Month: October 2022

HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs COVID-19 Update

October 21, 2022
CDC Allows Novavax Monovalent COVID-19 Boosters for Adults Ages 18 and Older:

CDC’s Director Rochelle P. Walensky signed a decision memo allowing Novavax monovalent COVID-19 boosters for adults. This action gives people ages 18 years and older the option to receive a Novavax monovalent booster instead of an updated (bivalent) Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster if they have completed primary series vaccination but have not previously received a COVID-19 booster—and if they cannot or will not receive mRNA vaccines. Some may be unable to receive an mRNA vaccine as a result of an allergy to a component of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, or as a result of a history of a severe allergic reaction (such as anaphylaxis) after a previous dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, or a lack of availability of an mRNA vaccine. People ages 18 and older may also choose to receive a Novavax monovalent booster if they are unwilling to receive mRNA vaccines, and would otherwise not receive a booster dose. FDA’s authorization of monovalent COVID-19 boosters and CDC’s recommendation for use, are important steps forward in our country’s comprehensive vaccination program—a program that has helped provide increased protection for all Americans COVID-19 disease and death.

Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) Eligible Learning Collaborative

October 20, 2022

Understanding and Improving Health Equity in Rural Health Care Settings: Challenges and Solutions to Address Rural Health Disparities

Register to Participate in RHPTP Eligible Learning Collaborative

This virtual learning collaborative (LC) will focus on challenges and solutions specific to rural health providers to support improvement in health equity and reduction in health disparities. The interactive collaborative will include four (4) virtual, 60-minute learning sessions and additional brief readings and/or reflections between sessions to support understanding of disparities and strategies to address them.

By participating in this LC, participants will be able to: 

  • Define health disparities and health equity and describe them within the context of their rural community
  • Assess if and how health equity and disparities are being addressed in their organization
  • Identify opportunities and strategies to intentionally use data, resources, and tools to improve health equity and embed equity in organizational culture and operations
  • Discuss new regulations and requirements for health care organizations to address health equity

This series is intended for executive team members, human resources, quality and safety, clinicians, and others invested in health equity.

This series will be held on the first Thursday of each month from 2:00-3:00 PM Central Time beginning Thursday, December 8, 2022 – March 2, 2023.

This LC is open for RHPTP eligible small rural hospitals and certified rural health clinics.

 

Federal and State Health Workforce Opportunities in Region 7

October 20, 2022

Federal and State Health Workforce Opportunities in Region 7

The Region 7 Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (HRSA IEA), the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), and the State Offices of Rural Health invite you to a webinar on health workforce opportunities. The webinar will feature workforce programs and resources provided by HRSA and Region 7 States (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska).

Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Time: 9 am – 12 pm CST

Featured Organizations

  • HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce
  • Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
  • Kansas Department of Health and Environment
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
  • Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

Topics at a Glance

  • Scholarship and loan repayment programs offered through BHW including eligible disciplines, eligibility requirements, and service commitments
  • Resources and tools available on the supply, use, access, need, and demand for health workers
  • State-specific health workforce programs, funding, and available technical assistance
  • Successful recruitment and retention efforts

Who Should Attend?

  • Hospitals
  • Rural Health Clinics
  • Health Departments
  • Universities and Colleges
  • Health Educators and Faculty
  • Clinicians (including medical, dental, and behavioral health)
  • Students pursuing health professional education (including medical, dental, and behavioral health)

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar on November 8th.

For more information about the webinar, contact Kim Shiu at KShiu@hrsa.gov.
For more information about BHW’s Scholarships and Loan Repayment, please visit https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding.

Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Accepting Applications for the Next Cohort

October 20, 2022

Delta Region Community Health Systems Development is now accepting applications for the next cohort

DRCHSD is accepting applications from interested facilities now, for the 2022 cohort. Interested rural facilities, in counties served by the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), may submit an application for winter 2022. Applications are due by October 31, 2022.

The DRCHSD program is a collaboration between FORHP, DRA and the National Rural Health Resource Center and has served 43 health care organizations and communities since 2017. The program is open to critical access hospitals, small rural hospitals, rural health clinics, and other rural healthcare organizations and offers nearly $250,000 per year in technical assistance (TA) around quality improvement, financial and operational improvement, telehealth, community care coordination, workforce/leadership development, emergency medical services, and population health. In addition to TA, the program also provides financial support to facilities for the development and implementation of telehealth services, which includes funding for equipment, hardware, software, and training. Eligibility list.

 Learn more about how the DRCHSD Program positively impacts rural health care organizations.

