Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Rural Development Community Facilities and Distance Learning Resources

Rural Development (RD) 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.

Select upcoming RD deadlines:

Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Expands Food Recovery Infrastructure Grants to Help the Charitable Food System

Governor Wolf’s administration is making immediate changes to the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant Program to help ensure food banks are adequately supplied to meet the needs of Pennsylvania residents.

Increased demand on the charitable food system related to COVID-19 has demonstrated an immediate need for resources to support additional cold storage space, and more flexibility and changes to this grant program. The changes also encourage partnerships between nonprofit organizations such as food banks and farms, processors and cooperatives that continue to experience challenges within the food supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.

Changes to the grant solicitation process include:

  • Closing the round of grant eligibility on May 8 to review applications and deliver awards as soon as possible;
  • Expanding the list of potential partners beyond retailers and wholesalers to also include farms, processors and cooperatives; and
  • Removing pre-application meeting requirements to expedite applications.

To apply, the applicant must describe its current food recovery operation and explain how the food infrastructure equipment will enhance its current program. The organization must also provide a description of the proposed program and provide what food retailers, wholesalers, farms, processors and cooperatives will be partners for the project. Additionally, the organization must provide a description of how the program will be operated by staff and or volunteers.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 8. Learn how to apply for the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant Program.

Cities with the Biggest Growth in Unemployment Due to COVID-19 – WalletHub Study

With over 22 million jobs wiped out so far during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub today released its report on the Cities with the Biggest Growth in Unemployment Due to COVID-19, along with accompanying videos.

In order to identify where workers have been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub compared 180 cities based on how their unemployment rate has changed over time. We compared unemployment during the latest month for which we have data (March 2020) to March 2019 and January 2020 in order to see the difference from the beginning of the year and from last year. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

Most Affected Cities

1. Seattle, WA 11. Reno, NV
2. Hialeah, FL 12. Dover, DE
3. North Las Vegas, NV 13. Orlando, FL
4. Miami, FL 14. Port St. Lucie, FL
5. Henderson, NV 15. Salt Lake City, UT
6. Las Vegas, NV 16. Long Beach, CA
7. Aurora, CO 17. Santa Clarita, CA
8. Denver, CO 18. Los Angeles, CA
9. Cleveland, OH 19. Chicago, IL
10. Colorado Springs, CO 20. Fort Lauderdale, FL

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-biggest-growth-in-unemployment-due-to-covid-19/73647/

Major-City Growth Slows, but That Doesn’t Mean a Rural Rebound

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Nearly 1.9 million people moved out of the central parts of major cities from 2010 to 2019. But they only got as far as the suburbs.

One of the undeniable facts of the past decade is that the nation’s biggest cities had the biggest gains in population.

But demographer Bill Frey has noticed a recent kink in the inexorable growth of the giant metropolitan areas, those with a million or more people. In a recent report for the Brookings Institution, Frey writes that “growth has diminished in recent years” in the nation’s largest cities.

“Major metropolitan areas with populations exceeding one million sustained the biggest growth slowdowns and, in several cases, population losses over the last four years, as have the urban cores within them,” Frey writes.

Does this mean there has been yet another “rural rebound,” with people fleeing cities for the countryside?

Read more.

Rural Hospitals Worry $10 Billion Infusion from CARES Act Just a ‘Band-Aid’

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As financial aid for hospitals begins to be deployed across the country, some of the rural administrators worry it’s only a temporary fix, not a long term solution.

Rural Counties Account for Increasing Share of New Covid-19 Cases

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The percentage of the nation’s new Covid-19 cases that originated in rural counties more than doubled in the last month.  The infection rate in rural counties remains significantly lower than the nation’s overall infection rate. But rural hotspots, plus a gradual increase across most nonmetropolitan counties, is making rural infections a greater share of the nation’s caseload.

Read more.

