- 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
Partnership to Address Social Needs Across Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Prospective Payment System Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals
This policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis used survey data from the American Hospital Association to examine partnerships between hospitals and external organizations to address social needs.
CMS Seeks Input on a New Beneficiary Disenrollment Survey
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.
Meeting of the HRSA Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality Scheduled
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.
HRSA National Health Service Corps: Three Options for Loan Repayment Programs – Apply by May 9
The application window for HRSA’s National Health Service Corp (NHSC) loan repayment programs just opened with a 50 percent increase in funding available for primary care clinicians who commit to working for at least two years in underserved and rural areas. This year, HRSA also seeks to address language barriers for patients and will provide a $5,000 award enhancement to providers who demonstrate Spanish proficiency. The award is available to eligible applicants in all three loan repayment programs and is in addition to the maximum award amounts up to $105,000. The open NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program, along with other NHSC programs, helps health centers recruit and retain providers to rural communities. In 2023, NHSC rural provider numbers represent 38 percent of the overall health workforce supported by the programs.
Pennsylvania Broadband Website Launched
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:
- A navigation Panel for ease in finding the information you’re seeking
- Quick links that will take you directly to hot topic resources
- Real-time data on unserved/underserved locations, projects awarded, and funding allocated
- 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!
New Bill Focuses on Elevating Community Health Workers
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.
Pennsylvania’s Senators Accepting Constituent Funding Requests
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.
Pennsylvania Announces $1.7 Million to Tackle Maternal Mortality
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.
National LGBTQ Survey Reveals Persistent Barriers to Care, Other Challenges
The findings of a new national survey conducted by The National Coalition for LGBTQ Health highlight significant barriers to care, a lack of provider training, and a rise in stigma and criminalization. The Coalition is releasing a digital report on these national survey findings during its 22nd National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week, themed “VITAL VIBRANT VOICES”. The Week runs from March 18 to March 22, 2024. Read the full report here: https://healthlgbtq.org/stateof/lgbtqhealth/
More than 1,000 clinical and service providers across the United States completed the survey and were asked to describe the state of LGBTQ health in one word. The top three submitted words were “lacking,” “poor,” and “inadequate,” which suggest a widening gap between the need for care and the available resources to provide care. Despite the critical need for greater allocation of resources to support LGBTQ health, healthcare providers continually report feeling unprepared to meet the needs of their LGBTQ clients and patients.
In addition to these findings, 80% of respondents exhibited confidence in using culturally appropriate terminology when communicating with LGBTQ patients, which fosters a more welcoming environment.
“Our survey exposes a stark reality: numerous healthcare providers, typically outside LGBTQ-specific health centers, still lack the necessary training to deliver basic LGBTQ care; let alone affirming care that is specific to transgender patients,” said Scott Bertani, lead for The National Coalition for LGBTQ Health. “This shortfall in education leads to provider uncertainty, which in turn leads to less meaningful patient engagement; and that has a true impact on both the physical and mental health outcomes for all our communities.”
The survey findings illustrate the need for a multi-pronged approach to address LGBTQ health:
- Increased funding for training healthcare providers in LGBTQ-specific care.
- Expansion of gender-affirming healthcare services.
- Stronger protections against discrimination in healthcare settings.
- Combating rising stigma and criminalization through education and advocacy.
The National Coalition for LGBTQ Health urges policymakers, healthcare providers, and LGBTQ advocacy groups to work collaboratively to create a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system for all.
For more information about the report or for interviews, contact Scott Bertani, The National Coalition for LGBTQ Health’s Director of Advocacy, at ScottB@HealthLGBT.org.
USDA Invites Applications for Loans and Grants to Repair and Improve Homes for Farmworkers
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.
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