- 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
- 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
Pennsylvania Broadband Infrastructure Program Now Accepting Applications
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority) is currently accepting applications for the Capital Projects Fund – Broadband Infrastructure Program (Program) through Monday, July 10, 2023. The Authority has also designed and made available a FAQ document for this program.
The $200 million competitive grant program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), will target locations that do not currently have access to 25/3 Mbps reliable service. Eligible applicants include local units of government, non-profits, cooperatives, and private entities. The Program will fund extensions of existing last-mile cable modem and fiber-to-the-premise broadband networks as well as large-scale regional projects that can transform broadband availability by serving large numbers of eligible addresses.
Additionally, the Authority has created an online web map to support prospective applicants for this program and future programs. This map shows broadband serviceable locations and community anchor institutions across the Commonwealth. The Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) are categorized into served, underserved, and unserved layers. This map will continue to be updated using the latest available data from the Federal Communications Commission Broadband Data Collection (BDC). We anticipate this map being released and available to the public in the near future.
If you have additional questions about this program, please utilize the following resource account to contact us, pbda_capitalprojectsfund@pa.gov.
Accepting Nominations: PA Oral Health Awards!
The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is accepting nominations for the 2023 PA Oral Health Champion Awards.
Awardees will be selected by the Board of Directors of PCOH, upon recommendation of the Summit Committee, and are based on notable work on oral health progress in Pennsylvania. Awardees will have the option to accept their awards in-person at the 2023 PA Oral Health Summit on November 17th or virtually at a later date. All nominations must be submitted by July 7th at 5 pm.
Read About the Updates to Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing
The FORHP-supported Center on Rural Addiction at the University of Vermont provides information on new federal requirements for outpatient providers prescribing buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. While no longer needing a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), clinicians will still be required to register with the DEA to prescribe controlled medications. Beginning on June 27, the DEA registration will require applicants – both new and renewing – to affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training. Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023.
CMS Provides Guidance to States Surveyors and Providers for the End of the Public Health Emergency
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waived certain requirements to allow greater access to healthcare products and services for beneficiaries of public health insurance. Several of these waivers, including health and safety requirements for CMS-designated Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals, will end when the official public health emergency expires on May 11. Certain policies, such as the Acute Hospital at Home initiative and telehealth flexibilities have been extended by Congress through December 31, 2024.
GAO Finds Increases in Health Information Exchange Lower for Small and Rural Providers
Electronic health information exchange is the ability to exchange medical records and other health information electronically among health care providers and between health care providers and patients. Survey data show that the use of various electronic exchange methods among hospitals and physicians has increased in recent years. However, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that as of 2021, reported use among small and rural hospitals was lower than that of other hospitals.
Here You Can Find An Important Notice for HRSA Grantees
On May 26, HRSA will follow a federal requirement to upgrade security measures for online systems requiring a login for external users. The new multi-factor login procedure will affect those who access HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB) system, including grantees, grant applicants, service providers, and consultants. To avoid issues with upcoming application and reporting deadlines, it is important to set up the new login procedure ahead of the change on May 26. HRSA is hosting a one-hour webinar session on May 12th at 1:00 pm ET to walk through the new EHBs login process. Participants will need to register in advance; the webinar only has 3000 slots available, but the session will be recorded and made available to users.
Three Years of Sharing Telehealth Information Have Been Released
Three years ago, HRSA launched Telehealth.HHS.gov to provide resources for patients, providers, and policymakers. Also available in Spanish, the site stays up-to-date on funding, events, research, and licensure, as well as guidelines that help providers and patients get the most out of telehealth practices.
Thriving PA Releases State and County WIC Fact Sheets
Children need access to quality nutrition to build a healthy foundation for lifelong well-being. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides access to healthy nutrition for infants, toddlers, and pregnant and postpartum women.
Unfortunately, only 56% of eligible Pennsylvania children and families participate in the program. Thriving PA’s newly-released state and county fact sheets show WIC coverage rates in the program. With children up to age five accounting for 78% of participation, ensuring every eligible family can access the program and receive the nutritional support needed for their household is essential.
Through modernization efforts—like moving to an online Smart Card used to access benefits and permanently implementing telehealth policies—Pennsylvania can make the program more accessible to families. Other benefits of the WIC program include reducing household food insecurity and incidences of preterm births and low birth weights, improving diet quality, and improving access to health care and social services.
Thriving PA continues to advocate for increased participation and program improvements that are decades overdue. Learn more at www.thrivingpa.org.
Chive to Thrive: Thriving PA Delivers Chives to Legislators to Bring Awareness to Maternal and Child Health Needs
Thriving PA, a non-partisan, statewide advocacy campaign seeking to improve the quality of and increase access to a coordinated system of health supports, took to the Capitol last week to bring more awareness to and encourage support of policies to strengthen perinatal and children’s health across the commonwealth.
The delivery of chive plants to legislators aligned with a critical advocacy week, Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, and teased an upcoming report Thriving PA will release this summer that surveyed birthing people in Pennsylvania. Early analysis of survey results shows that 76% of respondents felt they needed care for their mental health.
The campaign also convened focus groups about the lack of access to maternal mental health supports. Maternal mental health disorders are the number one complication of childbearing and a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths. Currently, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries. Thriving PA advocates for access to the health resources and supports needed to give birth to and raise children safely.
PA Partnerships for Children Updates Child Care Online Mapping Tool
Every child deserves an equal opportunity for quality early care and education to prepare them to learn, grow and succeed. Use our recently released interactive child care maps created for the Start Strong PA campaign to access data by congressional district, state house or senate district, school district or county.
These maps show the percentage of children under five participating in the Child Care Works subsidized child care program who are NOT receiving care in a high-quality program. Specifically, statewide data shows of the 180,480 children under age 5 living in families eligible for the CCW subsidy program, only 25% are receiving assistance to pay for child care. Only 45% are in high-quality child care.
During National Foster Care Month, Fostering Youth Transitions Report Released
May is National Foster Care Month, where we should take an opportunity to honor those in out-of-home placement and the individuals who support them. In 2021, 20,490 children and youth were placed in the foster care system—many who were unable to safely remain in the homes of their parents or caregivers and others who could’ve stayed in their home communities with community-based services.
We recognize and thank the kinship caregivers and foster parents who have stepped up to care for them. We acknowledge biological parents and caregivers working tirelessly to mitigate the risk and safety concerns that lead to placement. We also thank the caseworkers, providers and advocates on the front lines daily, ensuring that foster children grow, thrive and achieve permanency.
To further highlight the child welfare system in May, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released Fostering Youth Transitions 2023: State and National Data to Drive Foster Care Advocacy. Transition age youth are foster children ages 14 and older who are in or exiting the system to adulthood. This population has poorer outcomes compared to their peers in the general population. The report notes that although the number of teenagers and young adults in foster care has decreased by 45% nationally over the past 15 years, systems are falling short of delivering services to those who are in care.
Read PPC’s press release on the report noting Pennsylvania-specific data and policy recommendations.
Axios PA interviewed PPC Policy Director Rachael Miller about the report.