- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Historic Action to Increase Access to Quality Care, and Support to Families and Care Workers
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
- Miles for Milk: How Student-Run Grocery Store Reshaped Rural Community's Food Access
- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Sunsets, Wildlife and Limited Care: Challenges of Aging in Place in Rural America
- City-Country Mortality Gap Widens amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access
- Tribal Environmental Impact Network
- Minnesota's Rural Ambulance Providers Look to State Capitol for Their Own Lifeline
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action to Support the Primary Care Workforce
HRSA Proposes to Rescind FQHC 340B Insulin/Injectable Epinephrine Final Rule
HRSA published in the Federal Register a proposed rule that, if published as final, will rescind the insulin/injectable epinephrine final rule impacting FQHCs participating in the 340B Program. There is a 30-day public comment period. NACHC is working on a comment template and encourages health centers to weigh in on this proposal by submitting comments supporting the premise that the existing Trump Administration final rule would not increase access for patients but would place an immense burden on the health center program. If you have any questions, please contact regulatoryaffairs@nachc.org.
A Shift from “APPRISE” to “PA MEDI”
Effective July 1, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) currently named APPRISE, will be renamed Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight, PA MEDI; same program, same services for Pennsylvania’s Medicare beneficiaries, now with a new name. The new branding is designed as a unique opportunity for PA’s SHIP to grow, innovate, connect with beneficiaries and organizations, tap into new populations and to be relevant to beneficiaries’ needs.
Reports Highlights Importance of Enrollment Assistance
Young Invincibles released its 2021 State of Enrollment Report: Health Insurance Outreach and Enrollment During COVID-19. This report is based on extensive interviews with dozens of partners representing a broad spectrum of stakeholders within the enrollment community, representing 13 different programs across 15 states. The report focuses on consumer assistance and education and Navigator programs established as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the challenges confronted during the global pandemic. The report also discusses the current enrollment landscape, COVID-19 and enrollment and offers suggestions to improve the Navigator program for federally facilitated marketplaces using Healthcare.gov.
Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Looks to Make infrastructure Deal
After negotiations between the White House and lead Republican negotiator Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) broke down last week, a bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers proposed a nearly $1 trillion package, primarily focused on traditional infrastructure. The details of the package and how Congress would pay for it remains unclear. Congressional Democrats continue to consider reconciliation to seek a larger funding package with more progressive pay-fors. However, it is unclear if a partisan infrastructure package would receive 51 votes in the Senate. Advocacy is vital to push lawmakers to include health center capital funding in whatever infrastructure proposal moves forward. Click here for an Infrastructure Toolkit and additional advocacy resources.
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Partners with United Way of Pennsylvania to Offer Local Grant Opportunities to Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy
The Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s Administration and the United Way of Pennsylvania launched the Local Innovations in Vaccine Equity in Pennsylvania project (LIVE PA) to administer $4 million in mini-grants to local organizations aimed to reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensuring an equitable vaccine distribution throughout the commonwealth. With a reimbursement rate of $10 per shot achieved, the grants are designed initially to range from $200 to $20,000 per vaccination event. It also includes a requirement that the nonprofits and the local United Way chapters involved promote the events using traditional and digital media to help fight vaccine hesitancy. The pilot phase of LIVE PA will target the zip codes and census tracts with the highest levels of health disparities, poverty and vaccine inequity in the commonwealth. After the pilot phase is complete, the grant opportunity will scale to cover the entire commonwealth over time, targeting vulnerable populations with barriers to vaccination in rural, urban, and suburban communities. Individuals or organizations interested in learning more about eligibility and the application process should reach out to their local United Way chapter or the United Way of Pennsylvania at info@uwp.org. Click here to learn more.
DoorDash Donating $2 Million in Gift Cards to Health Centers
DoorDash is donating $2 million in gift cards to be distributed by Direct Relief to Community Health Centers across the country as incentives to support vaccine outreach and participation. More than 300 FQHCs have already signed up and some Pennsylvania health centers have already received their gift card supply. Health centers that are part of Direct Relief’s network of FQHCs received direct emails on earlier this month and notifications on Direct Relief’s process for ordering the cards. Other health centers can click here to learn how your health center can participate.
“Back to School” Vaccinations
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign aims to get children and teens vaccinated so they are protected when they go back to in-person learning. Whether your organization is looking to catch children up on missed vaccines or promoting the COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents, you can find the Campaign’s many resources to promote well-child visits and vaccines on InsureKidsNow.gov.
Medication Organizer Packages & Children Study
A new study that focused on the presence of medications in many medication organizers that could prove fatal to a child, reveals that nearly three-quarters of medication organizer packages contain a drug class from which a single pill could be lethal. The “one pill that can kill” (1PCK) drugs include tricyclic antidepressants, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, sulfonylureas, opioids and many others. These organizers are used to help support treatment adherence, particularly in older adults.
2021 West Nile Virus Season in Pennsylvania
The PA Department of Health has issued Health Advisory 576 regarding 2021 West Nile Virus (WNV). The first WNV-positive pools were identified in Pennsylvania in Lebanon and Beaver counties for the 2021 arbovirus season through the routine seasonal monitoring conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance program. This indicates that WNV may have begun to circulate in Pennsylvania. Risk of human WNV infection is likely to remain elevated over the next several months. This is a reminder to consider the diagnosis of arboviral infection in persons presenting with undifferentiated febrile illness or signs of meningoencephalitis. To read more on this advisory, click here. Additional surveillance data is available by clicking here. For questions, please call your local health department or DOH at 1-877-PA-HEALTH.
Newly Updated: Dental Workforce Manual
This updated chapter of the NNOHA Operations Manual provides helpful tools and resources for tackling issues related to workforce in health center dental programs, including recruitment and retention strategies, academic partnerships, and staffing ratios.