- Senator Baldwin Introduces HSHS Act to Protect Communities from Hospital Closures
- What to Know about Smoke, Heat and Health
- Tribal Partnership With UW-Madison Combines Ag Research With Indigenous Food Knowledge
- The Rewards of Working as Rural Docs
- Request for Information (RFI): Evolving the Network of the National Library of Medicine
- Dental Therapists, Who Can Fill Cavities and Check Teeth, Get the OK in More States
- 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
President Trump Signs Mental Health Executive Order
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) titled the ‘Executive Order on Saving Lives Through Increased Support For Mental- and Behavioral- Health Needs.’ The president signed this EO to curb the ongoing suicide crisis, opioid crisis and overall mental health crisis gripping the country. In recent months, due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, these crises have grown worse. The EO establishes the ‘Coronavirus Mental Health Working Group’ with the goal of facilitating an all-of-government response to the mental health crisis.
HHS Announces $20 Billion in New Phase 3 Provider Relief Funding
This week, HHS announced the opening of a new round of PRF disbursements, Phase 3. The department has allocated $20 billion of the PRF for behavioral health care providers and new providers that began practicing in the first quarter of 2020. These providers may submit applications for payment until November 6th, 2020, and providers that previously received, rejected, or accepted a General Distribution PRF payment of two percent of annual revenue from patient care may also apply for this round of funding. Click here to view HHS’s PRF Phase 3 factsheet!
HHS Releases New, Confusing Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements
In September, HHS released reporting requirements for remaining Provider Relief Fund (PRF) dollars, in some cases requiring repayment. The terms and conditions have caused significant heartburn for many providers, and NRHA believes HHS’s determination runs askew of congressional intent. Notably, on October 1st, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell responded to HHS’s new reporting requirements saying, in part, “HHS must not impose requirements that will disproportionately affect rural hospitals that already operate on thin margins.”
2019 National Survey of Children’s Health Data Now Available
The 2019 data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), released on Child Health Day, provides the latest on national and state-level data on the health and health care needs of children as well as information about their families and communities. Survey topics include children’s physical and mental health; health insurance status; access to and utilization of health care services, including receipt of preventive and specialty care; Patient-Centered Medical Home and services to support transition to adult health care for adolescents; lifetime exposure to adverse childhood experiences; and more.
New Definitions of Health Literacy Released
With the release of Healthy People 2030 last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided a definition of personal health literacy and a definition of organizational health literacy. Earlier versions of Healthy People did not make this distinction. The HHS update emphasizes people’s ability to use health information rather than just understand it. The new definitions also acknowledge that organizations have a responsibility to address health literacy. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the new definitions, and to view a great video on personal, clinical and organizational health literacy.
Department of Health Releases Oral Health Plan
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) released the “Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan 2020-2030.” This is a 10-year roadmap to improve the oral health of all Pennsylvanians. As this plan is implemented, DOH will continue to involve partners and stakeholders to gather feedback, assess continued needs, and incorporate new thoughts and ideas as needed to best support oral health and wellness across the commonwealth. Read the press release.
Crisis Plan App for People with SMI
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a new mobile app, My Mental Health Crisis Plan, which allows individuals who have serious mental illness (SMI) to create a plan to guide their treatment during a mental health crisis. The app was developed through SMI Adviser, a project funded by SAMHSA and administered by the American Psychiatric Association and provides an easy step-by-step process for individuals to create and share a psychiatric advance directive (PAD). Learn more about this app.
CDC Identifies HIV Clusters & Outbreaks – Issues Advisory
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Alert Advisory (HAN) for recent HIV clusters and outbreaks occurring across the U.S. in people who inject drugs and considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the HAN is to alert public health departments and healthcare providers to the possibility of new injection-related HIV infections and outbreaks. It provides guidance for preventing, identifying, and responding to HIV among people who inject drugs. It also provides considerations for delivering services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reducing Diabetes Risk in Elementary School Children through School Partnerships ECHO
The National Nurse-Led Care Consortium and the School-Based Health Alliance are offering a new free ECHO series learning model for reducing diabetes risk in elementary school children through school partnerships. This initiative aims to educate participants on the power of health centers and school partnership programs and virtual adaptations to address prediabetes risk factors in elementary school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each health center must include at least one clinical care champion and one administrator. The series dates are Oct. 21, Nov. 4, Nov. 18 and Dec. 2, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm. Participants must commit to incorporating knowledge and skills from the training into their work. Each module in this ECHO is pending for up to 1.5 prescribed credit hours by the American Academy of Family Physicians. To register, click here.
COVID-19 One-Stop Shop Toolkits
CDC has released COVID-19 one-stop shop toolkits. The toolkits provide guidance to communicate with specific target audiences, such as young adults, childcare programs and summer camps, K-12 schools, and workplaces. They include videos, social media, PSAs, print resources, checklists, FAQs and web resources. Use and tell your patients about these communication toolkits to help meet their diverse needs to slow the spread of COVID-19.