Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Releases FAQs for Restaurant Self-Certification Process   

Posted on by lad3

The administration of Pennsylvania Governor Wolf released frequently asked questions for restaurant owners to reference following the newly announced self-certification process.

This new process, Open & Certified Pennsylvania, ensures that customers and employees know that they can dine safely at restaurants ​committed to strictly complying with all public health safety guidelines and orders as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth.

“The novel coronavirus has created new challenges for Pennsylvania businesses, and it is critical that we provide avenues of support for our restaurants, which have been disproportionately impacted,” Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin.

“Open & Certified Pennsylvania will instill consumer faith and allow our small businesses to recover more quickly, and we want to make the process as simple and easy as possible. The list of frequently asked questions we are releasing today will help ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible for Pennsylvania businesses.”

Any restaurant that wishes to ​increase to 50 percent indoor capacity on September 21 must complete the online self-certification process by October 5.

 

Restaurant owners with additional questions about the self-certification program can contact covidselfcert@pa.gov.

Campaign for Dental Health Releases New Media

Posted on by lad3

The Campaign for Dental Health released several new memes and video snips on their website. Four new memes include messages on brushing, drinking water, mouth-body connection, and oral health integration. Each carries the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation medallion. Five new video snips feature three pediatricians emphasizing the benefits of drinking water with fluoride and the importance of oral health for the entire family, especially those most affected by dental disease.

Click here to view the memes and videos.

Oral Health Value-Based Care: The FQHC Story

Posted on by lad3

The DentaQuest Partnership and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) published a new white paper, “Oral Health Value-Based Care: The Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Story.” FQHCs are remaking modern health care with an integrated oral health care approach. FQHCs and their dental programs are using telehealth and implementing value-based tools for prevention, creating better disease management, and positive patient oral health and overall health outcomes.

Click here to read the white paper.

The Rise of Primary Care Transformation

Posted on by hjr5089

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.

HHS Launches the AHEAD Dashboard

Posted on by hjr5089

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.

HRSA’s National Survey of Children’s Health Highlighted

Posted on by hjr5089

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) recently highlighted the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) with a post on its ASTHOExperts blog by Dr. Reem Ghandour, Director of the Division of Epidemiology in MCHB’s Office of Epidemiology and Research, and the NSCH Director. The post highlights how NSCH data can inform critical policy and program planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes conducted by state and territorial health officials.

The annual survey includes questions on a wide range of factors that influence children’s health—from the prevalence and impact of special health care needs, to health care quality and access, to adverse childhood experiences. It is the only source of both national- and state-level data on several key measures of infant, child, and adolescent health and development. The next set of NSCH data will be available in October.

Learn more about the National Survey of Children’s Health.

HRSA Releases Study on Rural and Urban Older Populations

Posted on by hjr5089

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.

Living at Home in Rural America: Improving Accessibility for Older Adults and People with a Disability

Posted on by hjr5089

HHS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Agriculture have released a joint bulletin (PDF – 283 KB) describing federal resources available to improve health and housing outcomes for older adults and those with disabilities in rural America.

The bulletin supports the HHS Rural Health Task Force, an HHS-wide effort to improve health care and access for rural America. Read the full announcement.

HRSA was part of the HHS team that worked on the bulletin with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Administration for Community Living, and the CDC.

HHS Awards $117 Million to Support Health Center Quality Improvement

Posted on by hjr5089

On August 25, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced over $117 million in quality improvement awards to 1,318 health centers across all U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia. HRSA-funded health centers will use these funds to further strengthen quality improvement activities and expand quality primary health care service delivery.

“These quality improvement awards support health centers across the country in delivering care to nearly 30 million people, providing a convenient source of quality care that has grown even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “These awards help ensure that all patients who visit a HRSA-funded health center continue to receive the highest quality of care, including access to COVID-19 testing and treatment.”

Read more here.

Trump Administration Announces Provider Relief Fund Application for Assisted Living Facilities

Posted on by hjr5089

On September 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is announcing assisted living facilities (ALFs) may now apply for funding under the Provider Relief Fund Phase 2 General Distribution allocation. This announcement bolsters the Trump administration’s commitment to support health care providers in addressing both the economic harm and additional expenses caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).This funding was made possible through the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.

“HHS is committed to ensuring America’s healthcare providers have what they need to protect their patients and continue providing care through the pandemic,“ said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “By expanding the Provider Relief Fund to assisted living facilities, we are supporting more frontline providers and helping to protect the nearly 1 million vulnerable older Americans in their care.”

Read more here.