Announcements from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

March 29, 2018

What’s New

Health Equity Report for 2017.  This report from HRSA’s Office of Health Equity addresses disparities in three priority areas:  mental health, opioid use and childhood obesity.  It reports on trends in health equity and health disparities in the U.S., providing statistics and information on multiple program areas, including: maternal and child health, primary care, access, quality, HIV/AIDS, mental and behavioral health, chronic disease, health promotion, health workforce, rural versus urban, and geographic disparities.

Fraudulent Activity in Federal Grants Management System.  The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is supporting an active investigation by the GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) into alleged, third party fraudulent activity in its System for Award Management (SAM), which manages federally-funded grants.  It has been confirmed that none of the HHS accounts were impacted.  However, effective immediately, all new organizations that want to register at sam.gov, must follow specific procedures.   These include requiring an original, signed notarized letter identifying the authorized entity administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number before a new SAM.gov entity registration will be activated.

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MDA Foundation Grants Available

March 27, 2018

From the MDA Foundation

MDA Foundation Grant Program Now Accepting Applications

Started in 2012 and growing in funding each year, this essential grant program offers financial support to efforts that create better oral health for Missourians through educational programs, access-to-care initiatives and community collaborations. To date 22 grants totaling $24,307 have been awarded across Missouri.

The MDA Foundation invites member dentists, or organizations you are involved with, to consider submitting a grant application for funding to support community oral health programs and initiatives.

The application period for the 2018 grant program is now ​OPEN. We welcome your interest. Please read the grant guidelines before accessing the grant application. The 2018 grant application period will close on July 15, 2018. For questions, contact Paul Roberts at 573-634-3436 or paul@modentalmail.org.

Get more information on the MDA Foundation Grant Program here.

Save the Date! Workforce Grand Rounds Webinar Series: Provider Well-Being: Moving from Triple to Quadruple Aim in Clinical Training

March 23, 2018

Save the Date!
Workforce Grand Rounds Webinar Series:
Provider Well-Being: Moving from Triple to Quadruple Aim in Clinical Training

April 24, 2018
1:30-3:00pm EST

Purpose:
To provide resources and successful implementation examples of Provider Wellness programs within health workforce training programs.

Objectives:

  1. Provide current wellness resources by subject matter experts at the National Academy of Medicine
  2. Highlight successful training examples of resident programs to improve wellness and reduce burnout among the health workforce
  3. Explore promising approaches to promoting provider well-being through innovations in health workforce education

About:
The Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) programs provide financial support to institutions and individuals to enhance training programs and support practice in underserved communities.

The Workforce Grand Rounds webinar series’ goal is to improve health professions training with the intention to increase the number of high-quality health professionals, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Health Conversion Foundations Well Positioned to Create Change

March 23, 2018

Doug Easterling’s and Laura McDuffee’s work around health conversion foundations and their effectiveness and ability to address social determinants of health.

Groundbreaking work from my friends Doug Easterling and Laura McDuffee at Wake Forest that provides an in-depth examination of the transformative work being undertaken by many health conversion foundations across the social determinants of health. With the health conversion movement in the middle of Wave Three of formation, this is a particularly timely body of work for established and newer funders alike. Thankfully, many of the funders with a strong rural commitment are recognized and profiled.

Read the Article

Announcements from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

March 22, 2018

What’s New

2018 County Health Rankings.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released their annual report on the place-based factors influencing health outcomes.  Among the key findings: rural counties continue to have the highest child poverty rates, and teen birth rates are nearly twice the rate for teens in suburban counties.  RWJF will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 27 at 3:00 pm ET to discuss how these factors impact population health outcomes and evidence-based actions that can be taken.

Funding Opportunities

Grants and Loans for Renewable Energy in Rural America – April 30.  Agriculture producers and rural small businesses are eligible to apply for grants and guaranteed loans for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency upgrades.  The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funds may be used for systems of hydrogen, wind or solar generation, and for energy efficiency improvements to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting, insulation and replacement doors and windows.  Note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has its own definition of eligibility for rural development programs and that each state has a Rural Development Energy Coordinator to answer questions and assist with the application process.

Farmers Market Promotion Program – May 7.  The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers grants to projects that assist in the development, improvement, and expansion of domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community‐supported agriculture (CSA) programs, agritourism activities, and other direct producer‐to‐consumer market opportunities.  Eligible applicants are public and private entities, including tribal governments, agriculture cooperatives and businesses, and economic development corporations.  For rural communities with limited grocery options, farmers markets increase access to fresh, local food.

USDA Community Connect Grants – May 14.  Public, private and non-profit entities, including Federally-recognized tribal organizations, are eligible to apply for grants funding broadband deployment in rural communities lacking existing broadband service with speed of at least 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Grant funds may be used for construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities, spectrum, land or buildings used to deploy broadband service for all residents, businesses and community facilities within the proposed funding service area.  Matching funds of at least 15% from non-federal sources are required.

CDC Funding for Opioid Overdose Prevention Research – May 15.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will make awards of up to $750,000 each to public and/or private organizations, including tribal governments and entities to find interventions that will work to prevent opioid overdose.  The funding is intended to encourage collaboration of scientists from a spectrum of disciplines including public health, epidemiology, law enforcement, social work, economics, and criminal justice to perform research that can identify ways to prevent opioid overdose more effectively. Interventions can be strategies, programs, or policies.  Because the opioid epidemic continues to pose a high burden on rural communities and providers, a challenge exacerbated by lack of prevention and treatment resources, it is important to ensure that this research includes and will have a focus on rural communities. Click the “Related Documents” tab to see the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and note that Letters of Intent are due on Thursday, April 12.

Tribal Colleges Extension Grant Program – June 6.  The National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide total funding of $4.3 million to tribal colleges designated as (mostly rural) 1994 Land Grant Institutions to enhance community-focused research, education and outreach.  Awards will be made to support one or more of the following Extension base program areas: agriculture; community resources and economic development; family development and resource management; 4-H and youth development; leadership and volunteer development; natural resources and environmental management; and nutrition, diet and health.

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