On May 19, HRSA finalized the criteria to identify Maternity Care Target Areas (MCTA). MCTAs are geographic areas within health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) that have a shortage of maternity care health professionals, for the purpose of providing maternity health care assistance to such health professional shortage areas. As of 2017, 59 percent of HPSAs were in rural areas.

As temperatures rise, the newly formed federal Office of Climate Change and Health Equity is tracking areas of the country expected to experience a high number of extremely hot days over the next few months.  The health impacts of a heatwave like the one that hit states in the Northwest last summer, go beyond dehydration and heat stroke to include: increased hospitalizations for heart disease, worsening asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and even an increase in violence, crime, and suicide.  Last month, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services awarded $385 million to help households lower cooling and heating costs.  Learn more online about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides a high-level summary of its Rural Maternal Health Initiative implemented between June 2019 and November 2021. The effort comes from the CMS Rural Health initiative, established in 2016 to meet the needs specific to these areas.

On July 16, 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) will transition to an easy-to-remember, 3-digit number (988). To strengthen and expand the existing network of over 200 locally operated and funded crisis centers across the country, the Lifeline suicide & crisis network is looking to bring on new volunteers and paid employees to receive training to answer calls, chats, and texts from people in crisis.  Since 1999, suicide rates in rural areas have been consistently higher than those in metropolitan areas.

In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily waived certain eligibility requirements for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to help people keep their health coverage during the pandemic. However, with the public health emergency ends, states will soon be required to restart eligibility reviews for this public health insurance covering more than 83 million beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan.  Nearly a quarter of individuals under age 65 who live in rural areas are covered by Medicaid.  When the eligibility waivers end, some estimates count that up to 15 million people will lose their coverage through a process called “unwinding.” To help states prepare for the change, CMS will host a monthly learning series from May through October of this year. The Communications Toolkit, linked in the headline above, has information to help beneficiaries understand the steps to renew their coverage.

The American Lung Association (ALA) has released its 23^rd annual “State of the Air” report that shows that more than 40% of Americans still live with unhealthy air, despite some nationwide progress. The report’s key findings highlight the burden of living with unhealthy air and how it falls disproportionately on people of color. The report also recommends actions you can take to protect yourself and your communities from the dangers of air pollution. Read Pennsylvania’s State of the Air Report.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) has announced the opening of the substance use disorder (SUD) Loan Repayment Program (LRP). This program is aimed toward aiding SUD treatment and Single County Authority (SCA)-funded case management professionals with repaying their outstanding qualifying educational loans. Applications must be submitted via the online application portal by May 26, 2022. Eligible practitioners must have the capacity to provide SUD treatment or SCA-funded case management services at approved practice site(s) and meet the requirements in Section 6 of the Project Summary. Selected candidates must demonstrate a minimum of two prior years of experience in the SUD field as well as agree to a service commitment of two additional years. For more information, view the Application Guidance. Questions regarding the grants and the application process should be emailed to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov.

The U.S. Government has released a first-of-its-kind progress report on the implementation of President Biden’s Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Around the World. You can read the full news release here that also includes a statement by Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on the report. Also, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, Admiral Rachel Levine provided remarks at an Out for Health Conference in Texas regarding the LGBTQI+ community that you can read by clicking here.

Health Affairs reported on May 1, 2022, that just 25% of Medicaid managed care network primary care physicians provide 86% of primary care to Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a study of four states. Additionally, 25% of specialists provide 75% of specialty care. The results suggest that “current network adequacy standards might not reflect actual access,” the study said. Read More.