- 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
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
On April 10, HHS began delivery of the initial $30 billion in relief funding to providers in support of the national response to COVID-19 as part of the distribution of the $100 billion provider relief fund provided for in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Administration is working rapidly on targeted distributions of the remaining $70 billion that will focus on providers in areas particularly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, rural providers, providers of services with lower shares of Medicare reimbursement or who predominantly serve the Medicaid population, and providers requesting reimbursement for the treatment of uninsured Americans. Read more about the delivery of this funding here. For more information, visit hhs.gov/provider-relief.
Will Federal Help Arrive in Time for Cash-Strapped Rural Hospitals?
From The Daily Yonder:
Hospitals across rural America are forced to make dramatic choices between furloughing staff and staying open to care for coronavirus patients. While Congress passed the relief measures, administrators worry help may come too late. Read more here.
Lessons from Covid-19: Distance Learning
From The Daily Yonder:
With 55.1 million students impacted by school closures related to Covid-19, distance learning is getting lots of attention. It certainly comes with challenges, but rural teachers and families are making do. Read more here.
Amid the Coronavirus Lockdown, Manhattan’s Art World Looks at Rural America
From The Daily Yonder:
Two of New York’s most famous art galleries found plenty of virtual space to exhibit photography and art reflecting on rural parts of America and the world. Both shows have digital exhibits that allow visitors a virtual stroll through some of the materials. Read more here.
Coronavirus Relief Package Includes Funding for Rural Transportation
From The Daily Yonder:
CARES Act funding will go to airports, ports, transit services, and other transportation programs. Nevada and Missouri set aside some funds for rural transit. Read more here.
ADA Offers PPE Guidance As States Consider Reopening
The American Dental Association (ADA) has released interim guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for states considering reopening dental practices. The interim guidance focuses on the PPE recommended in order to practice during this pandemic and minimize the risk of virus transmission.
Analysis: Rural America’s Lower Census Response May Be Due to Covid-19
From The Daily Yonder:
The pandemic caused the Census Bureau to cancel its plans to hand-deliver announcements to households that are hard to reach by U.S. mail. That probably explains some of rural America’s low response rates to the Census so far. Read more here.
Impact of COVID-19 on Dental Practices
The Health Policy Institute (HPI) is conducting a bi-weekly survey of dental providers across the country to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on dental practices. According to the April 6th survey, 29.4% of PA dental practices are closed and not seeing emergency patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, 57.2% of PA dental offices are not able to pay their staff at all during this time. A recording of “How is COVID-19 Impacting the Dental Care Sector” is available at the link below and discusses the data.
Click here for the webinar recording.
Click here for more information.
Click here for Pennsylvania-specific information.
Coronavirus Infection Rate Remains Low in Rural Areas Compared to Largest Cities
From The Daily Yonder:
The rural infection rate is about a fifth of that of major metropolitan areas. But cases are climbing at a slightly higher rate in rural counties. Read more here.
Listen: Pandemic Stresses Already Fragile Rural Health Care Systems
Kaiser Health News (KHN) Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined WAMU’s “1A” show with guest host Sasha-Ann Simons to talk about the unique challenges rural health care providers face amid the coronavirus pandemic — even before their communities get overrun with a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Weber has reported on how the suspension of elective surgery and other procedures amid the pandemic has threatened the financial survival of the country’s rural hospitals — and how hospital executives don’t feel the first round of federal bailout relief money was enough. She also has written about the front-line fight at a rural Louisiana hospital that forecasts what the pandemic will look like when it hits the rest of rural America.
Listen to the story here.