The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the release of a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document on the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model. These FAQs, which are being reviewed by NRHA technical experts, provide additional information and details on various participatory and financial components of the CHART Community Transformation Track, such as the Capitated Payment Amount (CPA), Critical Access Hospital (CAH) eligibility and participation in the CHART Model, Participant Hospital interest and participation in the Model, and flexibilities and enhancements under the Model. The updated FAQ content can be found on the CHART Model webpage.

For more information about the CHART Model: You may visit the CHART Model webpage at innovation.cms.gov/innovation-models/chart-model or contact the CHART Help Desk at CHARTmodel@cms.hhs.gov with questions.

The new Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) website is live.

The updated website has a new design and refreshed content to improve how you access BHW programs and information.

Over the past few months, we worked with internal and external stakeholders gathering as much feedback as possible to ensure we are providing the best online experience possible.

Visit our new funding section for all of our available funding opportunities from grants to loans to scholarships.

Find everything from our program outcomes to workforce projections in our Data and Research section.

There is much more to explore – see for yourself!

Customers in Pennsylvania now have until Dec. 22 to enroll in a plan at pennie.com for coverage that begins New Year’s Day.

Important Details for Customers Below:

• All customers will continue to be able to shop for Jan. 1 coverage through 11:59pm EST on Dec. 22
• Extended deadline is automatically available to all customers and will be reflected when they login and plan shop
• Customers will not be able to enroll in Feb. 1 coverage until Dec. 23 (although they will be able to anonymously shop for Feb. 1 coverage from Dec.16-Dec. 22)
• Customers enrolling for Jan. 1 coverage after Dec. 15 should remember to make a prompt binder payment to ensure that their coverage is in effect on Jan. 1. Any delays could result in the customer not having all of their member materials in hand on Jan. 1.

Customers can be directed to 1-844-844-8040. If you have any questions, the Broker/Assister Call Center can be reached at 1-844-844-4440. Send your questions for PACHC to help@pachc.org or call 1-866-944-2273.

USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand highlighted the department’s investments in 2020 that are building prosperity and strengthening the nation’s rural businesses and communities.

“Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA invested a record $40 billion in rural communities in 2020,” Brand said. “This assistance is helping increase economic opportunities and improving the quality of life for rural residents across the 50 states and all U.S. territories.

Brand added, “USDA responded with urgency to help those affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic. We worked to bring high-speed internet capacity, modern community facilities, and upgraded water and wastewater infrastructure to rural areas. We helped provide homeownership opportunities and reliable electricity. We invested in businesses and family-supporting jobs, because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

Below is a summary of USDA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 accomplishments:

Connecting Rural America to High-Speed Broadband

• Invested $1.3 billion to support rural broadband expansion through the ReConnect Pilot Program. Included in this total is $85 million provided through the CARES Act. In total, these investments are connecting approximately 280,000 households, 19,978 farms and 10,053 businesses to high-speed internet.
• Invested $187 million in broadband through the Telecom Infrastructure and Community Connect programs. These investments are connecting 58,249 households in rural communities to high-speed internet.

Improving Rural Infrastructure

• Invested a record $6.3 billion in 125 projects to upgrade or build electric infrastructure. These investments will benefit 10.7 million customers by improving electric service reliability across 34 states.
• Invested $801 million in Smart Grid technology to improve electric system operations and monitor grid security for rural electric customers.
• Invested $2.1 billion to expand access to safe drinking water and improve wastewater management systems. These investments will improve the reliability of local water supply for 2.1 million rural Americans.
• Invested $140 million through the Community Facilities Programs in rural infrastructure projects such as roads, airports and transportation improvements.

Bolstering Rural Economic Development

• Invested $22.4 million through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to increase the availability of renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. These investments will help increase biofuels sales by a projected 150 million gallons annually.
• Invested $1.7 billion to assist 384 rural businesses through the Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantee Program. Included in this total was $326 million provided through the CARES Act. These investments created or saved nearly 18,000 jobs.
• Invested more than $386 million in 2,304 loan and grants through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy systems, and energy development assistance in rural businesses. These investments are projected to generate or save more than 1.8 billion kWh.

