The Pennsylvania Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program received the 2024 Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) Certificate of Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding critical access hospital state quality reporting and performance. The Pennsylvania program, which was ranked #1 nationally, has 16 critical access hospitals — these small hospitals of 25 beds or less are in rural counties and serve Medicare, low income and uninsured populations.

The award was presented on July 18 at the annual Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program reverse site visit in Washington, D.C., by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. Lannette Fetzer, quality improvement coordinator, and Sandee Kyler, rural health systems manager and deputy director, of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH), accepted the award on behalf of the state’s critical access hospitals. PORH, a partnership between the federal government, the state government and Penn State, is administratively housed in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development.

MBQIP is a quality improvement activity under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility grant program of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The goal of MBQIP is to improve the quality of care provided in critical access hospitals by increasing quality data reporting and driving quality improvement activities based on the data. MBQIP is a voluntary reporting system that includes quality and satisfaction measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare plus a critical access hospital-specific emergency department transfer communication measure set. Pennsylvania was one of the first four states to have 100% critical access hospital participation in MBQIP.

The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program improves access to preventive and emergency health care services for rural populations. Providing federal grant funding to eligible states, the program requires states to address rural health network development and directs significant effort into designating critical access hospitals.

“Pennsylvania’s 16 critical access hospitals work vigorously to ensure their hospital provides exceptional patient care, serving as a testament to superior quality service. It is a pleasure to work with them,” Fetzer said.

During the meeting, Fetzer was asked, for the second year, to serve as one of three panelists during a session called “Intersections of Flex: Working Across Program Areas for Greatest Impact,” where she discussed how quality affects the hospital’s bottom line and the importance of quality reporting.

“Successful quality improvement is not a one-time occurrence; it is a continuous and ongoing effort to improve outcomes in health care,” Kyler said. “Our critical access hospitals care about the people and communities they serve. This recognition demonstrates their commitment to high-quality health care in these rural communities. They are commended for their continuing efforts and focus on high-quality health care.”

PORH, which provides expertise in the areas of rural health, agricultural health and safety, and community and economic development, was formed in 1991 as a partnership between the federal government, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Penn State. The office is one of 50 state offices of rural health in the nation funded under a program administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and is charged with being a source of coordination, technical assistance and networking; partnership development; and assisting in the recruitment and retention of health care providers.

When Bristeria Clark went into labor with her son in 2015, her contractions were steady at first. Then, they stalled. Her cervix stopped dilating. After a few hours, doctors at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, prepped Clark for an emergency cesarean section.

It wasn’t the vaginal birth Clark had hoped for during her pregnancy.

“I was freaking out. That was my first child. Like, of course you don’t plan that,” she said. “I just remember the gas pulling up to my face and I ended up going to sleep.”

She remembered feeling a rush of relief when she woke to see that her baby boy was healthy.

Clark, a 33-year-old nursing student who also works full-time in county government, had another C-section when her second child was born in 2020. This time, the cesarean was planned.

Clark said she’s grateful the physicians and nurses who delivered both her babies were kind and caring during her labor and delivery. But looking back, she said, she wishes she had had a doula for one-on-one support through pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Now she wants to give other women the option she didn’t have.

Clark is a member of Morehouse School of Medicine’s first class of rural doulas, called Perinatal Patient Navigators.

The program recently graduated a dozen participants, all Black women from southwestern Georgia. They have completed more than five months of training and are scheduled to begin working with pregnant and postpartum patients this year.

Read more.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director for Rural Development Bob Morgan announced four additional projects being funded through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for a total of $1.4 million.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is partnering with people in rural communities across our Commonwealth to expand access to clean energy and save rural Americans money,” Morgan said. “We are hard at work, continuing what we’ve always done, supporting rural small businesses and farmers as they create jobs for their communities and drive economic prosperity.”

Here are the projects being announced today:

In Cambria County, Saint Francis University will use a REAP Renewable and Energy Audit Program grant of $100,000 to conduct 26 renewable energy assessments for rural small businesses and agricultural producers throughout Pennsylvania. These on-site assessments will provide analysis to install renewable energy systems aimed at reducing overall energy costs. This program strengthens American energy independence by increasing the private sector supply of renewable energy and decreasing the demand for energy through energy efficiency improvements.

