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Rural Health Information Hub

RHIhub This Week - October 23, 2024

Rural Monitor

'A Silent, Unmet Need': Rural Motherhood and the Challenges of Postpartum Care
by Gretel Kauffman
Maternal deaths have increased in the U.S., with half of those deaths occurring in the year after childbirth. In many rural communities, accessing necessary postpartum care has become increasingly difficult.

RHIhub Topic Guides

Finding Statistics and Data Related to Rural Health
Our recently updated topic guide provides information and resources on how and where to find rural and rural-relevant data and statistics. Shares how to navigate to rural specific statistics on https://data.census.gov and identifies other considerations and challenges when analyzing rural health data.

RHIhub Survey - Last Chance

Description RHIhub Survey – Last Chance! Please complete our annual survey by Tuesday, October 29, 2024 to let us know how we can better serve you. RHIhub would like to hear from you!

Archived Webinar

In case you missed it, a recording and transcript of our recent webinar Hospital Price Transparency: What Hospitals Need to Know – Part 2 is now available!

 Recently Added to the Online Library
 Information from around the web

Recent News

Northern Forest Center Focuses on Rural Middle-Income Housing Needs
Oct 23, 2024 -- Highlights the work of the nonprofit Northern Forest Center to fund workforce housing development in rural Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. Notes that housing shortages have contributed to recruitment challenges for local businesses, including healthcare organizations. Describes their "capital stack" funding approach and the potential for replication in rural communities elsewhere in the country.
Source: The Daily Yonder

Medical Academy Serves High School Students and Their Communities
Oct 22, 2024 -- Profiles Montevideo Medical Academy, a medical training program creating a pipeline for rural Minnesota high school students toward healthcare professions. Describes how the program was started and successes early in the program.
Source: The Daily Yonder

Biden-Harris Administration Takes Groundbreaking Action to Expand Health Care Access by Covering Traditional Health Care Practices
Oct 16, 2024 -- Announces an amendment to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to allow coverage of traditional healthcare practices at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities, tribal facilities, and urban Indian organizations in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Oregon. The action is expected to improve access to culturally appropriate healthcare. Notes the health disparities for American Indian and Alaska Native populations compared to the general population.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Federal Register

HRSA: Notice of Request for Public Comments on Draft Recommendations for 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
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

Funding & Opportunities

Rural Health Community Capacity Academy
An educational opportunity designed to support rural organizations in addressing local community health challenges by building their capacity for community engagement and development. Selected organizations will work with rural health development coaches who provide personalized guidance to assess strengths and develop strategies to overcome challenges.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Nov 1, 2024
Sponsor: National Rural Health Association


Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (Project SCALES)
Funding for projects that aim to build capacity and increase the resilience of food systems by supporting partnerships between school food authorities and growers, producers, distributors, and processors, as well as other industry partners.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Dec 13, 2024
Sponsors: Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University, LunchAssist, U.S. Department of Agriculture


MultiPlan Rural Health Grant
Grants to help healthcare providers in rural areas introduce or expand services, education, screenings and other programs aimed at improving the health of people in their communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 15, 2024
Sponsor: MultiPlan


Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions
A 1-year fellowship designed to help public safety and public health practitioners and other interested community members collaborate more effectively to address substance use and misuse in rural communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 16, 2024
Sponsors: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State Justice Institute, U.S. Department of Justice


NBCC Foundation Rural Scholarships
Scholarships for students residing in rural areas who are currently enrolled in a master's level counseling program and are committed to practicing in rural communities after graduation.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
Sponsor: National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation


Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Grants and Guaranteed Loans
Financing and grant funding for agriculture producers and rural small businesses to purchase, install, and construct renewable energy systems or complete energy efficiency improvements. An example of a potential project may be the installation of solar panels for hospitals or clinics to improve energy costs.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development


Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals
Grants to develop and expand experiential training opportunities, such as field placements and internships, to improve the distribution and supply of the behavioral health workforce. The program emphasizes relationships with community-based partners to increase access to quality behavioral health services in high need and high demand areas, such as rural communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 21, 2025
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services


Graduate Psychology Education Program
Grants to train doctoral health service psychology students, interns, and postdoctoral residents in integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral health. This includes opioid use and substance use in high-need underserved and rural populations.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 21, 2025
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Resources

The Burden of HPV-Associated Cancer in Rural America Beyond 2020
Explores the burden of HPV-associated cancer in rural communities after the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights rates of HPV-associated cancer in rural, urban, and metro populations and discusses prevention efforts.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Location: Rural and Remote Health, 24, 9281
Date: 10/2024


Developing a Rural Community Approach to Overcoming Stigma
Discusses the Community Conversation on Opioid Use Disorder workshop model as a community-engaged process for stigma reduction in rural areas. Includes short videos with subtitles and links to resources supporting workshops and other stigma-reduction programs.
Sponsoring organization: University of Rochester Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence

