NRHA recently released an advocacy toolkit on how to prioritize rural health advocacy during an election year amidst changes in local and federal congressional offices. Additionally, NRHA Chief Policy Officer Carrie Cochran-McClain recently appeared on Michelle Rathman’s Rural Impact podcast to discuss top-of-mind rural health policy issues.

At the Appalachian Regional Commission’s 2024 annual conference, Advancing Appalachia, Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin announced the latest round of investments in multi-state projects through our Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE): $16.9M to five projects in 10 states.

These projects will benefit at least 270 counties and bring together 60 regional partners — including one of Appalachia’s federally recognized Tribal Communities, the Seneca Nation of Indians. Check out each new investment below! 🌄

$8M to Save the Children Federation to grow the childcare and early education workforce 🏫

$4.5M to the Beneficial Electrification League to modernize electricty infrastructure 💡

$3.9M to the Appalachian Investors Alliance to establish funds for small businesses 🏦

$500K to Carnegie Mellon University to develop job skills matching and career support 💼

$72,219 to the Pennsylvania Environmental Council to boost outdoor tourism 🏞️

On September 9, 2024, Secretary of  Agriculture Tom Vilsack notified the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro of two disaster areas.

As Sec. Vilsack noted, in accordance with 7 CFR 759.5(a), two Pennsylvania counties are designated as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.

The affected counties are:

• Fayette
• Westmoreland

Contiguous Counties:

• Allegheny
• Butler
• Greene
• Somerset
• Armstrong
• Cambria
• Indiana
• Washington

Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.

This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) listserv includes the following Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) renewal information:

• Recent CMS Releases
• Additional Updated Outreach and Educational Resources for Partners
• Free CMS Printed Product Ordering

RECENT CMS RELEASES

In August 2024, CMS released an informational bulletin and slide deck to provide additional guidance to states on their obligation to come into compliance with federal regulations on timely processing of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility renewals, as well as provide an update to the timeline in which states must complete unwinding-related renewals. To ensure that individuals who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP retain coverage, and to assist states in their continued transition to regular renewal processing, CMS is providing states additional time to complete eligibility renewals, address persistent backlogs in processing redeterminations, and ensure that states achieve compliance with federal renewal timeliness requirements by December 2025.

• Informational Bulletin: Guidelines for Achieving Compliance with Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Renewal Timeliness Requirements Following the Medicaid and CHIP Unwinding Period
• Slide Deck: Temporary Strategies and Ongoing Practices to Support Timely Medicaid and CHIP Renewal Initiation and Processing

ADDITIONAL UPDATED OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR PARTNERS

This summer, CMS updated several resources on the Medicaid and CHIP Renewals Outreach and Educational Resources to include evergreen language that partners can use to share information about regular Medicaid and CHIP renewals. Additional resources have recently been updated on the webpage (see list below). The webpage can be accessed using the new shorthand link at Medicaid.gov/renewals-outreach-education. We encourage partners to explore the refreshed webpage and resources, and we will continue to highlight additional updates to the webpage and resources as they become available.

Spanish Translation Now Available

• Drop in Article for People who Lost Medicaid or CHIP (English and Spanish): Use this article for listservs, newsletters, and other outreach resources to educate people about what to do if they have lost Medicaid or CHIP.

Refreshed to Include Information About Regular Medicaid and CHIP Renewals

Reaching Out to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander People about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to Black Americans about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach Black Americans and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to Hispanic or Latino People about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (Englishand Spanish): Use this one-page handout to help reach Hispanic or Latino people and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to People with Disabilities about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach people with disabilities and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to People Who Live in Rural Areas about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals(English): Use this one-page handout to help reach people who live in rural areas and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to American Indian and Alaska Native People about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach American Indian and Alaska Native people and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

FREE CMS PRINTED PRODUCT ORDERING

Select CMS Medicaid and CHIP renewals materials are available to order for free through the CMS Product Ordering website. To order free printed materials, visit the CMS Product Ordering website. If you do not have an account, you will need to request an account on the login page. Once you log into your account, you can enter the term “Unwinding” in the search bar to view the materials that are available for order.

Materials on enrolling in health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace are also available to order for free through the CMS Product Ordering website. Once you log into your account, you can select the tab titled “Marketplace” to view materials related to Marketplace enrollment, Coverage to Care, and more that are available to order.

The 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data set is now publicly available. The BRFSS reaches participants on both landline and cellular telephones, collecting information on health risk behaviors, clinical preventive health practices, and health care access. The survey includes a representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years or older in each survey area. Understanding these data can provide important public-health insights into disparity, access, and reach.

Click here to learn more.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director for Rural Development-Pennsylvania Bob Morgan announced that Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc., would receive USDA funding through the Empowering Rural America (New Era) program. Together, New ERA and other investments in rural clean energy in the President’s Inflation Reduction Act make up the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936 as part of the New Deal.  This announcement includes more than $7.3 billion in financing for 16 rural electric cooperatives in rural communities across the country.

“Rural communities are driving positive change in America,” Morgan said. “Through the New ERA program, rural communities are leading the way toward a greener and more prosperous future, ensuring a better quality of life for families and a healthier planet for all.”

The New ERA investment will help Allegheny Electric Cooperative add significant carbon-free resources to its generation portfolio. Their innovative project will help serve energy needs in rural portions of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while reducing the carbon footprint of Allegheny and its 14-member electric distribution cooperatives.

New ERA funding will allow Allegheny to meet over 80 percent of its power requirements from carbon-free resources by 2026 and reduce pollution and carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 100,000 tons annually. This proposal will reduce greenhouse gas pollution at a level equivalent of removing 22,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road annually. The opportunity to invest in clean energy resources makes Allegheny one of the most carbon-free generation and transmission cooperatives in America.

“We’re excited to be considered a selectee for New ERA funding,” said Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc. President and CEO Steve Brame. “As the generation provider for 14 electric distribution cooperatives, Allegheny’s job is to deliver a safe, reliable, and affordable supply of energy to our member systems and the rural communities they serve. Through the support of New ERA funding, our proposed project has the benefit of adding zero-emissions resources to our generation portfolio – while keeping energy costs down for these cooperative communities.”

The full announcement is available here: national news release.