Comments Due May 13

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing a survey to collect beneficiaries’ reasons for disenrolling from a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan or Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), and they seek public input on the necessity of the survey, ways to enhance the quality and clarity of the questions, the estimated time burden on beneficiaries, and the methods for administering the survey.  CMS will use the Disenrollment Survey to monitor the quality of service that Medicare beneficiaries get from plans and their providers and to understand beneficiaries’ expectations about their MA and PDP benefits and services.  Rural enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans has been growing over the last decade, and researchers expect that a majority of rural beneficiaries will be enrolled in MA by 2025.

Read the full article here.

HRSA will hold a virtual public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM) over three days beginning April 4. Topics discussed may include the federal Healthy Start program and rural healthcare access, social drivers of health, and women’s health before/between pregnancies.  Individuals with lived experience and community members will provide remarks on how to achieve optimal maternal health and overall birth outcomes for underserved populations. Register at the ACIMM website and submit comments via email to SACIM@hrsa.gov.

Read the full article here.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is excited to announce the launch of the new Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority website. The PBDA has been working diligently to design a website that offers a more intuitive and visually appealing experience for its visitors. There are a number of new features added to this website and we’ve outlined some of those below:

1. A navigation Panel for ease in finding the information you’re seeking
2. Quick links that will take you directly to hot topic resources
3. Real-time data on unserved/underserved  locations, projects awarded, and funding allocated
4. Resources that are specifically tailored for various audiences

Lastly, we thank our many valuable partners who have helped to contribute to the enhancement of the PBDA website. We hope that you find this a more valuable resource as we work together to ensure Internet For All across the commonwealth!

Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced the Community Health Worker Access Act, a new bill proposing crucial investments in the community health worker (CHW) workforce to improve health care access. The CHW Access Act seeks to improve Medicare reimbursement for CHWs and support integration into Medicaid by providing reimbursement and creating an optional Medicaid benefit, incentivized by an enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), to cover preventative services and address social needs of patients being assisted by CHWs. CHWs are critical in their role and impact on the healthcare delivery system. Inadequate and unstable funding looks to jeopardize the strides made by these essential workers. The National Association of Community Health Workers and Partners in Health – US have put together a Social Media Toolkit with unbranded, shareable social media messages, and graphics to uplift the bill.

Both Sen. Casey and Sen. Fetterman have announced that appropriations request forms for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 are now live. The request forms allow constituents to state their requests for federal discretionary funding. Filling out these forms is the principal method for constituents to request the Senators’ support for funding federal discretionary programs and associated Senate Appropriations Committee report language. PACHC sent a separate email on the opportunity with the necessary forms and additional information to all health center CEOs earlier this week. Questions may be directed to Eric Kiehl Director of Policy and Partnership, PACHC, or by reaching out to the Senator’s office.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reserving $1.7 million in grant money to address maternal mortality, acting Secretary of Health Debra Bogen announced last Friday. The money adds to the $2.6 million that Gov. Josh Shapiro recommended in his recent 2024–2025 budget address to go toward maternal health, as well as $2.3 million from the previous year’s budget to expand maternal health programming. The pregnancy-associated mortality rate in Pennsylvania is 82 for every 100,000 live births, according to the state Department of Health’s 2021 Maternal Mortality Report, compared to a national average of 39.2 per 100,000 live births. The report also says the maternal mortality rate for Black women in the state is twice as high than that of their white counterparts. Learn more.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden today announced that the Department is inviting applications for loans and grants to repair, improve or modify existing USDA financed multifamily housing properties for year-round and seasonal domestic farmworkers.

USDA is making the funding available under the Off-Farm Labor Housing Programs. These programs provide grants and loans of up to $40,000 per unit for farmers, nonprofits, local governments and federally recognized Tribes to improve, repair or modify properties that have previously received financing from USDA for farmworkers.

The funding may be used to make improvements, repairs and/or modifications to address accessibility compliance and health and safety issues.

USDA is particularly interested in applications that will advance Biden-Harris Administration priorities to:

• Reduce climate pollution and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.
• Ensure all rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development (RD) programs and benefits from RD-funded projects.
• Help rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.

Applications must be submitted by 12 p.m. ET on June 18, 2024.

For more information, see page 19400 of the March 18, 2024, Federal Register.

To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit GovDelivery subscriber page

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced the availability of $6.5 million in funding to expand drop-in center services for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) across Pennsylvania.

Drop-in centers provide a safe, judgment-free place for people to receive daily essentials, engage with staff to learn about the possibility of recovery and treatment options, and, when ready, get connected to those services. They also provide harm reduction and recovery support services.

“This funding is designed to help organizations looking to expand their community-driven harm reduction support services to increase overdose prevention and a connection to SUD support services.” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “Drop-in centers provide a doorway for an individual’s recovery journey – we’re looking to make that doorway wider, and easier to walk into.”

Eligible applicants, including existing community organizations, Single County Authorities, and DDAP-licensed treatment providers, can find the grant application and project summary on the DDAP website. Approximately eight grants will be awarded up to $750,000. Some examples of services provided by drop-in centers include but are not limited to:

• Harm-reduction for substance use by incorporating overdose prevention and legally permissible harm reduction efforts into existing services;
• Addressing social determinants of health through the provision of daily essentials;
• Access to care and case management systems;
• Access to free healthcare including wound care, Hepatitis C/HIV testing, reproductive healthcare, and dental care;
• Referrals to SUD level of care assessments, treatment, including Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), behavior health resources, case management services, benefits services, and legal services;
• Survival resources such as shelter and warmth or cooling;
• Public restrooms, shower, and laundry facilities;
• Clothing and hygiene product distribution;
• Mail services;
• Professionally facilitated support groups which offer education, emotional and social support, practical help, and more; and
• Advocacy and other supportive services required to navigate complex issues impacting special populations.

DDAP is placing a focus on health equity as a part of this grant opportunity. Applicants must include a description of their current engagement with diverse populations including communities of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, persons with disabilities, and those residing in rural and urban settings, and provide detailed information about how the project will engage and provide access to these diverse populations.

All applications must be submitted electronically by 12:00 PM on Friday, April 12, 2024. Applications will be competitively reviewed and scored based upon the applicant’s adherence to the funding announcement guidelines, and a timely submission to DDAP.

Funding for these grants is provided from the opioid settlement funding that was appropriated to DDAP by the General Assembly for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Questions regarding the grants and the application process should be forwarded to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov.