HHS Announces New $350 Million Initiative to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations

November 30, 2022

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

HHS Announces New $350 Million Initiative to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced a new $350 million initiative for HRSA-supported health centers to increase COVID-19 vaccines in their communities, with a specific focus on underserved populations. This funding supports health centers administering updated COVID-19 vaccines through mobile, drive-up, walk-up, or community-based vaccination events, including working with community-based organizations, and other efforts to increase the administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)- Rural Residency Planning & Development HRSA-23-037

November 29, 2022

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) HRSA-23-037 Rural Residency Planning & Development

The FY23 Rural Residency Planning & Development (RRPD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (HRSA-23-037) released on October 5, 2022 at grants.gov. This grant will provide funding for expanding physician workforce capacity and residency training.

HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is pleased to announce the FY23 Rural Residency Planning & Development (RRPD) Program (HRSA-23-037) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) released on grants.gov and will be accepting applications through January 27, 2023.  The RRPD program is a multi-year HRSA initiative to develop new, accredited and sustainable rural residency programs or rural track programs (RTP) in family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, preventive medicine, or obstetrics and  gynecology, to support the expansion of the physician workforce and increase opportunities for residents to train in rural communities.  There are two pathways for this program: General Primary Care and High Need Specialty Pathway and Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway.

Contingent on FY23 appropriations, HRSA will award approximately 15 grants up to $750,000 each to support the start-up costs of creating new rural residency programs (e.g., accreditation, faculty development, resident recruitment, etc.). Throughout the three-year period of performance, award recipients are required to collaborate with the RRPD Technical Assistance (RRPD-TA) Center. The HRSA funded RRPD-TA Center provides technical assistance to RRPD recipients in all aspects of rural residency development, including accreditation, financing, recruitment, and training. Additionally, the RRPD-TA center may provide assistance to RRPD applicants during the funding opportunity application period.  For this funding cycle, there are two funding priorities: (1) Geographic Distribution and (2) Maternal Health (refer to pages 42-44).

For questions regarding this funding opportunity, please contact the HRSA Rural Residency Team at RuralResidency@hrsa.gov.

National Center for Healthy Housing – Survey Request

November 30, 2022

National Center for Healthy Housing – Survey Request

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) invite you to take the Identifying Needs of Rural Healthy Housing Organizations questionnaire.  This questionnaire is meant for any organization serving rural communities on issues related to health, housing, and/or healthy housing. Please note that the host organizations are not using any formal definition of “rural.” For the purposes of this questionnaire, respondents may be any organization that considers itself to serve rural areas or rural populations.  

 

This questionnaire will give organizations the opportunity to capture both the unique challenges and opportunities of serving residents in rural service areas. This questionnaire will also assist the host organizations to develop relevant resources and tools over the next year. It should take 12 minutes or less to complete as the host organizations are interested in your initial reactions without needing to prepare or collect additional information. Take the questionnaire here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MQLG7MZ.

For Questions Please Contact: Anna Plankey

National Rural Health Association – Optimize patient outcomes, value, and financial stability with A Transitional Care Program in Your Rural Post-Acute Care- Upcoming Webinars

November 29, 2022

Optimize patient outcomes, value, and financial stability with A Transitional Care Program in Your Rural Post-Acute Care

National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Webinar – Thursday, Jan 19, 1:00 – 2:00 pm CST

Utilize swing beds at your facility to increase access for a broader patient group. Improving post-acute care in rural areas can reduce rural-urban disparities in patient outcomes after hospitalization and improve the financial stability of CAHs. Allevant Solutions focuses on a transitional care model that involves the patient and family, makes available the full resources of the Critical Access Hospital, and focuses on measured outcomes and evidence-based processes to ensure patients get the best care possible. The Transitional Care Program is centered on teamwork, communication, and collaboration. We will cover the Transitional Care model as well as the business benefits of utilizing and marketing your swing bed program, discuss staff training and education, and review process improvement methodologies that can be used to grow your swing bed volume.

What you will learn:

  • Participants will be able to understand the value of developing high-quality Post-Acute Transitional Care in Critical Access Hospitals in response to a growing patient population and demands and challenges in acute care hospitals.
  • Participants will be able to begin to quantify the opportunity and understand the key steps to initiate, implement and track progress in developing high-quality Post-Acute Transitional Care.
  • Participants will learn how Transitional Care is an effective way to incorporate population health, chronic disease management, and wellness.

