Month: November 2022

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

November 18, 2022

HHSIEA – COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations Among U.S. Infants Aged <6 Months

CDC published an MMWR on COVID-19–associated hospitalizations among U.S. infants aged less than 6 Months in 13 States from June 2021 to August 2022. Infants aged <6 months, who are ineligible for vaccination, have high COVID-19–associated hospitalization rates compared with other pediatric age groups. Although population-based COVID-19–associated hospitalization rates among infants aged <6 months increased in the Omicron variant–predominant periods compared with the Delta variant–predominant period, indicators of the most severe disease among hospitalized infants aged <6 months did not. Pregnant women should stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination to help protect themselves and infants too young to be vaccinated. Non pharmaceutical measures should be used to help protect infants ineligible for vaccination.

Open Enrollment Week of Action

November 15, 2022

Open Enrollment Week of Action

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) would like to share this announcement about Open Enrollment.

Black Americans Week of Action starts November 13 and ends November 19, 2022. Please download the Marketplace Toolkit for information about this year’s Open Enrollment. This toolkit is full of helpful information, graphics and social media messages you may use to alert your members and additional communication networks about Marketplace Open Enrollment. Please feel free to use any and all of the information to share these important messages.

Through our Coverage to Care (C2C) initiative, CMS OMH is helping people to understand their health coverage and connect to the primary care and the preventive services that are right for them, so they can live a long and healthy life. Coverage to Care recently updated its resources which are often available in 8 languages. Find resources for you and your community to help understand health coverage and connect to care. Use the Roadmap to Better Care, the Enrollment Toolkit, and My Health Coverage at a Glance to get started during Open Enrollment.

Thank you again for your continued support and happy Open Enrollment!

New Funding Opportunity Available

November 15, 2022

New Funding Opportunity Available

Teaching Health Center Planning and Development (THCPD) Program Grant number: HRSA-23-015

Purpose: To establish new accredited community-based primary care medical or dental residency programs and residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine-pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, or geriatrics to address shortages in the primary care physician and dental workforce and challenges faced by in rural and underserved communities.

An eligible entity is a community-based ambulatory patient care center that will operate an accredited primary care residency program such as:

  • Federally qualified health centers;
  • Community mental health centers;
  • Entities receiving funds under Title X of the PHS Act;
  • Rural health clinics; and
  • Health centers operated by the Indian Health Service, an Indian tribe or tribal organization, or an urban Indian organization.

Awards: HRSA anticipates awarding approximately $23.5 million to 47 recipients through this funding opportunity

Notice of Funding Opportunity 

National Rural Health Association today

November 10, 2022

Register early to save hundreds on NRHA’s Policy Institute

NRHA’s 34th Rural Health Policy Institute is your chance to guide the future of rural health policy with NRHA leadership and advocate for issues you care about with new and returning members of Congress and the administration Feb. 7-9. You’ll have the chance to develop rapport with your federal elected officials and staff; understand the importance and successes of NRHA’s advocacy; learn the new ways NRHA is advancing the association’s priorities; participate in NRHA’s Rural Health Disparities Summit; and connect with your congressional delegation. Let’s put our ideas in motion and advocate for rural patients, providers, and communities. Interested in advocating on behalf of rural health? Sign up to participate in NRHA’s rural health advocacy campaigns and review NRHA’s updated advocacy 101 guide.

National Rural Health Association today

November 10, 2022

Rural hospitals launch program to combat opioid abuse

Four rural hospitals in Iowa recently became the first in the state to announce participation in the Billion Pill Pledge program. Each hospital will enhance its protocols and optimize pain management to help patients minimize opioid use both before and after surgery. The CDC recently updated its guidelines for prescribing opioids for pain, which stakeholders hope will help decrease the prevalence of opioids. Additionally, a new resource from Defining Wellness outlines the signs and symptoms of drug addiction. Advocate to combat substance use disorder within your rural community and those across the country by joining NRHA and hundreds of rural health stakeholders Feb. 7-9 at NRHA’s 34th Rural Health Policy Institute.

National Rural Health Association today

November 10, 2022

How digital identity protects critical rural infrastructure

Without strict enforcement, regulations can’t do much to promote cybersecurity at health care facilities. Organizations need to be proactive in identifying attack trends and implementing defenses. Additionally, stakeholders are calling for health care facilities and hospitals to create websites that are more accessible to people with disabilities, and a recent report shows how biometric data like facial imaging in the EHR could help improve patient matching and cut costs. Advocate for the technology and broadband infrastructure needs of your rural community by joining NRHA and hundreds of rural health stakeholders Feb. 7-9 at NRHA’s 34th Rural Health Policy Institute.

National Rural Health Association today

November 10, 2022

How one college is tackling the rural nursing shortage

The nursing program at Eastern Maine Community College partners with rural hospitals to provide education close to home for students who would rather not travel to the city – and helps tackle the nursing shortage at a time when the profession is in great demand. Travel nurses are caught between staffing firms that are cutting their rates and hospitals that have demanded rate cuts after COVID relief funds dried up. Additionally, Florida Atlantic University’s Christie E. Lynn College of Nursing recently received a grant for a nurse-led mobile health unit to serve rural and medically underserved regions. Rural health needs those who go above and beyond. That’s why NRHA’s Career Center is your resource for qualified health care professionals and fulfilling careers.

National Rural Health Association today

November 10, 2022

How one college is tackling the rural nursing shortage

The nursing program at Eastern Maine Community College partners with rural hospitals to provide education close to home for students who would rather not travel to the city – and helps tackle the nursing shortage at a time when the profession is in great demand. Travel nurses are caught between staffing firms that are cutting their rates and hospitals that have demanded rate cuts after COVID relief funds dried up. Additionally, Florida Atlantic University’s Christie E. Lynn College of Nursing recently received a grant for a nurse-led mobile health unit to serve rural and medically underserved regions. Rural health needs those who go above and beyond. That’s why NRHA’s Career Center is your resource for qualified health care professionals and fulfilling careers.

Journal of Rural Health Seeking Board Member Applications

November 10, 2022

Journal of Rural Health seeking board member applications

The Journal of Rural Health serves to advance professional practice, research, theory development, and public policy by serving as a medium for communication among health scientists and professionals. NRHA is currently seeking candidates for the JRH editorial board. The deadline is Dec. 1 for open position terms beginning Jan. 1, 2023. NRHA’s Journal of Rural Health is also soliciting articles on the impact of the Flex Program on CAHs and systems of care in rural communities through Dec. 30. All manuscripts will be evaluated according to the journal’s standard review process and must be submitted electronically. Guidelines on required format may be found on the JRH website.

National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Today

November 10, 2022

Wait lists for therapy are huge and not going away

This summer, Massachusetts General Hospital had 880 people on its wait list for psychiatric services. The list had grown so large that the hospital issued an unusual plea to its physicians: Stop referring psychiatry patients for non-urgent care. The shortage of mental health care providers is especially acute in rural areas, with individuals in Nebraska waiting many months to even get an appointment. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs aims to help veterans stay connected to mental health and other resources through their Make the Connection campaign. Advocate for the mental health needs of your rural community by joining NRHA and hundreds of rural health stakeholders Feb. 7-9 at NRHA’s 34th Rural Health Policy Institute.