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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Women

Dec 16, 2024 - Highlights the way telehealth can improve access to healthcare for rural residents, discussing access to specialty care, services for children, economic barriers, services for women, travel difficulties for working adults and older adults, and equity.
Source: Tech Times
Dec 13, 2024 - Announces a major update to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Mapping Broadband Health in America platform. Notes that the tool can be used to analyze data at the intersection of broadband connectivity and a range of public health challenges, now including maternal morbidity and mortality.
Source: Federal Communications Commission
Dec 6, 2024 - Features a program led by the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center (OBRC) which works to expand access to breastfeeding education in rural communities. Notes the health benefits of breastfeeding and lower rates of breastfeeding initiation in some rural areas. Describes how OBRC offers training to rural providers on evidence-based best practices and helps hospitals achieve Baby-Friendly designation.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Dec 2, 2024 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will hold a public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM) on January 7-8, 2025. Agenda items are being finalized but may include committee discussions of draft recommendations on achieving optimal maternal health and overall birth outcomes for underserved populations, including Black/African-American families, and a vote on whether to send the draft recommendations forward. The webinar link and log-in information will be available at the ACIMM website before the meeting. Requests for public comment should be sent via email to SACIM@hrsa.gov.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 19, 2024 - Highlights a recent study examining the challenges for female farmers. Discusses their roles on and off the farm, running a household, and the mental stressors unique to them. Notes policy measures that could ease the burden for female farmers including more childcare options in rural communities.
Source: UGA Today
Nov 18, 2024 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking nominations for the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women (ACBCYW). Nominees will be selected based on expertise in the fields of breast health, breast cancer, disease prevention and risk reduction, survivorship (including metastatic breast cancer), hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, or in related disciplines with a specific focus on young women, or with personal experience with early onset breast cancer. Nominations are due by December 16, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 1, 2024 - Announcement of new policies included in the 2025 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center final rule. Describes updated health and safety requirements for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to improve and expand access to quality maternal and behavioral health care. Notes policy changes including updated payment rates, staffing standards, quality assessments, training requirements, and expanded coverage for services provided outside the "four walls" of behavioral health clinics and clinics located in rural areas.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Oct 28, 2024 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) seeking comments on a proposed information collection related to the implementation and effectiveness of modernization projects across all 88 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) State agencies to help identify successes, opportunities for improvement, and areas for additional support from FNS to strengthen project implementation. Comments are due by December 27, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 22, 2024 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking comments on a draft recommendation to update the HRSA-supported Women's Preventive Services Guidelines relating to screening and counseling for intimate partner and domestic violence, breast cancer screening for women at average risk, and patient navigation for breast and cervical cancer screening. These draft recommendations have been developed by the Women's Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI), through which clinicians, academics, and expert health professionals develop draft recommendations for HRSA's consideration. Comments are due by November 21, 2024.
Source: Federal Register