Please check out this RFD-TV: “Market Day Report”  Live segment filmed on July 21, 2020.  It features White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director James Carroll discussing the new Rural Community Toolbox site.

The CDC’s rural COVID-19 page is now live!  In addition, the CDC released their provisional 2019 drug overdose death numbers for the country. Overall, there was a national increase of 4.8%. Click here to learn more.  Also, the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control posted a notice in the Federal Register to solicit input from several stakeholder groups on the management of chronic and acute pain. Through the notice, which closes August 21,2020, the CDC is looking for volunteers to participate in individual conversations and share their perspectives.

Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand announced that USDA is seeking feedback to launch a new program to help create high-wage jobs in rural communities and strengthen regional economies. Click here to learn more.

Below please find more resources and information that may be of interest. Please share this information with your stakeholders.

• The Small Business Administration, Paycheck Protection Program has Reopened.
• Addiction Policy Forum’s released a Health Advisory about COVID-19 and a Survey: COVID-19 Affecting Access to Addiction Treatment and Key Services.
• The Weekly National Call on Coronavirus, Housing & Homelessness National Low Income Housing Coalition – Mondays, 2:30pm.
• The Rural Health Information Hub (RHI-HUB) released the Rural Community Paramedicine Toolkit, Created by RHIhub partner NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, this new toolkit compiles emerging practices and resources to aid rural communities in building community paramedicine and mobile integrated health programs.
• Mid Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center  (MATRC)– Telehealth Resources for COVID-19 Toolkit. MATRC compiled the most frequently asked questions and requested resources into a COVID-19 Toolkit.  They update this Toolkit every day, so bookmark this page and check back regularly!
• 2021 Rx Summit Call for Presentations: The Call for Presentations is open for the 2021 Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, which will be held April 5-8 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Presentation proposals can be submitted for a breakout session (75-minute education session), the poster hall, or both. There is a limit of 3 presentation proposals per submitter. Please use this link to submit a presentation proposal: https://www.rx-summit.com/agenda. Deadline to submit a proposal is August 28, 2020.
• CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Next call: Tuesday, July 28th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1492795  Audio Webcast link  to register and Click here to access previous calls recordings and transcripts,

Resources

• School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network: Student Support Recovery Grant – The SBHSN Student Support Recovery Grant is accepting applications from local education agencies (LEAs), charter school management companies, public schools, charter schools, and private schools throughout the U.S. to help them implement telehealth mental health program services for children impacted by short and long-term school closures. Grants will range up to $250,000. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is no longer available. Click here for more information.
• DOL Employment and Training Administration Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program. This program aims to provide technical assistance (TA) to employers and labor unions to encourage employment of women in both apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations (A/NTO). Deadline for applications: August 3, 2020.
• The 2020 TD Ready Challenge is focused on supporting innovative solutions that address the impacts of the pandemic. Applications must work to explicitly address inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, as well as one or more of the four interconnected drivers of change of the TD Ready Commitment: Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities, and Better Health. Application Deadline: August 13, 2020.
• Request for Applications: Court Pandemic Response and Recovery – Through this solicitation, State Justice Institute (SJI) is seeking to fund projects that assist state courts in their response to, and recovery from, COVID-19, with a look towards the future of court operations. SJI seeks to support projects that look to the future of judicial service delivery by identifying and replicating innovations and alternate means of conducting court business because of the pandemic. Deadline for applications: August 14, 2020.
•  Department of Housing and Urban Development – Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program provides support to rehabilitate and modify the primary residence of veterans who are low-income and have disabilities. Grants may also be used to provide grantees’ affiliates with technical, administrative, and training support in connection with modification and rehabilitation services. Application Deadline: August 18, 2020.
• DOT Federal Highway Administration  Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF). TTPSF grants are available to federally recognized Indian tribes through a competitive, discretionary program. Awarded annually, projects are chosen whose outcomes will address the prevention and reduction of death or serious injuries in transportation related incidents, such as motor vehicle crashes. Deadline for applications: August 20, 2020.
• DOT Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of approximately $5 million in funding provided by the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program (TTP)). This is a national solicitation for project proposals and includes the selection criteria and program eligibility information for Fiscal Year 2020 projects. The primary purpose of these competitively selected grants is to support planning, capital, and, in limited circumstances, operating assistance for tribal public transit services. Deadline for applications: August 22, 2020.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement announced approximately $15 million in available funding to help socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers own and operate successful farms. Funding is made through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the 2501 Program). The program is administered by the USDA Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement (OPPE). Deadline for applications: August 26, 2020. See the request for applications for full details.
•  USDA: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program – The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides direct relief to agricultural producers, including farmers and ranchers, who have faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19. Application Deadline: August 28, 2020.
• HHS Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) offers the opportunity to apply for funding under the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI). WPSI’s purpose is to improve women’s health across the lifespan. Application Deadline: October 5, 2020.
• HHS Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) offers the opportunity to apply for funding under the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP). The purpose of this program is to support innovative, community-based initiatives to improve the health status of infants, children, adolescents, and families in rural and other underserved communities by increasing their access to preventive care and services. Application Deadline: October 6, 2020.
• HIGH SPEED BROADBAND/RURAL OPPORTUNITY FUND-The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designed the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to bring high speed fixed broadband service to rural homes and small businesses that lack access.  The first phase of the FCC reverse auction will target over six million homes and businesses in census blocks that are entirely underserved by voice and broadband with download speeds of at least 25 Mbps.  Application Deadline: October 22, 2020.
• The Reimagining Pathways to Employment in the U.S. Challenge, powered by MIT Solve, the Morgridge Family Foundation, and New Profit, seeks the most promising solutions that accelerate pathways to current and future employment across the United States. Solutions that focus on non-coastal states, U.S. interior regions, and/or racial justice are encouraged. Nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid organizations, as well as individuals, are eligible to apply. Selected finalists will pitch before the Challenge judges, who will determine which solutions are the most promising. At least five teams will be selected to receive a minimum of $100,000 in grant funding and additional support. Application deadline: November 9, 2020.

