The Pennsylvania Broadband Authority (PBDA) has posted details about the challenges received during the Challenge Submission phase of the BEAD Challenge process. The Challenge Summary can be reviewed on the PBDA’s BEAD Challenge Process webpage. The Adjudication phase is currently in-progress which means PBDA is reviewing evidence submitted during the Rebuttal phase.  All final outcomes of the Adjudication phase will be posted publicly on our website when NTIA Curing is complete.

Additional questions regarding the BEAD Challenge Process, please reach out to the PBDA via the BEAD Resource Account.

New investments will make it easier for social workers to practice across state lines, increase behavioral health access, and better facilitate telehealth services

Funding builds on HRSA’s work to support licensure compacts to improve access to primary care and psychology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the first-ever Licensure Portability Grant Program investment in a multi-state social worker licensure compact. State licensure compacts allow states to come together on a common approach to licensing health care providers, allowing providers to practice across state lines without having to apply for a license in each state. Streamlining licensure while maintaining quality standards improves access to services both by better facilitating hiring and by easing pathways to utilizing telehealth. The announcement was made at HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference, the largest federal conference on telehealth issues.

“Social workers are essential to expanding access to behavioral health care services, a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “HRSA is leading the way in growing the behavioral health workforce both by training more providers and by breaking down barriers to allow the workforce to make mental health and substance use disorder services more accessible across the country.”

HRSA’s new $2.5 million investment in licensure compacts will support the work to launch a social worker compact as well as HRSA’s ongoing support for building and sustaining primary care, psychology, and podiatry compacts. HRSA identified behavioral health as a priority in its state licensure compact work. Since HRSA began investing in licensure compacts, the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact and the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) have each grown to include 40 states, Washington, D.C., and one territory.

“Social workers are on the frontlines in responding to the Administration’s priorities, including meeting children’s mental health needs, responding to the opioid epidemic, and addressing maternal depression,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Today’s announcement is a critical step in helping social workers serve people in need, particularly in rural and underserved communities across the country.”

Today’s awards will support the Association of Social Work Boards, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, and the Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards in working with state licensing boards to develop and implement state policies that reduce barriers to telehealth and allow for practice across state lines.

HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference brings public and private sector leaders together to discuss telehealth best practices to expand services in underserved and rural communities. This year, over 2,000 individuals registered to explore the future of telehealth including innovation, policy, and licensure issues.

To learn more about the Licensure Portability Grant Program, visit the Licensure Portability Grant Program Awardees webpage.

For more information on HRSA’s telehealth health work, visit the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth webpage.

GiveCare Now, a statewide call for volunteer talent, including medical & dental professionals

Launching a statewide call for volunteer talent and medical professionals, the Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania today announced a rebrand, as the organization is relaunched as the Pennsylvania Charitable Healthcare Coalition.

The organization represents charitable healthcare providers across Pennsylvania that fill a critical role, providing high-quality, free care for people who are under-insured or uninsured and lack access to care.

“Today, we’ve announced a rebrand that captures the essence of our life-changing work and launched a statewide call for volunteers to help us meet the growing needs of our communities,” said executive director Kristen Houser Rapp. “With more than 50 providers operating in the Commonwealth, free and charitable clinics deliver hope to people across Pennsylvania who lack access to healthcare. Without them, thousands of people would not have access to any type of care at all.”

Charitable healthcare providers are integral to keeping Pennsylvanians who do not qualify for Medicaid healthy, and help avoid medical debt from urgent care, emergency visits, and medications, as families move between health plans or lack other options.  While some clinics employ limited staff, the majority of clinical care is provided by volunteer talent.  

“Right now, and in the weeks and months to come, opportunities are available for volunteers to help provide care and give back to others,” said Rapp.  Anyone interested in volunteering should visit pacharitablehealth.org/volunteer, where PCHC can then connect them with a local clinic. PCHC is currently seeking volunteers that include:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Dentists, dental assistants, & dental hygienists
• Mental health professionals
• Volunteers with administrative skills

Volunteer opportunities vary from clinic to clinic and by position.  All volunteers meet strict credentialing and background checks and receive training and support.

“I find that the best part of my day is always that I served in the clinic,” said Ridge Salter, M.D., a volunteer at Katallasso Family Health Center in York. “Volunteering my expertise has added so much professional fulfillment, and I know it has been an antidote — and a bit of an immunization — to burnout.”

In 2023 alone, PCHC member clinics provided at least 114,000 appointments for patients, averaging more than 3,000 per clinic.

“In the last year, hundreds of thousands of people in our state have lost their Medicaid coverage,” said Mary Herbert, MPH, MS, Clinical Director at The Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations/Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh.  “Despite their lack of state funding, free providers face the need to accommodate a major shift in the number of patients we serve, doing more than ever with limited resources.”

“PCHC’s member clinics and charitable providers fill a growing gap that many of our most vulnerable neighbors rely on for basic care, and volunteers are critical to this work,” said Highmark Foundation President Yvonne Cook. “The Highmark Foundation recognizes the vital work of charitable clinics and is proud to continue our partnership with PCHC through a $172,700 grant to further its mission to provide equitable, quality health care for all Pennsylvanians.”

 ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA CHARITABLE HEALTHCARE COALITION (PCHC)

PCHC is the support and advocacy organization for free and charitable healthcare providers who make up the healthcare safety net for uninsured and underinsured Pennsylvanians. Free and charitable clinics provide primary and preventative care such as medical screenings, chronic disease management, medication assistance, dental care and connections to other social services. Clinics do not receive state or federal funding and rely on community support. For information, testimonials from volunteers, and a searchable database of clinic locations, go to www.pacharitablehealth.org.