Author: dianawinder

Rural Monitor Article – Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities Project

August 24, 2023

Rural Monitor Article – Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities Project

A new article – RPHWTN Grantees Help Rural Healthcare Facilities Keep Local Talent – has been published in the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub). The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network works to expand public health capacity in rural and tribal areas through job development, training, and placement. Three grantees – a career ladder program in Missouri, a respiratory therapy program in Texas, and a health IT program in Virginia – share stories of changing individuals’ lives as well as keeping local talent in their healthcare facilities and communities.

Read Article

Click Here to read more articles for Missouri

Subscribe to RHIhub Here

USDA Invests Connecting Rural America to High-Speed Internet

August 23, 2023

USDA Invests Connecting Rural America to High-Speed Internet

On August 21, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and Missouri State Director Kyle Wilkens announced $76 million in grants and loans to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers, and business owners across rural Missouri to affordable high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program, funded by President Biden’s Infrastructure Law. This funding opportunity is designed to fund high-speed internet projects in the most rural, remote, underserved, and unserved communities.

“I am excited to announce that Missouri is receiving nearly $76 million from the ReConnect program as part of President Biden’s Investing in America to rebuild the economy,” Wilkens said. “Access to high-speed internet is crucial to rural communities in Missouri. These projects will provide vital opportunities to bring local business to global markets, connect rural communities to healthcare without a long drive into the nearest city, and offers new tools for farmers and ranchers to expand their business. Finally, these projects are crucial for helping to bring our younger generations back home after college to continue the family legacy.”

Today’s investments will help to increase access and usage of broadband infrastructure in rural areas lead to growing jobs, population growth, and higher rates of new business opportunities for rural businesses, agricultural producers, digital skills, online education, and job search opportunities for rural residents. With the ReConnect program, many rural America will have the benefit of having high-speed internet.

Missouri’s three projects in this announcement include:

  • Northeast Missouri Rural Telephone Company is receiving a $8.8 million loan to benefit 1,188 people, 15 businesses and 256 farms in Schuyler and Scotland counties in Missouri.
  • Mountain View Rural Fiber LLC is receiving a $24.8 million loan to benefit 5,519 people, 298 businesses, 46 farms and 29 educational facilities in Howell, Shannon, and Texas counties in Missouri.
  • Aptitude Internet LLC is receiving a $42.3 million grant to benefit 18,982 people, 480 businesses, 1,452 farms and 15 educational facilities in Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Maries, Osage and Phelps counties in Missouri.

Background: ReConnect Program  

Applicants to ReConnect Program funding must serve a rural area that lacks access to service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload. Applicants must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service with speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in the proposed service area. Additionally, to ensure that rural households that need internet service can afford it, all awardees will be required to apply to participate in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP offers a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service to qualifying low-income households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal Lands.

For more information about, please visit: ReConnect Loan and Grant Program | USDA

Contact USDA Rural Development

Information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by visiting www.rd.usda.gov/mo, by calling (573) 876-0976, or by emailing RDMissouri@usda.gov. Stay current by following @RD_Missouri on Twitter.

USDA Rural Development has 25 offices across the state to serve the 2.2 million residents living in rural Missouri. Office locations include a state office in Columbia, along with local offices in Butler, Charleston, Chillicothe, Clinton, Dexter, Eldon, Farmington, Higginsville, Houston, Kennett, Kirksville, Maryville, Mexico, Moberly, Neosho, New London, Poplar Bluff, Richmond, Rolla, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Joseph, Troy, and West Plains.

If you’d like to subscribe to Missouri USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

 

Maternal and Infant Health Engagement Survey for MO HealthNet Providers

August 22, 2023

Maternal and Infant Health Engagement Survey for MO HealthNet Providers

The MO HealthNet Division (MHD) and the managed care health plans are collaborating on a project to educate and inform providers and participants/members on benefits and opportunities available to them during and after their pregnancy.

Please take a quick five minute Maternal and Infant Health Engagement Survey to help us collect data to improve policies, payment methodologies and most importantly outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women and infants.