Health Care Workforce: Key Issues, Challenges, and the Path Forward
Provides an overview of the supply and distribution of physicians, nurses, direct care workers, behavioral health workers, and oral healthcare providers. Describes persistent challenges related to the healthcare workforce, including supply and distribution of healthcare workers, especially in rural communities; racial and ethnic diversity; burnout; compensation; and administrative burden. Identifies opportunities to address these challenges and efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues.
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Date: 10/2024


Interfacility Transfer of Children With Time-Sensitive Surgical Conditions, 2002-2017
Explores changes in the number of interfacility transfers and travel distance for children with four time-sensitive surgical conditions across nine states between 2002 and 2017. Examines whether the changes in transfers and travel distance varied by patients' urban or rural residence.
Author(s): Kyle J. Van Arendonk, Elisabeth T. Tracy, Jonathan S. Ellison, et al.
Location: JAMA Network Open, 7(10), e2440251
Date: 10/2024


The Intersection of Travel Burdens and Financial Hardship in Cancer Care: A Scoping Review
Examines the relationship among rurality, access to cancer care, travel burdens, and financial hardship. Identifies 95 studies published since 1995 related to cancer-related travel and financial burdens and discusses the impact on patient health outcomes and quality of life.
Author(s): Arrianna Marie Planey, Lisa P. Spees, Caitlin B. Biddell, et al.
Location: JNCI Cancer Spectrum
Date: 10/2024


Medicare Part D Enrollees Reaching the Out-of-Pocket Limit by June 2024
Examines the number of Medicare Part D enrollees who reached the catastrophic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) out-of-pocket prescription drug spending cap by June 2024. Provides demographic information on enrollees who reach the catastrophic phase and the related savings, including breakdowns for state and metropolitan, micropolitan, or rural/unknown location.
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Date: 10/2024


Nationwide Availability of and Enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans With Exclusively Aligned Enrollment
Explores the availability and enrollment of dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs) with exclusively aligned enrollment, in which the beneficiary can receive Medicare and Medicaid benefits through the same plan or affiliated plans within the same organization. Analyzes 2021-2022 beneficiary data and examines D-SNP plan availability and enrollment according to beneficiary demographics, health status, rurality, and more.
Author(s): Kenton J. Johnston, Michelle Hendricks, Megha Dabas, et al.
Location: JAMA Health Forum, 5(10)
Date: 10/2024


Northern Maine Medical Center: A Rural Hospital Gaining Momentum in its Work Toward Quality Improvement
Profiles a prospective payment hospital in northern Maine that engaged in the 2022-2023 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP), focusing on financial sustainability, cost efficiency, and quality improvement. Highlights hospital accomplishments and improvements via participation of the project.
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
Date: 10/2024


Prevalence of Self-Reported Diagnosed Diabetes Among Adults, by County Metropolitan Status and Region, United States, 2019–2022
Examines rural versus urban diabetes disparities according to U.S. region. Utilizes 2019-2022 National Health Interview Survey data to analyze disparities according to demographic variables such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and bodyweight; urbanicity of large central metro, large fringe metro, small/medium metro, or nonmetro; and region of Northeast, Midwest, South, or West.
Author(s): Stephen Onufrak, Ryan Saelee, Ibrahim Zaganjor, et al.
Location: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 10/2024


The Rural Emergency Hospital Model: Year Two Progress Report
Provides an overview of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) payment designation, including the growth in REHs through September 1, 2024, factors that contribute to a hospital seeking REH conversion, and the impacts of REH conversion. Outlines concerns identified by REH leaders, facilities considering converting to REH status, and other rural stakeholders related to the REH designation, as well as policy recommendations to address these concerns.
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
Date: 10/2024


Rural–Urban Differences in Dental Opioid Prescribing among Adolescent/Young Adult and Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries
Examines dental opioid prescription rates for adolescents and adults in rural and urban communities, utilizing 2021 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System Analytic Files data. Breaks down data by race and ethnicity, neighborhood disadvantage, and other demographic factors. Includes color-coded maps showing ranges of prescribing rates in rural and urban areas by state.
Author(s): Carla Shoff, Alex Sheen, Luping Qu, Natalia I. Chalmers
Location: Frontiers in Public Health, 12
Date: 10/2024


Sustainable Development in Rural Underserved Communities through Improved Responsible Management of Decentralized Wastewater Infrastructure: A Focus on the Alabama Black Belt
Examines strategies to achieve sustainable development in rural, underserved communities through safe wastewater management in the Alabama Black Belt. Discusses utility structure, operation, and potential barriers to achieving development that is compatible with public health, as well as policy to support sustainable wastewater systems.
Author(s): Amal Bakchan, Kevin D. White
Location: Environmental Science & Technology, 58(42), 18671-18685
Date: 10/2024


