The Senate HELP Committee released a discussion draft of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act). This legislation focuses on strengthening the nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the bill includes language that removes the current statutory expiration date for the Health Center Volunteer Health Professionals Program. Currently, more than 100 health centers utilize more than 500 volunteer providers through the program. NACHC has pushed for an extension given the ongoing workforce shortages that many health centers are facing. A section-by-section summary and full text are available. The Senate HELP Committee is accepting comments on the draft through February 4, 2022, and could move to mark up the legislation after reviewing stakeholder feedback.
Build Back Better Act and Appropriations Continue
President Biden expressed support last week for breaking up the Build Back Better Act into smaller pieces of legislation. However, this strategy is problematic since the bill was designed to be passed using reconciliation, which can only be used a limited number of times per year and avoids a filibuster in the Senate by requiring only 51 votes. Republicans have resisted negotiating an omnibus FY22 with the BBB Act unresolved, and House and Senate appropriators have struggled to overcome issues in determining top-level funding numbers and including policy riders, like the Hyde Amendment. Another continuing resolution (CR) after the current one ends on February 18, 2022, is possible as House and Senate appropriators work to strike a deal. Congress is also considering including additional supplemental COVID-19 relief funding as well as telehealth flexibility extensions in an omnibus appropriations bill.
Waivers Extended
The state Senate passed SB 1019 this week by a 49-0 vote. Introduced by Senator Michelle Brooks, the legislation would further provide for COVID-19 regulatory flexibility authority, essentially extending some of the waivers and require the Departments to submit reports to the legislature by May 31, 2022, of any waived rules or regulations that should be made permanent.
Rural-Urban Differences in Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences: Results from the National Survey of Children’s Health
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are events of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction occurring between birth and 17 years of age. Studies have found a direct correlation between ACEs and risky behaviors, poor physical health, and poor mental health outcomes in childhood. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) include a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment allowing for health development and overall wellness. In prior research, rural-urban differences in PCEs have not been examined using all 50 states. This brief examines the types and counts of ACEs and PCEs for rural and urban children. The study also reports on the differences between rural and urban ACEs and PCEs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Contact Information:
Elizabeth Crouch, PhD
Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Phone: 803.576.6055
crouchel@mailbox.sc.edu
Additional Resources of Interest:
- More information about the Rural and Minority Health Research Center
- More information from the Rural Health Information Hub’s topic guide: Rural Health Disparities
Access to Mental Health Services in Rural Pennsylvania Research Findings Released
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania researchers Dr. Juliana Svistova, Dr. Ahyoung Lee, Dr. Christopher Harris, Dr. Juyoung Song, Jillian Horton, Barbe Fogarty, Julia Hansen, and Carlie Mills conducted the research, which assessed the demand for mental health services in rural Pennsylvania, with a focus on youth and the elderly.
The research also identified challenges rural populations face in accessing mental health care and identified options for improving and expanding mental health care services for underserved rural Pennsylvanians.
Read the executive summary here.
The full report can be accessed here: Access to Mental Health Services in Rural Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Law Requiring Insurers to Cover Breast MRIs, Ultrasounds Now in Full Effect
PA Breast Cancer Coalition’s Act 52 of 2020 / Senate Bill 595
Beginning January 1, 2022, all insurers are required to cover breast MRIs and ultrasounds for women insured under Pennsylvania law with high-risk conditions. The requirements are a result of the PA Breast Cancer Coalition’s Act 52 of 2020 (Senate Bill 595), sponsored by PA Sen. Bob Mensch. As your existing insurance policy expires, under law the new version will be required to cover breast MRIs and ultrasounds for women with:
- A personal history of breast cancer
- A family history of breast cancer
- A genetic predisposition to breast cancer
- Extremely dense breast tissue
- Heterogeneously dense breast tissue with 1 additional high-risk factor
Co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance may still apply.
Applications Being Accepted for Community Health Workers in Pennsylvania
To address vaccine confidence and deploy community outreach, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is implementing an initiative designed to target, engage, and connect individuals to COVID-19 vaccines and education.
PHMC is soliciting applications from organizations in Pennsylvania and Delaware who would like to subcontract for funding to hire or assign existing staff to become community health workers (CHWs). Using training and toolkits provided by PHMC, these CHWs will go out into their community, provide outreach and education, and report all outcomes for a one-year project period. Apply today!
A document with more information can be found here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Stephanie Shell at sshell@phmc.org.
$3.$9 Million Helmsley Charitable Trust Grant Helps KFF Establish Kaiser Health News Rural Health Reporting Desk
Reporters Will Produce Explanatory, Enterprise, and Investigative Reporting on Rural Health Care
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) is expanding its KHN (Kaiser Health News) operation by establishing a rural health reporting desk supported by a $3.9 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
KFF will expand KHN’s editorial staff and build a team of journalists and social media experts in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Full-time reporters and freelancers from those states and KHN’s national newsroom will produce and distribute explanatory, enterprise, and investigative stories on health care issues relevant to rural communities.
The team of journalists will provide unbiased, accurate, and trusted reporting on a wide range of complex issues, including the ongoing pandemic, access to health coverage and care, the burden of health care costs on consumers, housing and education, the opioid epidemic, mental health, hospital closures, the lack of critical lifesaving equipment, and burgeoning changes in telehealth and medicine. KHN will partner with local media throughout the region to produce deeply sourced stories that shed light on underreported issues.
As with all its journalism, KHN stories produced by the Rural Health Desk will be made freely available for publication by media outlets across the country, published on khn.org and distributed through KHN’s social media platforms.
“Rural America’s low population density provides significant challenges in the delivery of health care services, yet at the same time dedicated providers are delivering top-notch care through innovative practices, like state-of-the-art telemedicine,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “KHN’s new rural health reporting desk will dive deep into these challenges and highlight efforts that ensure a person’s ZIP code doesn’t determine their healthcare outcomes.”
“Rural health needs more attention, and with this grant we can deliver that,” said KFF President and CEO Drew Altman, who is also KHN’s founding publisher. “We are excited to expand our work in this essential area, and we are grateful for the support of the Helmsley Charitable Trust.”
The establishment of the Rural Health Desk follows news last summer that KHN is opening an Atlanta-based Southern Bureau to produce more journalism focused on health, race, equity, and poverty in the region. KHN also operates regional bureaus in California, the Midwest, and the Mountain States.
Media organizations interested in working with KHN should contact us at KHNPartnerships@kff.org and those interested in joining our efforts to expand and improve health journalism in rural America and beyond should contact KFF at healthjournalism@kff.org. Employment opportunities for the Rural Health Desk will be posted soon here.
About KFF and KHN
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
About the Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $3 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $500 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, and Nevada. For more information, visit here.
All About Fluoride Resource – 2022 Updates
The American Dental Association (ADA) has updated their “All About Fluoride” one-pager to reflect a 2022 edition which includes an update to the hyperlinked files in the resource. Stakeholders are encouraged to share this resource with all audiences, especially dental providers looking for guidance on how to take action on fluoride.
New Rural Advocacy Guide Released
The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has created a comprehensive guide for rural community leaders to amplify their voices when advocating for rural. How to advocate for rural health change gives constituents the opportunity to effectively champion rural health issues by providing necessary information and tools. This resource provides details on branches of government, congressional committees, NRHA tools, and practical tips for how to get involved in advocacy efforts. Additionally, our advocacy guide includes sample letters and media advisories to accommodate your communication efforts with Congressional leaders. We hope that this document serves as an asset to your knowledge when advocating for the improvement of issues facing rural communities.
If you have any questions or would like more information or assistance, please contact NRHA’s government affairs team.