- Rural Children Struggle to Access Hospital Services, Say Researchers
- Outlining the Intersection between Health Care and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Critical More Than $1.5 Billion State and Tribal Opioid Response Funding Opportunities
- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- Farmers Don't Do Mental Health
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
- Rural Telehealth Extension Reintroduced in Congress
- Students From Across the State Emphasized the Need for Mental Health Resources in Rural Alaska During a Conference
- The South Was the Center of Rural Population Growth Last Year
- How HHS SUD Confidentiality Regulations Will Impact Rural Providers
- VA Announces Expansion of "Close to Me" Cancer Program as Part of the Cancer Moonshot, Bringing Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Closer to Thousands of Veterans
- Navajo Psychiatrist Bridges Gaps Between Native American Culture and Behavioral Health Care
- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
Nearly 5 Times More Babies Born with Syphilis in 2021 than in 2000
That startling statistic is according to preliminary CDC data released this week. The data also show that sexually transmitted infections hit a record high for the second straight year in 2021. Syphilis rates rose 26% in 2021, HIV cases rose 16%, Gonorrhea rose 2.8% and Chlamydia rose 3%. The CDC is pointing to a reduction in local STD screening and treatment, plus more needle sharing from drug use and a decrease in condom usage. The statistics have health experts warning that the U.S. must invest significantly more funding in prevention efforts, especially as the nation continues to battle COVID-19 and monkeypox.
NCQA, CHCF Release Framework to Measure Health Equity in Medicaid Managed Care
On September 15, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released a framework that can be used by states to measure health equity in Medicaid managed care programs. The framework, which was developed by NCQA with funding from the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), consists of social interventions, access to care, structures of care, the experience of care, high-quality clinical care, and overall well-being. Read More.
CDC Finds More than 80% of Pregnancy-Related Deaths are Preventable
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths that occurred between 2017 and 2019 were preventable. Researchers found six underlying causes accounted for the majority of fatalities: mental health conditions, hemorrhaging, heart problems, infections, blood clots, and cardiomyopathy. The leading causes varied by race and ethnicity. Twenty-two percent of pregnancy-related deaths took place during pregnancy, 25% occurred on the day of delivery or within a week after, and 53% of the deaths occurred between a week and a year after giving birth. A death is considered preventable if the committee determines that there was at least some chance of the death being averted by one or more reasonable changes to patient, community, provider, facility, and/or systems factors.
Pennsylvania Agency Publishes Updated Medicaid MCO Directory
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has published an updated Managed Care Organization (MCO) directory on its website. The directory includes contact information for all the Physical Health and Behavioral Health MCOs.
New Rule Makes Clear Impact on Noncitizens of Applying for or Receiving Benefits
The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule applicable to noncitizens who receive or wish to apply for benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and states that support low-income families and adults. The new rule makes it clear that Noncitizens who receive health or other benefits to which they are entitled will not suffer harmful immigration consequences. Learn more.
Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) Bootcamp Begins in 2022
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is hosting a webinar to focus on Medicare updates and resources prior to the start of Medicare Open Enrollment. The webinars will be held on September 28 and 29 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. Click here to register for the Sept. 28 webinar that will cover Medicare Plan Finder basics, updates, user tips, and information about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. Click here to register for the Sept. 29 webinar that will cover a Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) overview, general program and cost updates, OEP Media outreach campaigns, Call Center overview and activities, vaccination campaigns, State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) overview, OEP resources and fraud awareness, and prevention.
Congress Continuing Resolution Negotiations
Negotiations are ongoing in Congress as legislators try to craft a continuing resolution (CR) that can get enough bipartisan support to pass. Because the CR must pass by September 30 to keep the government funded, pressure is rising. However, several significant issues still need to be addressed, including military aid for Ukraine, COVID-19 and Monkeypox funding, disaster relief, and permitting reform.
HHS Invests over $104 Million to Expand Substance Use Treatment and Prevention in Rural Communities to Combat the Overdose Epidemic
In support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Overdose Prevention Strategy, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced investments of over $104 million to expand treatment and prevention services for substance use in rural communities nationwide as part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multi-year initiative aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of rural Americans from substance use. Today’s funding also supports the President’s National Drug Control Strategy and delivers on his Unity Agenda priority of beating the overdose epidemic.
“The overdose epidemic continues to take too many lives and leave too many loved ones heartbroken – including in our rural communities,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The Biden-Harris Administration has made addressing the nation’s addiction and overdose epidemic a top priority, and at HHS we are taking every opportunity to ensure everyone – no matter who they are or where they live – has access to the critical care and support they need. This funding will help communities save lives by expanding treatment opportunities and prevention for substance use.”
This funding will help rural communities address difficulties they face in providing and accessing substance use treatment, as nearly 37 percent of rural counties
lack at least one clinician who can prescribe the opioid treatment buprenorphine. Rural communities in particular have experienced a consistent rise in drug overdose deaths, with a nearly five-fold increase from 1999 to 2019. Opioid-involved overdose deaths, especially those involving fentanyl, have increased significantly across the United States since 2019.
“Today we are taking action to support the critical needs of rural communities by expanding access to opioid use disorder treatment,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Too often, the needs and challenges of rural communities are not well understood, but at HRSA, we are focused on reaching the rural communities that need our support the most and helping them tackle the overdose crisis.”
Today’s announcement highlights funding through the following three programs:
- The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Medication Assisted Treatment Access is awarding $10 million to establish new medication assisted treatment access points for substance use, including opioid use disorder. The program will reduce barriers to evidence-based treatment in underserved rural areas.
- The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Implementation awarded $65 million to strengthen and expand opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural communities utilizing workforce development and training, telehealth, health care integration, and family support services.
- The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Behavioral Health Care Support awarded $29 million to improve the quality and sustainability of behavioral health care services in rural communities, including through evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment for substance use. The program works to improve rural residents’ access to quality, integrated behavioral health care services.
To learn more about HRSA’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, visit https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/opioid-response.
You’re Invited! Join RWJF’s Virtual Gallery Opening
What if the solution you are looking for can be found in another country?
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is pleased to present The Blue Marble Gallery, an online collection of works from changemakers in various continents, designed to inspire your journey toward health equity. Discover how people across the globe are impacting child care, nutrition, urban design, and more to unveil fresh solutions and unlock new possibilities for your community.
Join us to celebrate the opening of the Blue Marble Gallery on October 18, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET . The exhibit will be available on our website for a limited time, so reserve your spot today.
At the virtual reception, you’ll get an exclusive look at this pop-up exhibit and have the chance to reflect with others on how ideas from other countries and cultures can inspire change here in the United States.
Medicare Publishes 2023 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums, Deductibles, 2023 Medicare Part D Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts
On September 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, and the 2023 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.
Please see the FACT SHEET- 2023 Medicare Parts A B Premiums and Deductibles for detailed information.