Author: dianawinder

New FMT Brief: Characteristics of Communities Affected by Critical Access Hospital Mergers

September 30, 2024

New FMT Brief: Characteristics of Communities Affected by Critical Access Hospital Mergers

The Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) has released a new policy brief, Characteristics Affected by Critical Access Hospital Mergers.

This brief provides comparative statistics on the demographic, socioeconomic, health status, and geographic characteristics of communities served by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) by their merger status.

Findings from this study will help inform hospital leaders, State Flex Programs, and policymakers about community characteristics that may be associated with CAH mergers, and about the rural populations that are affected by CAH mergers.

Key findings from this brief include:

  • Between 2010 and 2022, CAHs were the targets of 128 mergers, meaning a health care entity acquired or merged them under a single owner.
  • CAH mergers were unevenly distributed across the U.S. Census regions, largely concentrated in the Midwest and the South.
  • Communities where CAHs merged had:
    • Lower rates of insurance for both adults and children
    • Lower median income inequality
    • Higher unemployment rates compared with counties without CAH mergers

Click Here to View Policy Brief

Rural Telementoring Training Center Webinar, October 1

September 30, 2024

Rural Telementoring Training Center Webinar, October 1

People living in rural and remote areas face persistent and systemic healthcare challenges, including:

  • Hospital and clinic closures
  • Geographic isolation
  • Workforce shortages
  • Economic & demographic shifts
  • High burdens of chronic disease
  • High rates of traumatic injuries

When there is a gap in healthcare access or quality, there is an opportunity to share resources and build bridges that improve health.

The Rural Telementoring Training Center (RTTC) provides free training, tools and technical assistance to support implementing and evaluating new and current telementoring programs for rural health workers.

Telementoring can improve rural health by:

  • Building local capacity
  • Reducing professional isolation
  • Improving access to care
  • Sharing best practices

During this webinar, participants will:

  • Learn the mission and resources of the Rural Telementoring Training Center
  • Learn the role of Promotoras and Community Health Workers and how they can assist with identifying asthma triggers in the home
  • Learn how the Telementoring Training Center can help Learning Partners create and implement a telementoring program

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, October 1, 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Community Chat: Providing Equitable Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities, September 26

September 30, 2024

Community Chat: Providing Equitable Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities, September 26

Children and young people across the U.S. are experiencing a mental health crisis. Improving access to equitable and high-quality care is critical for our young people, particularly in rural communities due to long-standing health care shortages.

This is especially true for those with marginalized identities, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas, who experience disproportionate challenges in accessing equitable, person-centered care.

The Rural Interest Group Community Chat: Providing Equitable Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities is more than a webinar, this is a discussion-based session for sharing ideas, experiences, innovations, and questions with health care leaders who are implementing cutting-edge change to further reach and support young people in their communities.

Please Note: Because of the sensitive and often personal nature of this topic, this session will not be recorded, and the speakers will prioritize creating a space for open and safe conversations regarding personal experiences and ideas.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, September 26, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

Click Here to Register

HCBS Provisions of the Medicaid Access Rule: Training Series

September 30, 2024

HCBS Provisions of the Medicaid Access Rule: Training Series

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced an upcoming training series on the several key provisions of the home-and-community-based services (HCBS) in the Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule.

The Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule (Access Rule) advances access to care and quality of care and will improve health outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries across fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care delivery systems, including home- and community-based services (HCBS) provided through those delivery systems. Specifically, the HCBS provisions of the rule makes sweeping changes intended to strengthen necessary safeguards to ensure health and welfare, promote health equity for people receiving Medicaid covered HCBS, and achieve a more consistent and coordinated approach to the administration of policies and procedures across Medicaid HCBS programs.

To ensure that all partners fully understand the various HCBS provisions within the Access rule, as well as, have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on implementation of the rule, CMS will be hosting training sessions on several key provisions of the rule. The October training will focus on the HCBS set of quality measures and future trainings will address timely access to care, rate transparency, and the Beneficiary Advisory Council.

Dates and Tentative Topics:

  • October 9, 2024 @ 3:00pm ET: HCBS Measure Set
  • December 11, 2024 @ 3:00pm ET: Grievance Systems
  • February 12, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Timely Access, Waiting Lists, Person Centered Planning Reporting Requirements & Minimum Performance Levels
  • March 12, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Website Requirements
  • April 9, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: HCBS Rate Transparency
  • May 14, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC) and Beneficiary Advisory Council (BAC)
  • June 11, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Institutional Rule Provisions*

Click Here to Register for one or ALL sessions

HRSA Seeks Nominations for the NHSC Advisory Board

September 30, 2024

HRSA Seeks Nominations for the NHSC Advisory Board

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is currently looking for new members to join the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC).

