- 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
COVID-19 in Rural America – Is There Cause for Concern?
This issue brief compares the incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties in the United States. It features statistics including numbers of cases and deaths in the top 5 metro and nonmetro counties as of April 27, 2020, and average COVID-19 cases and deaths per 100,000 people and rates of increase in deaths, with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro counties. Read more here.
COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― 19 States, April 2020
This report examines COVID-19 cases among workers in 115 meat and poultry processing facilities reported by 19 states. It discusses factors potentially affecting risk for infection, including difficulties with workplace physical distancing and hygiene and crowded living and transportation conditions. It also includes recommended changes to address these issues. Read more here.
Childhood Obesity Resources Related to COVID-19
This resource provides a collection of resources to help prevent childhood weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes links to fact sheets and programs for parents and teachers, nutrition guidance for practitioners, and modules and webinars for graduate students and faculty engaging in virtual learning and teaching. Read more here.
Rural Transit Agencies Are Keeping People Alive
Rural transit agencies are a lifeline to the communities they serve and have stayed open during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure residents are able to access essentials. This article discusses how they have adapted, the impact COVID-19 has had on rural transit agencies financially, and how they get their funding. Read more here.
Meatpacking and Prisons Drive the Rural COVID-19 Infection Rate
From The Daily Yonder:
This article summarizes an analysis that identified economic patterns in the distribution of COVID-19 cases. Findings show more than a third of new cases emerging in rural counties originated where manufacturing is the predominant economic driver. It also identifies prisons as a driver of coronavirus infections, as well as recreation economies. Read more here.
Public Inspection: HHS, CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs, Basic Health Program, and Exchanges: Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and Delay of Certain Reporting Requirements for the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program
This site serves as a pre-publication notice of interim final rule with comment period from the Health Resources and Services Administrations and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services giving flexibility to those providing services to Medicare, Medicaid, Basic Health Program, and Exchange beneficiaries in order to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a table outlining flexibilities and the dates in which they are applicable, including those for providers and facilities in rural areas. This interim rule is effective upon publication in the Federal Register, which is scheduled for May 8, 2020. Comments are due within 60 days of publication. Find the site here.
Online COVID-19 Training for Community Health Workers
In rural settings, Community Health Workers (CHWs) act as liaisons between providers and consumers, providing culturally-appropriate health education, making referrals for health and social services, and advocating for individuals and communities within the health service system. This free online training from the global public health organization, Medical Care Development (known as MCD), covers the various roles CHWs can take in combating the spread of the coronavirus.
ASTHO Training for COVID-19 Contact Tracers
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is providing a free online course for entry-level COVID-19 contact tracers. Contact tracing is a control measure for preventing further spread of disease. The training will be augmented by protocols specific to state and local jurisdictions and focus on building knowledge for remote contact tracing.
CMS Updates EMTALA Requirements and Implications Related to COVID-19
Recently, CMS issued a Memorandum that conveys information in response to inquiries from hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) concerning implications of COVID-19 for their compliance with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). The memo was revised to include additional guidance related to the establishment of drive through testing sites, clarification of expectations in relation to the triage process and the medical screening examination, and use of telehealth. Among other topics, the memo address transfers to and from rural hospitals.
CMS Publishes Update to RHC/FQHC COVID-19 Guidance
On April 30, CMS updated its MLN Matters® Special Edition Article is for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The update provides additional details about the new payment for telehealth services, cost-sharing related to COVID-19 testing, additional telehealth flexibilities, and the revision of the bed count methodology for determining the provider-based RHCs exemption to the RHC payment limit.