Author: dianawinder

Nominate Your Rural Health Heroes for 2024 NRHA Awards

January 26, 2024

Nominate Your Rural Health Heroes for 2024 NRHA Awards

Nominations are now open the National Rural Health Administration’s (NRHA’s) Rural Health Awards.

Each year NRHA honors outstanding individuals and organizations who have dedicated their time and talents to improving the health and well-being of others.

Previous Rural Health Award recipients have stretched the boundaries of possibility by forging innovative programs and services, making rural life healthier and more compassionate.

Nominate your favorite rural health individual, organization, program or student for these prestigious awards soon.

  • No more than three nominations per individual or organization accepted
    • If more than three nominations, only the first three considered
    • No letters of recommendation or other materials accepted, this ensures an equal platform
  • Submissions accepted online only
  • Deadline is Tuesday, February 20
    • No late submissions
    • No exceptions

Winners will be honored during NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference in New Orleans.

If you have questions about he Rural Health Awards, contact Donna Douglas at ddouglas@ruralhealth.us

Learn More about NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference

Click Here to Nominate your favorite Rural Health Hero

NRHA Annual Conference Registration is Now Open

January 26, 2024

NRHA Annual Conference Registration is Now Open

Registration is now open for the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Annual Rural Health Conference, May 6-10 in New Orleans.

Join NRHA and hundreds of rural health leaders to help raise the standard for rural health with more than 80 innovative, practical, and cost-saving sessions and much more.

NRHA’s Annual Conference runs concurrently with the 9th Rural Hospital Innovation Summit, and the expanded Health Equity Conference, May 6-7 and Rural Medical Education Conference May 7 occur immediately beforehand.

Act soon to nominate your rural health heroes for NRHA’s 2024 Rural Health Awards to be presented at the event.

Click Here to learn more about the NRHA 2024 Rural Health Awards

Click Here to learn more and Register for the Conference

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Representative Lauren Underwood, Launches New National Maternal Health Initiative

January 26, 2024

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Representative Lauren Underwood, Launches New National Maternal Health Initiative

On Thursday, January 25, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson, joined by Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL), co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, launched a year-long Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative. The initiative will strengthen, expand, and accelerate HRSA’s maternal health work to address maternal mortality and maternal health disparities in partnership with mothers, grantees, community organizations, and state and local health officials across the country.

The kick-off event at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC, included:

  • HRSA maternal health grantees form 11 states
  • District of Columbia
  • Key national organizations
  • Experts, providers, and individuals with lived experience
    • Attendees shared personal perspectives on maternal health care and support
    • Innovative ways HRSA grantees are making an impact on maternal health
    • How maternal mental health is addressed.

HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health initiative aims to:

  • Achieve measurable progress in maximizing the impact of HRSA grants and programs to address maternal mortality and improve maternal health
  • Foster new partnerships and collaborations among HRSA grantees in high need, high opportunity jurisdictions to address maternal mortality and improve maternal health
  • Strengthen HRSA’s internal capacity to maximize the impact of HRSA’s maternal health grants, programs and resources

This initiative focuses on parts of the country where:

  • HRSA has significant investments
  • There are significant opportunities for new partnerships and collaborations
  • There is high need
    • Arizona
    • Alabama
    • Georgia
    • Illinois
    • Kentucky
    • Maryland
    • Michigan
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • North Carolina
    • Oregon
    • District of Columbia

HRSA brings grantees from across the states of focus to foster cross-program and cross-state relationships, to drive progress in maternal health and end the maternal mortality crisis.

Learn More about the HRSA Maternal Health work

You’re Invited! – Advancing Community Paramedicine in Kansas: Policy Options & Considerations, January 30

January 26, 2024

You’re Invited! – Advancing Community Paramedicine in Kansas: Policy Options & Considerations, January 30

This event will focus on policy considerations and opportunities related to community paramedicine.

Community paramedicine is an emerging model of care that allows and enables paramedics, EMTs and other clinicians to deliver non-emergent public health, primary and preventive services to populations in the community.

These services extend beyond the roles of traditional transportation and emergency care and generally seek to increase access to care, improve patient outcomes, and avoid duplication of existing services.

The event will feature an expert panel, including individuals with experience implementing and delivering community paramedicine services, national policy experts in the field of mobile integrated health, and Kansas policymakers.

Attend in-person or virtually!

