- 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?
Pennsylvania Launches New Policies to Increase Diversity Among State Contractors
Continuing his commitment to small businesses (SBs) and small diverse businesses (SBDs), Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced new procurement changes to improve opportunities for minority-, women-, LGBT-, veteran- and disabled-owned businesses to compete for state government contracts and succeed in the commonwealth’s economy.
These actions are the direct result of the governor’s Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities in Commonwealth Procurement and in Pennsylvania’s Economy executive order signed in 2015. The order created the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO) within the Department of General Services, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities and led to the 2018 Statewide Disparity Study which examined disparities in the commonwealth’s contracting system and made recommendations for improvement.
There are three new changes taking effect.
Visit the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunity for more detailed information on the new policies and programs as well as the Wolf Administration’s efforts to diversity state contracting and opportunities for small and diverse businesses.
Pennsylvania Governor Governor Announces 10 More Testing Sites in Areas with Limited Access
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that beginning Wednesday, June 17, nine more COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will open in Walmart parking lots across the state, bringing the total to 19 sites at Walmart locations. Quest Diagnostics and Walmart are working with the department to provide no-cost testing for residents living in areas where there are fewer testing sites. Another testing site has also been added in Venango County, which previously had only one site, bringing the total of new testing sites to 10.
Beginning June 17 these sites will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to test up to 50 registered patients daily. Registration is required one day in advance. There is no COVID-19 testing inside Walmart stores or Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Centers.
The testing sites that will open on Wednesday include:
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1887 Elmira St, Sayre, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1665 N Atherton St, State College, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 108 Washington Towne Blvd N, Edinboro, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 2501 W State St, New Castle, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1566 W Main Street Ext, Grove City, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 9300 State Route 61, Coal Township, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 980 N Susquehanna Trail, Selinsgrove, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 120 AJK Blvd, Lewisburg, PA
- Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1169 South Main St, Mansfield, PA
More information about these testing sites and others, including a map of the sites available in Pennsylvania, are listed on the department’s website
Comments Requested on Interventions for Tobacco Smoking Cessation In Adults
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force seeks comments on a draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review on interventions for tobacco smoking cessation in adults, including pregnant persons. The Task Force recommends clinicians ask about tobacco use and connect people to proven, safe methods to help them quit. The evidence is unclear whether e-cigarettes help adults quit smoking. More research is needed on the benefits and harms of using medications to help pregnant people quit. The draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review are available for review and public comment until June 29, 2020.
Pennsylvania Human Services Department Releases Bulletin on PPE Charges
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services released a bulletin on Friday, June 12, with the purpose of advising providers that Medical Assistance (MA, the state’s Medicaid program) beneficiaries may not be charged for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in connection with medical or dental services.
ADA Guidance Released on Patient COVID-19 Exposure After Treatment
Finding out that a patient or close family member has tested positive for COVID-10 after their dental appointment can be a cause for concern for providers and anyone else in the office who may have interacted with the patient during the appointment. The American Dental Association (ADA) created a document to help guide providers through what they should do if someone in the practice tests positive for COVID-19.
Pennsylvania’s Measured, Phased Reopening Plan Succeeding as Other States See Cases Rise
As Pennsylvania continues to implement Governor Tom Wolf’s Process to Reopen PA, the state is also among a select few with a steady decline in cases, a positive indicator that the state’s phased, measured reopening plan is working to balance public health with economic recovery.
According to data analysis from Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center data, Pennsylvania’s steady decline in cases since a peak in mid-April is particularly important as more counties reopen. The latest report indicates Pennsylvania is among the states with a sustained decline in cases over the past two weeks, an important indicator that reopening plans are measured and thoughtful.
In an Associated Press analysis, more than half the states in the U.S. are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases as reopening begins. Pennsylvania is not among them. Many other states are experiencing significant case increases tied to reopening too soon or too much.
A Tableau Public analysis of states using four primary factors: daily tests, daily positive tests, current hospitalizations, and daily deaths shows Pennsylvania with a significant increase in tests accompanied by steep declines in positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths since a peak in mid-April. And while the country as a whole is seeing declines in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, many states are seeing increases that are cause for concern as reopening widens.
Mask-wearing has proven to be an important deterrent to the spread of the virus. A recent study from Cambridge and Greenwich universities in the United Kingdom found that cloth masks, “even homemade masks with limited effectiveness can dramatically reduce transmission rates if worn by enough people, regardless of whether they show symptoms.” The study also notes that mask-wearing will be especially important as a possible second wave of the virus could occur in the fall.
Pennsylvania has urged mask-wearing throughout its response to the pandemic and even as counties reach the green phase of reopening, masks are still required when entering businesses and encouraged for use in any space where social distancing is difficult to maintain. The state’s business guidance outlines mask-wearing for both employees and customers.
“Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has said it countless times, ‘My mask protects you and your mask protects me,’ and that is important for all Pennsylvanians to remember as we continue a successful and safe reopening of the state,” Gov. Wolf said.
For more information on COVID-19 cases, visit the data dashboard here.
CMS Publishes Recommendations Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent Non-COVID-19 Healthcare
As states and localities begin to stabilize and COVID-19-related healthcare demand decreases, it is important to safely resume care in order to treat ongoing health needs that are currently being postponed. CMS has issued guidance for health care facilities looking to expand operations in the next phase of COVID-19 pandemic re-openings. The guidance can be accessed at this link: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-recommendations-reopening-facilities-provide-non-emergent-care.pdf
Guidelines for Opening Up America Again are still applicable to all areas, and can be found here. If States or regions have determined with their public health officials that they passed the Gating Criteria (symptoms, cases, and hospitals) announced on April 16, 2020, then they may proceed to Phase I, and subsequently to Phase II of re-opening. Consistent with those recommendations, facilities should check with their State and local authorities to confirm if Gating Criteria have been met in their area.
USDA Rural Development Provides Resources
Below, please find a few resources and information that may be of interest.
- Launch of Rural Community Toolbox Website: On Wednesday, June 24th, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, please join the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and Senior Administration Officials for a virtual launch of the Rural Community Toolbox website, a new resource for rural communities impacted by addiction. The Rural Community Toolbox will serve as a clearinghouse for funding and resources in over a dozen different federal agencies to help rural leaders build strong, healthy, and drug-free communities. Registration: Participants will receive instructions on accessing the call after submitting an RSVP to the following link: https://ems9.intellor.com/?do=register&t=1&p=901643. A copy of the invitation is attached.
- 2021 Rx Summit Call for Presentations: The Call for Presentations is now 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.
- USDA-National Institute for Food and Agriculture Rural Health Safety Education competitive grant program. The RHSE program proposals are expected to be community-based outreach education programs, such as those conducted through Human Science extension outreach that provide individuals and families with: information as to the value of good health at any age; information to increase individual or family’s motivation to take more responsibility for their own health; information regarding rural environmental health issues that directly impact human health; information about and access to health promotion and educational activities; and training for volunteers and health services providers concerning health promotion and health care services for individuals and families in cooperation with state, local, and community partners. Deadline July 1, 2020.
- Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) – Continuing Training Grants (CTG) The FY 2020 CTG program’s purpose is to address emerging threats and Lifelines through the development and delivery of training and facilitate a national whole community approach to focus on the challenges with the greatest impact on the Nation’s preparedness. FEMA, through CTG recipients, will concentrate on developing training to address long-term gaps—including rising disaster costs, new technology, an older and more diverse population, cybersecurity – and operating in a pandemic environment. Deadline July 9, 2020
- USDA-Rural Development Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Program Fact Sheet Deadline: July 13,2020.
- USDA-Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Examples of essential facilities include Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Program Fact Sheet Status – Open/accepting applications.
- USDA-Rural Development Rural Community Development Initiative Grants (RCDI) grants are awarded to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Currently Open: Fact Sheet
- USDA-Rural Development Single Family Direct Housing loans this program assists low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to increase an applicant’s repayment ability. Fact Sheet Currently Open
- USDA Rural Development, Rural Business Development Grants -This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include: Distance adult learning for job training and advancement, Rural transportation improvement, Community economic development, and Technology-based economic development. Currently Open
- USDA-Rural Development, Intermediary Relending Program – Provides low-interest loans to local intermediaries that relend to businesses for community development projects in rural communities. Fact Sheet Currently Open
- USDA-Rural Development, Water &Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program – This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Fact Sheet Currently Open
- USDA-Food Nutrition Service FY 2020 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants for School Food Authorities – The purpose of the Equipment Assistance Grants is to distribute funding allocations provided by the Agriculture Appropriations Act to State Agencies to competitively award equipment assistance grants to eligible school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). These funds will allow SFAs to purchase equipment to serve healthier meals and improve food safety
In Historic First, Protests Spread to More than 3,000 Towns
By John W. Miller
Young leaders like Chris Dyson from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, are organizing an unprecedented number of demonstrations in response to the police killing of George Floyd. Historians say the range of localities participating is unprecedented.
Appalachia RESPONDS to COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, communities across Appalachia are banding together to pool resources and ideas for resilience. Here’s an inspiring example:
The U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmers to Families Food Box Program involves directly purchasing fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat products for food banks, community organizations, and other non-profits serving communities in need. Through this program, farms and food enterprises in Appalachian Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are addressing community food insecurity.
Congratulations to these enterprises for their work:
- Forestwood Farm Inc., Birmingham, AL.
- Regional Produce Distributors, Birmingham, AL.
- T&T Produce, Ringgold, GA.
- Marburger Farm Dairy, Evans City, PA.
- Paragon Wholesale Foods, Warrenda, PA.
- Taylor Boys Produce, Enoree, SC.