AHA Report on Challenges to Rural Access to Care.  The American Hospital Association (AHA) report takes a comprehensive look at persistent challenges to health care in rural communities, an examination that includes hospital closures, the opioid crisis, social determinants of health, lack of behavioral health and workforce shortages.  While it acknowledges a role and responsibility for better policy at every level, the report focuses on federal policies and investments in light of their nationwide impact and reach.

Advancing Tobacco Prevention and Control in Rural America. The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), in conjunction with the Maine Public Health Institute and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), announced the release of a new report highlighting the significant toll tobacco has on rural communities.  The report – which includes 15 recommendations for advancing rural tobacco control initiatives and suggestions for future research – explores rates and patterns of commercial tobacco use across rural, aspects of the rural context that may affect tobacco control efforts, and current rural tobacco control activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking disproportionately affects the health of people with lower socioeconomic status, withpeople living in deprived, rural areas experiencing rates of lung cancer that are 18-20 percent higher than people living in urban areas.

White House Launches High Speed Broadband Initiative.  On Wednesday, the White House announced a new effort to increase broadband access, particularly in rural areas where coverage and speeds are insufficient to accommodate needs for health care, education and commerce.  With input from a range of federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services and Interior as well the Federal Communications Commission, the American Broadband Initiative Milestones Report offers recommendations grouped into three categories: streamlining federal permitting processes to speed broadband deployment, leveraging federal assets to lower the cost of broadband build-outs, and maximizing the impact of federal funding.  See the Funding Opportunities section below for announcements related to broadband access and telecommunications specific to rural areas.

The All of Us Research Program is a historic effort to gather data over many years from one million or more people living in the United States, with the ultimate goal of accelerating research and improving health. Unlike research studies that are focused on a specific disease or population, All of Us will serve as a national research resource to inform thousands of studies, covering a wide variety of health conditions. Researchers will use data from the program to learn more about how individual differences in lifestyle, environment, and biological makeup can influence health and disease. Participants may be able to learn more about their own health and contribute to an effort that may advance the health of generations to come.

Visit https://allofus.nih.gov/ to learn more on the nationwide effort!

Program Overview – Information about the program.

Scientific Opportunities – The large and diverse participant group will help our researchers explore questions and answers on a whole new level.

Participation – How the research cohort will work, participation goals and guidelines.

Program Partners – An overview of the various partners that have been assembled to deliver the program.

Protocol – A detailed look at the program’s plans for building a robust research resource of data from one million or more participants.

Who We Are – The NIH established independent advisory groups comprised of members who have deep and diverse expertise.

Program FAQ – Frequently asked questions about the All of Us Research Program.

Contact Us – How to contact the All of Us Research Program.

Rural Health Network Thrives on Innovation in Whole-Person Care – Health Care Collaborative (HCC) of Rural Missouri, a rural health network comprised of more than 55 member organizations, wraps social service support around the patients who receive care at four HCC health care clinics. (February 2019)

Link:  https://ruralhealthvalue.public-health.uiowa.edu/files/Whole-Person Care.pdf

Top resources on the Rural Health Value website:

• Value-Based Care Assessment – Assess capacity and capabilities to deliver value-based care. Receive an eight category readiness report.
• Physician Engagement – Score current engagement and build effective relationships to create a shared vision for a successful future.
• Board and Community Engagement – Hold value-based care discussions as part of strategic planning and performance measurement.
• Social Determinants of Health – Learn and encourage rural leaders/care teams to address issues to improve their community’s health.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently released an updatedU.S. Health Workforce Chartbook that provides estimates for 35 health occupations, including physicians, nurses, dentists, counselors, and laboratory technicians. The Chartbook includes information on demographics, workforce settings, and geographic distribution. HRSA also updated the U.S. Health Workforce State Profiles as a companion to the Chartbook, with corresponding data on the number of graduates in each profession, total number of providers, and number per capita.

Please click here for the full study: Evaluation of 1115 Waivers – Commonwealth Fund – December 2018

Rural Philanthropy Toolkit.  A new toolkit at the Rural Health Information Hub, developed in collaboration with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, is designed to help rural organizations create and maintain partnerships with philanthropies. The toolkit provides steps and resources for connecting with philanthropic organizations and examples of emerging strategies in rural communities.

CDC: Opioid Prescribing Higher in Rural Areas.  In the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed electronic health record data from 2014-2017 and found that patients in the most rural counties had an 87% higher chance of receiving an opioid prescription compared to patients in large metropolitan counties.  The report posits higher odds may be attributed to several factors, including higher prevalence of conditions associated with pain and limited access to alternative therapies

The Flex Monitoring Team’s latest briefing paper is an updated review of CAHs’ community benefit activities. This paper is a companion paper to FMT’s Briefing Paper #39 which provided a snapshot of how CAHs use the community health needs assessment (CHNA) process to address community needs.

This paper examines community benefit data from the IRS Form 990 for 50 tax-exempt CAHs to understand how these hospitals are fulfilling their community benefit obligations and assess community benefit spending patterns. Examples of how state Flex programs can support CAHs in meeting their community benefit obligations and address gaps in CHNA compliance are discussed.

Click through to review our findings.

Access the report.