Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Measuring Adverse Childhood Experiences & Recent Reccomendations

Researchers used claims and enrollment data from Tennessee’s Medicaid program to develop an algorithm measuring five types of ACEs: maltreatment and peer violence, foster care, and family disruption, maternal mental illness, maternal substance use disorder, and abuse of the mother. Recent recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services included stronger data collection that analyzes rural-urban differences.

U.S. Overdose Deaths Hit a Record High During First Year of the Pandemic

 The latest count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) went up to 93,000 deaths in 2020, an increase of 29 percent over the previous year.  Disparities between different population groups widened: black people 15-24 years old experienced the largest rate increase, 86 percent, seven times that of white men in the same age group; overdose rates for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women 25-44 years were nearly two-times that of white women.  Surprisingly, overdose rates in 2020 were higher in areas with higher availability of opioid treatment programs, particularly among black and AI/AN people.  The known differences in access, barriers to care, and health care mistrust could play a role in exacerbating inequities even when treatment is available in the community. Rural-urban data cuts were not included in this study.

ARC Announces READY Appalachia

Appalachians are ready to strengthen their communities, and ARC is here to provide the resources they need.

READY Appalachia is ARC’s new community capacity-building initiative offering free training and flexible funding to Appalachians working in four key economic development pillars: nonprofits, community foundations, local governments, and Local Development Districts.

Participants in each READY Appalachia learning track access 10 weeks of cohort-based learning, skill development, and grant opportunities to increase their capacity to solve pressing issues and create positive economic change.

READY Nonprofits

READY Nonprofits helps nonprofit executives and board members increase their capacity in fundraising, financial management, board development, staff and volunteer recruitment and retention, marketing, and more.

Applications for fall term are open until Friday, August 19.

READY LDDs

READY LDDs will offer awards to increase staffing for Appalachia’s Local Development Districts. Increased team capacity will help LDDs effectively serve clients, including local governments, during this time of increased federal funding.  Coming soon!

READY Foundations

READY Foundations will help local philanthropies working in economic development as they build endowments, leverage different funding sources, develop boards, and learn other foundation-specific fundraising methods. Coming soon!

READY Local Governments

READY Local Governments will help local government employees better apply for, manage, leverage, and implement federally funded projects to invest in infrastructure, business and workforce development, and other long-term solutions to improve the lives of residents.  Coming soon!

The Integration of Behavioral Health/Oral Health Learning Collaborative Begins September

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) is seeking interested health centers to participate in a virtual Learning Collaborative on Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health (IBOH) funded through NNOHA’s cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Learning Collaborative will take place from Sept. 2022 to Dec. 2022 and is 100% virtual. Online applications are due Aug. 5, 2022, by 8:00 pm. More information here.

Latest Updates on Monkeypox Testing Has Been Released

On June 22, the U.S. Department of Human Services (HHS) announced in PA Health Alert Network (PA HAN) Health Advisory 649 that five commercial laboratory companies would soon begin offering monkeypox testing. As per PA HAN 643 and PA HAN 647, providers should consider testing any patient who presents with a rash or lesions that are consistent with monkeypox or presents with a rash or lesions and an epidemiologic risk factor for monkeypox. With this additional monkeypox testing capacity provided by commercial laboratory companies, providers will have more convenient access to monkeypox testing, although it should be noted that the commercial labs will charge for the testing and Pennsylvania state labs will not. If you have any questions, please call your local health department or PA DOH at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258).

Read About Gun Violence and The Impact on Public Health

Gun violence is a major public health problem in the United States, with negative mental and physical impacts that reach far beyond any single event and may endure for years. Between 2015 and 2020, both overall firearm deaths and the number of mass shootings increased across the U.S. Among children and adolescents, guns have become the leading cause of death nationwide with nearly 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people relating to firearms. Poor mental health is often stigmatized as being the cause of an attack, but mental illness is not a significant risk factor for gun violence. When compared to other high-income countries, the U.S. ranks highest in levels of gun violence and gun ownership, yet rates of mental illness in the U.S. are like those in other countries. This infographic explores the mental health impacts of mass shootings and firearm-related incidents as well as the recent federal legislation to address gun violence. Click here to learn more.

The Biden-Harris Administration Secures 3.2 Million Doses of the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD), announced that it secured 3.2 million doses of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine. The protein-based, adjuvanted vaccine will be made available for free to states, jurisdictions, federal pharmacy partners, and FQHCs if it receives U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The company is expected to complete all necessary quality testing in the next few weeks, which would support the final release of the product.