- Ways and Means Members Put Forth Solutions to Strengthen Telehealth Access and Improve Health Care for Rural Communities
- In Rural Texas, ERs Are Facing a Growing Mental Health Crisis
- 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
- Farmers Don't Do Mental Health
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Critical More Than $1.5 Billion State and Tribal Opioid Response Funding Opportunities
- Outlining the Intersection between Health Care and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
- USDA Rural Development Seeks Input to Improve Access to Grants and Help More Communities Thrive
- Rural Telehealth Extension Reintroduced in Congress
- The South Was the Center of Rural Population Growth Last Year
- Students From Across the State Emphasized the Need for Mental Health Resources in Rural Alaska During a Conference
- How HHS SUD Confidentiality Regulations Will Impact Rural Providers
The HRSA Clinician Job Search Tool Has Gotten an Upgrade
HRSA’s Health Workforce Connector connects clinicians to job and training opportunities. New features simplify job searches by discipline and program and offer an expanded display for Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) and other scores, assisting clinicians seeking qualifying positions. HRSA-supported health centers with approval for loan repayment and scholarship programs can create profiles.
Report Outlines on Quality Improvement Strategies for CAHs Have Been Released
A new report offers practical, rural-relevant strategies that critical access hospital (CAH) leaders and staff can adopt to more fully incorporate quality improvement efforts into their organization’s culture and develop a shared sense of responsibility for quality patient care. Based on discussions among rural health quality leaders from across the country who attended the Critical Access Hospital Infrastructure Summit earlier this year, the report is the work of the National Rural Health Resource Center, in partnership with the Flex Monitoring Team and Stratis Health.
Assessing Key Indicators of Rural Versus Urban Water Quality
Among the key findings in this study from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center: existing data is insufficient to determine national estimates of water quality or to compare water quality in rural versus urban areas; the lack of standardized data makes it challenging to protect the public from unsafe waters in a variety of settings.
U.S. Census Bureau Updates
Census Bureau Highlight: Household Pulse Survey
The U.S. Census Bureau, in collaboration with multiple federal agencies, is in a unique position to produce data on the social and economic effects of coronavirus on American households. The Household Pulse Survey was designed to deploy quickly and efficiently, collecting data to measure household experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. It has evolved to include content on other emergent social and economic issues facing households. Data will be disseminated in near real-time to inform federal and state action. You can access the most recent Household Pulse Survey data tables here.
Census Bureau Updates
Census Bureau Releases Schedule for Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Statistics and American Community Survey (ACS) Estimates
- On Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance statistics from the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) will be released.
- On Thursday September 14, 2023, 2022 ACS 1-year estimates will be released, which will include statistics on numerous demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics
- Click here for more details and to view the complete release schedule.
Census Bureau to Establish 2030 Census Advisory Committee
The Census Bureau invites the public to nominate panel members representing stakeholder organizations, groups, interests and viewpoints to the 2030 Census Advisory Committee. This opportunity is another way the Census Bureau is engaging with diverse voices as it prepares for the next decennial census and seeks external perspectives on its plans to address census undercounts, communicate with different communities and collect census information in an easy and efficient way. Click here to learn more.
Census Bureau Releases 2022 Census of Governments: Organization Data
The U.S. Census Bureau released the official count of state and local governments. Data are presented by characteristics such as government type, state, population size groups, and function. The data also provide detailed characteristics of school systems, that include independent school districts and dependent school systems. You can learn more about the Census of Governments in this recent podcast and access the data here.
Availability of Here You Can Find Research on Dialysis Facilities and Primary Care Safety Net Providers in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
Two briefs from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center document disparities in geographic access to health services for areas containing a high proportion of minoritized racial/ethnic group residents. The term “minoritized” refers to groups that have been historically marginalized by society and government institutions.
Here You Can Read About the August Grants in Motion: Training the Rural Public Health Workforce
The Rural Health Information Hub’s quarterly highlight of FORHP-funded projects is the Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program (RPHWTN). The goal of the RPHWTN program is to expand public health capacity in rural and tribal areas with job development, training, and placement through four training tracks: 1) community health support, 2) community paramedicine, 3) health information technology and/or telehealth technical support, and 4) case management and/or respiratory therapy.
3RNET System for Provider Recruitment is Celebrating 10 Years this August!
The organization originally formed as the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network helps rural practices expand their reach for posting job vacancies. This online event features Provider Retention & Information System Management (PRISM) that collects and shares real-time data to enhance clinician recruitment and retention. PRISM is a collaboration of State Primary Care Offices, Offices of Rural Health, Area Health Education Centers, and other organizations that have partnered to collect data to identify and document outcomes to enhance the retention of clinicians. Through its design, this collaborative approach builds shared interest, cooperation, and group wisdom in best practices to promote retention among the states. Registration is required for this online event. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 3:00 pm ET.
Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Events: Save the Dates!
The Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center at the Pennsylvania Association for Community Health Centers has set the dates for its fall career events. Registration information will be available soon.
Fall Frontline Career Events will take place at three Harrisburg Area Community College campuses from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The cost is $50 per event. Contact Gillian Brooks for more information.
Dates and locations are:
- September 18, Lancaster
- October 23, Gettysburg
- November 6, York
Career Networking Events are targeted at physicians, dentists, and other providers. They will run from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The cost is $100 for one event, $175 for two events, and $75 for any additional events. Contact Al Williams for more information.
Dates and locations are:
- October 18, Hershey
- November 1, Erie
- November 2, Pittsburgh
- November 9, Scranton
New ADA Guidelines Released for Treating Dental Pain in Kids
New guidelines concerning treating short-team dental pain in children were released by the American Dental Association (ADA) after being developed by the ADA Science & Research Institute in Chicago, the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, and the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Children having short-term dental pain from extractions or toothache should not be prescribed opioids but rather manage those aches with over-the-counter ibuprofen and/or acetaminophen.
The guidelines align with U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations from 2017, which advised against the use of codeine and tramadol in children under age 12.
Pennsylvania Human Services Agency Accepting Comments for Medical Assistance Program Fee Schedule Revisions
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services issued Medical Assistance Program Fee Schedule Revisions; 2023 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System Updates; Fee Adjustments; Prior Authorization Requirements update in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. These changes are effective for dates of service on and after September 5th, 2023. The revisions include an update for topical fluoride varnish service and silver diamine fluoride application. Written comments can be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Medical Assistance Programs, c/o Regulations Coordinator, P.O. Box 2675, Harrisburg, PA 17120 or RA-PWMAProgComments@ pa.gov. Comments received within 30 days will be reviewed and considered for any subsequent
revisions to the MA Program Fee Schedule.