Work Conditions and Family Food Insecurity Among Adults Ages 18–64: United States, 2021
Examines food insecurity among working adults aged 18 to 64 and their families. Utilizes 2021 National Health Interview Survey to analyze food insecurity according to type of work shift, work schedule, advance notice of work schedule, and monthly change in earnings, with additional breakdowns of worker sociodemographics, including rural versus urban residence.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
Date: 10/2024

Open Calls for Contributions

Call for Speakers: 2025 AHA Leadership Summit
Deadline: Nov 25, 2024
American Hospital Association
Event Dates: Jul 20 - 22, 2025
Nashville, TN
Conference Website

Call for Presentations: 2025 Rural Medical Training Collaborative (RMTC) Annual Meeting
Deadline: Dec 1, 2024
Rural Medical Training Collaborative (formerly the RTT Collaborative)
Event Dates: Apr 9 - 11, 2025
Santa Fe, NM
Conference Website

Call for Proposals: 2025 Oregon Forum on Rural Population Health & Health Equity
Deadline: Jan 17, 2025
Oregon Office of Rural Health
Event Dates: May 19 - 21, 2025
Seaside, OR
Conference Website

Upcoming Events

Nov
6
Rural Youth and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Virtual
Nov 6, 1:00 p.m. Eastern
National District Attorney's Association (NDAA)
Nov
7
Confidentiality 101 for Recovery Housing Providers: How to Comply with the Law and Protect Your Residents
Virtual
Nov 7, 2:00 p.m. Eastern
The RCORP-Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Recovery at the Fletcher Group
Nov
7
Equipping Systems to Support American Indian and Alaska Native Families Affected by Substance Use
Virtual
Nov 7, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Eastern
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Nov
7
FDA All Tribes Call to Discuss Sodium Reduction in the Food Supply
Virtual
Nov 7, 2:00 p.m. Eastern
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Nov
7
Introducing the Rural Chronic Disease Management Toolkit
Virtual
Nov 7, 1:00 p.m. Central
Rural Health Information Hub
Nov
8
2024 Critical Access Hospital Webinar Series - Driving Financial Performance: Market Share, Revenue Cycle, and Cost Reporting
Virtual
Nov 8, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Central
Eide Bailly LLP
Nov
12
Tribal Prenatal to Three Policy Agenda
Virtual
Nov 12, 2:30 p.m. Eastern
National Indian Health Board
Nov
15
2024 Critical Access Hospital Webinar Series - Compensation and Benefit Planning for Your CAH: All Things to Consider
Virtual
Nov 15, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Central
Eide Bailly LLP
Nov
18-19
Advancing Oral Health Across the Lifespan: A Workshop
In-Person, Virtual
Nov 18 - 19
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Washington, DC
Nov
19
How Federal Funds Are Being Used to Support Rural Communities
Virtual
Nov 19, 3:00 p.m. Eastern
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
Nov
20
Leveraging Telehealth Technologies to Improve Access in Rural Areas
Virtual
Nov 20, 10:00 a.m. Pacific
Telehealth Centers of Excellence
Nov
20
Providing Comprehensive HIV Education and Care to MSAW Communities
Virtual
Nov 20, 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc.
Nov
21
2024 Annual National Rural Health Day
Virtual
Nov 21
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
Nov
21
SAMHSA Tribal Consultation Session on the Tribal Behavioral Health (TBH) Grant Program
Virtual
Nov 21, 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Dec
6
2024 Critical Access Hospital Webinar Series - The Art and Science of Successful Acquisitions
Virtual
Dec 6, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Central
Eide Bailly LLP
Dec
10
Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD): Coordinator Recruitment & Retention
Virtual
Dec 10, 11:00 a.m. Central
RuralGME.org
Dec
10-12
2024 Annual National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference
In-Person
Dec 10 - 12
Managed Emergency Surge for Healthcare (MESH)
Orlando, FL
Dec
10-13
2024 18th National Indian Nations Conference
In-Person
Dec 10 - 13
Office for Victims of Crime
Palm Springs, CA
Dec
12
Agricultural Community QPR for Farmers and Farm Families
Virtual
Dec 12, 11:00 a.m. Central
AgriSafe Network
Dec
13
2024 Critical Access Hospital Webinar Series - 2025 Regulatory Updates
Virtual
Dec 13, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Central
Eide Bailly LLP

Tell Us How RHIhub Has Impacted You

Email kristine@ruralhealthinfo.org about how RHIhub has impacted you. Your stories may be used in testimony, budget documents, and presentations concerning the Rural Health Information Hub.