- 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
Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines Available in 8 Translations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now offers eight translations of “Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines” on their “What to Expect at Your Appointment to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19” webpage. This page offers information for the public before, during, and after vaccination with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. It also offers links at the bottom of the page for handouts in nine languages on Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines. It explains vaccines as prevention tools, and it summarizes vaccine safety and efficacy.
Provider Relief Fund Reporting Deadline and Requirements Changed
On January 15, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) postponed the first deadline for providers to report on how they used their Provider Relief Fund (PRF) funding. This deadline had been set for Feb. 15, 2021; HHS has yet to set a new deadline. HHS also issued updated PRF reporting requirements, which supersede all previous versions. The most significant update is the option to define “lost income” using “any reasonable method. These and other deadlines/requirements around federal COVID-19 funding are available on the NACHC COVID-19 “mega-spreadsheet”. Some highlights of the updated PRF reporting requirements:
- PRF funds must be spent to cover unreimbursed COVID-related expenses before they can be allocated to lost revenues.
- The definition of “COVID-19 related expenses” continues to be broad, and can include mortgage payments, HIT systems, utilities, etc.
- For CY 2020, providers can define “lost revenues” in one of three ways:
- Difference between CY2019 and CY2020 actual patient care revenue
- Difference between 2020 budgeted and 2020 actual patient care revenue. Providers who use this approach must provide evidence and attestation that their budgeted revenue was determined prior to March 27, 2020.
- Using “any reasonable method of estimating revenue.” Providers using this approach must describe their methodology, explain why it is reasonable, and demonstrate that the lost revenues were due to COVID-19. HHS explicitly states that providers using this approach are more likely to be audited.
- For CY 2021, providers are not permitted to calculate lost revenues using “any reasonable method.” Rather, Jan-June 2021 actual revenue must be compared to 2019 actual revenue or 2020 budgeted revenue for the same 6-month period.
As in previous versions of the reporting requirements, providers receiving over $500,000 in PRF funding must report their expenses in greater detail than those receiving less than $500,000. If a provider earned interest in PRF payments, they must provide information on that interest and how it was used.
New Waiver Expands the Significant Role of Pharmacists in COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout
In view of the fact that many Pennsylvanians will go to their local pharmacy for vaccination, and to eliminate any confusion or uncertainty regarding qualified pharmacists’ ability to enroll as providers and to order and administer the COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of State requested, and the Governor approved, a temporary suspension of the order/written protocol requirements set forth in 49 Pa. Code § 27.404. Read more.
Biden $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package Update
On January 15, 2021, then President-Elect Biden announced his COVID-19 and stimulus plan, the American Rescue Plan, hoping Congress will take up and pass the legislation. Biden specifically included Community Health Centers, wanting to increase partnerships with health centers and boost their federal funding. In it, Biden calls to “launch a new partnership with Federally Qualified Health Centers nationwide.” Other elements of the plan include:
- Mount a $20 billion national vaccination program in partnership with states, localities, and Tribes. This will include launching community vaccination centers nationwide and deploying mobile vaccination units to hard-to-reach areas. Also, ensure that everyone receives the vaccine for free, regardless of their immigration status.
- Invests $50 billion in a massive expansion of testing, including for purchasing rapid tests, expanding lab capacity, and helping schools and local governments implement regular testing protocols.
- Funding 100,000 public health workers to perform vaccine outreach and contact tracing in the short term, and eventually to transition into community health roles.
- Address shortages of critical supplies, including PPE, by investing $30 billion to provide 100% federal reimbursement for critical emergency response resources to states, local governments, and Tribes, including deployment of the National Guard. Also invest $10 billion to expand domestic manufacturing for pandemic supplies.
- Extend and expand emergency paid leave measures until Sept. 30, 2021.
- Reduce the number of uninsured persons by having Congress subsidize (COBRA) through the end of September and expand and increase Premium Tax Credits for Marketplace plans.
- Expand access to behavioral health services by asking Congress to appropriate $4 billion to HRSA and SAMHSA. (Presumably, some of this would go to FQHCs.)
Pennsylvania Launches Retail Pharmacy Partnership
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that the Department of Health requested the federal government launch the Retail Pharmacy Partnership with two retail partners, TopCo Associates, LLC, and Rite Aid, to expand access to vaccinate healthcare personnel, and eventually other phases of the state’s vaccine plan.
The Daily Yonder’s Covid-19 Dashboard for Rural America
January 22, 2021
The Daily Yonder is monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in rural America with maps, charts, and related reporting from across the nation.
See the state of the pandemic in your county
Jobs Recovery Plateaus for Rural Counties in November
By Bill Bishop
The country has been scratching its way back to more normal levels of employment after the spring economic shutdown. But the recovery shows signs of stalling in the most recent county employment report.
Read more
Rural Vaccine Access Varies Widely, Sources Say
By Liz Carey and Olivia Weeks
There’s no public data on how much vaccine is making it to each U.S. county. So the story of vaccine distribution in rural America is anecdotal and diverse.
Read more
Rural Death Toll Passes 60,000; New Infections Decline
By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema
The number of new Covid-19 cases in rural America declined last week, but deaths stemming from the coronavirus continued to occur at record levels.
Read more
NIOSH COVID-19 Update
As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep our stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH COVID-19 response, below is a summary of new information posted this week.
Resources for Essential Workers
COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkit for Essential Workers
A new communication toolkit is available to help employers build confidence in their workforce for this important new vaccine. The toolkit will help employers across various industries provide information about COVID-19 vaccines, increase awareness about vaccination benefits, and address common questions and concerns. The toolkit contains a variety of resources including key messages, FAQs, posters, newsletter content, and more. Partners are encouraged to adapt the key messages to the language, tone, and format that will resonate with the organizations and industries they serve.
Interim List of Categories of Essential Workers Mapped to Standardized Industry Codes and Titles
An interim list is now available to help state, local, tribal, and territorial officials and organizations prepare for the allocation of initially limited COVID-19 vaccine supply. The interim list maps essential industries to corresponding COVID-19 vaccination phases and workforce categories, as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
For More Information
For more information, please visit the COVID-19 webpage. To stay up to date on new developments, sign up for the COVID-19 newsletter.