Get Connected Through Lifeline is a Federal program which offers a monthly discount on phone, internet, or bundled package bills to qualified low-income people, that can give them the tools to access services like telehealth.  Customers living on Tribal lands can receive an additional benefit: https://www.lifelinesupport.org/tribal-benefit/

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently released its much-anticipated annual Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Based upon the latest scientific diabetes research and clinical trials, Standards of Care is the gold-standard for professionals in the medical field and includes vital new and updated practice guidelines to care for people with diabetes and prediabetes. Read the full ADA press release and access additional guidelines and tools for health care professionals on their professional website, DiabetesPro.

Rural areas in the U.S. have fewer nurses per capita than urban areas, and those nurses are more likely to have associate’s rather than bachelor’s degrees according to a recent study from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center at the University of South Carolina. Rural nurses, however, often have a broader range of duties and responsibilities because of the lack of specializing nurses. Given the Institute of Medicine’s goal to raise the proportion of registered nurses (RNs) with bachelor’s-level degrees to 80% by 2020, research is needed to examine the educational attainment of RNs across the U.S. and explore registered nurse to Bachelor of Science in nursing (RN-to-BSN) program activities to attract, train and place nurse trainees in rural communities. Listen to a podcast interview with research leader Jan Probst, PhD.

It is not a surprise that social media has become an addiction to many, but is it also a tool for recruiting healthcare professionals? Yes, it is. The Social Media Toolkit from the Alabama Department of Public Health will give you an in-depth analysis of three social media platforms, as well as describing how to create a free account. The toolkit includes useful information on how to create a social media marketing plan for recruitment of healthcare professionals. As a bonus, the toolkit gives a brief review of social media etiquette, which is vital when reaching out to potential employees. Access the toolkit.

Adolescents and young adults lost an estimated 1.2 million years of life due to unintentional drug overdoses over five years, according to a study published in JAMA. About 3,300 adolescents ages 10–19 years old died of an unintentional drug overdose in the U.S. between 2015 and 2019, representing about 187,078 years of life lost, researchers from Ohio State University said. That number rises to nearly 22,000 young people when expanding the age group to overdose deaths among those 10–24 years old. Males collectively lost more years of life, the researchers said. Read more.

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) guidelines are issued each year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They’re based on information gathered by the Census Bureau. The Bureau uses that data to calculate the total cost of essential resources used by an average person in a year. Federal poverty levels are used to determine eligibility for certain programs and benefits, including savings on Marketplace health insurance, and Medicaid and CHIP coverage. The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has created an Income and Resource Limit Chart for Medicaid and other health programs. View the full HHS chart.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released their final recommendation statement on screening for atrial fibrillation that found that more research is needed to make a recommendation for or against screening. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here. It can also be found in the January 25, 2022, online issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.