- Mobile Clinics Really Got Rolling in the Pandemic. A New Law Will Help Them Cast a Wider Safety Net.
- Opioids Are Devastating Cherokee Families. The Tribe Has a $100 Million Plan to Heal
- Less Staff, Longer Delays and Fewer Options: Rural America Confronts a Health Care Crisis
- The Pandemic Pushed Rural Philanthropy to Change
- Warner, Blackburn Lead Bipartisan Effort to Preserve Access to Rural Health Care
- Tackling Rural America's 'Hidden' Housing Crisis
- Experts: National Physician Shortage Will Hit Rural Areas Harder
- Ensuring Health Care Quality in Rural America
- Rural Communities Want to Tap Federal Funding. But It's Hard to Know Where to Start
- Nearly Half of All Rural Hospitals Are Operating in the Red, Study Says
- Home-Based Care: Fixing the Childcare Drought in Rural America
- Rural Hospitals That Were Struggling Financially Even Before the Pandemic Are Running Out of COVID Aid
- Oklahoma Researchers Aim For More Mental Health Resources In Rural Schools
- Q&A: A Rural Healthcare Hub for Doctors and Policymakers
- February in Brief: Expanding Access to Health Care in Rural Areas and Improving Early Access to Cancer Screenings in Underserved Communities
Health Policy and Administration Student Receives Jennifer S. Cwynar Community Achievement Award
Maira Nawaz, a student in Integrated B.S. in Health Policy and Administration/Master of Health Administration program within the Penn State Department of Health Policy and Administration (HPA), received the 2022 Jennifer S. Cwynar Community Achievement Award in April 2022. Nawaz, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is also pursuing a minor in information sciences and technology.
The award from the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) recognizes community achievement by a Penn State senior majoring in Health Policy and Administration who has demonstrated service and commitment to a community or an underserved population, preferably, but not exclusively, in a rural area of Pennsylvania. The award was established in memory of Jennifer S. Cwynar, a 2008 graduate of HPA and a 2008 undergraduate intern at PORH.
Nawaz was nominated by Diane Spokus, Ph.D., M.Ed., MCHES®, associate director of professional development in HPA. Spokus lauded Nawaz for her dedicated and detail-oriented work ethic, commitment to community service, and her focus on public health. She noted that Nawaz can be depended on to follow through and who continually seeks professional development opportunities and service to others. “Students like Maira, who participate in various internship experiences, and who are involved in clubs and volunteer their time to worthwhile causes, are excellent role models. They will be great future health care leaders.”
During her academic career, Nawaz expanded her knowledge through internships at Mount Nittany Physician Group Primary Care practices in rural central Pennsylvania; Atlantic Health System in New Jersey; the American Lung Association; and WellSpan Health in York, Pennsylvania. Nawaz broadened her operational and administrative skills by standardizing the rooming process for patients, calculated Medicare net revenue, streamlined guidelines, analyzed and evaluated insurance enrollment data, assisted in improving interactive voice response systems and member websites, and created user stories for members to improve customer satisfaction during support calls. She also executed smoking cessation tasks such as Amazon’s Alexa project, a Juul costs project, and smoking prevalence in veterans; organized health promotion community events; wrote articles for local newspapers on moral courage; and worked with the LatinX community to improve health care opportunities and awareness. These experiences gave her a deep appreciation for the social determinants of health and population health.
While at Penn State, Nawaz served as the guest speaker liaison for the Penn State Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Administrators (ACHCA) Club Executive Team. She participated in the UNICEF Club, was a member of the Pakistani Student Association, and volunteered at the Central PA Food Bank, Country Meadows Senior Center, and was a Holy Spirit Hospital Junior Volunteer.
“We are very pleased to present this award to Maira Nawaz and to honor the legacy of Jennifer Cwynar, who was an exceptional student and intern with our office,” said Lisa Davis, director of PORH and outreach associate professor of HPA. “This is one way in which we can encourage excellence in those who will become leaders in advocating for the health of vulnerable populations.”
PORH formed in 1991 as a joint partnership between the federal government, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Penn State. The office is one of 50 state offices of rural health in the nation and is charged with being a source of coordination, technical assistance, networking, and partnership development.
PORH provides expertise in the areas of rural health, population health, quality improvement, oral health, and agricultural health and safety. PORH is administratively located in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State University Park.
To learn more about the Jennifer S. Cwynar Community Achievement Award or the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, visit porh.psu.edu.
The Pennsylvania EMS Conference Announced
We’re back!! The PA EMS Conference is excited to announce the dates for this year’s event will be September 6-9, 2022!
For the past 45 years, PEHSC, in conjunction with the PA Department of Health, has maintained a mission of presenting high-quality, valuable EMS continuing education. Last year, our “virtual” conference was able to reach thousands of EMS providers across Pennsylvania and beyond.
Based on overwhelmingly positive feedback, we’ve decided to once again keep the event “virtual”. Yes, we miss seeing everyone in-person too, but given the current state of the EMS industry, we feel that this format is far and away the best way to keep affordable, high-quality, education accessible to as many of Pennsylvania’s EMS providers as possible.
Stay tuned, we’ll have more info coming out soon!!
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to us at conference@pehsc.org.
Click HERE to submit your session for consideration!
Already in Fiscal Crisis, Rural Hospitals Face COVID-19
LDI Virtual Seminar Eyes Coronavirus’ Spread Through America’s Hinterlands
The eighth virtual “Experts at Home” seminar convened by the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural America. New evidence suggests that rural populations are at heightened risk for contracting the virus due to factors such as age, race/ethnicity, and prevalence of multiple chronic health conditions. The seminar brought together experts from academia and top government positions to discuss the unique challenges the pandemic poses for the health and economies of the country’s rural areas.
NRHA’s Rural Horizons | Spring 2020
Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support with the COVID-19
A new resource developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Group for Mental Health and Psychosocial Supports in Emergency Situations helps in providing guidance to individuals struggling with their mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak. Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support with the COVID-19 focuses on topics such as: older adults coping with stress, supporting people working with the COVID-19 directly, activities for adults and children who are being quarantined and much more.
Assessing the Effectiveness of CHWs
Over the years, there have been many studies on the effectiveness of the community health worker (CHW) in improving health outcomes. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the National Association of Community Health Workers recently published a summary of the research from the past 50 years. It focused on assessing effectiveness in improving health outcomes, reducing healthcare costs and bridging the gap in health disparities.
IRRC to Consider New Regulation for Child Abuse Reporting for Dentists
On Thursday, March 19 the Independent Regulatory Review Committee (IRRC) will consider a final regulation, as required by the Child Protective Services Law, to implement the mandatory reporting requirements for practitioners regulated by the State Board of Dentistry. As “mandated reporters,” board regulated practitioners will be required to complete mandatory training in child abuse recognition and reporting.
Public Charge Rule FAQs Updated
The National Health Center Immigration Workgroup has updated its FAQs on the Public Charge rule effective March 1. The updated FAQs now include information about the rule’s Feb. 24, 2020 effective date and the factors beyond the use of public benefits that immigration officers will consider when deciding whether or not to approve an application for a Green Card. These resources and more are available on NACHC’s Caring for Immigrant Patients webpage.
New Toolkit: Social Determinants of Health In Rural Communities.
This toolkit from the Rural Health Information Hub was produced in collaboration with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. It compiles evidence-based and promising models to help rural communities implement programs that address social determinants of health.
Rural Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019
The Rural Health Information Hub has created a guide to help you learn about activities underway to address COVID-19. Check it out here.