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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Co-located Critical Access & Behavioral Health Hospital: Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital and Appalachian Regional Behavioral Hospital
Profiles Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) in western North Carolina. Describes how ARHS secured an exemption from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to build Appalachian Regional Behavioral Health (ARBH) Hospital nearby without losing CAH status. Discusses the impact of the CMS exemption on financial sustainability and emergency department wait times.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Broadband Access and Rural Transit: Bringing Connectivity to Rural Communities
Provides an overview of the importance of broadband access for economic development and transit operations. Discusses legislation, funding, and implementation to create broadband infrastructure in rural areas.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Transit Assistance Program
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National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC) Meeting Minutes, June 28-29, 2022
Minutes from the June 28-29, 2022 meeting, including presentations on health worker burnout, advancing health equity, initiatives to strengthen primary care, and wellness for healthcare professionals; National Health Service Corps updates; and a panel discussion of recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural areas.
Additional links: Addressing Health Worker Burnout, Advancing Health Equity from the American Medical Association, National Health Services Corps Updates, June 2022, Ohio State's Wellness Vision and Mission
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps
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Historic Funding Opportunity to Address Unsheltered Homelessness as a Social Determinant of Health in Rural Communities
Webinar recording discusses the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Initiative for Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness and how it aims to support homeless people in rural communities. Features presentations from representatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Pathways Vermont, and the Rural Health Information Hub.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Report on Health Equity, Hunger, and Nutrition in Indian Country
Reports on feedback related to food and nutrition disparities in Indian Country based on 2 listening sessions that took place in June 2022, hosted by the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) and the Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC). Provides recommendations such as improving food access and affordability, integrating indigenous-led nutrition education, promoting physical activity, enhancing food security research, and more.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Native American Agriculture Fund, Native Farm Bill Coalition
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Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration in Rural Health Facilities: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of the prevalence of mental illness and substance use disorders in rural areas. Discusses the role of rural primary care providers in treating these conditions. Outlines federal programs and resources to support behavioral health and primary care integration. Offers policy recommendations related to access to care; workforce recruitment and retention; telehealth, technology, and broadband; and reimbursement and sustainable revenue.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Tribal Broadband: National Strategy and Coordination Framework Needed to Increase Access
Provides an overview of federal programs that support the deployment of broadband infrastructure on tribal lands and the extent to which federal agencies focus on tribal issues related to broadband access. Discusses barriers tribes and providers face in accessing these federally-funded programs. Providers recommendations for the Executive Office of the President and the Department of Commerce to address tribal needs and engagement in a national broadband strategy.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Advancing Health Equity in Rural America
Report examining rural health equity, covering rural economic and demographic data, disparities by rurality, race/ethnicity, and class, and examples of initiatives that aim to increase health equity in rural communities. Offers recommendations for increasing health equity through economic and policy actions.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paula Braveman, Julia Acker, Elaine Arkin, Katrina Badger, Nicole Holm
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Costs of Evidence-Based Early Childhood Home Visiting: Results from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation
Examines how resources are allocated at Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program-funded local home visiting programs. Estimates the costs for each family served in Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) and how these costs differ across families, local programs, and evidence-based models. Includes data comparing programs that serve only metropolitan, only nonmetropolitan, and both types of counties.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Medicaid & State Telehealth Policy – Medicaid Telehealth Policy & Substance Use Disorder
Webinar covering state and federal Medicaid telehealth policy for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). Offers an overview of telehealth, its expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its application in SUD treatment with examples from Arkansas and Philadelphia. Also covers research on disparities in drug-related mortality and access to treatment during the pandemic. Captions are available by clicking "CC" at the bottom of the video pane.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 06/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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