Medicare health and drug plans can make changes each year—things like cost, coverage, and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks. You can change your Medicare health plan and/or Medicare drug coverage from October 15–December 7. Before the Medicare OEP, you’ll get notices in the mail about changes to your coverage for the coming year. You should always review the materials you get from your plan, like the “Evidence of Coverage” (EOC) and “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC). If your plan is changing, make sure it will still meet your needs for the next year. If you’re satisfied with your plan, you don’t need to do anything.

For more information, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit Medicare.gov.

“Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) Bootcamp 2022” Webinars

September 28–29 from 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET

Join us as we share Medicare updates and resources to help those who assist people with Medicare make informed decisions about their 2023 health care coverage.

Topics for each day:

Wednesday, September 28—Medicare Plan Finder basics, updates, and user tips, information about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, including details about new costs for insulin and vaccines in 2023, and Q&A.

To register for the September 28 webinar, visit CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/moodle/course/view.php?id=227

Thursday, September 29—Medicare 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 and OEP resources, and fraud awareness and prevention.

To register for the September 29 webinar, visit CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/moodle/course/view.php?id=228

These webinars will be recorded and posted to the National Training Program (NTP) website. To view the recordings, visit CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/?q=ntp-courses.

Locating and Applying for Federal Grants

Join representatives from USDA Rural Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response to learn about federal funding opportunities.

We’ll discuss how to locate federal grants, share tips on completing applications, and give an overview on federal grants management. Workshops will take place regionally, and you can attend whichever workshop is most convenient for you.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the webinar, please notify the RWIN Team at RD.Innovation.RWIN@usda.gov.

• Midwest: September 29, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration
• West: October 13, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration
• Northeast: October 27, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration
• South: November 17, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration

To learn more about the upcoming webinars, visit Rural Workforce Innovation Network.

Have you thought about applying for an NIH Extramural LRP award? Do you know someone that should?  Awardees can receive up to $100,000 of qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year contract.

The NIH LRPs are unique programs, with tremendous benefit to early-stage researchers, so we strongly encourage those that were not successful in getting their applications funded to apply again.

Be sure to visit the LRP website or attend one of our upcoming events to learn more about eligibility requirements, application dates, and benefits of receiving an NIH LRP award!

• October 3 – LRP Technical Assistance Webinar
• Early November – Ask Me Anything

The Extramural LRP application cycle will close on November 17, 2022.

Click here to visit the LRP website.

LRP Application Tips

• Obtain your NIH eRA Commons ID and make sure your password is current.  An eRA Commons ID will be required to start your application.
• Check out the new application tutorial videos
• Check out the latest LRP Application Guide to learn about application components
• Check out the published guide notices
• Reach out to an NIH LRP Program Officer to discuss your research
• Contact your Institutional Business Official (IBO) at your institution
• Contact an LRP Ambassador
• Application Deadline – November 17, 2022

FY22 Awards for Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative Will Help Build & Expand Services in the Recovery Ecosystem

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded $12 million to 33 projects through its Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) initiative, which aims to address Appalachia’s substance use disorder (SUD) crisis with investments in projects that create or expand services in the recovery ecosystem leading to workforce entry and re-entry.

These INSPIRE awardees will support the SUD recovery ecosystem in 11 Appalachian states by developing and deepening cross-sector recovery-focused partnerships, expanding peer recovery support networks, planning and implementing workforce training programs, strengthening community engagement and wraparound services, and more.

“The substance use disorder crisis isn’t solely a health and family issue—it’s also a workforce development issue, and thus a community issue. At ARC, we’re laser-focused on creating a comprehensive network of supports to help individuals recovering from substance use disorder succeed,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “INSPIRE projects are tackling the economic impacts of the substance use disorder crisis to grow the region’s labor force, and more importantly, provide hope and purpose for individuals in recovery. I congratulate the 2022 INSPIRE awardees and look forward to the many ways they’ll help our Appalachian friends, neighbors, and communities thrive.”

“The fight against substance abuse has torn apart communities and families throughout the nation, and the ARC’s INSPIRE initiative seeks to establish a holistic recovery ecosystem that will enable recovering individuals to re-enter the workforce while getting the help they need to heal, to recover, and to turn their lives around,” said ARC States’ Co-Chair Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland. “The disease of addiction affects every community across the Appalachian region, and our all-hands-on-deck approach will positively impact the lives of individuals on their journeys to recovery while bringing more jobs and economic development to the region.”

“Beating the overdose epidemic is a key part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda for our Nation, and I applaud the Appalachian Regional Commission for building the recovery support infrastructure to help more Americans reach and maintain recovery,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. “The President has proclaimed September as National Recovery Month because he knows that when Americans recover from substance use disorder, our Nation becomes stronger and more resilient. That’s why we are focused on expanding the peer recovery support services workforce and eliminating barriers to employment, safe and supportive housing, and education for people in recovery. Today’s funding announcement supports this work, and as the former West Virginia health commissioner, I’m so glad to see this critical investment in the people of the Appalachian states.”

ARC’s Substance Abuse Advisory Council (SAAC) developed initial recommendations to address the disproportionate impact SUD had on the workforce in Appalachia compared to the rest of the country, which resulted in the launch of INSPIRE. Since INSPIRE was established in April of 2021, ARC has invested $28.1 million in 83 projects across 289 Appalachian counties, improving nearly 1.2K businesses and helping prepare nearly 6.5K students and workers for new opportunities in the workforce.

ARC is expecting to issue a request for proposals for the next round of INSPIRE grant opportunities in early 2023. Additional information and resources are available at arc.gov/SUD.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. The Task Force concluded that more research is needed to recommend for or against screening children and adolescents without signs or symptoms. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here.

The American Lung Association’s Ask, Advise, Refer to Quit Don’t Switch (“Ask, Advise, Refer”) training is now being offered as a live, interactive, virtual workshop. This training is ideal for frontline healthcare professionals, patient navigators, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, clinical support staff, community health workers, and tobacco treatment specialists. The curriculum is based on the CDC’s AskAdviseRefer (AAR) model and utilizes updated tools and strategies for facilitating the routine assessment of tobacco use status and lung cancer risk and low-dose CT scan eligibility among all patients, delivery of brief advice to quit tobacco use, referral to a clinician for a shared-decision making an appointment for those identified as high risk for lung cancer and referral of tobacco users to evidence-based cessation programs such as Freedom From Smoking®. Click here for details and registration.

Patients who are new to telehealth may need additional support getting started. This page shares information with patients on the basics of telehealth, a video about types of telehealth, and the benefits of telehealth. Learn more.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, has released a notice of federal funding available for Public Health AmeriCorps through AmeriCorps’ State and National program. Earlier this year, the agency launched Public Health AmeriCorps, a $400 million American Rescue Plan partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders. The 2023 grants competition prioritizes programs working to address community public health needs, including health inequities exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, and is open to nonprofit, faith-based, tribal, and community-based organizations; higher-education institutions; state, local, and territorial government entities, including local public health departments. Organizations that previously have not received AmeriCorps funding are encouraged to apply for these grants.

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund explains that the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program was created to allow safety-net hospitals and clinics to purchase outpatient prescription drugs at significant discounts so they could stretch their resources to serve more financially vulnerable patients. But as 340B continues its rapid expansion over the last two decades, the efficacy of the program in reducing patient costs has come into question, and pharmaceutical companies have stepped up their efforts to rein in the program. The document examines the reasons behind the program’s growth, the claims and counterclaims made by drugmakers and healthcare providers, and how federal regulators and Congress are responding.