DRA designated counties in Missouri:

Bollinger Madison Scott
Butler Mississippi Shannon
Carter New Madrid Ste. Genevieve
Cape Girardeau Oregon St. Francois
Crawford Ozark Stoddard
Dent Pemiscot Texas
Douglas Perry Washington
Dunklin Phelps Wayne
Howell Reynolds Wright
Iron Ripley

 

HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (HHSIEA) Monkeypox Briefing

October 19, 2022

HHS IEA Weekly Monkeypox Briefing

Please join the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, the White House National Monkeypox Response team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) for a Monkeypox briefing Thursday at 2:00 PM EST. These briefings are held every other week.

Date: Thursday, October 20
Time: 2:00 PM EST
Register for the briefing here.

Monkeypox Response Equity Resources

HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (HHSIEA) New Funds for Mental Health Crisis

October 18, 2022

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Millions of Dollars in New Funds for States to Tackle Mental Health Crisis

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing a new funding opportunity, authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), for states to develop and transform Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) to address the country’s mental health crisis. CCBHCs provide crisis services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay.

In addition to the nearly $300 million awarded in September for new and existing CCBHCs, $15 million in additional funding is now being announced for CCBHC planning. This additional round of planning grants kicks off national CCBHC expansion under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and will expand access to planning grants for CCBHC’s to all 50 states.

Today’s announcement builds on the progress President Biden has made in his commitment to tackling the country’s mental health crisis by expanding access to mental and behavioral health supports and services – a key priority outlined in his first State of the Union address.

Read Press Release

HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs: HHS Disparities Council Briefing

October 18, 2022

HHS IEA Briefing on Monkeypox

Please join the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) for our weekly Monkeypox briefing on Thursday at 2:00 PM ET.  These briefings are held every other week.

Date: Thursday, October 20th
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Register for the briefing here. 

2022 Rural Health Day

October 14, 2022

2022 Missouri Rural Health Day

Join us in celebrating the “Power of Rural” in recognition of Missouri Rural Health Day on Nov. 17 at the Governor’s Office Building from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Interact with others and engage on rural health topics impacting Missourians. Registration for the event is free. For more information, contact the Office of Rural Health at ORHPCinfo@health.mo.gov

 

HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs COVID-19 Update for October 13, 2022

October 14, 2022

HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External affairs COVID-19 Update

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR BRIEFING

Please read the full remarks here.

Dr. Jha: Dr. Jha emphasized the importance of getting the updated bivalent vaccines ahead of winter stating, “If you are up to date with your vaccines and if you get treated, if you have a breakthrough infection, your risk of dying from COVID is now close to zero.”

 

Re-imagining a Safe and Healthy Future for Agriculture at the 2022 Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health (MRASH) Conference

October 13, 2022

Re-imagining a Safe and Healthy Future for Agriculture at the 2022 Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health (MRASH) Conference

Hybrid conference asks: what does the future hold regarding the health and safety of all farm workers?

Contact: Gayle Olson, gayle-olson@uiowa.edu

Publish date: 10/06/2022

This year, MRASH focuses on the future as farmers emerge into a changing world affected by supply chain and worker shortages, and ongoing changes in the climate, the economy, and technology. The hybrid conference, featuring a keynote presentation by Matt Russell, State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency, will take place at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids, November 16 -17. Participants can attend either in person or virtually.  Farmers, students, frontline healthcare workers and vocational ag teachers qualify for a greatly discounted registration fee.  A free pre-conference “train-the-trainer” workshop dedicated to respiratory fit testing will also take place on November 15 from 2:30-5:00 PM. Find more details and register for the event at the MRASH conference website.

Russell’s presentation will explore the changing trends affecting the future of agriculture. Ahna Kruzic, Association Director of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation, located in Minneapolis, will lead the discussion panel focusing on the important health and safety implications of these trends.

Day Two of the conference features over 20 presenters describing their research and outreach projects on a wide variety of agricultural safety and health topics.  The conference will close with an awards luncheon and capstone discussion session.

New conference features include tours of Kirkwood Community College’s agriculture, health and industrial tech programs; a walk-through of SIM-IA, a mobile clinical training unit; a “Taster Session” of flash talks, posters, demos, and more from students and experts highlighting important health and safety concepts, and a breakfast for those interested in pairing with a mentor throughout the conference.

MRASH is sponsored by I-CASH, CS-CASH and GPCAH.  For MRASH updates: follow GPCAH on Facebook and Twitter  (#MRASH2022) and join the MRASH Facebook group.