ERIN, Tenn. — Kyle Kopec gets a kick out of leading tours through the run-down hospitals his boss is snapping up, pointing out what he calls relics of poor management left by a revolving door of operators. But there’s a point to exposing their state of disrepair — the company he works for, Braden Health, is buying buildings worth millions of dollars for next to nothing.

At a hospital in this rural community about a 90-minute drive northwest from Nashville, the X-ray machine is beyond repair.

“This system is so old, it’s been using a floppy disk,” said Kopec, 23, marveling at the bendy black square that hardly has enough memory to hold a single digital photo. “I’ve never actually seen a floppy disk in use. I’ve seen them in the Smithsonian.”

Not only is Kopec young, he had limited work experience in hospitals before helping lead a buying spree by Braden Health. His prior work experience includes a three-month stint as an intern in the Trump White House, on assignment through his volunteer position in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He worked his way through college at Braden Health’s clinic in Ave Maria, Florida, and became a protégé of Dr. Beau Braden, the company’s founder. Now Kopec’s official title is chief compliance officer, second in command to Braden.

The hospitals Braden Health is taking over sit in one of the worst spots in one of the worst states for rural hospital closures. Tennessee has experienced 16 closures since 2010 — second only to the far more populous state of Texas, which has had at least 21 closures.

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On August 17, 2022, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association held a webinar on rural health care transformation in Pennsylvania through the PA Rural Health Model, as part of its Special Topics in Rural Health 2022 Webinar Series hosted by Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-PA 65th District) and Sen. Michele Brooks (R-PA 50th District).  Gary Zegiestowsky, Chief Executive Officer and Janice Walters, Chief Operating Officer at the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Center discussed how the PA Rural Health Model, through innovation in payment and service, had led to small rural hospital viability and increased community health.

See below for the links to the presentation and recording.

Presentation: Transforming Rural Health Care in Pennsylvania

Recording:  Transforming Rural Health Care in Pennsylvania

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced FY2022 ARP-UDS+ awards totaling $88.6 million to almost 1,400 Community Health Centers nationwide to enhance patient data capabilities and support better health equity during current and future public health emergencies. Announced Monday, the investments are part of more than $7 billion from the American Rescue Plan that the Biden administration set aside to bolster health centers’ workforces and facilities. Modernizing data capabilities will help better tailor health programs to the needs of specific patients or communities, “particularly as part of the public health emergency response,” according to the administration. A state-by-state breakdown of the award recipients here. In Pennsylvania, 44 health centers received a total of $2,882,000.

Telehealth and remote work are going to continue to be a “way of life” even after the continuing COVID-19 pandemic is over. “Best Practices for Adapting to the Remote and Hybrid Workforce in Team-Based Care,” created collaboratively by the STAR² Center and the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center, provides health center leadership with ideas and best practices on how to adapt policies and procedures for a remote and hybrid workforce. Download the document on adapting to the remote and hybrid workforce.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently launched the “I am a Work of ART” campaign encouraging people with HIV who are not in care for HIV to seek care, stay in care, and achieve viral suppression by taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). Read the blog post on the initiative and download and share the message with posters, rack cards, business cards, social graphics, and video public service announcements. Spanish language materials will be available soon.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the intradermal injection — between layers of skin rather than into body fat — at the request of the Biden administration, just a week after the declaration of a health emergency. “In recent weeks the monkeypox virus has continued to spread at a rate that has made it clear our current vaccine supply will not meet the current demand,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said of the decision. Now just a fifth of the dose is needed per injection, allowing health officials to vaccinate far more Americans. Two doses are still required for full vaccination.

Kaiser Health News reports that hospitals, hoping to retain nurses and other staff, are opening child care centers. Nationally, only about 1 in 10 workers have access to employer programs that cover some or all of the costs for childcare services — either on the job site or off — according to a report published last year by the U.S. Department of Labor. The health sector seems to be doing more: About one-third of U.S. hospitals offer childcare benefits, but there is wide variation in those benefits. People are leaving the industry because they’re not able to balance work and life, according to Bright Horizons, the largest provider of employer-sponsored childcare in the country. Consequently, employers are increasingly looking at the benefits of offering childcare services for employees.

A newly released study evaluates the impact of Medicaid expansion and federal funding on the capacity of Community Health Centers to serve patients. Researchers found an association between Health Center Program funding provided under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act and the number of patients served. Estimating the Impact of Medicaid Expansion and Federal Funding Cuts on FQHC Staffing and Patient Capacity concludes that Section 330 grants appear to have a larger impact on access to care than Medicaid expansion. To read this and other peer-reviewed articles about the Health Center Program, visit BPHC’s Health Center Library.