 The survey will close on September 8, 2023.

Large Health Care System Suffers Rhysida Attack

August 21, 2023

Large Health Care System Suffers Rhysida Attack

Rhysida is an emerging threat group, targeting many critical infrastructure sectors including the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector. It is a ransomware-as-a-service group which deceitfully describes itself as a “cybersecurity team” projecting themselves as helping victims highlight potential security issues and secure their networks. While not much is known about the group’s origins or country affiliations, Rhysida ransomware is deployed in multiple ways.

On August 3, 2023 Rhysida attacked a health care system which operates 16 hospitals and more than 165 clinics and outpatient centers in four states.

According to reports, the attack resulted in “emergency departments to close, ambulances to be diverted, and other medical services to cease operations” in what appeared to be a ransomware attack.

The attack required the hospitals to take their systems offline to protect their patient data and to revert to using paper records. In some states, the health system’s blood draw stations and medical imaging locations were also impacted. Areas saw emergency departments, as well as some primary and specialty locations closed until further notice. As a result, impacted entities were contacting patients individually due to the various effects to patient care.

Read the 2-page August 16, 2023 Brief released by the HHS 405(d) Task Group which also recommends that your IT department implement the following best practices found in their FREE resources, such as the Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) Technical Volumes 1&2 and Knowledge on Demand to protect your valuable health information from such threats.

Low-cost resources offered by the American Institute of Healthcare Compliance (AIHC) – a non-profit organization:

 

 

Registration Open for Missouri Telehealth Summit

August 21, 2023

Registration Open for Missouri Telehealth Summit

The Missouri Telehealth Summit brings together leaders, policymakers, providers and payers for in-depth conversations around telehealth.

The 2023 summit will focus on sustainable telehealth integration, value-based care mo9dels, training the workforce, remote patient monitoring and more.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Eric Wallace, MD, FASN. Dr. Wallace is a professor of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the UAB Medical Director of Telehealth, Co-Director of the UAB Home Dialysis Program, and Director of the Rare Genetic Kidney Disease Clinic. Since becoming faculty, he has sought to eliminate geographic and socioeconomic barriers which prevent patients from accessing specialized care. He has overseen the creation and scaling of ambulatory and inpatient telehealth programs, E-Consults, tele-ICU, and remote patient monitoring. He is focused on using these tools to help re-design healthcare.

The pre-summit workshop will focus on in-depth detail around telehealth AIMS (adoption, implementation, monitoring, and sustainability).

Target Audience

  • Physicians
  • Nurses
  • Social workers
  • Counselors
  • Psychologists
  • Administrators

When:

  • Pre-Summit – Thursday, September 7, 2023
  • Summit – Friday, September 8, 2023

Cost:

  • Pre-summit workshop – $115
  • Summit (virtual or in-person) – $35

Click here to register

             OR

Scan the QR Code below:

 

RHC Learning Network – Developed for Missouri RHCs

August 21, 2023

RHC Learning Network – Developed for Missouri RHCs

You and your team are invited to the 1st Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Learning Network developed for Missouri RHC’s.

The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care has provided funding to support the RHC Learning Network. This funding will cover 1 hotel stay and mileage travel expenses for those RHC’s that attend the RHC Learning Network and are outside of the Jefferson City area.

The goal of PROMPT is to:

  • Support RHCs/rural practices in transforming rural clinic practices to meet the ever-changing demands within the healthcare landscape
  • Improve clinical quality data capture and reporting
  • Improve quality performance and patient care in rural Missouri

PROMPT Learning Network topics include:

  • Highlighting RHC’s
  • Sharing of best practices
  • Subject matter experts

There is no registration fee and lunch will be provided at no cost.

When: Saturday, October 19, 9:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Where:

Missouri Soybean Association

934 S Country Club Dr.

Jefferson City, MO 65109

Register Now

To take advantage of the funding provided by the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC):

Contact Charity Woodard at charity@cabllc.com for hotel reservations and the mileage reimbursement form.

