th to April 2nd, 2021. Give Kids a Smile Week will connect dentists with children ages 1 to 18, especially children who are uninsured, under-insured, or haven’t seen a dentist in over one year. Dentists in Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties will open their offices free of charge to children to have their mouths examined, teeth cleaned, and in some cases, cavities filled, and teeth pulled. PCCY is looking for volunteers to help schedule appointments and translate during appointments. Stakeholders can also distribute the flyer to friends and colleagues to let more families know about getting care.
Click here for more information.
Click here to download the flyer.
Pennsylvania Expands Elder Financial Exploitation Prevention Efforts
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) is partnering with the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) to provide voluntary training for convenience and grocery store employees to help identify and prevent seniors from being victims of gift card scams.
The training is part of an ongoing initiative by the department to partner with professionals and professional organizations to recognize and report elder financial exploitation and will focus on assorted scams that involve the purchase of gift cards. The training will help store employees spot potential victims of scams and what they can do to help stop the transactions.
“Elder financial exploitation is a scourge on our commonwealth that has not yielded with the challenges posed by COVID-19,” said Tina Kotsalos, Director of the Investor Education and Consumer Outreach Office. “We are thrilled to work with our partners to reduce exploitation through gift card scams and help inform consumers about how to protect their assets.”
“The PA Food Merchants Association is pleased to collaborate with DoBS on this and future training to help combat a continuing problem in Pennsylvania,” said Alex Baloga, president and CEO of PFMA. “We value the opportunity to educate our members about the risks and scams that their customers are facing.”
Gift card scams are a common tactic used by scammers and has grown in frequency over the past several years. Scammers will often instruct victims to make payment for a fictitious debt or fee via payment by gift card because the funds are difficult to trace once the card number and pin are provided to a third party.
Anyone who has been instructed to make payment via gift card should immediately cease contact with the caller and alert local law enforcement using a non-emergency number or report the activity to the Pennsylvania State Police by emailing tips@pa.gov.
The department uses its innovative, research-based programs to train medical doctors, lawyers, social workers, senior service providers, and other professionals who have contact with older Pennsylvanians to recognize and report financial abuse.
Learn more about the free programs and presentations available or contact us to request a program tailored to your specific needs.
Visit the commonwealth’s Responding to COVID-19 guide for the latest guidance and resources for Pennsylvanians or the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s dedicated coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.
Pennsylvania Announces $500,000 Available to Improve Childhood Access to Healthy, Local Foods
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the opening of the 2020-21 PA Farm Bill’s $500,000 Farm to School Grant Program to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for children pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
“The future of Pennsylvania agriculture relies on developing an agriculture literate society, and that begins with our very youngest Pennsylvanians,” said Redding. “It’s so important that we talk to young kids about where their food comes from and foster an appreciation for the role of agriculture in their everyday lives.
“The best way to do this is to improve childhood access to nutritious, local foods, which is exactly what this $500,000 Farm to School Grant Program is here to do,” said Redding.
The Pennsylvania Farm Bill Farm to School Grant Program aims to enrich the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood education sites.
Any school district, charter school, or private school with pre-kindergarten classes, kindergarten, or elementary through fifth grade – regardless of offering in-person, virtual, or hybrid instruction models – is eligible to apply for up to $15,000. Eligible applications should include:
- A list of Pennsylvania farmers who have agreed to supply products from their farms;
- Nutrition and agriculture education, including integration into regular classroom subjects;
- Training of teachers and other educational staff on nutrition and agriculture education;
- Inclusion of parents, caregivers, and community groups in educational activities; and
- Field trips to Pennsylvania farms or other direct agricultural experiences which teach children about sources of food and Pennsylvania agriculture.
Redding was joined by state Representatives Danilo Burgos and John Hershey, champions for the Farm to School legislation in Governor Tom Wolf’s initial Pennsylvania Farm Bill, and Rick Sayles, project coordinator for the Steelton-Highspire School District Farm to School project from the last round of funding.
With their $15,000 Farm to School grant, Steelton-Highspire has worked to launch their Environmental & Agricultural Technology (EAT) Enrichment Project with a goal to address student food insecurity by increasing knowledge of food and agriculture disciplines such as horticulture and STEM. The district acquired contracts with local farmers and agribusinesses such as Strites Orchard, Chartwells, Stocks on Second, and Penn State master gardeners to plan activities for students that simultaneously provided access to fresh, local food and provided opportunities to learn more about how food gets from farm to school.
As the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted traditional learning models, the district adapted its programming with weekly pop-up learning lunches and a produce stand manned by EAT project students. The district was also able to coordinate small group “Fruit & Fun” events with Strites Orchard, where K-5 students enrolled in an after-school program picked and donated more than 800 pounds of produce for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
“Our Farm to School grant has allowed us to increase agriculture education programing and provide an opportunity for students to apply their learning to their every day life,” said Sayles. “The Steelton-Highspire School District is grateful for this opportunity to better our students lives and the entire school community.”
The PA Farm to School Grant Program is now open and accepting applications through March 30, 2021.
The PA Farm Bill is a comprehensive set of programming and funding for Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry. With the third round of funding proposed in Governor Wolf’s 2021-22 budget, the PA Farm Bill will continue to strengthen the resiliency of the industry so many rely on to sustain life.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Farm Bill visit agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill. The Department of Agriculture is actively working to roll out grant programs for the 2020-21 funding. The Ag and Youth Grant Program and Commonwealth Specialty Crop Block Grant Program are open now with their application periods closing on March 5, 2021. The Urban Ag Grant Program opened on March 1 and has an April 16, 2021 deadline.
Core Competencies for Human Trafficking Response in Health Care & Behavioral Health Systems
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Trafficking in Person (OTIP) has released the Core Competencies for Human Trafficking Response in Health Care and Behavioral Health Systems. Research shows that individuals who are experiencing trafficking are likely to seek health care during or around the period of their exploitation. These core competencies pinpoint skill sets that health care and behavioral health practitioners (HCPs) should acquire to identify, respond to, and serve individuals who have experienced trafficking and individuals at risk of trafficking.
Q&A: How to Attract Young People to a Rural Region
By Tim Marema
In the Adirondacks of New York, the loss of young people and working families has hollowed out the economy and local institutions. A report from a regional nonprofit suggests how communities can begin to reverse that process. Public-lands communities around the U.S. will recognize the questions the report seeks to address.
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What Would Redefining Metro Counties Mean for Rural America? It’s Complicated
By Tim Marema
Counties affected by the proposed change worry about the possible impact on federal funding. The bottom line is extremely hard to measure.
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National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
On March 10, HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) will observe National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This is a critical opportunity to shed light on the impact of HIV on women and girls and encourage discussions about HIV testing, sexual health, and the availability of HIV prevention or care and treatment services.
HIV disproportionately impacts Black women and transgender women in the United States, and they often face stigmas related to HIV status, gender, gender identity, and ethnicity. While the rate of HIV diagnoses in women has decreased in recent years, thousands of women are still diagnosed with HIV each year. HRSA HAB is committed to helping women diagnosed with HIV get the care, treatment, medication, and support services they need through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). In 2019, more than 148,000 women received services through the RWHAP, and nearly 88% of women receiving RWHAP HIV medical care were virally suppressed.
Learn more about the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.