If you are a clinician or health official with a background in primary care, oral health, or mental/behavioral health, your expertise and unique experiences can help address health care delivery needs in underserved areas.

Rural communities are often the least represented on the board, and the NHSC wants your input. Please consider submitting a nomination, including self-nominations, by December 6, 2024, and help make a positive impact.

Advisory Board Commitment

  • 3-year term
  • Up to four meetings per year
  • Each meeting lasts for two days in a row.

How to Become a Member: Members are nominated or submit a self-nomination.

How to Nominate a Candidate for the Advisory Board

  • Send a letter stating:
    • Name, affiliation, and contact information for the nominee.
    • The basis for the nomination; and
    • The nominator’s contact information, including:
      • Name
      • Address
      • Daytime phone number
      • Email address
  • Letters must be from an employer, colleague, and/or professional organization.

To Self-nominate, your letter should include:

  • Traits that qualify you for the position.
  • Your affiliation, contact information and area of expertise.
  • The specific reason(s) you feel the NACNHSC would benefit from your membership.

Additional Information to Submit with Nomination:

  • A letter of interest from the nominee
  • A biographical sketch of the nominee
  • A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae
  • The nominee’s contact information
  • Cover letter (optional but highly recommended)

Important Note: In accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 208, current NHSC Scholarship Program and Loan Repayment Program participants are not able to serve as members of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC). Once your service commitment is complete, you can apply to become a member of the Counci8l, and if eligible, you may be selected to serve on the NACNHSC.

Nomination Deadline: December 6, 2024

Email nominations to: NHSCADVISORYCOUNCIL@HRSA.GOV

Click Here to Learn More

Emerging Issue: Increased Oropouche Virus Activity

September 30, 2024

Emerging Issue: Increased Oropouche Virus Activity

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory and released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report about Oropouche virus.

This virus is spread to humans by infected biting midges and some mosquito species. Parts of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean are experiencing an increase in infections.

The health advisory advises evaluating and testing travelers who have been in these impacted areas and who show signs and symptoms consistent with Oropouche virus infection. The advisory raises awareness of the possible risk of transmission during pregnancy to the fetus and of associated adverse effects on pregnancy. It also highlights prevention measures to reduce spread of the virus.

Click Here to read Health Alert

Click Here to read Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is Available Statewide in Missouri!

September 30, 2024

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is Available Statewide in Missouri!

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by delivering high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to the homes of registered children under age 5, at no cost to the family.

The Missouri Imagination Library was made possible by legislation (Section 178.694 RSMo) that identifies school districts as the local partner for this initiative. Full funding was included in DESE’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget to establish and administer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for all children in Missouri age 0-5.

There is no cost to schools for the books or the postage to deliver them.

Sign your child up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Access Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Parent Portal

Free Rural Telementoring “Unconference” Scheduled for October 15

September 30, 2024

Free Rural Telementoring “Unconference” Scheduled for October 15

The UnConference is a FREE, virtual event featuring an array of brief presentations on rural health and Telementoring followed by group discussion, idea generation, and collaboration.

Unlike traditional conferences, an UnConference provides a structure that facilitates sharing experiences, idea generation, and partnership building in pursuit of shared goals.

This year’s theme is Enhancing Rural Resilience: The intersection of climate, behavioral health, and workforce.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, October 16, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT

Click Here to Register

Save the Date: Missouri Rural Health Workforce, April 1-2, 2025

September 20, 2024

Save the Date: Missouri Rural Health Workforce, April 1-2, 2025

The Missouri Rural Health Association in partnership with the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), are hosting the Rural Health Workforce Conference.

The Rural Health Workforce Development Conference is ideal for:

  • Health care practitioners
  • Health care administrators
  • Students
  • HR professionals
  • Nonprofit organizations

When: April 1 – 2, 2025

Where: Holiday Inn Executive Inn Center, 2200 Interstate 70 Dr SW, Columbia, MO

Questions: Contact info@morha.org

Click Here to Learn More

PROMPT Learning Network – Lunch and Learn, Oct 3

September 19, 2024

PROMPT Learning Network – Lunch and Learn, Oct 3

The next PROMPT Learning Network – Lunch and Learn will be held virtually via Zoom, on October 3, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The goal of PROMPT is to:

  • Support RHCs/rural provider practices in transforming rural clinic practices to meet the ever-changing demands within the healthcare landscape
  • Improve clinical quality data capture and reporting, to better meet the needs of funders, payors, and patients
  • Improve quality performance and patient care in rural Missouri

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, October 3, 11:oo a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register