- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Investments in Rural America, Invites Public Nominations for Rural Innovators Initiative
- Rural Victims of Intimate-Partner Violence Need More Resources and Support, Study Finds
- A Tribe in Maine Is Using Opioid Settlement Funds on a Sweat Lodge to Treat Addiction
- Fact Sheet: USDA, HHS Announce New Actions to Reduce Impact and Spread of H5N1
- Call for Experts: Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence
- Bill to Expand Definition of 'Village' Qualifying for Water Funds Passes Alaska House
- Child Care Workers Caught in Middle of Michigan's Broken Child Care System
- Few Options Available for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Big Bend
- In Rural Texas, ERs Are Facing a Growing Mental Health Crisis
- Ways and Means Members Put Forth Solutions to Strengthen Telehealth Access and Improve Health Care for Rural Communities
- Sage Memorial Hospital in Navajo Nation Constructs New Facility to Improve Health Care
- How the State, Tribes and Federal Government Are Working to Curb SD's Syphilis Epidemic
- Rural Children Struggle to Access Hospital Services, Say Researchers
- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
Read About the Health Care Capsule and How to Access Health Care in Rural America
The Government Accountability Office discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband.
Research in this section is provided by the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Sign up to receive alerts when new publications become available.
Behavioral Health Conditions Reach Crisis Levels: Counties Urge Stronger Intergovernmental Partnerships and Outcomes
Several rural counties are featured in a report from the National Association of Counties on behavioral health needs and access challenges.
Read How Regional Partnerships Bolster Rural Hospitals
The nonprofit Commonwealth Fund takes a closer look at how Critical Access Hospitals and other rural providers partner to overcome challenges. The report profiles six regional partnerships that address staffing, quality improvement, contracts with payers, value-based payment, and community development.
The FDA Approves Oral Antiviral Treatment for COVID-19
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the oral antiviral Paxlovid for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19 on May 25. Paxlovid packaged under the emergency use authorization (EUA) will continue to be available to ensure access for adults and treatment of eligible children ages 12-18 who are not covered under new FDA approval. Because of the importance of reducing the risk of significant drug-drug interactions with Paxlovid, the approved label and authorized Fact Fact Sheet for Health Care Providers for the Paxlovid EUA come with a boxed warning with instructions for prescribers. Prescribers should review all patient medications prior to prescribing.
Read About Recent News on the American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Screening Interventions Project Here!
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is recruiting health centers with colorectal cancer screening rates less than 40% for the 2023-2024 Screening Interventions Project. This project leverages quality improvement (QI) strategies and resources to support public health agencies, healthcare providers, and screening advocates across the nation to promote and deliver cancer screening appropriately, safely, and equitably. Quality improvement projects are based on previous structured intervention projects done through shared learning. Healthcare systems will have the opportunity to engage with national partners to share best practices, challenges, and celebrations. ACS staff will provide strategy, materials, training and technical assistance, data and measurement tools, and the latest research to maximize project outcomes. Depending on availability, funding may be available to support health centers participating in this project. Please join PACHC and ACS for a project preview on July 18, 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm; register here. If you are unable to attend and would like to learn more, contact Kacie Jankoski at ACS.
Fentanyl Treatment Guidelines Have Been Released
Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS), a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded grant initiative has released Practice-Based Guidelines: Buprenorphine in the Age of Fentanyl. The guide gives practitioners a blueprint for treating fentanyl use disorder based on available research combined with emerging clinical experience on the use of buprenorphine in the treatment of individuals using fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids.
LGBTQ Youth at High Risk for Attempted Suicide
Over 40% of U.S. LGBTQ young people ages 13 to 24 seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, according to the 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. The survey, which took place between Sept. 1 and Dec. 12, 2022, also found that while 81% of all LGBTQ young people wanted mental health care, 56% of them were not able to get it in the past year.
A New Advisory Warns of Social Media Impact on Youth Mental Health
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.” With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harm from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children. Learn more.
New Details on Geisinger-Kaiser Deal Have Been Released
Regulatory filings detail the timeline for Kaiser Permanente’s value-based care deal to buy Geisinger Health. The disclosures also reveal that millions of dollars will go toward expanding Geisinger’s payer and care services businesses.
Kaiser Permanente Announces Latest Healthcare Organization to Face Litigation Over Data Sharing
A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges that it allowed tech companies to access private patient data for advertising purposes. The complaint, filed by a California patient known as John Doe, claims that the health system’s website and patient portal contained code that granted companies—including Google, Bing, Twitter, Adobe, and Quantum Metric—access to personal information. Kaiser joins a growing list of health systems being sued over their alleged sharing of patient information with tech companies via consumer-tracking technology. The complaint asks for damages and injunctive and declaratory relief. Kaiser Permanente is the health system awaiting approval of an acquisition of Pennsylvania’s Geisinger Health System.