Rural areas are more vulnerable to coronavirus than many people think, says National Rural Health Association member Carrie Henning-Smith of the University of Minnesota. Many in the outsize rural elderly population depend on children and other family caregivers who must also work jobs outside the home. Even before COVID-19 hit, Henning-Smith’s research found that “rural caregivers were dramatically less likely to be able to work at home” than their urban counterparts, “and they had less access to sick leave and time off.” All this makes it harder for them to safely distance themselves and protect their families. A county-by-county analysis of the United States by Princeton University suggests that rural counties with high populations of people over 60 and limited access to health care facilities could eventually be among the hardest hit by the coronavirus, and additional research shows that some remote counties in North Carolina are among the last without COVID-19 cases.

While major cities have been hit hard by the coronavirus, health care workers in rural areas are also facing long shifts and limited supplies on the front line of COVID-19. In particular, rural facilities are struggling with a lack of personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, N95 respirators, gowns, and face shields, with many stakeholders concerned that rural medical providers seem to have been left out of the supply chain. To help maximize the health care workforce, CMS recently unveiled new health care workforce flexibilities that will allow hospitals to quickly and virtually expand their staff and use them the most efficient way possible. Additionally, a recording of a Rural Health Information Hub presentation on critical care and pulmonary management updates from the COVID-19 frontlines is available on demand.

Today’s unemployment numbers show that roughly 26.5 million Americans have lost their jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, completely wiping out the 22.7 million new jobs created since the Great Recession and adding another somber milestone to the economic toll this novel virus has taken on the U.S. Not all areas of the country have suffered equally, however, as you can see from WalletHub’s updated rankings for the States with the Biggest Increases in Unemployment Due to Coronavirus, released today, along with accompanying videos.

To identify which states’ workforces have been hurt most by COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on increases in unemployment claims. We used this data to rank the most impacted states in both the latest week for which we have data (April 13) and overall since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis (March 16). Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

To see the states most impacted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-biggest-increase-in-unemployment-due-to-coronavirus/72730/

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin announced that the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA), Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority (PMBDA), and Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) are deferring loans and that the maturity dates and amortization schedules of all applicable loans are extended by three additional calendar months.

PIDA borrowers with payments due in April, May, and June of 2020 are deferred. All other terms and conditions of all applicable loans remain unchanged.

PMBDA borrowers with payments due in April, May, and June of 2020, including principal, interest, and any associated feeds are deferred. Accrual of interest that would be included with deferred payments is suspended. All other terms and conditions of all applicable loans remain unchanged.

CFA borrowers except for PENNWORKS loans, with payments due in April, May, and June of 2020, including principal, interest, and any associated fees are deferred. Accrual of interest that would be included with deferred payments is suspended. All other terms of all applicable loans remain unchanged.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced emergency benefit increases have reached $2.0 billion per month for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households across all 50 states and 3 territories to increase food security during the coronavirus national emergency. These emergency benefits represent a 40% increase in overall monthly SNAP benefits, significantly increasing food purchasing power for American families

PennState Extension is giving information on how to apply for the USDA Food Box Distribution Program, which is a procurement opportunity for farms, food processors, and distributors. The program will procure $3 billion in food boxes and is designed to address food supply chain and emergency food relief needs resulting from COVID-19.

The RFP should be available for download at the USDA’s Food Box Distribution Program website beginning April 24th. Completed applications should be emailed to USDAFoodBoxDistributionProgram@usda.gov and further instructions will be found in the RFP.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a Plan for Pennsylvania that will set citizens and businesses on a path to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to protect life from the dangers of this deadly virus.

The plan includes acknowledgement of Pennsylvania’s diverse agriculture industry, robust food processing sector, farmers markets, and the many industries that support a safe food supply. While the industry is life-sustaining, it has suffered a severe disruption in its supply chain, and recovery must ensure the certainty and future of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry.

• Governor Wolf proposed full funding of $23.1 million for the historic PA Farm Bill in his FY 20-21 budget proposal, in addition to a $1 million increase to the PA Agriculture Surplus System (PASS) Program to improve food security while supporting PA agriculture. PA Farm Bill programs such as the Small Meat Processor grants, Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grants and the Ag Business Development Center all help to increase processing infrastructure and strengthen local food systems, and provide tools to help producers bring more products to market and plan a path to recovery and resiliency.
• Establish a food processing reimbursement fund through the Department of Agriculture that would cover the costs borne by food processing facilities to invest in worker safety measures.

Fund and codify in statute the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative to provide grants and low-interest loans for the construction, rehabilitation, or expansion of grocery stores, farmers markets, and other healthy food retail establishments in low- to moderate-income areas in need and other undeserved communities.

CMS continues to release additional blanket waivers to the healthcare community in order to provide the flexibilities needed to take care of patients during this public health emergency. Today, CMS is providing additional blanket waivers related to care for patients in Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), temporary expansion locations of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), staffing and training modifications in Intermediate Care Facilities for individuals with Intellectual disabilities, and the limit for substitute billing arrangements (locum tenens).

Guidance