Rural Spotlight

January 19, 2024

CDC Details Downward Mortality Trend for Older Adults (Before COVID-19)

The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, pre-pandemic, death rates were decreasing for both urban and rural U.S. adults aged 65 and older. Data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show that, though death rates from 2009 to 2019 were higher in rural areas than urban areas for both men and women and for all race and Hispanic-origin groups, they declined 15 percent in rural areas over that period.

CDC research from 2019 showed rural Americans are more likely to die from five leading causes than people living in urban areas. The research showed that rural residents are also more likely to die of preventable deaths – with higher rates of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure and obesity, higher rates of poverty, and less access to health care and health insurance.

Click here to read full article

January 19, 2024

Upcoming Webinar – HRSA’s Loan Guarantee Program: An Overview

If you are in need of additional financing for your upcoming capital project, join Capital Link, on February 6^th for an overview of the benefits, eligibility and application process of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program (LGP).

A loan from the HRSA LGP can enhance your credit profile and cover up to 80% of the principal amount of loans made by non-federal lenders. The LGP also reduces lender risk and allows a lender to provide a loan under more favorable terms than otherwise possible.

LGP Benefits to Health Centers:

A loan guarantee can

Enhance the health center’s credit profile
Reduce the lender’s risk and allow them to lend to health centers under more favorable terms
For some centers a loan guarantee might mean the difference between getting a “yes” or “no” from a lender
For others a loan guarantee may allow the lender to offer a lower interest rate, longer fixed-rate term or a higher loan to value ratio

Interested or have questions? Join Capital Link’s webinar session which provides an overview of the benefits, eligibility and application process of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

When: February 6, 1:00 p.m. CT

Cost: No charge

If you are unable to attend this webinar, a recording will be available here, along with all the recordings of past webinars.

Please contact Chloe Bahnan cbanan@caplink.org if you have any questions.

January 18, 2024

NRHA Webinar on ER Behavior Health

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) partner HFG Architecture will host a webinar at 2 p.m. CST January 23 on ER designs to accommodate behavior issues.

Emergency rooms serve as a single-entry point for a variety of patients into a hospital. From sick children and expecting mothers to victims of violent crime and traumatic incidents, the ER has to accommodate a wide range of needs and increasingly this includes behavioral health patients. Intentional design is critical to the overall safety of hospital staff, patients and visitors.

When designing emergency rooms for behavioral health patients, preserving security for patients and staff security should be the number one priority. Crucial security considerations during design include:

Direct linking of the ED to the behavioral health ward
Controlling access to all spaces
Anti-ligature and tamper-proof features
Limiting or enhancing patient privacy with clear sight lines, depending on patient acuity
Administration of bathroom access
Designing nurse stations close by the ED holding rooms

These elements and more will be discussed in this lecture by two subject matter experts.

When: January 23, 2 p.m. EST

Cost: No charge

January 18, 2024

NRHA Webinar – Medicare Advantage’s Rapid Rise in Rural Communities: Understanding – and Addressing – this Unique Challenge to Rural Hospitals

For rural hospitals, Medicare Advantage plans present unique challenges.

Reimbursement rates are lower,
Denials are frequent,
Administering multiple plans stretches resources that are already thin

New Chartis data reveals that Medicare Advantage plans now account for 38 percent of all Medicare-eligible patients across rural America. In some states, it already exceeds 50 percent.

Join the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) for the Leading Rural Health Series as they examine how Medicare Advantage is reshaping rural hospital operations including input from NRHA COO Brock Slabach and many other rural health leaders.

When: Wednesday, January 24, 2:00 p.m. CST

January 18, 2024

Rural Hospitals Caught in Aging Infrastructure Conundrum

An increase in costs amid lower payments from insurance plans makes it harder for small hospitals to fund large capital improvement projects that would better serve their community.

Additionally, a KFF report shows 9 percent of hospitals had “vulnerable” cash-on-hand levels in 2022, and Western Pennsylvania hospitals are facing pushback over bed capacity. Finally, NRHA Partner TruBridge discusses how to empower effective rural health care revenue cycles.

Act by 11:59 p.m. CST January 20 to save on registration for NRHA’s 35^th Rural Health Policy Institute, where hundreds of advocates will educate Congress on keeping rural facilities open and up to date, February 13-15 in Washington D.C.

See Articles for Full details

Learn More about NRHA’s 35^th Rural Policy Institute

January 18, 2024

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) (HRSA-24-015) Top 5 FAQs

Q1: Who is eligible to apply for the NFLP grant? Are individuals eligible to apply?

Applicants must be domestic accredited schools of nursing with advanced nursing education programs. Individuals are not eligible to apply for this grant.

