- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Awards $6 Million to Fight Overdose Deaths in Underrepresented Communities Across the Commonwealth
The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced more than $6 million in grant funding for organizations to establish or expand substance use disorder (SUD) services, community outreach, and education to underrepresented communities struggling with the opioid overdose crisis. In 2020, overdose death rates increased 39% for Black Pennsylvanians compared to 2019. In 2021, Black Pennsylvanians died from an overdose at a rate that was nearly two times higher than White Pennsylvanians. Those eligible for this funding included organizations that provide services, outreach, and/or education to communities of color that promote access to harm reduction services, low-barrier SUD and medication-assisted treatment (MAT), recovery and peer supports, and/or offender reentry supports.
A New Pennsylvania Scholarship Program Has Been Created that May Help Patients
Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for students eligible to benefit from the Kids’ Chance Scholarship Fund – a program aimed at providing financial assistance for children growing up in situations that may make it particularly difficult for them to make the transition from high school to college. The original concept for the scholarship had been to target children whose parents are incarcerated. The scholarship program was broadened by lawmakers to include children of incarcerated parents as well as other children living in difficult situations. The grant program will fund scholarships and support services for young people who are living and learning in regions of the commonwealth that have statistically higher high school dropout rates, incarceration rates, or high crime rates as identified by the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). Learn more by visiting the Kids Chance of PA website.
SAMHSA and FDA Letter Promotes the Medication First Model
A letter (PDF) issued by SAMHSA and the FDA emphasizes that counseling and other services should not be prerequisites for a patient to receive medications for opioid use disorder. Practitioners must work collaboratively with patients, meeting them where they are, to create supportive and tailored treatment plans.
Free Mental Health State Guidebooks Have Been Released
PsychU Mental Health System Guidebooks is a comprehensive resource for understanding each state’s mental health system. The guidebooks provide a detailed overview of the state agencies responsible for managing mental health, as well as information on Medicaid coverage, healthcare reform initiatives, and the largest health plans and accountable care organizations in each state. Registration to access the guides is free.
The Risk for New MPOX Cases Continues
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to receive reports of new cases of mpox, indicating ongoing community transmission in the United States. On May 15, the CDC released a Health Alert Network (HAN) noting that a cluster of 12 mpox cases was identified in Chicago between April 17 and May 5, 2023. Travel history for nine cases was available and four individuals recently traveled to New York City, New Orleans, and Mexico. The CDC expects new breakthrough cases to occur and warns that spring and summer 2023 could lead to a resurgence of mpox as people gather for festivals and other events. On May 17, the PA Department of Health (DOH) released PA HAN 695 with additional information for providers on when to consider testing for mpox as well as treatment and vaccination information. For more information on clinical evaluation, treatment, vaccination, or testing, please refer to the HAN or reach out to Erin Babe, PACHC Public Health Program Specialist.
Read About Recent Research on Stigma and Opioid Use Disorder
More than 450 clinicians and counselors in rural New England were surveyed about stigma as a barrier to treating patients for opioid use disorder (OUD) as well as practitioners’ beliefs about medications for OUD. Over half (55 percent) ranked stigma as the highest barrier among other factors such as time and staffing, medication diversion, and organizational/clinic barriers. Many clinicians (60 percent) and counselors (51 percent) disagreed that medications for opioid use disorder “replace addiction to one kind of drug with another.” But among clinicians with the ability to prescribe, there was a significant difference in this belief depending on whether they were currently treating with medications for OUD (MOUD). More than 80 percent of those currently treating with MOUD believed it is not an addiction replacement; among those not currently treated with OUD, fewer than half felt that way. The study was conducted by the FORHP-supported Center on Rural Addiction at the University of Vermont.
Here is An Important Notice for HRSA Grantees
On May 26, HRSA will follow a federal upgrade to security measures for online systems requiring a login for external users. The new multi-factor login procedure will affect those who access HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB) system, including grantees, grant applicants, service providers, and consultants. To avoid issues with upcoming application and reporting deadlines, it is important to set up the new login procedure ahead of the change on May 26.
Here You Can Find the Factors Associated With Lengths-of-Stay for Inpatients With Substance Use Disorder
The NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis finds that lengths of stay for rural inpatients in areas with no access to buprenorphine-waivered physicians were more than nine times higher than for urban patients.
Read About Distribution of Direct Care Workforce COVID-19 Funding Between Rural and Urban Counties in Minnesota and Illinois
Researchers from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examine the differences in the distribution of federal funding between rural and urban counties in Minnesota and Illinois.
You Can Find a Suicide Prevention Resource Center Here – Best Practices Registry
A listing of resources with demonstrated effectiveness organized by population served, approaches, and location – including urban vs. rural.