- Senator Baldwin Introduces HSHS Act to Protect Communities from Hospital Closures
- What to Know about Smoke, Heat and Health
- Tribal Partnership With UW-Madison Combines Ag Research With Indigenous Food Knowledge
- The Rewards of Working as Rural Docs
- Request for Information (RFI): Evolving the Network of the National Library of Medicine
- Dental Therapists, Who Can Fill Cavities and Check Teeth, Get the OK in More States
- Colorectal Cancer Is Rising among Younger Adults. Some States Want to Boost Awareness.
- Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
- Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
- CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
- CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
- Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
- Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
- Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
- Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
Time to Celebrate the #PowerofRural!
Every year, the third Thursday of November is designated as National Rural Health Day (NRHD). What began as an annual, single day of recognition has grown to be a national conversation and movement!
Multiple events are happening in every state across the country throughout the week and on November 21. the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has made it easy to participate by offering free communication tools, an idea guide, and an extensive listing of and registration for activities around the country – all available on PowerofRural.org!
Thanks again for all you do to help us transform this moment into a movement!
Report Demonstrates How Medicaid Increases Adult Access to Oral Health Care
Part 2 of a research report from the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement demonstrates how Medicaid, with its limited dental coverage, significantly improved adults’ access and utilization of dental services, compared to those who lack medical coverage. Click to read about Medicaid, family income and dental services.
National Rural Hospital Week & National Rural Health Day
During the week of November 18, 2019, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) will partner with the Federation of American Hospitals to celebrate National Rural Hospital Week (November 18-22). NRHA will share messages on the importance of rural hospitals and ways rural providers do more with less together via a variety of media platforms: including an Op-Ed in ModernHealthcare, an episode of the Hospitals in Focus podcast, social media shares, and more! NRHA will also partner with the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) to promote National Rural Health Day (November 21) and will share stories and factoids that highlight the #PowerofRural. Join NRHA as they draw attention to the challenges in rural America and celebrate the ways that rural health care is special.
Rural Americans are More Likely to Die from Preventable Causes
A new government study shows that rural Americans die more often from potentially preventable causes than their urban counterparts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied preventable diseases from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease in rural areas and compared the outcomes with city areas. The results saw that between 2010 and 2017, rural counties saw a widening disparity in preventable deaths from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease, compared to city areas. Researchers found a “persistent and striking gap between rural and urban Americans for this (cancer) and other leading causes of death.”
Best Performing Health Care CEOs
Harvard Business Review recently released its annual ranking of the 100 “Best-Performing CEOs in the World,” and the list includes nine CEOs in the health care industry. Health care CEOs who made the list lead companies in the pharmaceutical, life sciences, and other health-related sectors. (Source: Harvard Business Review, November-December 2019)
Public Comment Period for Council on Pennsylvania Reform Recommendations
This summer Pennsylvania Governor Wolf announced the creation of the Council on Reform, aimed at providing policy recommendations on vulnerable populations, with a report due by the end of the year. The Council recently released its draft recommendations. Recommended policies range from focusing on prevention in the child welfare system to increasing home visiting services for women and children. The recommendations are now open for a 45-day public comment period with a deadline of December 16.
Click here to provide comments or recommendations.
CMS Issues Final Rule on Hospital Price Transparency, Pushes Effective Date to 2021
After months of feedback from payers and providers unhappy with a proposal to mandate price transparency in healthcare, the Trump administration unveiled its final rule on the topic.
- The final rule on hospital price transparency is effective January 1, 2021, which is a year later than originally proposed
- A separate proposed rule would also impose price transparency requirements on health insurers.
The final rule gives CMS additional enforcement and auditing capabilities, including the potential for monetary finds of $300 per day. Read the full story…
Research Reveals Big Shift in Employment Trends in Appalachia
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) released Industrial Make-Up of the Appalachian Region, a new report examining employment and earnings across the Region. Drawing on data from 15 industry sectors, the report catalogs how the Region’s industrial make-up and earnings compare to that of the country as a whole. The report primarily focuses on the period from 2002–2017 — the years immediately before, during, and after the Great Recession – and finds that employment growth varies across the Region. Overall, while post-Recession employment growth has been positive in Appalachia, it lags behind the growth that was experienced by the country as a whole. The report also finds an overall employment shift across the Region towards professional & technical services; health & social services; and tourism-related jobs.
