July 8, 2021
HRSA Makes Awards for the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD). The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded $6.7 million to support the creation of new accredited and sustainable rural residency programs to expand the physician workforce in rural areas. The RRPD program is a multi-year collaborative initiative between HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) to increase physician training opportunities in rural communities and focus on improving access to high quality health care providers. The incoming RRPD cohort will collaborate with the RRPD-Technical Assistance Center throughout the duration of their three-year grant. To learn more about the RRPD-TA center, please visit www.RuralGME.org.
New Information and Webcast on Provider Relief Fund Reporting. HRSA has released a number of new resources to help recipients of Provider Relief Funds (PRF) comply with reporting requirements. Those who received funds prior to June 30, 2020, can access the portal through September 30 for reporting purposes. There is a fact sheet, a data entry workbook, and a webcast July 8, 2021 at 3 p.m. ET to provide technical assistance.
Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Distribution (RHCVD) Program. There’s still time to join the RHC COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Program. Medicare-certified RHCs can receive direct shipments of COVID-19 vaccines. Contact RHCVaxDistribution@hrsa.gov for more information.