State Specific

• Geographic Scope: Alaska -The State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has partnered with The Alaska Community Foundation to establish the Coronavirus Nonprofit Relief Fund to support nonprofit organizations in Alaska adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A variety of Alaska nonprofits are eligible to apply for funding from the Fund, including public charities, faith-based organizations providing social services to the broader community, veteran’s groups, tribal organizations, and local governments. Application Deadline: July 29, August 26, and October 14, 2020.
•  Geographic Scope: Texas –  St. David’s Foundation has launched a $10 million COVID-19 Recovery Fund to support nonprofit organizations during this challenging and uncertain time. The Fund will provide grants supporting both immediate and intermediate needs of nonprofit organizations working on the front lines to provide emergency assistance to those impacted by COVID-19 in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties in Texas. Priority populations include older adults at risk of social isolation, women, children, and vulnerable populations, with special attention given for rural neighbors. Furthermore, the Fund will prioritize work that is related to factors that directly impact health and well-being including telehealth, mental health, and youth serving organizations. Application Deadline: August 13 and October 15, 2020.
• Geographic Scope: Virginia – The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation’s Community Recovery and Catalyst Grants support community organizations in response to COVID-19, especially as they support vulnerable communities and communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic as well as organizations who are working to address systemic racism in the region. Grants of up to $50,000 are provided. Application Deadline: August 14, 2020.
• Geographic Scope: Connecticut – Main Street Community Foundation: COVID-19 Response Fund. The COVID-19 Response Fund provides operating support grants to nonprofit organizations affected by COVID-19. The nonprofit organization must have a main office in an eligible community and be serving a significant population in those communities. Grants are one-time and may range from $2,500 -$10,000. Application Deadline: August 14, 2020.

The LEAF Project cultivates youth leaders from diverse backgrounds through meaningful work in the food system.  Check out their impressive new COVID-19 farming strategies

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard comparing the seven-day period of July 10 – July 16 to the previous seven days, July 3 – July 9.

 The dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The data available on the dashboard includes week-over-week case differences, incidence rates, test percent-positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID-19.

 “By looking at both statewide status and individual county status, and seeing cause for concern with case increases and percent-positivity above 5 percent in multiple counties, we took steps to stop increases before they become critical by implementing new mitigation efforts Wednesday,” Gov. Wolf said. “We continue to see cases rise and one thing we know for certain is that we must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.

 “Risky behavior such as going out without a mask and congregating at a bar or in a crowded setting where social distancing isn’t being practiced continues to lead to spikes in cases. We need to recommit to these simple measures to stop the spread and go back to more freedoms.”

As of Thursday, July 16, the state has seen a seven-day case increase of 5,579, the previous seven-day increase was 4,914, alerting that cases are continuing to rise amid a lapse in following required mitigation efforts.

 While the statewide percent-positivity is 4.4%, counties with concerning percent-positivity include Beaver (8.2%), Allegheny (7.5%),  Washington (6.2%), Indiana (6.1%), Lawrence (6.1%), York (6.1%), Lebanon (6.0%), Philadelphia (5.5%), Dauphin (5.1%) and Westmoreland (5.0%). Each of these counties bear watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today reminded Pennsylvanians of the ability to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds to purchase groceries online through select retailers. This flexibility allows SNAP recipients to purchase groceries from home, which can help limit trips out of the home as Pennsylvania sees rising cases of COVD-19. Last month, DHS launched the pilot program overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that allows SNAP recipients to purchase groceries online through participating retailers approved by the USDA.

 “We are pleased that Pennsylvanians have the ability to purchase groceries online using their SNAP benefits, and we encourage any SNAP recipients to use online purchasing when possible to support social distancing and help keep themselves and their family safe from COVID-19,” said Secretary Miller. “This pilot has been a success so far, and I would encourage retailers to reach out to Food and Nutrition Service to join this program to provide even more opportunities for Pennsylvanians to purchase groceries online using SNAP.” 

