- 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
New Brief: Solutions for Reducing Administrative Burdens in Value-Based Primary Care
There is strong evidence and a growing consensus that greater investment in primary care through value-based models provides teams the resources they need to deliver proactive, whole-person primary care. Unfortunately, administrative burdens discourage primary care participation in new care models that can improve primary care access and comprehensiveness.
In conjunction with Value Week, the Primary Care Collaborative has developed a brief exploring how policymakers and other decision makers can reduce administrative burdens and streamline participation in value-based models.
The brief draws on surveys of the PCC community, expert feedback and existing literature to create concrete recommendations for streamlining primary care’s experience in alternative payment models.
New Report! Designing Rural Value-Based Care for the Future
The Rural Health Value (RHV) team is pleased to announce the release of “Designing Rural Value-Based Care for the Future” – a new report identifying strategies and ideas to accelerate rural healthcare organization participation and success in value-based care (VBC) and value-based payment (VBP). In June 2025, The RHV team convened a group of rural health care leaders to discuss the current state and future opportunities of rural VBC and payment. This Summit report is the latest in the series of Rural Health Value convenings and briefs that have offered insight, strategies, and recommendations for those implementing VBC and those designing VBP programs.
Related resources on the Rural Health Value website:
- Rural Value-Based Care – The Payer Perspective, Rural Health Value Summit Report. The report explores insights, innovations, successes, and challenges in rural health value-based care (VBC) contracting with findings gleaned from an RHV convening of professionals and executives from national and regional health care payer organizations. This report summarizes challenges and solutions followed by suggestions for rural health care organization leaders from the Summit participants. (2024)
- Rural Health Value Summit: Driving Value Through Community-Based Partnerships. Four rural communities (in AR, MI, OR, SC) shared experiences with health care and community-based partnerships that highlighted opportunities for policymakers, payers, and health system leaders for building and supporting social needs infrastructure in rural communities in alignment with value-based care strategies. (2023)
Rural Health Value facilitates the transition of rural healthcare organizations, payers, and communities from volume-based to value-based health care and payment models. Visit www.ruralhealthvalue.org.
For more information, contact Clint MacKinney, MD, MS, Co-Principal Investigator, at clint-mackinney@uiowa.edu.
Pennsylvania Governor Unveils 2026-27 Budget Proposal
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro presented his 2026–27 budget proposal to the General Assembly and the people of Pennsylvania — building on three years of historic progress by continuing to do what’s working across the commonwealth to lower costs, create economic growth, strengthen public safety, support students, and continue Pennsylvania’s rise.
The governor’s $53 billion budget proposal maintains fiscal responsibility, continues to cut taxes, and ensures taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. However, the ballooning cost of Medicaid and the challenges of dealing with an aging population will continue to put intense pressure on the budget. The line item for the Primary Care Practitioner Program, which funds the Pennsylvania Career Center and the state Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, was once again funded at $8,350,000.
Read more information about the proposed budget. You can also read a transcript of the budget address.
HRSA Releases Two Workforce Data Tools
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the release of two workforce data tools, including one new tool from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA).
The Health Workforce Explorer is a new, interactive data dashboard that provides a snapshot of the U.S. health workforce across 40 occupations, giving you data for advocacy, reports, or workforce planning. NCHWA also released updated data in the Workforce Projections Dashboard, which includes national and state workforce projections for 2023-2038. Check out the dashboard for the latest workforce trends.
HHS Announces $100 Million Investment in Great American Recovery
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced a $100 million STREETS Initiative to combat homelessness, opioid addiction, and crime by expanding recovery-focused, evidence-based treatment and stable housing. The plan implements the Pres. Trump’s Great American Recovery executive order.
For more information, visit the HHS Press Room.
CMS Releases 2028 Negotiated Drugs
On January 27, 2026, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its list of 15 negotiated Medicare drugs for 2028 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
For more information, see CMS’s webpage and fact sheet.
Census Bureau Highlights Measures for Black History Month
The Census Bureau released statistics related to “Measuring Black Enterprise” and more for Black History Month. Click here to read the release.
Pennsylvania Highlights
We highlight Black or African American Pennsylvanians across measures of educational achievement, veteran status, and select economic indicators using the 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates [Source].
Population
The Black or African American alone population in PA in 2024: 1,378,148
Education (individuals age 25+: 909,975)
- 7% with a high school degree/equivalent or higher
- 1% with a bachelor’s degree or higher
- 1% with a graduate/professional degree
Veterans
Black or African American alone, civilian veterans: 53,560
Employment (individuals age 16+: 1,093,315)
- 8% in the civilian labor force
- 6% employed
Class of Worker (civilian employed population age 16+: 640,606)
- 5% private
- 4% government
- 1% self-employed
Occupations (civilian employed population age 16+: 640,606)
- 3% in management, business, science, and arts
- 9% in service
- 6% in sales and office
- 6% in production, transportation, and material moving
- 6% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance
Income
Per capita income: $29,561
2026 Pennsylvania LGBTQIA+ Health Survey Launched
The 2026 Pennsylvania LGBTQIA+ Health Survey has officially launched!
The purpose of this survey is to identify health disparities experienced by the LGBTQIA+ Community, especially relating to tobacco use. This annual survey is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and conducted by the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center and the Pennsylvania Health Management Corp.
Federal Community Project Funding Requests Open for Fiscal Year 2027
House lawmakers are now able to request community funding projects (CFPs), previously known as “earmarks”, in the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill for FY 2027. CFPs are requests for funding under an existing program or account that can be used for a project in a member’s state or district. Lawmakers will be able to request funding for projects under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) account if the projects meet certain requirements (see below). Lawmakers field requests for funding for specific projects in their districts/states and then can submit up to 20 CFP requests to the Appropriations Committee for consideration to be included in appropriations bills.
Under the HRSA account, funding can be used for the cost of limited-scope construction, renovation, or capital equipment purchase for facilities for health, mental health, or substance use disorder services, training of health professionals, or medical research. In addition to construction and renovation, CPF funding can be used to acquire capital equipment, such as lab equipment, x-ray machines, or telehealth and information technology. Find more information here.
For Pennsylvania residents in the PA-15 district must submit their application for funding by 5:00pm on Friday, March 6, 2026. using this form.
See below for other guidance for FY27:
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies
- Homeland Security
- Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Transit Infrastructure Projects Guidance
- Highway Infrastructure Projects Guidance
- Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Guidance
- Port Infrastructure Development Program Projects Guidance
- Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Projects Guidance
- Community Development Fund – Economic Development Initiative (EDI) Project Guidance
New Report Explores Reporting and Performance of Maternity-related Quality Measures in CAHs
The Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) has released a new product, Reporting and Performance of Maternity-related Quality Measures in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). As maternity care in rural areas continues to be a priority nationally, access to quality health care for mothers and infants is essential for their health and well-being.
In this brief, the FMT describes the characteristics of CAHs that provide labor and delivery services, identifies relationships between maternity care quality performance and CAH characteristics (such as system affiliation, volume, and location), and identifies quality measures related to maternity and birth outcomes that are most feasible and relevant for CAHs and rural hospitals.