In response to a record 38,000 comments from the public, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency will extend the full set of telemedicine flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 public health emergency that ends today, May 11.  The temporary rule will allow providers to prescribe controlled medications, such as buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD), via telemedicine until November 11, 2023.  For patient-provider relationships established by that date, flexibilities will extend another year to November 2024.   While rates for OUD are similar in both rural and urban areas, the availability of medication-assisted therapies has been disproportionately located in urban areas.

 On May 10^th, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy awarded approximately $1 million in supplemental funding to the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program recipients to support community benefits counseling activities and related work to meet community needs through the unwinding of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).   The twenty-one (21) award recipients will establish effective, equitable, and inclusive strategies around outreach, education, and benefits counseling to rural residents who may be disenrolled from Medicaid due to the unwinding of the COVID-19 PHE.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority) is currently accepting applications for the Capital Projects Fund – Broadband Infrastructure Program (Program) through Monday, July 10, 2023. The Authority has also designed and made available a FAQ document for this program.

The $200 million competitive grant program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), will target locations that do not currently have access to 25/3 Mbps reliable service. Eligible applicants include local units of government, non-profits, cooperatives, and private entities. The Program will fund extensions of existing last-mile cable modem and fiber-to-the-premise broadband networks as well as large-scale regional projects that can transform broadband availability by serving large numbers of eligible addresses.

Additionally, the Authority has created an online web map to support prospective applicants for this program and future programs. This map shows broadband serviceable locations and community anchor institutions across the Commonwealth. The Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) are categorized into served, underserved, and unserved layers. This map will continue to be updated using the latest available data from the Federal Communications Commission Broadband Data Collection (BDC). We anticipate this map being released and available to the public in the near future.

If you have additional questions about this program, please utilize the following resource account to contact us, pbda_capitalprojectsfund@pa.gov.

 The FORHP-supported Center on Rural Addiction at the University of Vermont provides information on new federal requirements for outpatient providers prescribing buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.  While no longer needing a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), clinicians will still be required to register with the DEA to prescribe controlled medications.  Beginning on June 27, the DEA registration will require applicants – both new and renewing – to affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training.  Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023.

  During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waived certain requirements to allow greater access to healthcare products and services for beneficiaries of public health insurance. Several of these waivers, including health and safety requirements for CMS-designated Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals, will end when the official public health emergency expires on May 11.  Certain policies, such as the Acute Hospital at Home initiative and telehealth flexibilities have been extended by Congress through December 31, 2024.

Electronic health information exchange is the ability to exchange medical records and other health information electronically among health care providers and between health care providers and patients. Survey data show that the use of various electronic exchange methods among hospitals and physicians has increased in recent years. However, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that as of 2021, reported use among small and rural hospitals was lower than that of other hospitals.

 On May 26, HRSA will follow a federal requirement to upgrade security measures for online systems requiring a login for external users.  The new multi-factor login procedure will affect those who access HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB) system, including grantees, grant applicants, service providers, and consultants. To avoid issues with upcoming application and reporting deadlines, it is important to set up the new login procedure ahead of the change on May 26.  HRSA is hosting a one-hour webinar session on May 12^th at 1:00 pm ET to walk through the new EHBs login process. Participants will need to register in advance; the webinar only has 3000 slots available, but the session will be recorded and made available to users.

 Three years ago, HRSA launched Telehealth.HHS.gov to provide resources for patients, providers, and policymakers. Also available in Spanish, the site stays up-to-date on funding, events, research, and licensure, as well as guidelines that help providers and patients get the most out of telehealth practices.

Children need access to quality nutrition to build a healthy foundation for lifelong well-being. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides access to healthy nutrition for infants, toddlers, and pregnant and postpartum women.

Unfortunately, only 56% of eligible Pennsylvania children and families participate in the program. Thriving PA’s newly-released state and county fact sheets show WIC coverage rates in the program. With children up to age five accounting for 78% of participation, ensuring every eligible family can access the program and receive the nutritional support needed for their household is essential.

Through modernization efforts—like moving to an online Smart Card used to access benefits and permanently implementing telehealth policies—Pennsylvania can make the program more accessible to families. Other benefits of the WIC program include reducing household food insecurity and incidences of preterm births and low birth weights, improving diet quality, and improving access to health care and social services.

Thriving PA continues to advocate for increased participation and program improvements that are decades overdue. Learn more at www.thrivingpa.org.

Chive to Thrive: Thriving PA Delivers Chives to Legislators to Bring Awareness to Maternal and Child Health Needs

Thriving PA, a non-partisan, statewide advocacy campaign seeking to improve the quality of and increase access to a coordinated system of health supports, took to the Capitol last week to bring more awareness to and encourage support of policies to strengthen perinatal and children’s health across the commonwealth.

The delivery of chive plants to legislators aligned with a critical advocacy week, Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, and teased an upcoming report Thriving PA will release this summer that surveyed birthing people in Pennsylvania. Early analysis of survey results shows that 76% of respondents felt they needed care for their mental health.

The campaign also convened focus groups about the lack of access to maternal mental health supports. Maternal mental health disorders are the number one complication of childbearing and a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths. Currently, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries. Thriving PA advocates for access to the health resources and supports needed to give birth to and raise children safely.