Rural Spotlight

Missouri Medicaid Tests New Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) Model

April 25, 2024

Missouri Medicaid Tests New Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) Model

This new program aims to address social determinants of health and will have hospitals serve as community-based hubs, or regional leads, to direct strategy and coordinate the efforts of health care providers, community-based organizations (CBOs), and social service agencies within a designated rural community.

Medicaid funds will support hub activities:

  • Leadership
  • Data analysis
  • Management of community partnerships

Community partners may request funds to pay for:

  • Additional space
  • Purchase IT or other equipment
  • Purchase a vehicle
  • Obtain new training for staff

Funds will also be available to reimburse CBO partners for approved health related social needs services identified in the ToRCH communities, such as:

  • Supplemental health-related transportation
  • Food and nutrition education
  • Home-delivered medically appropriate meals
  • Housing remediation to address health risks

The first cohort of six hospitals will begin on July 1 of this year.

Click Here to learn more about ToRCH

HRSA Funding: Delta Health Systems Implementation Program – Apply by June 24

April 25, 2024

HRSA Funding: Delta Health Systems Implementation Program – Apply by June 24

This program, administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), supports hospitals in the Mississippi Delta region with projects that will improve their financial sustainability and allow for increased access to care in rural communities.

Approximately $2,000,000 across 5 awards will be aimed at financial and operational improvement, quality improvement, telehealth, and workforce development.

Interested applicants may attend a live webinar on Wednesday, May 1 at 2:00 pm Eastern.

Apply Here

New National Strategy for Suicide Prevention

April 25, 2024

New National Strategy for Suicide Prevention

On Wednesday, April 24, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released details of a plan for more than 200 actions across the federal government to address high rates of suicide.

Populations in the United States disproportionately impacted by suicide include non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native youth, middle-aged and older adults, non-Hispanic White males, rural populations, and veterans, among others.

In particular, rural communities continue to see increases in suicide rates. According to 2023 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicides in non-urban environments increased 46 percent between 2000 and 2020.

Click Here for Full Details

RHIhub This Week

April 25, 2024

RHIhub This Week

The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) This Week keeps you informed of the latest rural news, funding opportunities.

Click Here to Access RHIhub

Upcoming Webinar: Financial and Operational Benchmarking Trends and Techniques – May 1, 1:00 p.m. CT

April 25, 2024

Upcoming Webinar: Financial and Operational Benchmarking Trends and Techniques – May 1, 1:00 p.m. CT

This webinar will provide a framework for identifying financial strengths and challenges for health center performance improvement.

The presenters will utilize benchmarking and comparative metrics from Capital Link’s audited financial database and data from the federal UDS reporting system to highlight the variances between rural, urban, and national FQHC performance, as well as selected target benchmarks that support long-term sustainability.

Cost: No Cost

When: Wednesday, May 1, 1:00 p.m. CT

Register Here

Funding Opportunity: Supporting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Screening and Intervention – HRSA-24-046 – Apply by 6/21/24

April 25, 2024

Funding Opportunity: Supporting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Screening and Intervention – HRSA-24-046 – Apply by 6/21/24

The Supporting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Screening and Intervention program helps reduce alcohol use during pregnancy and improves outcomes for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), especially in communities where there’s a high rate of binge drinking during pregnancy.

The program focus is on educating Primary Care Providers (PCPs) and increasing the use of screening, intervention, and referral processes for high-risk pregnancies.

Program goals include increasing PCPs’ knowledge of the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy as well as promoting recommended screenings, interventions, and referral approaches.

Eligibility:

  • All domestic public or private, nonprofit and for profit entities
  • Institutions of higher education
  • Public institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education nonprofit entities
  • Nonprofits having a 501 (c)(3) IRS status
  • Nonprofits with an IRS status other than 501(c)(3)
  • Private for profit entities
  • For profit organizations
  • Small businesses

Click here to see complete list of eligible applicants

Learn More and Apply

Still have questions: Please contact M. Sonsy Fermin, wellwomancare@hrsa.gov, (301) 443-1702

Partner Resources: Medicaid Redetermination Process

April 25, 2024

Partner Resources: Medicaid Redetermination Process

With more than 35 million redeterminations yet to be completed, beneficiaries still need accurate information about the Medicaid Redetermination process.

The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), Family Voices and the Catalyst Center at Boston University has created fact sheets to provide important information for families and professionals.

For Patients and Families:

We lost Medicaid coverage: Now what?

For Providers:

Millions are at risk of coverage loss: What can MCH professionals do now to support families in the Medicaid redetermination process?

Health Care for Youth with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Consensus Statement

April 25, 2024

Health Care for Youth with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Consensus Statement

People with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) often face difficulties in getting proper health care and services and may not have good experiences with these systems. They may be more likely to have adverse events during their care such as seclusion, accidents and injuries.

Supporting Access for Everyone (SAFE) Initiative was created to address these challenges and aims to improve the quality of health care for young people with NDDs by establishing a standard of practice.

Click Here to Learn More

Could Rural Fire Departments Bridge the Telehealth Gap?

April 2, 2024

Could Rural Fire Departments Bridge the Telehealth Gap?

As part of Washington State University’s Rural Health Initiative, pharmacy student Amanda Whitehead is exploring the feasibility of setting up telehealth stations in rural fire stations to help bring many health care services closer to rural residents.

Additionally, using telehealth to provide palliative care support to rural family caregivers is a low-cost, feasible strategy for transitioning patients from hospital to home-based care, new research reveals.

Read Full Article

Calling RHC, CAH experts: Present at NRHA’s hometown event

April 2, 2024

Calling RHC, CAH experts: Present at NRHA’s hometown event

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is now accepting presentation proposals for the Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conferences.

The goal of NRHA’s RHC and CAH Conferences is to share effective practices, policies, and information and provide insights and best practices addressing many of the access, quality, and patient safety issues confronted by CAHs and RHCs.

Five interest tracks are available for CAH Conference submissions:

  • Innovation
  • Financial
  • Leadership
  • Quality
  • Best practices

Deadline submission: May 28

Conference Dates: September 24 – 27

Learn More

Submit Proposal Here