Among the Report’s key findings: from 2012 to 2017, employment across all industries in Appalachia grew 4.7 percent. While growth was positive, employment nationwide grew 9.6 percent during the same time period. From 2012 to 2017, the fastest growth in employment occurred in Appalachia’s South Central and Southern subregions, at 6.6 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively. In 2017, the five industries with the largest employment shares in the Region were professional & technical services (12.1 percent), health and social services (11.6 percent), retail and trade (11.1 percent); state and local government (11.1 percent); and manufacturing (10 percent). In 2017, 10 percent of Appalachia’s total employment was in the manufacturing industry, a larger share than the country as a whole (6.8 percent).
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf Announces Veterans’ Trust Fund Grant Opportunities
Governor Tom Wolf announced on November 12, 2019 that the 2019-20 Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF) is accepting grant applications for programs and services benefiting Pennsylvania veterans. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) will award up to $800,000 in VTF grants to non-profit organizations, veteran service organizations and county directors of veteran affairs across the state. Grant applications must be received no later than 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 18, 2019.
“Pennsylvania has always held its service members in high regard because of their tremendous sacrifices in defense of our nation and commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf. “Pennsylvanians routinely contribute to the Veterans’ Trust Fund to show their gratitude and continued support. This fund would not be successful, and our veterans would not be as cared for without these generous donations.”
Up to a total of $150,000 in grant funding is available for new, innovative or expanded programs or services operated by the county directors of veterans affairs or the Pennsylvania Association of County Directors of Veterans Affairs. The areas of emphasis for applicants in this category are veterans’ outreach and veterans’ court programs.
Up to $650,000 in VTF funding is available to veteran service organizations with 501(c)(19) status and non-profit organizations with a mission of serving Pennsylvania veterans granted 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code. Funding priorities for applicants in this category are homelessness, behavioral health initiatives and Veterans’ Courts.
Eligible applicants from either category may also submit applications for programs addressing newly identified, unmet or emerging needs of veterans and their families.
Since the grant program began in 2013, 155 grants totaling $3,732,860 have been awarded to organizations providing services to veterans in Pennsylvania.
“The Veterans’ Trust Fund is a tremendous program that enables us to grant donated money to organizations that provide direct positive effects on our veterans lives,” said Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general. “Donating to the fund is a great option for anyone who wants to do more for Pennsylvania’s veterans. These grants supplement other federal and state programs directing more assistance towards our veterans.”
The VTF is funded by generous Pennsylvanians who voluntarily donate when applying for or renewing driver’s licenses, photo IDs or motor vehicle registrations; purchase Honoring Our Veterans license plates; or make private donations.
The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is authorized to solicit and accept donations to the VTF on behalf of the commonwealth. Tax-deductible donations can be made online at www.donate.dmva.pa.gov or mailed to: PA Veterans’ Trust Fund, Edward Martin Hall, Bldg. 0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA 17003-5002.
To learn more about the VTF and the grant application process, visit www.vtf.pa.gov or follow DMVA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/padmva.
ARC: Investing in Economic Diversity with POWER
In October 2019, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced 54 new grants, totaling a $44.4 million investment, to help diversify the economy in the Region’s coal-impacted communities via ARC’s POWER Initiative. This week, representatives from most of these projects were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a two day training focusing on grant implementation, monitoring and evaluation; project sustainability; communications; and legal issues. During the convening, this new cohort of grantees developed stronger networks to set their projects up for success. Since 2015, ARC’s POWER Initiative has invested over $190 million in 239 projects touching 326 coal-impacted counties across Appalachia. Together, these investments are projected to create or retain more than 23,000 jobs, and leverage more than $811 million in additional private investment into Appalachia’s economy. A list of all of ARC’s POWER investments is available at www.arc.gov/power.
ARC’s POWER Initiative will continue in the next fiscal year, pending Congress’ final appropriation for fiscal year 2020. Meanwhile, ARC is preparing a Request for Proposals (RFP), scheduled for release in early December. Applications for funding will be due in March, 2020. To help prospective applicants prepare strong applications in response to the forthcoming RFP, ARC staff and other experts will be hosting a series of POWER Application Workshops in Pennsylvania (December 11); Ashland, Kentucky (January 15); and Johnson City, Tennessee (January 28). Each workshop will run from 9am–3pm and is free to attend, although pre-registration is required at www.arc.gov/power.