HHS Launches COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has launched a new COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal, allowing health care providers who have conducted COVID-19 testing or provided treatment for uninsured COVID-19 individuals on or after February 4, 2020 to submit claims for reimbursement. Providers can access the portal at COVIDUninsuredClaim.HRSA.gov.

The Trump Administration is committed to ensuring that individuals are protected against financial obstacles that might prevent them from getting the testing and treatment they need for COVID-19. As part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, health care providers can request claims reimbursement electronically through the COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal and receive reimbursement, generally at Medicare rates for testing uninsured individuals for COVID-19 and treating uninsured individuals with a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Read more.

Health Care Professional Workforce Composition Before and After Rural Hospital Closure

A new rural policy brief is available from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis authored by Erin Mobley, PhD; Fred Ullrich, BA; Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, MPH; Mina Shrestha, MPH and Keith Mueller, PhD.  This policy brief examines the composition of the local health care workforce before and after rural hospital closure to reveal any associations with discontinuation of inpatient services in rural communities.

Please click here to read the brief.

 

States Offering the Most Coronavirus Support – WalletHub Study

With 89 percent of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 having some sort of pre-existing condition, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States Offering the Most Coronavirus Support, as well as accompanying videos. The report seeks to examine how states care for people who are at risk both health-wise and financially.

To identify which states offer the most support during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics. Our data set ranges from whether the state will offer free vaccinations once a vaccine exists to the share of households in poverty that receive social assistance. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

States with the Most Support

States with the Least Support

1. Massachusetts 42. Texas
2. District of Columbia 43. Tennessee
3. Rhode Island 44. Florida
4. Maine 45. Indiana
5. North Dakota 46. Virginia
6. New Mexico 47. South Carolina
7. Vermont 48. Georgia
8. Colorado 49. Arizona
9. Kentucky 50. Mississippi
10. Minnesota 51. North Carolina

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-offering-the-most-coronavirus-support/73333/

Pennsylvania Governor Announces May 1 Statewide Reopening of Limited Outdoor Recreational Activities to Help Maintain Positive Physical, Mental Health

To ensure that Pennsylvanians have opportunities to safely enjoy outdoor recreation as a way to maintain positive physical and mental health, and in keeping with the commonwealth’s stay-at-home orders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Governor Tom Wolf today announced that the Wolf Administration is lifting some restrictions on businesses related to certain outdoor activities.

Starting Friday, May 1, golf courses, marinas, guided fishing trips and privately owned campgrounds may reopen statewide and are required to follow updated life-sustaining business guidance and FAQ issued by the Wolf Administration to include specifics for how these outdoor recreational industries can resume activities while prioritizing public health and safety. Campgrounds in state parks will remain closed through Thursday, May 14.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance on visiting parks and recreational facilities. These guidelines must be followed statewide by businesses and when engaging in outdoor activity while the state disaster declaration remains in effect. The guidelines will ensure the safety of individuals and families engaging in outdoor activities and adherence will help slow the spread of COVID-19.

  • Stay close to home: Pennsylvanians are encouraged to enjoy permitted outdoor recreational activities within their community and avoid crowding popular destinations.
  • Practice social distancing: Maintain the recommended minimum 6 feet apart from fellow recreationists. Pennsylvanians are also encouraged to wear a mask or protective garment that covers the nose and mouth any time they go outside. If a parking lot at a park is full or there are too many people on the same trail, find an alternate place to recreate. Cross the street to avoid running directly past another runner or wait longer at a golf hole for a fellow golfer to move forward.
  • Minimize risk to others: Individuals should only go out if they feel healthy and have not been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
  • Practice good hygiene: Wash hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol. Avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as doorknobs and handrails.
  • Have a plan: Create a safety plan before heading outdoors. Explain to children the need to keep their distance from others, even if they happen to see a friend while outside. Discuss with partners, social distancing while on the golf course. Think through how to avoid other runners when waiting to safely cross a street at the same time.