- Rural Employment Recovery Halts
- Workforce Training Center in Chewelah Would Give Internships to Rural High Schoolers
- Some Rural Hospitals Are Removing All Inpatient Beds, Leading to Confusion and No Margin for Error
- FCC Increases Broadband Speed Benchmark
- Rural Health Centers Across Tennessee Are Getting Solar Microgrids
- The Va Pioneered the Use of Telehealth for Veterans Who Can't Easily Access Health Care Facilities
- Readout of Biden-Harris Administration Convening with Health Care Community Concerning Cyberattack on Change Healthcare
- Popular in Cities, Transit Trip Planning and Payment Apps Are Slowly Coming to Rural Communities
- Medical Students Help Rural Schoolchildren Avoid Suspension with Mobile Physicals
- How Illinois Is Bringing Grocery Stores Back to Main Street
- Biden-Harris Administration Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Tackles Youth Mental Health Crisis, Maternity Care Deserts, Gaps in Access to Primary Care
- Operating in the Red: Half of Rural Hospitals Lose Money, as Many Cut Services
- CMS Statement on Change Healthcare Cyberattack
- New Ambulance Telemedicine Devices save Time — and Lives
- The Need to Prepare More Surgeons for Rural Practice Is Urgent
Pennsylvania State Health Assessment Now Available
The 2023 Pennsylvania State Health Assessment update is now published and available on the Department of Health webpage. The State of Our Health: A Statewide Health Assessment of Pennsylvania identifies the populations most impaced by various health risks and outcomes and the possible causes for those disparate impacts. The assessment was developed through collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data with engagement of 82 organizations, including PACHC, who participate in the Healthy Pennsylvania Partnership.
Free Training is Being Offered for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care
Continuing education credits are available for this no-cost training. Nine modules on topics that include pregnancy care for patients with substance use disorder and the increasing rates of hepatitis C are provided by the University of Rochester Recovery Center of Excellence, one of three FORHP-supported Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders.
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Launches Overdose Prevention Program
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) has announced a new program, building on the impact of the Naloxone for First Responders Program (NFRP). The new program—the PA Overdose Prevention Program—will serve as a “one-stop-shop” for individuals and organizations seeking multiple formulations of naloxone and related harm reduction supplies, including fentanyl and xylazine test strips. It will also serve as a clearinghouse for information, training, and technical assistance to help groups involved in harm reduction work and others on the front lines of Pennsylvania’s evolving overdose crisis. Like the NFRP, the PA Overdose Prevention Program will focus on getting naloxone and harm reduction supplies into the hands of people who use drugs and those who serve and support them. Read more about the initiative.
Medicaid and CHIP Renewals Begin: Reaching Children and Families in School-Based and Early Education and Care Settings
As pandemic-era protections for Medicaid coverage end, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services created materials and resources to help people with Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) take steps to renew their health coverage or find other coverage options. Education and early education professionals can use this toolkit to reach parents and families about what is happening right now with Medicaid and CHIP, and community groups are encouraged to use this slide deck and talking points for outreach.
HRSA Has Released Curated Resources on Child and Adolescent Health
HRSA curated a packet of training and TA materials for health centers that want to develop processes for improving service delivery and outcomes for children and adolescents. The materials relate to telehealth, food insecurity, mental and behavioral health, oral health, and staffing shortages and retention.
A New Toolkit Has Been Created to Support Routine Vaccination Catch-Up in School-Aged Children
Kindergarten vaccination coverage in the United States is the lowest it has been in decades, placing children and their communities at risk for preventable disease outbreaks. The Public Health Foundation, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed an actionable toolkit containing evidence-based strategies, tools, and resources to support and address routine vaccination catch-up. Share and review the toolkit with your education partners.
Efforts are Underway in Pennsylvania to Improve Black Maternal Health
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis, and Muffy Mendoza from Brown Mamas talk about efforts in Pennsylvania to improve Black maternal health. Watch the video here.
Find Out How Many Older Adults in Employer Plans Can’t Afford Care
With premiums and deductibles outpacing income growth over the past decade, employer health plans are failing to protect many older adults from health costs or ensure access to affordable care, a new Commonwealth Fund study shows. Large shares of adults ages 50 to 64 in these plans, especially people with low or moderate income, can’t afford needed care and struggle to pay their medical bills. Learn what policymakers can do to expand coverage options for people in this age group. Read more.
In a Maternity Desert, a New Kind of Home Visitation Program Brings Care to At-Risk Mothers
The latest feature article in the Rural Health Information Hub’s Rural Monitor features Project Swaddle, a community paramedic program that provides education, support, and medical care to pregnant and postpartum patients in rural Indiana.
There is a Forecasted Opportunity for SAMHSA Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Centers
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) expects a $7.5 million investment in regional centers of excellence for training and technical assistance specific to rural communities. Estimated Post Date February 2024.