- Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
- Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
- CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
- CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
- Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
- Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
- Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
- Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
- Rural RPM Program Is a Lifeline for Pregnant Women
- Safe and Stable Housing Is a Foundation of Successful Recovery
- Expert: Rural Hospitals Are Particularly Vulnerable to Increasing Cyberattacks Targeting Healthcare Facilities
- Biden-Harris Administration Invests Over $200 Million to Help Primary Care Doctors, Nurses, and Other Health Care Providers Improve Care for Older Adults
- AJPH Call for Papers Special Section on Intersections of Public Health And Primary Care
- NIH HEAL Initiative Turns Attention to Pragmatic Trials in Rural Communities
- Limited Continuing-Care Options in Rural Virginia Create Challenges for an Aging Population
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Encourages Residents to Support Local Restaurants with CarryoutPA.com
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) Tourism Office encourages Pennsylvanians to support local restaurants by visiting the CarryoutPA website, which offers a comprehensive list of restaurants offering takeout, curbside, or delivery services during the state’s stay-at-home order.
CarryoutPA.com was developed by the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association (PRLA) to serve as a go-to resource for dine-out options in support of the commonwealth’s restaurant industry, which accounts for 10 percent of jobs statewide. Pennsylvania restaurants that would like to be added to the registry can register here.
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Outlines Updated Farm Labor Requirements, Advocates for Skilled Labor to Ensure Food Supply
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture provided farmers who provide housing to their workforce – be it domestic, migrant, or guest H-2A workers – with enhanced requirements for seasonal farm labor to maintain a healthy agriculture workforce to ensure necessary farm labor can continue during COVID-19 mitigation in Pennsylvania. The Wolf Administration continues to advocate for a safe, skilled agriculture workforce to perform essential duties to keep Pennsylvania’s food supply chain strong.
Pennsylvania is home to more than 360 permitted Seasonal Farm Labor Camps with nearly 4,300 workers. The workers in these camps are primarily migrant workers – sourced by their company – or H-2A workers – sourced federally. Even before COVID-19 hit Pennsylvania, the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Food safety oversaw the Seasonal Farm Labor Camps where these guest workers reside. The Seasonal Farm Labor Act and regulation sets standards for conditions of work, living quarters, occupancy, camp sanitation, food facilities, fire protection, and safety of farm workers. In addition to these required standards, the department has issued additional requirements for employers to follow to mitigate against COVID-19 for their workforce.
The following are some examples of necessary provisions to maintain the health and safety of seasonal farm workers:
- Per CDC recommendations, there should be a minimum of six feet between beds;
- Beds should be positioned so that workers sleep head-to-toe to limit exposure to respiratory droplets;
- Provide workers with cloth face masks to wear while in housing;
- Ensure bathrooms and other sinks are consistently stocked with soap and drying materials for adequate handwashing;
- Provide hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available;
- Ensure high contact surfaces are cleaned and sanitized on a routine basis with EPA-registered disinfectants;
- Ensure essential supplies for cleaning and sanitizing are available in all living quarters and worksites;
- Designate an individual responsible for maintaining routine cleaning.
In addition to these additional requirements to keep workers from getting sick with COVID-19, the Modified Seasonal Farm Labor Camp Requirements include steps to take if an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19.
CMS Issues Recommendations to Re-Open Health Care Systems in Areas with Low Incidence of COVID-19
As the United States continues to face the unprecedented public health emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic, the tide is turning and some areas throughout the country are seeing a decline in cases. As states and localities begin to stabilize, CMS is issuing guidance on providing essential non-COVID-19 care to patients without symptoms of COVID-19 in regions with low and stable incidence of COVID-19. This is part of Phase 1 in the Trump Administration’s Guidelines for Opening Up America Again. The recommendations update earlier guidance provided by CMS on limiting non-essential surgeries and medical procedures.
Small Healthcare Provider Quality Improvement: Sourcebook, 2016-2019
This sourcebook provides detailed descriptions of 32 rural quality improvement initiatives funded through the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement grant program during the 2016-2019 grant period. Initiatives focused on enhancing chronic disease management, increasing patient and caregiver engagement, improving quality of care, and better health outcomes. Read more here.
Small Area Health Insurance Estimates: 2018
This resource reports on health insurance coverage in the U.S. in 2018 and changes between 2017 and 2018, as well as changes between 2013 and 2018. It includes maps showing county-level uninsured rates. Read more here.
Additional links: Visualizations and Reference Maps
The Opioid Crisis and Community-level Spillovers onto Children’s Education
This article presents a study on the link between the opioid epidemic and children’s educational outcomes. It evaluates community-level resources for handling the opioid crisis and how that correlates with educational outcomes, specifically in rural and underserved areas. Read more here.
Identifying Measures and Data Elements for the HRSA Evidence-Based Tele-Emergency Network Grant Program
This research brief identifies the standardized set of measures used for data collection by the Evidence-Based Tele-Emergency Network Grant Program grantees. It explores ways in which emergency department-based telehealth services can be used in rural hospital emergency departments. Read more here.
Hospital Inpatient Stays Related to Opioid Use Disorder and Endocarditis, 2016
This statistical brief examines inpatient stays for adults 18 years and older related to opioid use disorder (OUD) and endocarditis, stays related to OUD but not endocarditis, and stays related to endocarditis but not OUD. It includes data by patient location for metropolitan, rural adjacent to metro, and rural remote areas. Read more here.
Geographic Variation in the 2018 Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals
This findings brief compares the profitability of Critical Access Hospitals, other rural hospitals, and urban hospitals in 2018 by census region, census division, and state. It examines the reasons for geographic variation in the profitability of urban and rural hospitals. Read more here.
Additional links: 2016‐18 Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals by Medicare Payment Classification, Rural Hospitals with Long‐Term Unprofitability, Understanding the Broader Context of Rural Hospitals and Profitability
Critical Access Hospital: 2020 National Patient Safety Goals
This resource identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission’s Critical Access Hospital Accreditation Program. It covers patient identification accuracy, staff communication, medication safety, infection prevention, suicide prevention, and more. Effective July 1, 2020. Read more here.
Additional links: Simplified Version