Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Brief: Disability in PA, 2013-2017

Approximately 1.73 million Pennsylvanians (13.7%) have at least one disability. This month we highlight trends in the population with disabilities in PA according to the 2013-2017 American Community Estimates. Key trends include:

  • A higher percentage of females and older persons had disabilities
  • Ambulatory, or movement-based, disabilities were the most common type
  • Those with disabilities had lower educational attainment and earnings

Read more: https://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/sdc/pasdc_files/researchbriefs/Feb_2019.pdf

Department of Human Services’ Report on Child Abuse Data Outlines Prevention Recommendations

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 21, 2019

Department of Human Services’ Report on Child Abuse Data Outlines Prevention Recommendations 

Harrisburg, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today released the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Fatality/Near Fatality Trend Analysis Report, a study of statewide child abuse fatality and near fatality data from calendar years 2015 and 2016. The report outlines and analyzes data from these years and establishes recommendations to prevent child abuse fatalities and near fatalities so children can grow up in safe, nurturing homes.

“Every child deserves to live and grow up in a safe, nurturing home, and we firmly believe that one life lost as a result of child abuse is one too many,” said Secretary Miller. “We must learn from past child fatalities and near-fatalities that resulted from abuse so we are best prepared to understand child abuse and protect children around Pennsylvania. We will not accept the notion that there is nothing we could to do prevent abuse and protect children around Pennsylvania, and the recommendations in this report will help us create stronger, safer systems moving forward.”

In order to review and learn from past instances of child abuse fatalities and near fatalities, the department convened a trend analysis team comprised of staff across multiple state agencies, partners in the General Assembly and local government, and child welfare advocates. The report approaches child abuse as a public health issue that requires collaborative, multidisciplinary partnerships, strengthened prevention efforts and improved ways to identify signs and cases of abuse before a fatality or near-fatality occurs.

The trend analysis team’s recommendations focus on improvements to the fatality and near-fatality review process, strengthened intervention programs, and legislative and policy changes. Recommendations included:

  • Establishing regional review teams and technical assistance networks to provide greater support that strengthens county fatality and near-fatality review teams;
  • Creating best practice guidelines and tools and enhancing trainings for county review teams;
  • Expanding education on fatality and near-fatality reviews to include the education system, health care providers, law enforcement, and behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment providers;
  • Researching effectiveness of existing supports like crisis hotlines, text-lines, and social media resources to evaluate if such resources should be expanded around Pennsylvania;
  • Exploring an alert system between health care providers and managed care organizations to monitor parent engagement, identify potential cases of abuse, and recognize when a referral is necessary;
  • Increasing availability of resources that educate on the signs of abuse and the importance of timely referrals to appropriate services;
  • Providing more resources for parents on healthy parenting at all stages of a child’s life;
  • Evaluating and enhancing policies pertaining to child abuse and neglect investigations, when to consult with a medical professional, and screening guidelines for county children and youth agencies;
  • Amending Child Protective Services Law to allow for enhanced case management to identify potential future abuse and a streamlined review process that creates a more comprehensive assessment.

Implementation of these recommendations will be considered and coordinated between other state agencies, the General Assembly, and partners in local government and law enforcement with assistance from advocates and stakeholders in child welfare, health care, education, and behavioral health fields. Recommendations will be monitored and evaluated as they are implemented for effectiveness in reducing future fatalities and near fatalities.

“This report is an important step towards better understanding and preventing child abuse,” said Secretary Miller. “I am very thankful for the trend analysis team’s work thus far, and we will continue to work closely with our state and local partners and advocates to keep children safe, healthy, and happy.”

“The recommendations announced today are just the beginning. We are committed to working with our partners in federal, state, and local governments as well as the stakeholders and advocates in the child welfare system and continuing to provide updates as recommendations are implemented and evaluated,” said Secretary Miller. “We will continue to work every day to protect children around the commonwealth so that all children can grow and thrive in safe, loving homes.”

 

For more information on how to identify and report child abuse, visitwww.keepkidssafe.pa.gov.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:  Ali Fogarty, 717-425-7606

AHA Report on Challenges to Rural Access to Care

AHA Report on Challenges to Rural Access to Care.  The American Hospital Association (AHA) report takes a comprehensive look at persistent challenges to health care in rural communities, an examination that includes hospital closures, the opioid crisis, social determinants of health, lack of behavioral health and workforce shortages.  While it acknowledges a role and responsibility for better policy at every level, the report focuses on federal policies and investments in light of their nationwide impact and reach.

Advancing Tobacco Prevention and Control in Rural America

Advancing Tobacco Prevention and Control in Rural America. The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), in conjunction with the Maine Public Health Institute and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), announced the release of a new report highlighting the significant toll tobacco has on rural communities.  The report – which includes 15 recommendations for advancing rural tobacco control initiatives and suggestions for future research – explores rates and patterns of commercial tobacco use across rural, aspects of the rural context that may affect tobacco control efforts, and current rural tobacco control activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking disproportionately affects the health of people with lower socioeconomic status, withpeople living in deprived, rural areas experiencing rates of lung cancer that are 18-20 percent higher than people living in urban areas.