 The pilot program currently includes four approved retailers: Amazon, the Fresh Grocer, Shoprite, and Walmart, and since the program’s launch, these retailers saw about $6.5 million in online purchases by Pennsylvanians. Retailers that are interested in participating in this program must contact the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and review the requirements. Retailers that do not wish to join the pilot program can still offer delivery or pick-up flexibility options for SNAP recipients by using mobile EBT processing equipment that would allow customers to pay with SNAP when groceries are delivered or picked up. Farmers’ markets may be able to receive this processing equipment at no cost through a grant opportunity provided by DHS. Online grocery transactions made up only 1.5 percent of total SNAP purchases during the month of June, equating to nearly 87,000 total online food transactions. Walmart (63 percent) and Amazon (29 percent) had the majority of the purchases, while ShopRite and Fresh Grocer experienced transaction activity of over half a million dollars combined.

Only eligible food items normally paid for by SNAP may be purchased from these retailers online with SNAP benefits. Delivery fees, driver tips, and other associated charges may not be paid for with SNAP benefits. This initiative does not include the ability to transact Cash Assistance benefits using the EBT card; therefore, individuals will need to use another method of payment, such as a pre-paid debit card, to cover non-allowable fees. More information on the online program, including a list of locations of participating retailers, can be found here.

Applications for SNAP and other public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper documentation can print the application from the website or request an application by phone at 1-800-692-7462 and mail it to their local County Assistance Office (CAO) or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available. While CAOs remain closed, work processing applications, determining eligibility, and issuing benefits continues. Clients should use COMPASS or the MyCOMPASS PA mobile app to submit necessary updates to their case files while CAOs are closed.

National health policy leaders endorsed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s most recent mitigation efforts to stop another surge of COVID-19 cases in the commonwealth, reminding all Pennsylvanians that by taking these measures now we can stop further spread and end mitigation efforts sooner.

“In this pandemic, it is imperative to take bold action before cases rise exponentially—to get ahead of the curve,” said Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., former special advisor for health policy to President Obama, and vice provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. “Gov. Wolf is doing just that. We need to ensure physical distancing, the wearing of face masks, and limiting indoor activities. Gov. Wolf’s actions to implement these measures will save lives and allow continued reopening of the economy in a safe and smart way.”

“Governor Wolf is making the very difficult and very necessary decision that will save lives in Pennsylvania,” said Andy Slavitt, former Acting CMS Administrator and United States of Care Board Chair. “Having reviewed the data, seeing Pennsylvania taking steps before this becomes a full-blown crisis is the only way to mitigate an out of control tragedy. I know the governor realizes the hardship caused by the pandemic on Pennsylvanians. These actions will help bring a quicker end to them.”

“Governor Wolf has shown throughout this crisis that he is doing what Washington refuses to do: let science and public health dictate decisions, and taking needed steps to protect the people of Pennsylvania from COVID,” Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Vice-President Biden, and President Obama’s ‘Ebola czar’ said. “That is the best plan to save lives, and, in the long run, promote a sustainable economic recovery.”

Gov. Wolf and Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine put in place additional mitigation efforts on July 15 when multiple data points indicated the state may be headed for another surge in COVID-19 cases. These health experts and the CDC have noted that limiting indoor activities and wearing masks can have a strong positive effect on curtailing another surge.

There is strong evidence to support the state’s mitigation efforts from several different data points. The state is seeing an increase in cases in the 19-24 and 25-49 age demographics, repeating the cycle experienced at the beginning of the outbreak. And as Dr. David Rubin from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and its PolicyLab has reported, we are seeing a dramatic increase in these age brackets throughout the state.

Data from Allegheny County indicate increases in these demographics and that exposure happened at bars and restaurants, particularly where alcohol was involved.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health also conducted analyses and case investigations in counties outside of Allegheny that demonstrate bars and restaurants as a nexus for the spread of COVID-19.

The CDC, on its website about restaurants and bars amidst COVID-19, lays out several different categories of risk. The highest risk is on-site dining with both indoor and outdoor seating, where seating capacity is not reduced, and tables not spread at least 6 feet apart.

The mitigation efforts Pennsylvania is taking in bars and restaurants are necessary to keep restaurants and bars at the CDC’s described lowest risk level possible, without completely curtailing indoor dining.

The governor’s most recent order on mitigation efforts can be found here.

The secretary’s order on mask-wearing can be found here.

FAQs on mask-wearing can be found here.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has posted a draft research plan on screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Find more information here.

Axios: Counties populated by larger numbers of people of color tend to have more coronavirus cases than those with higher shares of white people. As the outbreak worsens throughout the Southern and Western parts of the country, caseloads are growing fastest in counties with large communities of color. People of color have seen disproportionate rates of infection, hospitalization and death throughout the pandemic. These inequities stem from pre-existing racial disparities throughout society and have been exacerbated by the U.S. coronavirus response. Black and Hispanic or Latino communities have less access to diagnostic testing, and people of color are also more likely to be essential workers.