- Colorectal Cancer Is Rising among Younger Adults. Some States Want to Boost Awareness.
- 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
- Safe and Stable Housing Is a Foundation of Successful Recovery
- Rural RPM Program Is a Lifeline for Pregnant Women
- 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
‘A Bottleneck in the System’: Food Banks Have Excess of Food, but Not a Way to Get It to Rural Communities in Need
Food banks in rural West Virginia are facing a number of challenges to get food to those that need it. This includes not having refrigeration trucks to get goods from larger food bank warehouses and lack of volunteers to keep the doors open. Read more here.
Few Doctors Can Legally Prescribe Opioid-Addiction Drug
This article presents an overview of a study that suggests fewer than 1 in 10 U.S. primary care providers can prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid addiction. Findings show counties with the highest opioid overdoses saw a climb in physicians able to prescribe the medication, but rural communities did not see as much of an increase as urban communities. Read more here.
Informal Caregiving and Technology in Rural America
As people are living longer and trying to find solutions to delay the expense of long-term care or nursing facilities, family members, including adult children, are increasingly becoming informal, unpaid caregivers. Learn how technology may be a solution to help rural caregivers, what some of the challenges and opportunities are, and read about a current model that has the potential to change the landscape. Read more here.
Pennsylvania Is the State with 2020’s 7th Most Medicaid Coverage – WalletHub Study
With the Trump administration unveiling an overhaul of Medicaid, healthcare playing a big role in the 2020 election and coronavirus testing being covered by Medicaid, the personal finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Most & Least Medicaid Coverage (along with accompanying videos).
In order to identify which states rely most and least on Medicaid, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 12 metrics, ranging from total Medicaid spending per low-income population to adult care quality and children Medicaid eligibility level.
Medicaid Coverage in Pennsylvania (1=Most, 25=Avg.):
- 10th – Total Medicaid Spending Per Low-income Population
- 14th – Adult Care Quality
- 29th – Children Medicaid Eligibility Level
- 16th – Total Medicaid Enrollment per Low-income Population
For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-and-least-medicaid-coverage/71573/
HHS Provides Summary of COVID-19 Economic Relief Bills
Economic Relief Bills in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: Updated links and FAQ’s:
H.R. 6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 — (March 4, 2020). Provided $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies to respond to the coronavirus outbreak related to developing a vaccine, medical supplies, grants for public health agencies, small business loans, and assistance for health systems in other countries. Allowed for temporarily waiving Medicare restrictions and requirements regarding telehealth services.
H.R. 6201: Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) — Paid leave provisions are now in effect as of April 1, 2020, and apply to leave taken between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. Please review the following:
- Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Q&A to learn important definitions, what it means for your community organization as an employer, and what it means for you as an individual should you need to take leave.
- Guidance Explaining Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave for information to employees and employers about how each will be able to take advantage of the protections and relief offered by the FFCRA. Review the Fact Sheet for Employees, a Fact Sheet for Employers, and a Questions and Answers documents to better understand what benefits are available under this law.
H.R.748: (CARES) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – (March 27, 2020). Includes direct payments to Americans, an aggressive expansion of unemployment insurance, billions of dollars in aid to large and small businesses, and a new wave of significant funding for the health care industry. Review Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources and the Also see: FAQ Regarding Participation of Faith-Based Organizations in PPP and EIDL
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): An U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan that helps businesses (including non-profits) keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
- Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Emergency Advance: Loan advance providing up to $10,000 of economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties. These funds are available to faith communities.
- SBA Express Bridge Loans: Enables small businesses which currently have a business relationship with a SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
- SBA Debt Relief: The SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visit www.sba.gov for a list of SBA lenders. There is a funding cap, so the Treasury Department recommends applying as soon as possible.
Additional Resources:
FAQ Regarding Participation of Faith-Based Organizations in PPP and EIDL
Last week the SBA released this FAQ regarding the participation of Faith-based Organizations in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL).
Interim Final Rule Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program
The SBA also issued an interim final rule regarding the Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES act. Faith-based organizations should review page 6, #2 to better understand how they may participate in the program while maintaining their right to exercise their faith according to their tradition’s polity.
Coronavirus Emergency Loans Guide and Checklist for Small Businesses and Nonprofits
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Coronavirus Emergency Loans Guide and Checklist for Small Businesses and Nonprofits — Starting April 3, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply for loans through existing SBA lenders. Starting April 10, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply for loans through existing SBA lenders. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans as soon as they are approved and enrolled in the program.
Accessing Care at Community Health Centers
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) may be a viable option for someone in your community seeking medical attention. Health centers are an important component of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your local Community Health Center can assess whether a patient needs further testing, which may be done over the phone or using telehealth. Individuals may also receive primary health care services at their local health center at a reduced cost or free of charge depending on their economic status.
Call your nearest health center or health department to discover their availability for COVID-19 screening and testing. Find a Health Center near your community!
CMS approved its 44th state Medicaid waiver delivering urgent regulatory relief to ensure States can quickly and effectively care for their most vulnerable citizens. In light of the urgent and evolving needs of states during the COVID-19 crisis, CMS developed a toolkit to facilitate expedited application and approval of State waiver requests. More on Section 1135 Waivers and 1915(c) Appendix K Waivers.
How to Help:
FEMA’s Coronavirus Response: How to Help
Everyone has a role to play in the fight against COVID-19 and care of our fellow Americans. Learn how to help if you are a company with medical supplies to donate or sell, a volunteer who is medically trained, or a member of the general public.
You may also want to check with the Local Emergency Management Response Effort in your state.
The Partnership Center is aware of several virtual platforms currently available to harness and connect volunteers to the needs in their immediate community including Aunt Bertha, the Be a Neighbor Campaign through VOMO, CarePortal, and the Nextdoor platform. Also look to your local safety net organizations — such as The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, or United Way serving your community — for how you may be able to assist with identified needs.
SAMHSA’s Virtual Recovery Support Resources
In an infectious disease outbreak, when social distancing and self-quarantine are needed to limit and control the spread of the disease, continued social connectedness to maintain recovery is critically important. This tip sheet describes resources that can be used to virtually support recovery from mental/substance use disorders. It also provides resources to help local recovery programs create virtual meetings.
Please also consider sharing mobile apps that nurture and sustain virtual recovery communities such as Sober Grid, rTribe, Connections, WEconnect, and Nomo for those supporting persons in recovery. Many of them are free and offer peer coaching support (usually with a fee).
Resources Available for Rural Hospitals to Access CARES Act Funds
Stroudwater Associates, a rural health care consulting firm based in Portland, ME has created a set of resources for rural hospitals to access support from the CARES Act of 2020. This resource on the most relevant sources of assistance available to hospitals and health systems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, includes Medicare accelerated payments, the Small Business Administration Payroll Protection Program, and other traditional cash management strategies.
Please click here to access the resources.
Trends in Electronic Health Record Use Among Residential Care Communities: United States, 2012, 2014, and 2016
This article examines electronic health record (EHR) use trends and health information exchange (HIE) capability among residential care communities. It includes data by metropolitan statistical area (MSA) status, comparing MSA and non-MSA areas. Read more here.
Telemedicine and Pregnancy Care
This article explores the role telemedicine can play in providing prenatal and postpartum care to women in rural areas. It highlights the types of specialized care that can be delivered via telemedicine to support maternal care in rural areas. It also discusses some of the barriers to telemedicine implementation, including state-level Medicaid reimbursement policy. Read more here.
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System
This research examines how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, with a focus on vulnerable populations, including those living in rural areas. It makes recommendations for clinical settings on screening for negative health impacts related to social isolation and developing interventions to help address this issue. To read it online, click here.
Decade of Success for Latino Children’s Health Now in Jeopardy
A recent report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families finds that Latino children are losing ground in health coverage nationwide. In Pennsylvania, while we appear to be heading in the right direction as the both the number and rate of Latino children with health coverage has improved, the percentage of Latino children who are uninsured is still higher than non-Latino children in the commonwealth. We must do more to connect Latino children in Pennsylvania with health coverage.