- Weathering the Storm Together: Community Resiliency Hubs Hold the Promise of Local Self-Sufficiency and Supportive Mutual Aid
- Virginia Tech Researchers Bring Rural Families into the Nation's Largest Study of Early Brain and Child Development
- Expanding Access to Cancer Care for Rural Veterans
- VA: Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee, Notice of Meeting
- Scaling Rural Wellness with Clever Collaboration
- Stroudwater Associates Enhances Rural Healthcare Dashboard with New Data to Support State Rural Transformation Grant Applications
- Harvest Season Is Here: Busy Times Call for Increased Focus on Safety and Health
- HHS Dispatches More Than 70 Public Health Service Officers to Strengthen Care in Tribal Communities
- Wisconsin Rural Hospitals Team up to Form Network
- CMS Launches Landmark $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program
- American Heart Association Provides Blood Pressure Kits at Southeast Arkansas Regional Libraries to Support Rural Health
- Broadening Access to Minimally Invasive Surgery Could Narrow Rural-Urban Health Gaps
- Instead of Selling, Some Rural Hospitals Band Together To Survive
- Help Line Gives Pediatricians Crucial Mental Health Information to Help Kids, Families
- Rural Health: A Strategic Opportunity for Governors
Pittsburgh-based Duquesne School of Nursing Needs Preceptors
Duquesne University invites you to join them in shaping the next generation of healthcare providers.
Sign up today to host an MSN or Nurse Practitioner student for the 2026-2027 academic year. Current needs for the fall semester (August 31 – December 9) include family practice, women’s health, pediatrics, and outpatient therapy and medication management.
Sign up to host a student today. Contact Leigh Anne Rethage, Clinical Coordinator at Duquesne University, with questions or to learn more about their Preceptor Perks Package.
Federal 340B Legislation Expected
House Expected to Release Bipartisan, Comprehensive 340B Reform Bill
A bipartisan group of four members of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee – including Joyce (R-PA), Reps. Peters (D-CA), Bilirakis (R-FL), and Auchincloss (D-MA) – are expected to release a comprehensive 340B reform soon. The bill is comprehensive and has significant wins for health centers and patients. The good parts of this bipartisan bill are that it would delay any rebate model for four years and provide unlimited contract pharmacy. There are concerns about the bill’s restrictions on referrals, data sharing requirements, and some unvetted language scattered throughout the bill that would be difficult to operationalize or is inconsistent with other provisions in the bill. The lawmakers seem willing to continue working with covered entities on those concerns.
Pennsylvania Joins Multi-State Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Over Medicaid Work Requirement Rules
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that the state will join a multi-state legal action against President Donald Trump “for trying to rip away Medicaid from Pennsylvanians who need it most.”
“Donald Trump, Dr. (Mehmet) Oz and RFK Jr. are hellbent on trying to push aside people who rely on Medicaid to get the care they need,” said Shapiro. “But here in Pennsylvania, we’re going to keep standing up to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians.” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), have spearheaded efforts to rein in Medicaid spending under the direction of Trump.
New Brief Explores Rural Implications of Increased Medicare Beneficiary Enrollment
Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan are not eligible for attribution to a Medicare Share Savings Plan (SSP) Accountable Care Organization (ACO). This data report examines the impact of a growing MA population on the pool of beneficiaries eligible for ACO attribution.
Authors: Edmer Lazaro, DPT, MSHCA; Fred Ullrich, BA; Dan M. Shane, PhD; Keith Mueller, PhD
Policy Brief Explores Rural vs. Urban Patterns of Dental Care Services and Outcomes Among Medicaid-Enrolled Children
This brief reports rural vs. urban patterns of preventive services, restorative or surgical dental services, and incidence rates of dental caries in 2021 and 2022 among Medicaid-enrolled children ages 2 to 5.
Key Findings:
- The majority of rural children did not receive two dental cleanings per year as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (2021: 85.9%, 2022: 78.8%). Most suburban (2021: 86.4%, 2022: 79.0%) and urban children (2021: 86.8%, 2022: 79.6%) did not receive two dental cleanings per year.
- Rural children had more restorative dental services (i.e., fillings and crowns) per year (2021: 12.6%, 2022: 19.5%) than suburban (2021: 10.9%, 2022: 17.3%) and urban (2021: 10.4%, 2022: 16.6%) children.
- Rural children had the highest incidence of caries (i.e., tooth decay) diagnosed per year (2021: 4.4%, 2022: 5.2%) when compared to suburban (2021: 4.1%, 2022: 4.9%) and urban (2021: 3.6%, 2022: 3.4%) children.
Contact Information:
Cassie Odahowski, PhD, MPH
University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Phone: 803.251.6317
clo@mailbox.sc.edu