Through HRSA’s cooperative agreement with National Organizations of State and Local Officials (NOSLO), the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) published a brief on the roles state primary care offices (PCOs) have in addressing primary care transformation. Through transformational practices like primary care integration, workforce development, and partnership opportunities, PCOs can increase access to care and improve health outcomes for states.

Read the brief.

Last month, HHS launched AHEAD. America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD) is a data visualization tool that displays jurisdictional, state, and national data on the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative six indicators:

• Incidence,
• Knowledge of status,
• Diagnoses,
• Linkage to HIV medical care,
• Viral suppression, and
• PrEP coverage.

AHEAD produces easily consumable graphics and tables to help inform national and local decision-making. Using this data, we can work towards meeting the goals of the EHE initiative: reduce the number of new HIV transmission in the U.S. by 90 percent by 2030.

Learn more at ahead.hiv.gov.

A new study found that rural populations are older, on average, than urban populations. Across the U.S., people 85 and older make up 1.9 percent of the population. In rural counties, they make up 2.4 percent of the population.

Researchers studied rural-urban older adults based on four different domains: demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, health care access and use, and health characteristics.

The study revealed that the proportion of older adults is increasing more quickly in rural communities due to declining birth rates and migration patterns among younger adults.

Given that the likelihood of living alone increases with age (PDF – 1 MB), research in this area is vital to ensure people have appropriate support and resources.

The study was released by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, which is funded by HRSA.

By Roberto Gallardo and Brian Whitacre

State broadband policies make a difference, a new report says. In particular, residents of states that have their own broadband funding programs did better. And in states that restrict municipal broadband, residents fared worse. Read more here.

By James Branscome
A collection of essays, excerpts, songs, and poems covers centuries of reflection on the Southern mountains. A native son traces the history of Appalachian literature through 745 pages of a recently published anthology. Read more here.

From the Pennsylvania Health Action Network and the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council

Navigating the Pennsylvania health care system is frequently challenging. Long wait lists, unexpected costs, and lack of coverage for needed services  affect many health care consumers in Pennsylvania. These issues are especially acute in the rural parts of the state where many live in poverty, distances are longer, transportation infrastructure is limited, and there may be fewer options for treatment.

People with disabilities living in rural areas encounter all of these problems as well as prejudice, ignorance, and various barriers that impact their ability to access health care services, facilities, and equipment.  This report features stories from people with disabilities, their family members and caregivers about barriers to health care access. We collected these stories through surveys, face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, and public listening sessions during 2019 and 2020.

The goal of this report is to document barriers, better understand the perspectives and needs of those facing them, and raise awareness of the need for improved accessibility.

The report can be accessed at https://pahealthaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/rural-access-report.pdf

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released a Penn State University study about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state’s child care industry. The study was included in legislation that passed the General Assembly this spring as part of negotiations around allocation of federal stimulus dollars.

Prior to the health crisis, Pennsylvania had more than 7,000 licensed child care providers operating. However, as of July more than 200 of those providers indicated they plan to permanently shut their doors. Further, the study estimates that about 1,000 additional providers are at risk of closure without financial assistance.

The study and recommendations will be used by Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to guide the distribution of $116 million in federal CARES funding for child care. The state previously released just over $100 million in federal stimulus funding specific to the Child Care Development Block Grant. The additional $116 million was secured as part of advocacy work done by the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns this spring.

The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, a HRSA-funded National Training & Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), recently published two briefs that may be useful for health centers:

• Affirming Primary Care for Intersex People – this community-informed clinical guide on primary care for intersex people provides an overview of intersex terms and concepts, the health concerns of intersex people, intersex-affirming practices and resources for further learning
• Neurodiversity & Gender-Diverse Youth: An Affirming Approach to Care – this brief provides insight from qualitative research and clinical experience into the unique experience of gender-diverse, neurodiverse youth

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released a final recommendation statement on behavioral counseling interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The task force recommends behavioral counseling for all sexually active teens and for adults who are at increased risk for STIs. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based and a summary for clinicians, please click here.