White House Launches High Speed Broadband Initiative

White House Launches High Speed Broadband Initiative.  On Wednesday, the White House announced a new effort to increase broadband access, particularly in rural areas where coverage and speeds are insufficient to accommodate needs for health care, education and commerce.  With input from a range of federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services and Interior as well the Federal Communications Commission, the American Broadband Initiative Milestones Report offers recommendations grouped into three categories: streamlining federal permitting processes to speed broadband deployment, leveraging federal assets to lower the cost of broadband build-outs, and maximizing the impact of federal funding.  See the Funding Opportunities section below for announcements related to broadband access and telecommunications specific to rural areas.

USDA Launches High-Speed Broadband e-Connectivity Resource Guide

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2019 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new toolkit to help support the deployment of high-speed broadband e-Connectivity in rural communities.

“High-speed broadband e-Connectivity is becoming more and more essential to doing business, delivering health care, and, for schoolchildren, doing homework in rural communities,” Hazlett said. “This user-friendly tool will help rural customers find the many resources USDA has available to support the expansion and use of e-Connectivity in rural America.”

The e-Connectivity Toolkit (PDF, 4.3 MB) features 27 USDA programs that support broadband deployment. The easy-to-use resource is a simple guide that allows customers to identify their type of e-Connectivity project and locate resources the federal government offers for planning, equipment, construction, research and other e-Connectivity projects. Resources such as grants, loans and technical assistance are available from multiple Mission Areas at USDA, including Rural Development, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Forest Service.

The toolkit highlights examples of how e-Connectivity resources are being used to increase access to broadband services in rural communities. It is free and available to the public online, and can be easily printed for offline use.

USDA’s launch of the e-Connectivity Toolkit closely follows Secretary Sonny Perdue’s unveiling of the ReConnect Program, a pilot program authorized by the Consolidated Budget Act of 2018, to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas that lack sufficient access to broadband.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.

To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).

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.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

The Journal of Appalachian Health Launches Today

F. Douglas Scutchfield, Editor,

The Editorial Staff, and the Editorial and Advisory Boards

Invite you to participate in the launch of the

Journal of Appalachian Health.

The Journal of Appalachian Health is now open for both readers and authors. The journal is an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal with a mission of creating a healthy and thriving Appalachia. The journal, thanks to the support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will require no subscription fee or author publication fee.

The journal is particularly interested in receiving submissions that focus on Appalachian health inequities and social determinants of health. If you are interested in submitting articles for publication in the journal, the instructions for authors and further description of the journal are located at:

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/jah/

If you are interested in receiving your free copy of the journal, either go to the journal website https://uknowledge.uky.edu/jah/ to sign up for your free journal or send an email to

AppalachHealth@UKy.edu

to be put on our journal mailing list.

We thank you and appreciate your interest and commitment to improving the health of the Appalachian Region.

Join the All of Us National Research Program

The All of Us Research Program is a historic effort to gather data over many years from one million or more people living in the United States, with the ultimate goal of accelerating research and improving health. Unlike research studies that are focused on a specific disease or population, All of Us will serve as a national research resource to inform thousands of studies, covering a wide variety of health conditions. Researchers will use data from the program to learn more about how individual differences in lifestyle, environment, and biological makeup can influence health and disease. Participants may be able to learn more about their own health and contribute to an effort that may advance the health of generations to come.

Visit https://allofus.nih.gov/ to learn more on the nationwide effort!

Program Overview – Information about the program.

Scientific Opportunities – The large and diverse participant group will help our researchers explore questions and answers on a whole new level.

Participation – How the research cohort will work, participation goals and guidelines.

Program Partners – An overview of the various partners that have been assembled to deliver the program.

Protocol – A detailed look at the program’s plans for building a robust research resource of data from one million or more participants.

Who We Are – The NIH established independent advisory groups comprised of members who have deep and diverse expertise.

Program FAQ – Frequently asked questions about the All of Us Research Program.

Contact Us – How to contact the All of Us Research Program.

USDA Extends Deadlines for ReConnect Rural Broadband Program

WASHINGTON, February 6, 2019 – Acting Administrator for USDA’s Rural Utilities Service Bette Brand announced today USDA would extend application deadlines for the Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect Program).

To give potential applicants adequate time to access technical assistance from USDA staff and its partners, the first application deadline will be pushed back to May 31, 2019 or later. Previously, application deadlines began in April. New specific deadlines for ReConnect Program grants, loans, and grant-loan combination applications will be posted in the Federal Register in late February.

“We’ve seen such strong interest in ReConnect from rural telecommunications providers and utility cooperatives, that we want to be sure there’s enough time for them to put solid applications together for these innovative funding opportunities,” said Bette Brand. “The USDA team stands ready to assist with engineering and business plans, to be sure these new Federal funds are as impactful as possible.”

As one part of that technical assistance, USDA is hosting a webinar with general information about the ReConnect program and guidance from experts for potential applicants. This webinar is open to the public and interested parties, and will be offered at 2:00 pm Eastern Time on both Thursday, February 7 and Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On December 13, Agriculture Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect”, including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America.

Telecommunications companies, rural electric cooperatives and utilities, internet service providers and municipalities may apply for funding through USDA’s new ReConnect Program to connect rural areas that currently have insufficient broadband service. Through the ReConnect Program, USDA is making available approximately $200 million for grants, as well as $200 million for loan and grant combinations, and $200 million for low-interest loans. Funds will be awarded to projects that have a financially-sustainable business models that will bring high-speed broadband to rural homes, businesses, farms, ranches, and community facilities such as first responders, healthcare sites, and schools.

More information about the ReConnect program may be found at http://reconnect.usda.gov.