In Northampton County, Northampton County Area Community College will use a REAP Technical Assistance grant of $449,990 to provide technical assistance for stakeholders interested in REAP Energy Efficiency Improvement opportunities for rural small businesses and agricultural producers throughout the State of Pennsylvania. Northampton County Area Community College (NCC) will provide technical assistance as well as energy audits and assessments to applicants interested in applying for REAP funds. NCC will target projects requesting $20,000 or less in grant funds, projects located in distressed or disadvantaged communities and projects with agricultural producers.

In Juniata County, Reinford Farms Inc., a dairy farm and trucking operation located in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, will use a REAP grant of $712,572 to purchase and install a replacement motor upgrade for its anaerobic digester. Reinford Farms has been operating since 1991. The project is estimated to generate 3,705,000 kilowatt hours (kwh) per year, which is enough energy to power 341 homes.

In York County, Miller-Redding Partnership dba Mr. Storage will use a REAP grant of $132,500 to purchase and install a 104.7-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system. Mr. Storage, a 102-unit storage facility located in Hanover, Pennsylvania has been operating since 2019. This project is expected to generate 129,191 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, which is enough energy to power 11 homes.

In 2024, USDA Rural Development has invested in 119 projects for a total of $19 million. Since 2021, RD has invested $44 million in 366 projects across the Commonwealth through the REAP program. Many of the projects are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis. The projects also advance President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle out and the bottom up.

You can read the USDA national program announcement made today here.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Authority (PBDA) has posted details about the challenges received during the Challenge Submission phase of the BEAD Challenge process. The Challenge Summary can be reviewed on the PBDA’s BEAD Challenge Process webpage. The Adjudication phase is currently in-progress which means PBDA is reviewing evidence submitted during the Rebuttal phase.  All final outcomes of the Adjudication phase will be posted publicly on our website when NTIA Curing is complete.

Additional questions regarding the BEAD Challenge Process, please reach out to the PBDA via the BEAD Resource Account.

New investments will make it easier for social workers to practice across state lines, increase behavioral health access, and better facilitate telehealth services

Funding builds on HRSA’s work to support licensure compacts to improve access to primary care and psychology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the first-ever Licensure Portability Grant Program investment in a multi-state social worker licensure compact. State licensure compacts allow states to come together on a common approach to licensing health care providers, allowing providers to practice across state lines without having to apply for a license in each state. Streamlining licensure while maintaining quality standards improves access to services both by better facilitating hiring and by easing pathways to utilizing telehealth. The announcement was made at HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference, the largest federal conference on telehealth issues.

“Social workers are essential to expanding access to behavioral health care services, a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “HRSA is leading the way in growing the behavioral health workforce both by training more providers and by breaking down barriers to allow the workforce to make mental health and substance use disorder services more accessible across the country.”

HRSA’s new $2.5 million investment in licensure compacts will support the work to launch a social worker compact as well as HRSA’s ongoing support for building and sustaining primary care, psychology, and podiatry compacts. HRSA identified behavioral health as a priority in its state licensure compact work. Since HRSA began investing in licensure compacts, the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact and the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) have each grown to include 40 states, Washington, D.C., and one territory.

“Social workers are on the frontlines in responding to the Administration’s priorities, including meeting children’s mental health needs, responding to the opioid epidemic, and addressing maternal depression,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Today’s announcement is a critical step in helping social workers serve people in need, particularly in rural and underserved communities across the country.”

Today’s awards will support the Association of Social Work Boards, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, and the Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards in working with state licensing boards to develop and implement state policies that reduce barriers to telehealth and allow for practice across state lines.

HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference brings public and private sector leaders together to discuss telehealth best practices to expand services in underserved and rural communities. This year, over 2,000 individuals registered to explore the future of telehealth including innovation, policy, and licensure issues.

To learn more about the Licensure Portability Grant Program, visit the Licensure Portability Grant Program Awardees webpage.

For more information on HRSA’s telehealth health work, visit the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth webpage.