The White House’s budget request to Congress included an $11 billion ask to tackle the spread of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) over the next five years.  Though it’s not a crisis that’s well-known or understood, public health efforts in the last 10 years have made strides toward prevention and treatment.  Direct-acting antivirals developed less than a decade ago have been proven effective in 95 percent of the people who take a curative pill for 8 to 12 weeks.  The challenge has been getting infected persons in for diagnosis and moving them toward treatment.  For rural communities, the rise in prevalence has been labeled epidemic and closely related to injection drug use. Data show a substantial number of people are unaware they’re infected; of those with some kind of public or private insurance, only a third are actually treated.  Left untreated, HCV can lead to liver failure, cancer, and death.  The proposed federal program includes a significant push for screening and treatment – accelerating the availability of point-of-care diagnostic tests and providing broad access to medication – with a focus on populations at greatest risk for infection: Medicaid beneficiaries, justice-involved populations, people without insurance, and American Indian and Alaska Native individuals who are treated through the Indian Health Service. Also last week: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated recommendations for hepatitis B virus screening and testing.  Considered more common than HCV, hepatitis B causes more liver-related cancer and death.

This case series from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center highlights examples of four school- and community-based organizations providing support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) youth.

 The Administration for Community Living will award $500,000 in cash prizes for innovative and effective pilot solutions that address the needs of people in rural communities who are aging with HIV. Some potential solutions may be: enhancing the capacity of community-based organizations; increasing engagement/reducing isolation for long-term survivors; or addressing social determinants of health such as transportation or access to physical activities.  Up to 10 winners may be selected to each receive a prize of up to $15,000. Because these are prize competitions, there are no reporting requirements, deliverables, or other restrictions associated with federal grants.  The participants selected to receive a prize for Phase 1, Design of Concept, may compete for Phase 2, Development of Solution. The date was extended to February 14, 2023.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) published the household income data that determines eligibility for Medicaid and a number of other Federal programs.

In its 2022 Overview, FORHP’s parent agency offers some insight into the efforts of 15 program areas over the last year, including serving more than 1,500 rural counties and municipalities across the country.

The number of uninsured children in Pennsylvania improved during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the federal continuous coverage provision that prevents states from disenrolling children and families from Medicaid during the public health emergency, according to the State of Children’s Health report by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. Pennsylvania’s child uninsured rate improved to 4.4% from 4.6% between 2019 and 2021 as families weathered the pandemic storm under the umbrella of public health coverage, with Medicaid enrollees having uninterrupted access to health insurance that connects them to doctor visits, immunizations, and well-visits that screen for physical and mental health. Learn more.

Our nation’s health centers do invaluable work to reduce health disparities and advance health equity in communities across the country. Emerging from the worst of the pandemic, health centers are now facing unprecedented demand for services. They’re providing affordable, high-quality primary health care to millions of people nationwide. HRSA expects to publish the 2021 Uniform Data System (UDS) data on Monday, August 8. The data will appear in HRSA’s Data Warehouse on the Health Center Program Data and Reporting webpages. Join a Tuesday, August 9, 1:00 – 2:00 pm HRSA webinar to learn about trends in the 2021 data on health center patient demographics, staffing, and clinical quality measures. Attendees will gain insights into health centers’ growth, recovery, and performance. Register here.