Rural Spotlight

New Funding Opportunity: Graduate Psychology Education Program

October 25, 2024

New Funding Opportunity: Graduate Psychology Education Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to increase access to behavioral health services in high demand areas.

The Graduate Psychology Education Program (GPE) -HRSA-25-067 provides training to  doctoral health service psychology students, interns, and post-doctoral residents in integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral health. The program will prepare trainees to provide behavioral health services in community-based primary care settings. The program also supports faculty development in health service psychology.

HRSA will award approximately $22.8 million to up to 50 grantees over a period of three years through this opportunity.

Eligible Applicants:

  • Public and private institutions of higher education
  • Hospitals and rural health clinics
  • HRSA-funded health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • State and local governments
  • Tribal governments and organizations

Applications are due by January 21, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Click Here to learn more and apply

NRHA Now Accepting Applications – Rural Health Community Capacity Academy

October 22, 2024

NRHA Now Accepting Applications – Rural Health Community Capacity Academy, Apply by November 1

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is now accepting applications for the association’s Rural Health Community Capacity Academy.

The  Academy is designed to support rural organizations in addressing local community health challenges by building their capacity for community engagement and development. Selected organizations will work with rural health development coaches who provide personalized guidance to assess strengths and develop strategies to overcome challenges.

This program is aimed at established rural health organizations with a demonstrated need for capacity-building support.

Assistance may focus on improving operations, such as:

  • Administrative processes,
  • Leadership development, and
  • Strengthening collaboration.

Application Process:

  • Applications are due by Friday, November 1
  • NRHA will review applications and notify applicants of their status via email.
  • Accepted applicants must confirm their participation within two weeks of notification.

Costs:

Participation in the Rural Health Community Capacity Academy is fully funded. There are no fees for participants.

Please contact Courtney Glover at CGlover@ruralhealth.us with any questions.

Click Here to Apply

Registration Open for Missouri Rural Health Day Celebration

October 22, 2024

Registration Open for Missouri Rural Health Day Celebration

Registration is open for the 2024 Annual Rural Health Day Celebration! This year the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care is hosting the celebration at Capital Bluffs Event Center, located in the Turkey Creek Golf Course in Jefferson City.

Please join us to celebrate Rural Health Day which promotes the “Power of Rural” and the ongoing efforts to communicate, educate, collaborate, and innovate to improve the health of rural Missourians.

Intended Audience: The audience is anyone interested in rural health:

  • Providers
  • Hospital staff
  • Clinic staff
  • Associations
  • State agencies
  • Community groups
  • Legislators

Cost: Free

  • No registration fee,
  • No parking fee,
  • Lunch will be served

When: Thursday, November 21, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where:

  • Capital Bluffs Event Center
  • 1616 Oil Well Road
  • Jefferson City, MO 65101

Click Here to Register

Rural Health Champions – Call for Nominations

October 22, 2024

Rural Health Champions – Call for Nominations

The Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (DHSS, ORHPC) is seeking nominations for 2024 Missouri Rural Health Champions.

National Rural Health Day provides an opportunity to honor remarkable individuals and organizations going above and beyond for rural health and ORHPC needs your help in identifying persons and/or organizations as Rural Health Champions.

Please take a moment and think of just one person or organization that should receive honor and recognition for their work in rural health and complete the nomination form located here.

Awards will be presented on November 21, 2024, during the Missouri Rural Health Day Celebration. This award is designed to honor a minimum of one individual and one group, depending on the number and type of nomination received. The person or group honored should demonstrate how their contributions are making a difference in Missouri rural health care through collaboration, education, innovation, and communication.

The deadline for nominations is October 31, 2024.

Click Here to Nominate Your Rural Health Champion

Reminder: Hospitals and CAH Respiratory Illness Reporting Requirements Begin November 1, 2024

October 22, 2024

Reminder: Hospitals and CAH Respiratory Illness Reporting Requirements Begin November 1, 2024

In the CY2025 Medicare Inpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System Final Rule (starting on page 898), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added requirements for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to electronically report information related to flu, COVID-19 and RSV via the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

CDC has posted instructions for Reporting Requirements, Frequency, and Pathway as well as templates, training slides, and additional resources.

Reporters may use either the weekly reporting pathway OR the daily reporting pathway to satisfy requirements for Hospital Respiratory Data for CMS CoP; reporters do NOT need to provide data into both pathways to meet the requirement.