Where: Kansas Health Institute, 212 SW 8th Avenue, Topeka, KS

When: Tuesday, January 30, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Register for to attend In-Person

Register to Attend Virtually

Opportunity for Participation: Safety Program for Telemedicine – Improving Antibiotic Use

January 25, 2024

Opportunity for Participation: Safety Program for Telemedicine – Improving Antibiotic Use

Have you adapted your antibiotic prescribing approach for Telemedicine? Please consider joining the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHQR) Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Antibiotic Use.

This no-cost, cutting-edge program, to improve patient safety and antibiotic use in telemedicine is designed for:

  • Primary care
  • Urgent care
  • Direct to consumer practitioners

Benefits of participation:

  • Learn evidence-based strategies from nationally renowned experts in telemedicine diagnosis and antibiotic prescribing
  • Ear CEU/CME and ABIM MOC points
  • Improve efficiency and patient satisfaction with antibiotic prescribing in your practice with scripting for live and patient portal interactions
  • Perform better on antibiotic-related quality measures (HEDIS, MIPS)
  • Practices participating in a prior similar program saw a 9% decrease in antibiotic prescribing overall and a 15% decrease for acute respiratory infections

Learn More

AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine

Join an information webinar to learn more:

Still have questions? Please send an email to safetyprogram4telemedicine@norc.org

Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)

January 25, 2024

Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)

The Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) awards funding for educational loan repayment to eligible health care, mental health and public health professionals in exchange for service in Missouri areas with a shortage in the field.

HPLRP can award up to:

  • $65,000 for licensed health care and mental health practitioners with a doctoral degree
  • $35,000 for licensed health care and mental health practitioners with a bachelor’s or master’s degree
  • $20,000 for public health professionals with a bachelor’s degree or higher
  • $10,000 for licensed health care and mental health providers with an associate degree

Learn More

Applications accepted January 1 – March 1, 2024

For more information, please contact the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC):

Phone: (573) 751-6441

Email: Dhss.LoanRepayment@health.mo.gov

Webpage: Health.mo.gov/living/families/primarycare/hplrp/ 

HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans – February 27

January 25, 2024

HRSA Continuation Contracts for National Health Service Corps Loans – February 27

Clinicians currently serving in the National Health Service Corps can receive additional funds to repay their health professions training loans in exchange for extending their service by one year.

The Health Resource and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce announced FY24 continuous award amounts of:

  • $20,000 per year for full-time clinicians
    • Full-time clinical practice:
      • No less than 40 hours per week
      • A minimum of 45 weeks a year
  • $10,000 per year for those working part-time
    • Half-time clinical practice:
      • A minimum of 20 hours per week (not to exceed 39 hours per week)
      • A minimum of 45 weeks per year

With a continuation contract, you can extend your service by one year in exchange for an additional loan repayment award.

Prepare to Apply

When to Apply

  • If your contract end dates are between April 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024
    • Application cycle starts January 23, 2024 and ends February 27, 2024
  • If your contract end dates are between August 1, 2024 – September 29, 2024
    • Application cycle starts April 19, 2024 – May 24, 2024

Learn More

HRSA Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – Apply by February 7

January 25, 2024

HRSA Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – Apply by February 7

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) supported Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals (TTAP) program is accepting applications for two years of technical assistance. Hospitals seeking to enhance their financial and operational capacity are encouraged to apply.

TTAP is a federally funded initiative that offers comprehensive technical assistance to rural hospitals to address financial and operational challenges and maintain essential health services for their communities.

TTAP is not a grant program for hospitals. Participating hospitals will receive:

  • technical assistance at no cost
  • all applicants are eligible to participate in webinars and training events
    • focused on best practices for financial and operational improvement
    • held throughout the grant period

Eligible rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals and Inpatient Prospective Payment System facilities, can apply to participate in TTAP. Hospitals that demonstrate the greatest need for TA and readiness to engage in in-depth technical assistance are priority.

To Apply:

  • complete a brief application via the program website
    • the application will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete
    • no need to complete in one sitting
    • online applications accepted on a rolling basis
      • application deadline announced for each new project year

Technical assistance for this project is provided by the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Georgia Southern University and will begin March 2024.

Applications are now accepted through February 7.

TTAP Programming

Apply Now

National Maternal Health Awareness Day

January 23, 2024

National Maternal Health Awareness Day

Today is National Maternal Health Awareness Day and January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Learn best practices for providing maternal health services through telehealth, including developing a strategy, billing practices and more.

Learn More