In celebration of National Rural Health Day, HRSA is hosting a Virtual Job Fair specifically for health care facilities serving rural communities. It takes place Wednesday, November 20, 2019 from 6:45-10:15 pm ET.  Employers and job seekers can register here. HRSA’s virtual job fairs connect job-seeking primary care trainees and practicing clinicians with health centers with employment opportunities.

An October 28, 2019 interview with Rachel Levine, MD, the Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, addressed rural hospital closures and the state’s approach to sustainability. She described the Department of Health pilot as moving from a fee-for-service arrangement to a monthly global budget, which emphasizes population health and outpatient services.  Read more.

Community HealthChoices (CHC) is Pennsylvania’s mandatory managed care program for individuals who are dually eligible for both Medical Assistance and Medicare–older adults and individuals with physical disabilities.  This program was implemented in southwestern Pennsylvania in January 2018, southeastern Pennsylvania in January 2019, and will be implemented in the remainder of the state on Jan. 1, 2020.  CHC information for providers or participants can be found at www.healthchoices.pa.gov.  Fact sheets and online trainings can be found here.   Access a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about CHC by clicking here.  To become part of the provider network contact:

• AmeriHealth Caritas: 1-800-521-6007; email: chcproviders@amerihealthcaritas.com
• Pennsylvania Health & Wellness: 1-844-626-6813; email: information@pahealthwellness.com
• UPMC Community HealthChoices: 1-844-860-9303; email: CHCProviders@UPMC.edu

During the week of October 28, 2019, the Pennsylvania Senate quickly fast-tracked a telemedicine bill that nearly made it to Governor Wolf’s desk last December. Senate Bill 857 expands the use of telemedicine for providers, including Community Health Centers , to provide care and receive reimbursement from both managed care organizations (MCOs) and commercial insurance. One new caveat to the bill is a requirement for any affected licensure boards overseeing specialties to promulgate regulations within 24 months of passage. As of October 30, the legislation is before the House for consideration.

(AP/PBS Newshour, 10/30/19)

The Trump administration has launched a website intended to help people connect with treatment options for substance use disorders. The website, FindTreatment.gov, includes customizable tools that allow users to search for providers based on the type of treatment they want—including detox, inpatient, or telemedicine—and by payment method and insurance type.

Honesdale, PA (October 30, 2019) — Treatment for nearly 2,000 additional patients at the Pike Dental Center will be made possible through a $300,000 grant from  the Oral Health Infrastructure Grant Program of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Officials of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC) were notified of the grant award earlier this month. The monies will be used to create a 748 square foot expansion within the existing dental center located in Lords Valley, PA. The result, an increase from five to nine operatories at the facility, has the potential of generating between 8,500 – 9,000 additional dental visits per year.

Pike Dental Center was constructed to meet the growing demand for accessible dental care for the greater Pike County area. The state-of-the-art facility first opened its doors in January of 2014 with a total of five operatories. The Lords Valley office, currently staffed by Megan Martino, DMD and John Ridd, DMD, is an extension of the Together For Health Dental Center in Honesdale.

“Even with the development of the Pike office having taken place no more than five years ago, it remains a challenge to provide care as timely as we’d like,” stated Frederick Jackson, executive director, WMCHC. “Wait times exceed four months for some services.”

According to WMCHC’s Dental Manager Nichole Yannone, it became evident as early on as 2015 that the current Pike facility wasn’t large enough to meet the need of the service area. Yannone says the dentists, hygienists and support staff at Pike Dental look forward to the “increased access to care, appointment availability and additional space in which to work” that will be realized when the expansion comes to fruition.

Jackson explained that WMCHC is still “in the design phase of the project” at this time. However, it is hoped that construction will begin in early 2020 with completion by the summer.

WMCHC is a federally qualified health center clinically affiliated with Wayne Memorial Health System, Inc.  In addition to dental services, WMCHC offers primary care, women’s health, pediatric services, pulmonology, general surgery and behavioral health services at satellite offices located in Wayne, Pike, Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties.  For more information on all services, call 570-253-8390 or visit wmchc.net.

From the Rural Yonder, October 29, 2019

Rural America as a whole has struggled with population loss and sluggish job growth during the past decade, but some areas have managed to buck these trends and may serve as bright spots for those focused on economic development outside of cities.

New research from the Center for American Progress, a liberal think-tank, attempts to highlight some of the assets rural areas might use to their advantage and also points out that the fortunes of rural communities differ widely by region and based on other factors.

“What we’re trying to drive home is that rural America is not an economic liability,” said Zoe Willingham, who co-authored the center’s policy brief.

Read the full article here.

This brief from the Pennsylvania State Data Center celebrates the fall season with a look at agriculture across Pennsylvania according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Some of the data highlights include:

• Pennsylvania had over 4 million acres of harvested cropland in 2017.
• Nearly half (48.5%) of Lancaster County’s land area is devoted to harvested cropland.
• Over 48,000 acres of vegetables were harvested in Pennsylvania in 2017.

Which vegetable was the most harvested in each county? Click here to read more about trends in harvested cropland and vegetables harvested across the state.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is delaying the start of several new voluntary value-based payment models, including the Primary Care First and Kidney Care First models, until at least 2021. However, CMS continued to encourage Medicare providers to apply to participate in the models. (Source: Modern Healthcare‘s “Transformation Hub,” 10/24)