Improving Rural Quality of Life

• Invested $1.5 billion in loans and grants through the Community Facilities Programs that funded the construction or modernization of 1,683 essential community facilities such as rural hospitals, educational institutions and public safety facilities. These investments will benefit 20 million rural residents, across all 50 states, Guam, Virgin Islands and the Western Pacific.
• Invested $71.5 million through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program in 116 distance learning and telemedicine projects. These investments will benefit 12 million rural residents, making it easier for them to access healthcare and educational opportunities without having to travel long distances.
• Invested $24 billion in direct and guaranteed loans through the Single Family Housing Programs to help 143,795 low- and moderate-income families buy homes in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Enhancing Customer Service

• Cut red tape to increase private investment in rural America by making it easier for lenders to access four flagship loan programs under the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative.
• Took immediate actions to assist rural residents, businesses and communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, USDA launched a Federal Rural Resource Guide, provided loan forbearances, halted evictions, and made additional funding available under existing programs. For more information, visit our COVID-19 response page.
• Streamlined regulations to ease customer access to CARES Act programs, infrastructure improvements, business development, housing, community facilities and high-speed internet access in rural areas.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

Trauma Center accreditation has been granted to an additional Critical Access Hospital, Conemaugh Miners Medical Center, in Hastings, effective January 1, 2021.  An elevation in Trauma Center Level has been granted immediately to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health–Lancaster General Hospital, in Lancaster.  A comprehensive list of the Commonwealth’s trauma centers is located at www.ptsf.org.

Effective January 1, 2021, this brings the total number of trauma centers in Pennsylvania to 42.

Trauma centers are hospitals with resources immediately available to provide optimal care and reduce the likelihood of death or disability to injured patients.  Accredited trauma centers must be continuously prepared to treat the most serious life threatening and disabling injuries.  They are not intended to replace the traditional hospital and its emergency department for minor injuries.

In Pennsylvania, there are four levels of trauma centers. Level I trauma centers provide the highest degree of resources with a full spectrum of specialists and must have trauma research and surgical residency programs.  Level II trauma centers require the same high level of care but do not require research and residency programs. Level III trauma centers are smaller community hospitals that do not require neurosurgeons and focus on stabilizing severe trauma patients prior to transport to a higher-level trauma center.  They may admit patients with mild and moderate injuries.  Level IV trauma centers provide enhanced care to injured patients within the emergency department and focus on stabilization and quick transfer to a higher-level trauma center. They may admit mildly injured patients.

Each trauma center regardless of its level is an integral component of the emergency medical services (EMS) system.  The EMS system assures appropriate patient care management from the time of injury to treatment at a local hospital or trauma center through the rehabilitative phase of care.

The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF) is a non-profit corporation recognized by the Emergency Medical Services Act (Act 1985-45).  The PTSF is the organization responsible for accrediting trauma centers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Contact:  Juliet Altenburg, MSN, RN, Executive Director, 717-697-5512, jaltenburg@ptsf.org

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the public is invited to again vote online for the 2021 Pennsylvania River of the Year, choosing from among five waterways nominated throughout the state.

“Never has the value of our wealth of waterways shined brighter than during this pandemic as people in unprecedented numbers are being drawn to Pennsylvania’s river and streams and the natural refuge they supply,” Dunn said. “Much more than a public vote gauging popularity, this annual competition builds community support around our rivers and streams, putting them in the public limelight. All have truly unique attributes, offer incredible recreational opportunities, and offer significant boosts to local economies.”

Waterways nominated for 2021 are Buffalo Creek, Lehigh River, Loyalhanna Creek, Shenango River and Tunkhannock Creek. 

Nominations were based on each waterway’s conservation needs and successes, as well as celebration plans if the nominee is voted 2021 River of the Year. In cooperation with DCNR, selection of public voting choices is overseen by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR).

Dunn said the online public selection process continues to be increasingly popular as it enters its eleventh year.

The public can vote for a favorite state waterway beginning today, Monday, December 14, 2020, through 5:00 PM Friday, January 22, 2021. A POWR website enables voting and offers details on nominated waterways and the River of the Year program. Voting is managed through Woobox, an online contest application restricting voting to one email address.

