- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
HRSA Regional Office Offers Free Presentation on Securing Federal Grants
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Region 3 Office, will present key steps and resources for seeking federal grants. Attendees will have a chance to learn about identifying HRSA grant opportunities, navigating the grant application process, and accessing technical assistance resources. In addition, the session will include tips from a current HRSA grantee and details on how to become a HRSA grant reviewer. Individuals at all levels of experience, from those considering a first grant submission to those with prior grant writing experience, are welcome. PLEASE NOTE: The registration site also includes the full grant writing series, Ready! Set! Write! Grant Writing from A to Z. Scroll down the page to register for the free federal session scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, 9:30–11:00 am. Click here to register!
Federal Poverty Income Guidelines for 2024 Released
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced implementation in Pennsylvania of the 2024 Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (FPIG), which were issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Jan. 17, 2024. The FPIGs are the basis for FQHC sliding fees and the income eligibility limits for several categories of Medicaid whose regulations are published in 55 Pa. Code (relating to human services) and administered by the PA Department of Human Services. Click here to read the notice in the PA Bulletin.
Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Addressing SUD and Behavioral Health
On Thursday morning, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing: “Front Lines of the Fentanyl Crisis: Supporting Communities and Combating Addiction through Prevention and Treatment.” This was a great opportunity to highlight for Senators the great work that health centers are doing in behavioral health. PACHC sent background information on the impactful work being done by Pennsylvania’s FQHCs to Senator Casey, who is a member of the Committee. Dr. Abigail Herron, who works for an FQHC in New York state, testified at the hearing.
ICYMI: Explore HeatRisk Forecast Tool
In case you missed it: last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the nation’s first health-based alert system and heat guidance for clinicians. As part of this effort, the CDC also provides a HeatRisk Dashboard with resources for high-heat days, details on local air quality, and actions to stay safe in these conditions. Finally, the CDC has a site with clinical guidance for heat health, focused initially on treating children with asthma, pregnant women, and people with cardiovascular disease.
CMS Now Accepting Applications for Joining the Medicare Shared Savings Program
Apply by June 17. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting applications for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, in which groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers collaborate, with the goal of offering coordinated high-quality care to people with Medicare. ACOs inexperienced with risk-based payments and who provide care to rural and underserved beneficiaries may be interested in Advance Investment Payments, and those interested in alternative payments for primary care providers may consider the ACO Primary Care Flex Model. For both of these options, ACOs must first apply to the Shared Savings Program. To learn more about the application process, register for the upcoming June 5 webinar on Completing Phase 1 of the Application and Avoiding Common Deficiencies. Email questions to SharedSavingsProgram@cms.hhs.gov.
HRSA Modifies Definition of Rural for FORHP Grants
Comment by May 28. On April 26th, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) announced a proposed modification to the definition of ‘rural’ used to designate eligible areas for rural health grants. Because access to needed health care is likely to be reduced when roads are most difficult to traverse, FORHP proposes to modify the definition of rural areas by integrating the new Road Ruggedness Scale (RRS) released in 2023 by the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The proposed modifications are based on a data-driven methodology to identify areas with difficult mountainous terrain. All areas included in the current definition of rural would remain included.
Overdose Deaths Are in Decline
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released provisional data from their National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicating an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2023 – a decrease of 3 percent from the 111,029 deaths estimated in 2022. This is the first annual decrease in drug overdose deaths since 2018. Several states across the nation saw decreases; Nebraska, Kansas, Indiana, and Maine experienced declines of 15 percent or more. Still, some states saw increases. Alaska, Washington, and Oregon stood out with notable increases of at least 27% compared to the same period in 2022. Various factors make a difference in provisional counts versus final counts, such as records indicating “pending investigation.” The data are based on death records NCHS receives each month from state vital registration offices with no distinction between urban and rural.
Coming Soon: Available Funding for Enhancing The Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention – Workforce Expansion Program
HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce has dedicated $4.75 million to this program to increase the nursing workforce in rural (non-metro) and underserved areas to address the critical shortage of nurses, specifically in acute and long-term care settings. Eligible applicants include: public and private institutions of higher education; accredited schools of nursing; health care facilities; entities that confer associate’s degrees in nursing, such as community colleges; and partnerships between training and health care facilities. This is a forecasted opportunity and may change when the application opens.
“Economic Development Drives Population Health”: A New Vision for Rural Hospital Leadership
A new feature article in The Rural Monitor describes the role that rural hospital investments can play in contributing to community health. The story details a Critical Access Hospital in Wisconsin making infrastructure investments in their downtown and a New Hampshire medical center investing in public transit and affordable housing.
Developing Occupational Therapy and Telehealth Toolkit
Occupational Therapy and Telehealth Toolkit. Created by the Greater Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center, the toolkit gives information on basics and best practices for providing occupational therapy via telehealth.