 

Register Now

Missouri Immunization Coalition Survey: Due December 9, 2022

November 29, 2022

Missouri Immunization Coalition

The Missouri Immunization Coalition (MIC) is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit existing to reduce the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases through immunization education, advocacy, promotion, and statewide collaborative partnerships. We also seek to coordinate with partners across the state that share our vision of better health for all, including our public health and healthcare workforce.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reveal itself. The purpose of this 5–10 minute survey is to understand the financial realities Missouri healthcare institutions and organizations have faced responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your answers will allow MIC to serve as a voice in reporting your experiences navigating pandemic aid programs, managing aid dollars, and adapting programmatic priorities due to increased funding demands of the COVID-19 pandemic to local, state, and federal-level policy and funding allocation decision makers. Your responses are greatly appreciated!

Please submit this survey by December 9, 2022.  

For questions please contact Nicole Williams

National Rural Health Association – Upcoming Webinars

November 29, 2022

Overcoming Rural Health Revenue Cycle Challenges

National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Webinar – Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2:00 – 3:00 pm CST

Join this webinar to learn how to accomplish better revenue cycle outcomes, resolving declining revenues and staff shortage challenges. We will discuss how these challenges can be resolved in the rural healthcare setting, identifying root causes and gaps and then applying rural-specific strategic solutions. Additionally, we will review how successful integration with an experienced business partner is an important tool that rural healthcare.

Speakers: Eric Roselott and Darcy Miller, Revenue Cycle Experts with MEDHOST

Register Now

National Rural Health Association – Transforming Care in Rural America -Upcoming Webinars

November 29, 2022

Transforming Care in Rural America

National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Webinar – Thursday, Dec 8, 2:00 – 3:00 pm CST

This presentation will review a case study of a Critical Access Hospital and introduce a unique design methodology for developing optimal design solutions. This method aims to inspire creative solutions for internal processes and targeted improvement areas in the built environment to positively impact rural community health.

Learning Objectives include designing a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) for community health, and departmental studies through Lean 3P simulation.

Register Now

National Rural Health Association – Upcoming Webinars

November 29, 2022

Six Ways Telemedicine Benefits Your Hospital’s Bottom Line

National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Webinar – Tuesday, Dec 7, 3:00 – 4:00 pm CST

Telemedicine has become a fast-growing healthcare delivery option for rural and metropolitan hospitals. And for good reason. It squarely addresses the top challenges every hospital today faces – from physician shortages to increased specialist accessibility to revenue retention and growth.

75% of U.S. hospitals now use telehealth and telemedicine programs. See why it is becoming the new norm for hospitals that want a more resilient, adaptable, and innovative solution for healthcare access and delivery. Join this live webinar for insights into the six ways hospitals are using telemedicine to increase their bottom line, and why it needs to be a priority line item in your 2023 budget.

Register Now

Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) is accepting applications for Equity Changemakers Institute: Applications Due December 7, 2022

November 29, 2022

Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) is accepting applications for Equity Changemakers Institute, which is a 10-month leadership development program beginning in February 2023. To learn more and apply, public sector leaders can download the Request for Applications. An optional informational call will take place on November 30, 2022. The dial-in information can be found in the Request for Applications. Applications are due December 7, 2022, 5 pm ET.

Point of Contact(s): Lauren Moran, Email: lmoran@chcs.org & Tiffany Enos, Email: tenos@chcs.org

Health and Human Services Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (HHDIEA) – COVID-19 Updates

November 28, 2022

HHSIEA COVID-19 Research Update

HHS Releases Long COVID Report Providing Insights and Opportunities to Support Patient Community: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new report that highlights patients’ experience of Long COVID to better understand its complexities and drive creative responses by government leaders, clinicians, patient advocates and others. Long COVID is a set of conditions. Researchers have cataloged more than 50 conditions linked to Long COVID that impact nearly every organ system. Estimates vary, but research suggests that between 5 percent and 30 percent of those who had COVID-19 may have Long COVID symptoms, and roughly one million people are out of the workforce at any given time due to Long COVID. This figure equates to approximately $50 billion annually in lost salaries. The Health+ Long COVID Report builds on the President’s  Memorandum on Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 and the two previously issued HHS Long COVID reports. The report was commissioned by HHS and produced by Coforma, an independent third-party design and research agency. It provides recommendations on how to deliver high-quality care, and relevant and intentional resources and supports to individuals and families impacted by Long COVID. For the full report and to learn more, visit  Health+ Long COVID | HHS.gov.