POWR, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, administers the River of the Year program with funding from DCNR. Presented annually since 1983, this year’s 2020 designation was awarded to the Lackawanna River.

“We are excited to kick off, for the eleventh year, the public online voting process for Pennsylvania River of the Year,” said Janet Sweeney, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers. “During this trying time, we have all deepened our appreciation for the outdoors and the many benefits found through spending time in nature. The Annual River of the Year voting process is a way for the public to rally behind and support their favorite waterway.”

After a waterway is chosen for the annual honor, local groups implement a year-round slate of activities and events to celebrate the river, including a paddling trip, or sojourn. The organization nominating the winning river will receive a $10,000 leadership grant from DCNR to help fund River of the Year activities.

POWR and DCNR also work with local organizations to create a free, commemorative poster celebrating the River of the Year.

The River of the Year sojourn is among many paddling trips supported each year by DCNR and POWR. An independent program, the Pennsylvania Sojourn Program, is a unique series of a dozen such trips on the state’s rivers. The water-based journeys for canoeists, kayakers and others raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of rivers. For more information about the sojourns, visit www.pawatersheds.org.

To learn more about DCNR’s Rivers Program, visit www.dcnr.pa.gov (go to “Conservation” and click on “Water”).

For details on the River of the Year program, visit www.pariveroftheyear.org

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who also serves as Chair of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Center Authority (RHRCA) Board, today announced that four more hospitals have agreed to participate in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), aimed at ensuring the financial viability of hospitals in rural areas across Pennsylvania, and the latest step in transforming health care delivery in the commonwealth.

“The Rural Health Model is a transformative step that changes the financial model for hospitals in rural areas,” Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Rural hospitals are essential to the overall health of Pennsylvanians, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important initiative to ensure that everyone across the state has access to quality health care within a reasonable distance from home.”

The Model helps ensure that rural hospitals, which are often an economic driver in rural areas, stay open, that jobs stay local and that sustainable access to health care is available to residents living in rural areas.

To support the continued evolution of this Model, the Rural Health Redesign Center Authority (RHRCA) was established in May 2020 with a dual focus—to lead continued development of the PARHM, working in partnership with the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and build solutions for rural hospitals and communities across the country to promote financial sustainability while improving the health of the populations in these communities. The RHRCA is building on lessons learned in combining payment transformation with health care delivery transformation to develop a sustainable model for community-based care, not only in Pennsylvania but across the country.

“With 17 Hospitals and six payers now in the program, the PARHM is projected to serve more than one million Pennsylvanians in rural communities in 2021 and will have approximately $725 million in net patient revenue in the global budget model,” Gary Zegiestowsky, Executive Director of the RHRCA said.  “The scale that Pennsylvania has achieved with this model provides a solid base to drive transformative change for rural health care and we are excited about the opportunity to grow the model further over the next year.  I would add our thanks to the hospitals and payers that have joined us in the journey to transform rural healthcare across the state. This program is truly about coming together to serve rural Pennsylvania.”

In March 2019, the department announced the first five hospitals participating in the model and in December 2019, announced eight more.

The four newest hospitals participating in the PARHM include:

• Clarion Hospital, Clarion County
• Highlands Hospital, Fayette County
• Indiana Regional Medical Center, Indiana County
• Meadville Medical Center, Crawford County

Many of the rural hospitals in Pennsylvania are operating with negative margins and are at risk of closure.

The current number of hospitals eligible for participation in the model is 65 based on the definition of a rural hospital developed by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. With the above 17 hospitals involved in the program, 26 percent of eligible hospitals will be participating in the program in 2021. While this is a credit to the desire of these hospitals to provide transformative care in their area, it also means there is still much work to be done to bring sustainability to rural hospitals in Pennsylvania. Eligible rural hospitals are encouraged to participate in this Model to improve population health, access and financial stability.

The Department of Health has developed three main strategies for improving health in rural communities including:

• Transforming health care delivery in rural communities;
• Improving the population health status in rural communities; and
• Creating health care services that match the needs of the community.

For more information about rural health, visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov or www.rhrco.org, or follow the department on Facebook and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nate Wardle, Health, 717-787-1783 or ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov