Rural Spotlight

In celebration of National Rural Health Day; the Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care recognizes a Rural Health Champion Individual and Team every year, who advocates for rural health issues in Missouri.  We would like to announce the winners of the 2019 Missouri Rural Health Champion Awards below:  

Individual Champion Award Winner

CONGRATULATIONS goes to Elizabeth Hughes, the former Director of Christian Action Ministries in Taney County MO, for being voted Missouri’s Rural Health Champion Individual Award Winner for 2019.

Click here to view the nomination for the 2019 Individual Award Winner: Elizabeth Hughes

Team Champion Award Winner:

CONGRATULATIONS goes to Pain Management and Suboxone Team with Ozarks Community Hospital in Southwest MO, for being voted Missouri’s Rural Health Champion Team Award Winner for 2019.

Click here to view the nomination for the 2019 Team Award Winner: Ozarks Community Hospital’

Congratulations to our winners on their well-deserved honor!

Thanks to you and all the nominees, for all you do for your patients and your communities!

October 1, 2019

Comments Requested: Rural Access to Health Care Services – Response deadline October 9

Secretary Alex M. Azar II created a Rural Health Task Force at HHS, with key leaders and stakeholders from across the Department, to identify the needs of rural communities, how to meet those needs, and what HHS policy changes can address those needs. The intent is to determine not only how to deliver care in rural areas in a sustainable manner but also how rural health care may change in the future to ensure that it is accessible, high quality, value-based, and provided at the lowest cost possible.   As part of the Rural Health Task Force, HRSA is soliciting public input on how best to conceptualize and measure access to health care in rural communities.  HRSA seeks responses to the “Questions for Public Comment” section of this notice.

Response Format: Responses must be provided via email to hrsacomments@hrsa.gov and must reference “Rural Access to Health Care Services RFI” in the title.

Additional details about the opportunity, including the question list:  https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rfi-rural-health-care-access

Vulnerable Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Applications – Open until October 31

The HRSA-funded Vulnerable Rural Hospital Assistance Program application period is open. This program aims to provide targeted in-depth assistance to rural hospitals so they may provide continued access to essential health services.  Please note the application is an abbreviated process and is not a full grant application.  For this program, 30 hospitals will be selected for technical assistance in 2020: 5  will receive on-site technical assistance and 25 will receive remote facilitation.   The program offers technical assistance only;  there are no grant funds available for hospitals.  The work between the technical assistance provider and the hospitals is a partnership. In collaboration with the technical assistance team, hospitals will take an active role in identifying priorities and implementing action plans

Additional details about the opportunity and the application itself:  http://www.optimizingruralhealth.org/wp_2019/application-faqs/. 

Comments Requested:  Rural Health Grants Eligibility – Response Deadline November 2

HRSA seeks public input on whether or how eligibility criteria governing community-based grant programs administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy affect rural health organizations’ ability to apply for and leverage grant funding. In particular, HRSA seeks responses to the “Questions for Public Comment” section of this notice.

Response Format: Responses must be provided via email to RFIComments@hrsa.gov and must reference “Rural Health Grants Eligibility RFI” in the title.

Additional details about the opportunity, including the question list:  https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rfi-rural-health-grants-eligibility

September 26, 2019

What’s New

Quality Improvement Mentors for Critical Access Hospitals Announced.  Last week, eight Critical Access Hospital (CAH) staff were announced to serve as national Virtual Quality Improvement Mentors for other CAHs across the country.  The mentors were selected from a pool of candidates nominated for their success in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP), a project that invites CAHs to voluntarily report their data on quality measures and look for ways to improve patient outcomes.

Funding Opportunities

Small Rural Hospital Transition Project – October 16.  In response to the increasing number of rural hospital closures, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy administers the Small Rural Hospital Transition Project (SHRT).  The program provides technical assistance through onsite consultations to eligible hospitals that have 49 beds or less and are located in a federally-designated persistent poverty county. Core areas of technical assistance include: 1) financial operational assessment (FOA) and 2) quality improvement (QI) projects. A total of nine hospitals will be selected based on a competitive process. A minimum of three FOA projects and three QI projects will be selected in each core area.  Interested applicants that meet SRHT readiness requirements and project expectations are encouraged to apply.

Community Food Projects Technical Assistance – Ongoing.  Any organization seeking or receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Community Food Projects grant program is eligible to apply for one-on-one technical assistance, educational resources, and professional development opportunities from the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.  The USDA program promotes self-reliance in low-income communities by improving access to locally-grown foods. Read more »

September 25, 2019

View the Rural Health Information Update.

September 11, 2019

View the Rural Health Information Update.

September 12, 2019

View the Rural Health Information Update. 

September 19, 2019

 What’s New

Comments Requested: Rural Eligibility for FORHP Funding – November 2.  As part of an ongoing effort by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to assess the extent to which FORHP-administered grant programs align with the needs of rural communities, HRSA has published a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting public comment.  Respondents are asked to comment on whether and how the eligibility criteria governing FORHP’s community-based grant programs affect rural communities’ ability to leverage grant funding through FORHP.  RFI responses must be provided via email to RFIComments@hrsa.gov and must reference “Rural Health Grants Eligibility RFI” in the title.  Submissions are due no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2019. HRSA will not accept hard-copy responses or other formats.

The Help End Addiction for Life Initiative. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in partnership with the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) released a case study on the rural Kentucky Help End Addiction for Life (HEAL) initiative. This case study provides an in-depth examination of HEAL’s unique features and highlights the voices of local providers and stakeholders. The lessons learned by the HEAL coalition offer strategies for other communities to consider in their own collaborations to reduce opioid use.

Funding Opportunities

Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship – November 6.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will provide up to $165,000 for up to six mid-career professionals with an advanced degree.  Fellows will participate in the policy process at the federal level and will use that leadership experience to improve health, healthcare, and health policy. The experience is designed to prepare individuals with the skills needed to influence the future of public health and healthcare policy, as well as provide a way to advance their own career development. The fellowship requires, at a minimum, a 12-month residential experience in Washington, D.C., with additional support for health policy leadership development activities.  RWJF seeks diversity of background, including rural life and experience.  Read more »

August 28, 2019

New Federal Funding Opportunity for the Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program

On Tuesday, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) published a new Notice of Funding Opportunity.  The Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program (Delta) will support up to 12 organizations, which are either public or nonprofit private rural entities within the Delta Region.  The Delta Region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.  Each applicants needs to  represent a network and/or consortium of three or more participants. Organizations that meet eligibility requirements are eligible to apply. Faith-based, community-based, and tribal organizations are also eligible to apply for these funds if they meet the rural eligibility. For-profit or urban-based organizations are not eligible to be the applicant organization, but can participate in the network.  All services must be provided in a non-metropolitan county or rural census tract. HRSA expects to invest approximately $12 million for this program to support the development of integrated health care networks to address unmet local health care needs and prevalent health disparities in rural Delta communities.

The Delta program’s goals are: (i) to achieve efficiencies; (ii) to expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential health care services; and (iii) to strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. The Delta Program, competitive every three years, offers rural Delta organizations resources to help rural communities develop partnerships and jointly address health programs that affect the Delta Region. Previously funded organizations under this program implemented multi-county evidence-based projects that address the following key focus areas: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and acute ischemic stroke. In addition to the required key focus area(s), grantees could also devote a percentage of grant funds toward another issue identified as a need in the service area. Programmatic activities across the service regions were implemented with particular effort and resources directed towards the most underserved communities with the highest unmet health care and health promotion needs to promote sustainability of rural health networks and strengthen local communities.

Full details of the program and requirements for applicants are available at Grants.gov

Applications will be accepted until December 6, 2019.

August 22, 2019

What’s New

Comments Requested: Rural Access to Health Care Services – October 9. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeks information from the public about measuring access to health care in rural communities. This Request for Information (RFI) supports the ongoing work of the HHS Rural Health Task Force that is seeking to identify the needs of rural communities, how to meet those needs, and what HHS policy changes can address those needs. Questions for public comment specific to rural communities include: what are the core health care services needed, what types and numbers of health care professionals are needed, what factors are important to identify core health services, and how should access to health care services be measured. People in rural communities face a range of health disparities, including greater obesity and disease burden in children and adults, higher mortality rates, and shorter life expectancy. Rural areas also have fewer health professionals per person compared to urban areas.

Agrisafe: Nurse Scholar Distance Education Program – Early Registration Ends August 23. Calling all nurses serving rural communities!  Get the tools necessary to help farmers and ranchers in your community, while earning 18 Continuing Nursing Education hours. The Nurse Scholar program is a distance learning opportunity available to rural nurses provided by experienced health and safety educators. Increase your knowledge base in prevention, identification, and assessment of diseases related to agricultural work exposures. Classes are in the form of webinars from September 4 – December 6, 2019 that can be viewed live or On Demand.

Funding Opportunities

Rural Health Network Development Program  – November 25. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a new Notice of Funding Opportunity for The Rural Health Network Development Program (Network Development). This program will support up to 46 applicant organizations, which are either public or nonprofit private rural entities who represent a network of three or more separate, existing health care entities. HRSA expects to invest approximately $13 million for this program to support integrated rural health care networks that combine the functions of the network entities and include skilled, experienced staff, with a high functioning network board, to address the health care needs of the targeted rural community. Read more »

August 21, 2019

View the Rural Health Information Update.