Date: March 17, 2022
Medical Education for African American Communities in the Rural South: What to Consider. An open access article in The Journal of Rural Health reports on findings from focus groups of medical educators and alumni discussing recruitment and retention strategies and challenges. The researchers discovered multiple factors contribute to rural racial minority recruitment and success, including mentorship, culturally competent faculty, and financial concerns.
Comments Requested: CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids – Deadline April 11. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in the process of updating the 2016 guidelines and values feedback from health care professionals and members of the public who experience acute or chronic pain.
Ongoing: HRSA Payment Program for RHC Buprenorphine-Trained Providers. In June 2021, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) launched an effort to improve access to substance use disorder treatment by paying for providers who are waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained to obtain the waiver necessary to prescribe buprenorphine after January 1, 2019. Approximately $1.5 million in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. Send questions to DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov. There is ongoing availability of a free online course for waiver eligibility training from the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine and the Providers Clinical Support System.