Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

The Implications of Long COVID for Rural Communities

Researchers from the Center for Rural Health Research at East Tennessee State University report that higher rates of infection and lagging vaccinations mean that the lingering effects, now called long COVID, are likely to have a disproportionate effect on rural communities.  While symptoms and severity of long COVID can range from mild to severe, the potential impact on mental health, social function, and the ability to keep working can be substantial.  Watch a presentation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on evaluating and supporting patients with cognitive symptoms following COVID.

New Advocacy Tool Launched: Chartis Rural Hospital Data

The National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA) Government Affairs team added a new advocacy tool to their website!

Each year at NRHA’s Policy Institute, the Chartis Center for Rural Health releases data about rural providers across the country. The map has links to the 2022 state-specific reports on the impact federal policies have on rural health care providers and their patients.  The Chartis data sets show the annual revenue loss, potential job loss, and potential GDP loss, for each provider based on each policy.

If you have questions, please reach out to Josh Jorgensen (jjorgensen@ruralhealth.us).

HHS Distributing $1.75 Billion in Provider Relief Fund Payments to Health Care Providers Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), today announced more than $1.75 billion in Provider Relief Fund payments to 3,680 providers across the country. With this disbursement, HRSA has distributed approximately $13.5 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to nearly 86,000 and nearly $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments to more than 44,000 providers since November 2021.

“Health care providers have been tireless in protecting their communities and working to maintain access to health services during the pandemic,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Provider Relief Fund resources continue to make it possible for providers to recruit and retain key personnel, implement safety measures, and keep their doors open to care for their patients.”

In September of 2021, HHS opened applications for $25.5 billion in COVID-19 provider funding. With this latest round of payments, nearly $21 billion of this funding has been distributed. Phase 4 payments reimburse smaller providers for a higher percentage of losses during the pandemic and include bonus payments for providers who serve Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries.

Providers can use Provider Relief Fund payments received in the first half of 2022 to cover losses and expenses until June 30, 2023. With these latest payments, approximately 92 percent of all Phase 4 applications have been processed. Remaining applications require additional manual review and HRSA is working to process them as quickly as possible.

Provider Relief Fund payments have played an important role in the national response to COVID-19, helping health care providers prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Health care providers can use the payments for a variety of COVID-related expenses. These include maintaining access to care for patients by addressing workforce challenges through recruitment and retention efforts (PDF).

View a state-by-state breakdown of all Phase 4 payments disbursed to date.

View a state-by-state breakdown of all ARP Rural payments disbursed to date.

As individual providers agree to the terms and conditions of Phase 4 payments, it will be reflected on the public dataset.

For additional information, visit www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief.

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.

PREVENT Pandemics Act is Approved by Senate HELP Committee

The Senate HELP Committee passed the bipartisan pandemic bill, including a permanent extension of Federal Tort Claims Act Coverage for Health Center Volunteer Health Professionals.  Statutory authority for the Health Center Volunteer Health Professionals (VHP) Program is currently due to sunset on October 1, 2022. Previously issued VHP Notices of Deeming Action (NDA) are being amended to expressly reflect this statutory sunset date. Future VHP Notices of Deeming Action for the calendar year 2022 also will reflect the statutory sunset date of September 30, 2022. Absent legislative action to continue the program beyond the statutory sunset date, HRSA will not accept VHP deeming applications submitted after May 9, 2022.

UPMC and Harrisburg University to Open Nursing School

The Harrisburg branch of the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is partnering with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to open a branch this fall in downtown Harrisburg. The branch will offer an accelerated 16-month program to train registered nurses. Students will take non-nursing courses at Harrisburg U, take nursing courses from UPMC faculty, and do clinical rotations at UPMC Harrisburg and other UPMC facilities in the region. The program, which is open to the public, is expected to start with 200 students. Find more information here.

Registration Open for NACHC Training for New Clinical Directors

Registration is open for the upcoming virtual Training for New Clinical Directors. Join the next training March 8-10 to boost your career and elevate your leadership development. This training provides the core knowledge and addresses the core competencies that all health center Clinical Directors need to function as effective managers, leaders, and advocates for their health centers and communities. The comprehensive course package includes interactive learning, small group case study discussions, peer networking, follow-up resources, and a coaching program. Receive up to 11.5 elective CMECs from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) or CDECs from the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA). For more information contact Katja Laepke at klaepke@nachc.com.

Keynote Speaker Confirmed for PA Rural Recruitment Summit

David Schmitz, MD, the director of the University of North Dakota Family Medicine Residency and one of the creators of the Community Apgar Project, will be the keynote speaker for the Pennsylvania Rural Recruitment Summit. Co-sponsored by PACHC, the summit is happening April 20, 2022, at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College. Dr. Schmitz will speak about how communities can identify strengths and challenges related to recruiting critical healthcare professionals like family medicine physicians. The summit will bring together healthcare entities, clinicians, statewide organizations, and community leaders to listen and learn, together finding a path forward to ensure access to high quality and high value health care for rural Pennsylvanians. Registration is now open. Cost is $100 per person. You are encouraged to bring along leaders from your community. Contact Judd Mellinger-Blouch to find out about how you can encourage community leaders to attend, including a special discount arrangement.

Hamilton Health Center Chief Medical Officer Serves as Role Model

PennLive is following up their report on the historic increase in Black students in medical school and why that’s important with a series of profiles of Black health care professionals in central Pennsylvania who have paved the way and now serve as role models for future doctors and nurses. Dr. Bolanle Limann, chief medical officer for Harrisburg-based Hamilton Health Center, is the subject of the first profile in the series. Dr. Limann oversees clinical operations for the health center’s six locations in Dauphin and Perry counties, bringing to bear both her skills as a physician and her knowledge of business. Read more.