Got questions? Please read the linked sources above or reach out to your CMS Regional Representative.

Click Here to Access NHSN Respiratory Data (HRD) Reporting

Telehealth Resources for Patients and Providers

October 17, 2024

Telehealth Resources for Patients and Providers

The Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) has the following telehealth resources for patients and providers:

  • Telehealth for emergency preparedness
    • Telehealth is important for providing medical care during an emergency, such as a pandemic or natural disaster. Providers can use telehealth to perform quick assessments, triage patients, and deliver patient care.
    • This best practice guide provides detailed information and resources on using telehealth for emergency preparedness.
  • Preparing patients for Telehealth
    • The transition to telehealth is an adjustment for patients as well as health care providers. By preparing your patients for remote medical care, you help ensure their comfort and maintain quality care.
  • Telehealth for special needs children (Patient Resource)
    • Telehealth can be used to support children and families with unique health care needs.
  • Telehealth Events
    • Find upcoming webinars, conference, and other events around telehealth.

Telehealth Research Recaps

October 17, 2024

Telehealth Research Recaps

View summaries that highlight trending telehealth research, including behavioral health, economic impact, health equity, and more.

Click Here to View Recaps

Missouri Rural Health Conference, November 6-7 Register Now

October 17, 2024

Missouri Rural Health Conference, November 6-7 Register Now

Co-hosted by the Missouri Rural Health Association and the Association of Rural Health Clinics, the Missouri Rural Health Conference will be held at the Lodge at Old Kinderhook.

This event promises to bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers, and advocates to discuss critical issues and innovations in rural health.

Click Here to view Agenda

When: November 6 – 7

Where: The Lodge of Old Kinderhook, 678 Old Kinderhook Dr, Camdenton, MO 65020

Click Here to Register

OSHA Request for Information: Extending COVID-19 Recordkeeping and Reporting for Employees in Healthcare Settings – respond by December 9

October 17, 2024

OSHA Request for Information: Extending COVID-19 Recordkeeping and Reporting for Employees in Healthcare Settings – respond by December 9

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) seeks comments on their request to extend requirements for collecting information specified in OSHA’s COVID-19 Recordkeeping and Reporting in Healthcare Standard, which applies to settings where any employee provides healthcare services.

The requirements include:

  • Establishing and maintaining a log of each instance identified by the employer that an employee is COVID-19 positive;
  • Make the individual log entry available upon request for examination and copying, and
  • Reporting to OSHA each work-related COVID-19 fatality and each work-related COVID-19 in-patient hospitalization within specific timeframes of the employer learning of them.

OSHA would like to hear from the public:

  • Whether the information collection requirements are necessary for the proper performance of the agency’s function to protect workers;
  • If OSHA’s estimate of the burden (time and costs) of collecting the information is accurate; and
  • What are some ways to minimize the burden on employers who much comply.

OSHA will summarize responses when they submit their request to the Office of Management and Budget to extend the requirements.

Click Here to Comment

Request for Information: Medicare $2 Drug List Model – Respond by December 9

October 17, 2024

Request for Information: Medicare $2 Drug List Model – Respond by December 9

In response to an Executive Order to lower prescription drug costs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a model to test whether a simpler approach to offering low-cost, clinically important generic drugs can improve medication adherence, lead to better health outcomes, and improve satisfaction with the Part D prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare and for prescribers.

This RFI aims to obtain input from a broad range of interested parties to support continued development of the model. CMS’ primary areas of interest include:

  • Drug List Development Process;
  • Maximizing Plan Participation;
  • CMS Outreach Efforts;
  • Part D Sponsor Outreach and Education Efforts for Beneficiaries;
  • Assessment of Model Impact;
  • Drug List Modifications.

CMS is interested in hearing from all stakeholders, including, but not limited to:

  • Medicare beneficiaries
  • Advocates
  • Medicare Part D plan sponsors
  • Pharmacy benefit managers
  • Prescribers
  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacies
  • Policy experts
  • Researchers
  • Drug manufacturers
  • Wholesalers
  • Distributors
  • All other interested parties

Click Here to Read More

Click Here to Read Executive Order

Process for Submitting Response:

  • Deadline to respond: December 9, 2024, 11:59 p.m. PST
  • Comments can be submitted here