Q2: We are a current NFLP grantee and still have remaining NFLP funds. Can we apply for more funding during the 2024 application cycle?

You can apply for additional funding if you anticipate needing more funds to support current or prospective student borrowers for the 2024 academic year.

Note: The NFLP is a formula-based program. NFLP funds will be distributed among applicants as formula-payment based awards according to data provided in the application.

Q3: What are some examples of nurse educator development activities that can be supported by the NFLP fund award?

Examples of nurse educator development activities are (not limited to):

Mentorship teaching practicum
Teaching assistantships
Nurse education focused workshop
Nurse educator certification preparation
Nurse educator certification fees

Nurse educator development activities should be incorporated as part of the curriculum/courses. NFLP loan funds can be used to cover the cost of student nurse educator development activities within the course of study, as a reasonable educational expense.

Q4: Can part-time advanced nursing education students receive NFLP loan support? How is enrollment status determined?

Both part-time and full-time students in advanced nursing education programs can receive NFLP loan support. The determination of part-time or full-time enrollment status is based on institutional policies; the school makes the decision about what constitutes part-time or full-time enrollment status, including semester sequence.

Q5: Can we allocate a part of the NFLP award for personnel, specifically for document processing and managing NFLP program requirements, or is it exclusively for personnel costs related to collections?

NFLP funds may only be used for students’ loan support except for covering the costs of collection of loaned principals, accrued interest and/or penalty, and cost of student nurse educator development activities as reasonable expenses.

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on February 5, 2024

More Questions?

Check out the full list of FAQs and the Technical Assistance Webinar recording

Read more about this funding opportunity HRSA-24-015

January 17, 2024

Upcoming Webinar – Secrets of the 5 Star Physician with Dr. Michael Klein

Join Michael Klein and Brian Lee as they share their exciting new breakthrough in Physician and Advanced Care Practitioner engagement model to improve their patient experience.

Who Should Attend:

Physicians
Physician leaders
Advanced care practitioners
Practice leaders
CEOs
CNOs
Quality professionals & Patient Experience Champions
Anyone engaged with provider services and support

You will learn how to:

Educate providers to become actively engaged improving the patient experience
Gain a buy-in and adopt the 5 Star HABITS model of creating TRUST through kindness and communication
Embrace new patient driven best practices and processes that lead to a consistent 5 star patient and family experience
Phase in the 5 Star Physician HABIT Checklist as the model for current and future providers to deliver a 5 Star patient experience every time
Gain a buy-in for Ten Patient Focused Policies

Cost: No Charge

When:

February
- 8:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
- 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
- 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time
- 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time

Click here to Register

January 17, 2024

Upcoming Webinar – Make Training Stick – Service Delivery for Clinics

Empower your entire team of caregivers to deliver a thoughtful, timely patient experience, every time. This one-hour, high-impact Executive Briefing is designed for healthcare managers and leaders.

Tools & Takeaways

Learn best practices and skills to improve and own your patient experience scores
Enhance your onboarding and retention process by educating new hires with 17 must-have patient experience communication skills
Become a patient relationship expert and learn how to energize your staff
Boost employee engagement while learning together and sharing ideas
Take the Everyone’s a Caregiver Test Drive today!

Cost: No charge

When:

January 22
- 8 a.m. Pacific Time
- 9 a.m. Mountain Time
- 10 a.m. Central Time
- 11 a.m. Eastern Time

Click here to Register

January 17, 2024

Warming Center Sites in Missouri

Winter weather is upon us and can be potentially hazardous as Missouri typically experiences periods of extreme cold during the winter. It is important to be prepared!

It is important to remember that the extreme cold can affect everyone, but can be especially dangerous to small children, the elderly and the chronically ill.

Warming centers provide a warm, safe place for people to go during cold weather. If you know of a senior or an adult with a disability who needs assistance due to cold weather, Make a Difference.

Make the call: 1 800 392-0210

Click here for interactive map of warming center sites in Missouri

More cold weather resources can be found on the DHSS Hypothermia webpage

Rural Spotlight

CDC Details Downward Mortality Trend for Older Adults (Before COVID-19)

Upcoming Webinar – HRSA’s Loan Guarantee Program: An Overview

NRHA Webinar on ER Behavior Health

NRHA Webinar – Medicare Advantage’s Rapid Rise in Rural Communities: Understanding – and Addressing – this Unique Challenge to Rural Hospitals

Rural Hospitals Caught in Aging Infrastructure Conundrum

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) (HRSA-24-015) Top 5 FAQs

Upcoming Webinar – Secrets of the 5 Star Physician with Dr. Michael Klein

Upcoming Webinar – Make Training Stick – Service Delivery for Clinics

Warming Center Sites in Missouri

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