As temperatures rise, the newly formed federal Office of Climate Change and Health Equity is tracking areas of the country expected to experience a high number of extremely hot days over the next few months.  The health impacts of a heatwave like the one that hit states in the Northwest last summer, go beyond dehydration and heat stroke to include: increased hospitalizations for heart disease, worsening asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and even an increase in violence, crime, and suicide.  Last month, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services awarded $385 million to help households lower cooling and heating costs.  Learn more online about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides a high-level summary of its Rural Maternal Health Initiative implemented between June 2019 and November 2021. The effort comes from the CMS Rural Health initiative, established in 2016 to meet the needs specific to these areas.

On July 16, 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) will transition to an easy-to-remember, 3-digit number (988). To strengthen and expand the existing network of over 200 locally operated and funded crisis centers across the country, the Lifeline suicide & crisis network is looking to bring on new volunteers and paid employees to receive training to answer calls, chats, and texts from people in crisis.  Since 1999, suicide rates in rural areas have been consistently higher than those in metropolitan areas.

In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily waived certain eligibility requirements for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to help people keep their health coverage during the pandemic. However, with the public health emergency ends, states will soon be required to restart eligibility reviews for this public health insurance covering more than 83 million beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan.  Nearly a quarter of individuals under age 65 who live in rural areas are covered by Medicaid.  When the eligibility waivers end, some estimates count that up to 15 million people will lose their coverage through a process called “unwinding.” To help states prepare for the change, CMS will host a monthly learning series from May through October of this year. The Communications Toolkit, linked in the headline above, has information to help beneficiaries understand the steps to renew their coverage.

Just Released! Build Healthy Places Network is excited to announce the release of our latest publication “A Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Partnership Models of Investment”

Many rural communities across the country face challenges in meeting community needs around health, workforce development, financial stability, infrastructure, etc. However there are calls to change the narrative around areas existing outside of urban centers to recognize the unique assets embedded in these enduring rural communities. Recently the Biden Administration embarked on a 30-stop tour of rural areas across the country to promote the White House’s Rural Playbook, a guide for communities to access the $1.2 trillion in funding now available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But what are the implications and opportunities for rural healthcare organizations?

Build Healthy Places Network’s Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Partnership Models of Investments is an action-oriented guide designed for healthcare organizations who want to pursue partnerships with rural community and economic development and other sectors, to create the community conditions that support improved community health. After interviewing dozens of experts we share case studies highlighting core strategies used by healthcare entities as examples for future multi-sector rural partnerships to follow.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) met with their our newest POWER awardees to discuss the grant management skills that will be most critical to the success of their projects.  Since the POWER Initiative started in 2015, ARC has invested more than $319.3 million in 395 projects touching 358 counties across Appalachia. Learn more about the newest grantees.

United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new Surgeon General’s Advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the health worker burnout crisis across the country. Health workers, including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, nurse aides, among others, have long faced systemic challenges in the health care system even before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to crisis levels of burnout.

The Surgeon General’s Advisory Addressing Health Worker Burnout lays out recommendations for health care organizations, health insurers, health technology companies, policymakers, academic institutions, researchers, and communities to address health worker burnout and ensure their well-being – so that health workers can thrive and better answer their call as healers.

As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, the Public Health Communications Collaborative has developed a new directory of resources to help you communicate about this important public health issue all year. Our guide spotlights resources for public health and health professionals, parents and caregivers, employers and employees, youth, and anyone who is looking for general mental health information and guidance on how to connect with a mental health professional.

As we navigate life’s challenges compounded by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while processing unspeakable national tragedies such as the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings in the last two weeks, ensuring our communities have access to mental health resources is crucial to their overall health and wellbeing.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is seeking applications for grants to help owners of rental housing repair and rehabilitate their units, if they make them available for low- and very-low-income rural residents. USDA is providing the funding through the Housing Preservation Grant program.

Eligible applicants include town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

USDA encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities:

• Assisting rural communities recover economically from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly disadvantaged communities;
• Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to USDA Rural Development (RD) programs and benefits from RD-funded projects; and,
• Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.

USDA does not provide funding directly to individual homeowners under this program.

Paper pre-applications are due by 4:30 p.m. local time on July 11, 2022, at the Rural Development state office where the project will be located. Electronic pre-applications are due by 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, July 11, 2022. For a list of offices, visit the state office website.

See page 31976 of the May 26, 2022, Federal Register for additional information.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.