June 25, 2020
HHS Announces Partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to Fight COVID-19 in Vulnerable Communities. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced the selection of the Morehouse School of Medicine as the awardee for a new $40 million initiative to fight COVID-19 in racial and ethnic minority, rural, and socially vulnerable communities. The initiative – the National Infrastructure for Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 within Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities (NIMIC) – is a three-year project designed to work with community-based organizations across the nation to deliver education, information, and resources.
HHS Makes Awards to Grow and Train the Health Workforce. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced $107.2 million awarded to 310 recipients to increase the health workforce in rural and underserved communities. Recipients across 45 states and U.S. territories will receive funding to improve the quality, distribution, and diversity of health professionals serving across the country. These grant programs will help create a modern health workforce and place skilled health care professionals in high-need areas nationwide.
State Rural Hospital and Community COVID-19 Vulnerability. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Rural Health Research Program created a chart that shows the number of rural hospitals in each state and measures community vulnerability using the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index.
NIH National COVID Cohort Collaborative. As part of an effort to help scientists understand COVID and develop treatments, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a centralized, secure enclave to store and study clinical record data from people who have been diagnosed. The collaborative aims to transform clinical information into knowledge urgently needed to study COVID-19, including health risk factors that indicate better or worse outcomes of the disease, and identify potentially effective treatments.
Experts Talk About the Rural Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease. A new feature article in the Rural Monitor looks extensively at data, challenges, and resources Alzheimer’s in rural areas.
AHRQ: Characteristics and Costs of Potentially Preventable Inpatient Stays. The Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) examines the costs of potentially preventable hospitalizations, with a comparison of metropolitan and rural hospitals. The report is part of AHRQs Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, a collection of data and analyzation tools to enable research on a broad range of health policy issues.
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy FAQs for COVID-19. A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from our grantees and stakeholders, updated regularly.
COVID-19 FAQs and Funding for HRSA Programs. Find all funding and frequently asked questions for programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
CDC COVID-19 Updates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides daily updates and guidance, and ongoing Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA).
Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties. The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis provides up-to-date data and maps on rural and urban confirmed cases throughout the United States. An animated map shows the progression of cases beginning January 21.
Rural Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019. The Rural Health Information Hub has created a guide to help you learn about activities underway to address COVID-19.