Category: HRSA

Technical Assistance Webinar: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals, March 10

March 5, 2025

Technical Assistance Webinar: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals, March 10

The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals aims to enhance community-based experiential training for students preparing to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals. A special focus is placed on the knowledge and understanding of the specific concerns of children, adolescents, and young adults who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders.

Join the Technical Assistance webinar to learn more.

Cost: Free

When: Monday, March 10, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

Click Here to Join the Zoom webinar at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 10

Diabetes and Other Telehealth Resources from The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth

February 25, 2025

Diabetes and Other Telehealth Resources from The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in every ten people in America have diabetes and an additional 96 million people are living with pre-diabetes.

Telehealth and telemedicine can be effective tools to manage diabetes. Telehealth and technologies for diabetes management include:

  • Live video (synchronous telemedicine),
  • Smartphones and mobile applications, and
  • Remote monitoring using asynchronous technology to share information with health care providers.

Click Here to read how to use telehealth in this Best Practice Guide

Patient Resource: How to Use Telehealth for Diabetes Care

Telehealth helps patients with diabetes track and manage their health. Share this page with patients so they can learn more about how they can use telehealth for diabetes care.

Click Here to Learn More

Tip Sheet: Telehealth Privacy Tips for Providers

Providers can take steps to ensure the privacy and security of patient health information. This is essential for patients to feel comfortable using telehealth.

Click Here to Learn More

Telehealth Resources

Telehealth.HHS.gov has a variety of telehealth resources for health care providers, including doctors, practitioners, and hospital staff. These include tips on how to get started planning workflows, telehealth policy and billing, and licensure.

Click Here to Find Telehealth Resources

Critical Access Hospital Financial Sustainability Guide

February 18, 2025

Critical Access Hospital Financial Sustainability Guide

This resource from the National Rural Health Resource center provides guidance and assistance to state Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program personnel, leaders of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and others helping CAHs manage long-term stability.

Click Here to Access the CAH Financial Sustainability Guide

USDA Rural Hospital Technical Assistance

February 18, 2025

USDA Rural Hospital Technical Assistance

Through a cooperative agreement with the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) provides several types of assistance to rural hospitals selected in collaboration with USDA. Technical Assistance services will be provided under contract with NRHA by selected contractors who specialize in the types of services outlined below.

Process and Criteria

Through NRHA, USDA will provide selected rural hospitals with TA services to identify and address health care needs and strengthen the local health care system.

The goal is to:

  • Enhance hospital systems for improved efficiency and financial performance,
  • Bolster quality of care, and
  • Support the community.

Prior to selection, hospitals will be interviewed by NRHA and complete an initial assessment to identify TA services needed. The total number of projects will be limited by cooperative agreement funding.

Project Goals

Possible project goals may include:

  1. Improving financial position and increasing operational efficiencies
  2. Implementing quality improvements that support an evidenced-based culture for improved health outcomes.
  3. Increasing use of telehealth to fill service gaps and improve access to care.
  4. Strengthening the local health care delivery system to position for population health.
  5. Providing hospital board training through NRHA’s certification program.

For more information and to see if your hospital qualifies, or to refer a hospital that would benefit from technical assistance, fill out the referral form and NRHA staff will follow up.

Contact Mory Bell, mbell@ruralhealth.us for more information and assistance.

Click Here to Access Referral Form

Funding Opportunity: HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals, Apply by March 18

February 18, 2025

Funding Opportunity: HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals, Apply by March 18

The purpose of the HRSA-25-066 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals is to develop and expand community-based experiential training such as field placements and internships to increase the skills, knowledge and capacity of students preparing to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals.

The program has a special focus on developing knowledge and understanding of the needs of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder.

The program also emphasizes developmental opportunities and educational support in interprofessional collaboration by using team-based care in integrated behavioral health and primary care settings to improve the distribution of a well-trained behavioral health workforce.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will award approximately $10.9 million to up to 29 awardees over a period of four years.

The funding will go to community-based organizations, including Rural health Clinics, for training that prepares students to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals.

Apply by March 18, 2025.

Click Here to See Complete List of Eligible Applicants and Learn More

New Fact Sheets from USDA

February 18, 2025

New Fact Sheets from USDA

The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regularly updates data on population, income, poverty, food security, education, employment/unemployment, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, and agricultural exports for all states and includes breakouts for rural and metropolitan areas.

County-level Data Sets include poverty estimates, unemployment, and median household income. A separate ERS report examines the Trends and Patterns of Job Quality in the United States, including wages, employer sponsored health insurance coverage, and retirement benefits between 2000 and 2022.

Click Here to see County-level data sets

Click Here to see Trends and Patterns of Job Quality in the United States

DEA, HHS Finalize Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine

February 18, 2025

DEA, HHS Finalize Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) are amending their regulations to expand the circumstances under which practitioners registered by the DEA are authorized to prescribe schedule III-V controlled substances approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid use disorder via telemedicine, including an audio-only telemedicine encounter.

Under these new regulations, after a practitioner reviews the patient’s prescription drug monitoring program data for the state in which the patient is located, the practitioner may prescribe an initial six-month supply of such medications (split amongst several prescriptions totaling six calendar months) through audio-only means.

Click Here to Learn More

Telehealth Resources for Providers and Patients

February 18, 2025

Telehealth Resources for Providers and Patients

Please click on the links below to access these telehealth resources for both patients and providers:

Funding Opportunity: Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS), HRSA-25-041, Apply by April 22

February 5, 2025

Funding Opportunity: Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS), HRSA-25-041, Apply by April 22

The purpose of the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) program is to support collaborative improvement and innovation networks to improve access to and delivery of maternity and obstetrics care in rural areas.

Eligible Applicants Include:

  • Hospitals, including Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs)
  • Community-based organizations
  • Community health centers
  • FQHCs
  • Special district governments
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
  • State governments
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Small businesses
  • Independent school districts

Apply by April 22.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Funding Opportunity: Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development, HRSA-25-101, Apply by April 17

February 5, 2025

Funding Opportunity: Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development, HRSA-25-101, Apply by April 17

The purpose of this Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development Program is to improve health care in rural areas, including expanding access to medical care and long-term services, for rural aging populations by expanding PACE programs into rural areas.

Eligible Applicants:

  • City or township governments
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Special district governments
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) IRS status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
  • County governments
  • State governments
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments.
  • Public Institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • For profit organizations
  • Hospitals, including rural emergency hospitals
  • Community-based organizations
  • FQHCs
  • RHCs

Apply by April 17.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply