- 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
NIH Awards Penn State CTSI $28.2M to Improve Rural Health
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at Penn State College of Medicine recently received a seven-year, $28.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The funding will help the institute pioneer scalable models to solve health challenges in rural areas and turn medical discoveries into real-world treatments.
This project aims to develop innovative programming that will reach communities with limited access to healthcare and research opportunities. The project goals also include applying artificial intelligence (AI) and biomedical data sciences to integrate clinical and research data to better serve the needs of rural communities and to better represent rural communities in clinical trials.
A primary goal of this new funding is to strengthen the Rural Clinical Research Network — an expansive, collaborative infrastructure designed to reduce barriers to multi-site clinical trials and improve rural engagement in research. Within this structure, the CTSI will establish a novel Learning Community Health Network (LCHN). Grounded in the principles of a continuous learning health system, the LCHN will bring partner organizations together to collectively identify obstacles to research participation and co-create, implement, and disseminate research projects that advance rural health.
New Public Charge Rules Take Effect September 18
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new guidance that replaces the 2022 Public Charge rule, broadening how Public Charge is assessed to determine whether a green card applicant may become dependent on the government to meet basic needs.
Green card applications filed or postmarked on or before September 17 will still follow the 2022 Public Charge rule. Applications filed on or after September 18 will be evaluated under a new Public Charge standard that allows any means‑tested, government-funded benefit, including benefits used by family members, to be considered as evidence of an applicant’s financial circumstances.
The guidance does not contain a clear list of identified benefits. This rule also scrutinizes sponsor’s Affidavits of Support. This rule applies only to some green card applicants seeking status through Family-based applications, Employment based applications or some other special immigrant categories. This does not apply to current Citizenship applicants, Asylum seekers, Green card renewals or Current green card holders unless they spent 180+ days outside the U.S.
340B Savings on Wegovy and Ozempic To Drop Dramatically in 2027
Drug maker Novo-Nordisk announced that it will drop the sticker prices for its popular GLP-1 drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, effective January 1, 2027. They will all be priced at $675, representing a 34% drop for Ozempic and Rybelsus, and 50% drop for Wegovy. As with other drugs whose sticker prices have dropped significantly in recent years, these reductions will have two key consequences for 340B programs:
- Once the sticker price drops in January 2027, insurance companies will reduce their reimbursement for these drugs, which decreases the 340B savings available.
- Two quarters later (July 2027), the 340B ceiling price will increase, further eroding 340B savings. For these three drugs, the ceiling price will rise to $519, yielding only $160 in savings. (The $519 price reflects the standard 23% discount off the sticker price for a brand name drug. There will no longer be additional discounts to penalize manufacturers for raising prices faster than inflation.)
New Data Published on Pennsylvania Free and Charitable Dental Care in 2025
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) collected and summarized data from free and charitable clinics that provided free dental care to Pennsylvanians in 2025.
Since 2018, we have collected annual data on free dental services to help measure the gap between funding provided and services needed, advocate for more state funding for dental services, and encourage participation of dentists accepting Medicaid. Thank you to the participating clinics!
PA Oral Health Coalition Through the Years: Learn About the History
We are pleased to share the new Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) timeline. This online resource brings our history to life, from our early beginnings to the organization PCOH is today. Along the way, you’ll see the growth of the coalition, major accomplishments, key partnerships, and the many ways PCOH has worked to advance oral health across Pennsylvania.
Click here to view the online timeline.
We’ve also published “PCOH Through the Years,” a snapshot of some of the milestones that have defined our journey. The timeline is a reminder of just how much can happen when people come together around a shared vision.
Pennsylvania To Spend $11M on Chip-Enabled EBT Cards to Fight SNAP Fraud
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is moving to use an emergency contract adjustment to pay a vendor more than $11 million to upgrade to chip-enabled Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.
Proponents say the move will reduce the amount of fraud linked to stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. More than $15 million in SNAP benefits were stolen through card-skimming fraud in 2024 alone, according to the Office of State Inspector General.
New Interactive Map Highlights Contraceptive Access Gaps Across Pennsylvania
A new, interactive Contraceptive Access Map from Power to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute provides county-level data on contraceptive care gaps. This tool helps health center leaders and providers better understand local needs and opportunities to improve access to contraceptive care. Additional information on contraceptive support can be found here.
New Members Join US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) announced the addition of eight new members: Seth J. Corey, M.D., M.P.H., Patrick K. Hunter, M.D., M.Sc., Ronald P. Karlsberg, M.D., Venkatesh L. Murthy, M.D., Ph.D., Stephen T. Parente, Ph.D., Goldie Stands-Over-Bull, M.D., Louis J. Wilson, M.D., and Dennis W. Wulfeck, M.D., M.B.A., D.H.A.
Their 4-year terms begin in September 2026. In addition, Dr. Corey has been named as chair of the Task Force. The Task Force, who has not met in more than a year, is responsible for assessing evidence behind a wide range of preventive medical services.
CMS Releases Additional Guidance on Identifying Medical Frailty
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance on verifying medical frailty using a three-tiered framework based on ICD-10 codes, claims data, and manual review.
Conditions identified through this framework must align with the categories listed in the interim final rule.
New Research Brief Published: Rural Healthcare Information Technology and Value-Based Care
Rural healthcare organizations are making critical technology investment decisions as value-based care continues to evolve. To support those efforts, the Rural Health Value team is pleased to share a new resource:
Rural Health Value Virtual Summit: Rural Healthcare Information Technology and Value-Based Care
Developed from a national convening of rural healthcare leaders, this report offers practical lessons and recommendations for leveraging health information technology (HIT) to support value-based care success. A key takeaway from participants: effective technology investments begin with people and processes, not technology alone.
Related resources on the Rural Health Value website:
Guide to Selecting Population Health Management Technologies for Rural Care Delivery
This guide from Rural Health Value that walks you through the process to plan for and implement technology to support better health management for patient populations.
MaineHealth ACO – Integrating and Using Data to Support Care Delivery
A predominantly rural network of hospitals and clinics in Maine integrates clinical and claims data to support improvements in care delivery and target patient needs as part of their Accountable Care Organization.
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, clint-mackinney@uiowa.edu