NRHA Webinar on Utilizing Swing Beds

August 18, 2023

NRHA Webinar on Utilizing Swing Beds

Allevant will host a webinar at 1 p.m. CDT September 21 on swing bed culture and attention to wellness vital to rural health care. Allevant, a joint venture between Mayo Clinic and Select Medical, helps Critical Access Hospitals by developing post-acute Transitional Care programs using available Swing Beds.

Focused on helping patients transition to their highest level of independence, Transitional Care is a program 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.

Allevant has supported approximately 100 Critical Access Hospitals across 22 states including both independent and part of health systems. Their clients have cared for over 12,000 patients representing more than 158,000 swing bed days. With a strong focus on quality, outcomes, and growth, clients saw an average growth in swing bed days of 55% by the second year. 64% of patients were categorized as complex medical or complex surgical which is a growing patient population, and only 7% of Transitional Care patients were discharged directly back to acute care during a program stay of less than 30 days. 76% of patients were discharged from Transitional Care back to independence. The average patient rating was 4.83 out of 5 when asked if patients would “recommend the program to others”.

When: September 21, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. CDT

Register Now

Learn more at www.Allevant.com.

NRHA Webinar on Leveraging Telehealth

August 18, 2023

NRHA Webinar on Leveraging Telehealth

Join National Rural Health Administration (NRHA) Partner Equum Medical for an industrial webinar designed exclusively for CEOs and C-Level administrators of rural hospitals as they delve into the crucial topic of value-based care and evolving applications of inpatient telehealth to complement patient access and clinical workforce strategies. Stroudwater, a leading healthcare consulting firm, and Equum Medical, a pioneer in innovative telehealth-enabled clinical workforce solutions, have joined forces to deliver a comprehensive webinar that explores the significance of value-based care in transforming rural healthcare delivery.

When: Thursday, September 14, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 pm CDT

Register Now

 

Act Soon: Join Clinic, CAH Experts to Improve Community Care

August 18, 2023

Act Soon: Join Clinic, CAH Experts to Improve Community Care

Time is running out to save hundreds on your chance to discover RHC and CAH-specific strategies and solutions with the experts at NRHA’s Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conferences Sept. 26-29 in Kansas City.

Register and book your hotel at a discount by Sept. 7 to join NRHA in our hometown, the perfect place to rediscover the roots of rural health care with a mix of modern amenities and Midwest charm. From barbecue to ballet, there’s something for everyone in the Paris of the Plains, and we can’t wait to show you what’s new since last year.

Those who register early, are members, and attend both events are eligible for hundreds in combined discounts, so check out the updated event agendas, mark your calendar, and act soon to save. The NRHA block of discounted hotel rooms is running out fast, so be sure to book a great rate through NRHA before you register. We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City.

Take Action: Begin the NHSC Site Recertification Process

August 18, 2023

Take Action: Begin the NHSC Site Recertification Process

It’s time to recertify! National Health Service Corps (NHSC wants to remind you that sites must recertify in order to extend NHSC-approved site status beyond this calendar year.

As an approved site, your clinicians can apply for the NHSC Loan Repayment Programs, while you take advantage of recruitment benefits, such as the Health Workforce Connector and HRSA Virtual Job Fairs.

It is recommended that the recertification process is started early – the deadline is Thursday, October 12 at 11:59 p.m. E.T.

NHSC has a variety of helpful resources to ensure a seamless application process. From the Site Reference Guide to the Site Agreement, everything is right at your fingertips.

Save the Date: Site Recertification Webinar

When: Thursday, August 24, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET

Join on Zoom

Contact Info for Questions/Problems

Division of Regional Operations State/Territorial Lead

Your State/Territorial Primary Care Office

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services

Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (ORHPC)

Phone: (573) 751-6441

Fax: (573) 522-8146

Email: ORHPCinfo@health.mo.gov

You may also submit a question via the Customer Service Portal.

Problems logging into the Customer Service Portal:

Contact the Customer Care Center at 1-800-221-9393

Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET (excluding federal holidays)