On behalf of U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the State Justice Institute (SJI), the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) is excited to share this solicitation for Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions.

This initiative is grounded in the value of “for rural, by rural.” The hallmark of the Reaching Rural initiative is learning from rural practitioners and facilitating engagement across rural communities.

What is the Reaching Rural Initiative?

The Reaching Rural Initiative is a one-year initiative. Over the course of the year, the selected individuals and teams will receive coaching and participate in skill-building workshops as well as virtual and in-person learning experiences.

Participation in the Reaching Rural Initiative includes:

• Travel and per diem costs to participate in an orientation, a field visit to observe the implementation of evidence-informed practices in a rural setting, and a closing session at the end of the 12 months. This is not a grant opportunity.
• Monthly mentorship and guidance aimed toward your local needs.
• Monthly assignments that help you apply core concepts to your local community or region.
• Access to a diverse network of rural peers, innovative rural communities, and technical assistance providers.
• Formal recognition for completing the planning initiative.
• At the conclusion of the planning period, the opportunity to apply for an implementation grant of up to $100,000 for up to 15 months to launch a project planned during the Reaching Rural fellowship.

Is the Rural EMS Training Grant opportunity for You?

We are seeking individual practitioners or cross-sector teams from the same community or region interested in adopting bold solutions and reimagining how diverse organizations and agencies with different missions can engage with one another to address the persistent challenge of substance use and misuse among justice-involved individuals in rural communities.

The Reaching Rural Initiative is designed for rural agency leaders or mid-level professionals working in counties, cities, or tribes as justice, public safety, public health, or behavioral health practitioners. Applicants may apply to participate in the Reaching Rural initiative as an individual practitioner or as a member of a cross-sector team from the same community or region.

The deadline for applying is December 16, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., ET.Click to edit this heading.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has changed the URL domain name for the PROMISe portal, which is the claims processing, provider enrollment, and user management information system for DHS. All providers must enroll in this portal in order to participate with the Department of Human Services.

Please update this URL in any resources and share this news with current and future participating providers.

Click here for the new URL.

Pennsylvanians can shop for the lowest costs on high-quality health insurance during Open Enrollment which begins November 1 with December 15 being the deadline for coverage beginning New Year’s Day.

How You Can Help:

• Like, follow, & share Pennie’s information on your social media accounts​
• Request Pennie materials and review the Open Enrollment Toolkit
• Requesta virtual or in-person Pennie education session​ or invite Pennie to attend an event in your community​
• Request an executive briefing for your colleagues
• Remind Pennsylvanians who need coverage that Pennie offers:
  • Financial savings through tax credits to lower your costs
  • Plans that cover a full range of medical care including coverage for pre-existing conditions and free preventive services
  • Peace of mind and financial security
  • Protection from low-quality plans and scams
  • Free, expert help is available from Pennie Certified Assisters and Brokers. Find in-person support at com/connect

Help us spread the word!

 As part of it’s comprehensive topic guide, the Rural Health Information Hub recently added a map of Rural Emergency Hospitals as of July 2024.

– Respond by December 9. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) seeks comments on their request to extend requirements for collecting information specified in OSHA’s COVID-19 Recordkeeping and Reporting in Healthcare Standard, which applies to settings where any employee provides healthcare services. The requirements include establishing and maintaining a log of each instance identified by the employer that an employee is COVID-19 positive; making the individual log entry available upon request for examination and copying; and reporting to OSHA each work-related COVID-19 fatality and each work-related COVID-19 in-patient hospitalization within specific timeframes of the employer learning of them. OSHA would like to hear from the public:

• whether the information collection requirements are necessary for the proper performance of the agency’s function to protect workers;
• if OSHA’s estimate of the burden (time and costs) of collecting the information is accurate; and
• what are some ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply.

OSHA will summarize responses when they submit their request to the Office of Management and Budget to extend the requirements.

Among key findings in this brief from the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center:

• Various hospital types converted to REHs in 2023: seven were Sole Community Hospitals, six were Critical Access Hospitals, four were Prospective Payment System hospitals, and two were Medicare Dependent Hospitals.
• Counties with REH conversions were relatively challenged, showing highest median rates of poverty, uninsured individuals, and people in poor or fair health.
• Counties with a REH conversion also faced health care access challenges, with fewer primary care and mental health providers and higher emergency department visit rates among Medicare beneficiaries.

In response to a court order, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized appeals processes for certain Medicare beneficiaries who are initially admitted as hospital inpatients but are subsequently reclassified as outpatients receiving observation services during their hospital stay, along with other eligibility criteria.  This final rule establishes processes for standardized appeals, expedited appeals, and retrospective appeals for beneficiaries, and it extends the timeframe for providers to submit a claim following a favorable decision and to submit records as requested by a contractor. While CMS estimates a relatively low number of appeals that meet these criteria, they acknowledge that there will be administrative costs for hospitals to accommodate the new appeals process. This final rule is effective October 11, 2024.

– Respond by December 9. In response to an Executive Order to lower prescription drug costs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a model to test whether a simpler approach to offering low-cost, clinically important generic drugs can improve medication adherence, lead to better health outcomes, and improve satisfaction with the Part D prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare and for prescribers.  This RFI aims to obtain input from a broad range of interested parties to support continued development of the model.

A survey by Gallup and West Health showed that accessing health care may be easier for residents in some states due to low costs, high rates of health insurance coverage and an abundance of health care providers. The survey found that Pennsylvania has the sixth highest number of primary care physicians per 10,000 residents (19.78) and the sixth highest number of specialist physicians per 10,000 residents (22.01). Read more.

A new legislative study urges state officials in Pennsylvania to take a comprehensive look at the impact of housing on public health and the way that housing services under the Medical Assistance (MA) program address health care. The study by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) is part of a growing emphasis on the issue of housing availability and affordability in Pennsylvania. Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order last month directing the state Department of Community and Economic Development to work with groups to deliver a Housing Action Program within one year. Among the study’s recommendations are that the Governor’s Office and General Assembly convene a working group to address housing and health issues, including use of resources. It also recommended that the state Department of Human Services (DHS) develop more data on MA housing program health impacts and give counties more flexibility to increase the maximum fee allowed by law for affordable housing trust funds. Under a 1992 state law, counties have the option to raise revenue from recording fees on deeds and mortgages and establish trust funds for affordable housing.