- 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
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- 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
- Over 3,000 Homes on the Navajo Nation Receive Accurate Addresses for the First Time
You Can Apply for NHSC Loan Repayment Here!
HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce announced the next opportunity for three loan repayment programs from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Of more than 20,000 NHSC members serving across the country, about one in three works in a rural area. In exchange for a commitment to serve at an NHSC-approved facility, practicing clinicians providing primary medical, dental, or behavioral health care services may qualify for loan repayment up to $50,000 with an NHSC Loan Repayment Program award, up to $75,000 for the NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program, and up to $100,000 for the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. The rural NHSC program is in coordination with FORHP’s rural opioid programming providing evidence-based substance use disorder treatment. The Deadline is April 25, 2023.
The Health Resource & Service Administration Releases New Recommendations on Rural Child Care
The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services has a new policy brief examining the challenges in rural areas. The brief focuses on the long-standing difficulties and its importance for the well-being and economic stability of rural families. The pandemic brought greater attention to these challenges, along with historic levels of funding to childcare providers through COVID-19 supplemental appropriations to ensure the continued availability of care.
PA State Data Center Publishes New Briefs
See below for new briefs from the Pennsylvania State Data Center. For more information, contact the Data Center at pasdc@psu.edu.
New Brief Highlights Median Household Income in Pennsylvania
Our latest brief details median household income in Pennsylvania. The brief explores differences by race and ethnicity at the state level and compares Black or African American households and White households at the county level. Read more on our Research Briefs page.
Census Bureau Updates
- 2021 County business Patterns
The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2021 County Business Patterns (CBP) First Look data table. This preliminary tabulation includes the number of establishments; employment for the week of March 12, 2021; first quarter payroll; and annual payroll at the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) sector level for the nation. Final CBP tables for 2021 are scheduled for release in April 2023. Click here to learn more.
- New National Experimental Data Product about Wellbeing
The U.S. Census Bureau released the first set of estimates from the National Experimental Wellbeing Statistics (NEWS) project, an experimental data product that uses a new methodology to calculate income and poverty estimates. Click here to learn more.
- New data from phase 3.7 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS)
The HPS is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to provide near real-time data on how the COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in social and economic conditions are affecting people’s lives to inform federal and state response and recovery planning. Click here to explore the data.
Just Launched: An Introduction to Value-Based Care in Oral Health
The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health is offering a new self-paced online course, “An Introduction to Value-Based Care in Oral Health: Moving from Volume to Value.” The one-hour course identifies how value-based care in oral health can improve patients’ health outcomes while benefiting providers and payors. It offers 1 CE credit and includes a collection of resources and references to learn more about the topic.
Pennsylvania Health Equity Office Publishes Implicit Bias Toolkit
The Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Health Equity published an Implicit Bias Toolkit. The toolkit provides resources to reduce implicit bias and explicit bias in clinical healthcare settings. The toolkit includes tools to avoid bias and resources to address discrimination in healthcare.
New Study Released: Silver Diamine Fluoride Effectiveness
A study of almost 3,000 children found silver diamine fluoride may be as effective as dental sealants for caries prevention. The study was reported in JAMA Network Open. The objective was to determine the noninferiority of silver diamine fluoride with fluoride varnish versus traditional glass ionomer sealants with fluoride varnish after two years when provided to children via a school-based health care program.
COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) New Overview Fact Sheet
As part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ongoing efforts to provide up-to-date information to prepare for the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, which is expected on May, 11, 2023, we are providing a new overview fact sheet on CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. COVID-19 efforts have been a significant priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and with the use of whole-of-government approach, the country is in a better place. Over the next several months, CMS will work to ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations.
The CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency provides clarity on several topics including:
- COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments;
- Telehealth services;
- Health Care Access
In the coming weeks, CMS will be hosting stakeholder calls and office hours to provide additional information. Please visit the CMS Emergencies Page for continuous updates regarding PHE sunsetting guidance as information becomes available to the public.