May 30, 2019 What's New Supporting Rural Health: Practical Solutions for State Policymakers. With input from HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the Milbank Memorial Fund presents this issue brief with findings from three regional meetings of federal and state health officials and health services researchers working on rural issues. Case studies summarized in the brief shed light on successful models for incentivizing investment, the need for workforce development, and the need for ongoing research and policy development specifically directed toward rural health. Funding Opportunities HUD Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program – July 1. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recognizes the challenge of housing for low-income residents of rural areas in this program that will make 250 awards of up to $3 million each. Eligible applicants are State Housing Financial Agencies that will provide counseling to tenants and homeowners on property maintenance, financial management and literacy, and other matters that can improve their housing conditions. USDA Rural Housing Preservation Grant – July 8. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make 160 grants of up to $50,000 each to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. In addition, the HPG program assists rental property owners and cooperative housing complexes in repairing and rehabilitating their units if they agree to make such units available to low- and very low-income persons. Eligible applicants are state and local governments, including Native American tribal governments and organizations. Rural Health Research Identifying High-Need Rural Counties to Help in Resource Location Planning. Two policy briefs from the University of South Carolina's Rural and Minority Health Research Center examine ways to identify areas with a shortage of health care providers and infrastructure. The first brief, Identification of High-Need Rural Counties to Assist in Resource Location Planning, categorizes high-need, low-resource locations by identifying counties that lacked safety-net providers. The second brief, Identification of High-Need Rural Counties to Assist in Resource Location Planning for Primary Care, examines areas with poor health outcomes and limited access to primary care safety net settings. Policy Updates Visit the FORHP Policy page to see all recent updates and send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. CMS Announces Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model Request for Applications (RFA) – Last week, the CMS Innovation Center posted the ET3 Model RFA and Frequently Asked Questions online for potential applicants to review prior to the release of the application later this summer. The ET3 Model permits ambulance care teams to use alternate models of emergency health care, e.g., telehealth treatment and transport to alternative destinations, to improve quality and lower costs of care. Rural Medicare-enrolled suppliers or hospital-based ambulance providers without current medical dispatch and/or telehealth are eligible to participate. Comments Requested: Clarification of Ligature Risk Interpretive Guidance – June 17. Last month, CMS proposed changes to the ligature risk guidance for rural and urban psychiatric facilities to ensure patients receive care in a safe environment. CMS clarified and provided direction on identifying ligature risks, e.g., cord used to create an attachment point to a doorknob or hinge, for patients at risk for self-harm or harm to others. In addition, a ligature extension request process was outlined for hospitals to correct compliance issues beyond the 60-day timeframe. About 20 percent of rural residents were diagnosed with mental illness and rural communities report having fewer behavioral healthcare providers than urban areas. Learning Events and Technical Assistance Public-Private Collaborations in Rural Health Annual Meeting – May 30-31. For the seventh year, the Rural Health Public-Private Partnership will convene more than 100 public and private foundations, researchers, and policy makers to discuss federal programs and foundation-led innovative initiatives in rural areas. Participants will have the opportunity to engage and discuss with program and policy experts on issues and projects relevant to improving rural health and efforts. Reducing Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes for Agricultural Workers – Tuesday, June 4 at 1:00 pm ET. AgriSafe Network will review unique exposures and risks - including chemical exposures, zoonotic diseases, and heavy lifting - that present reproductive health and safety issues for women in agricultural work. Making the Most of the 2019 County Health Rankings – Tuesday, June 4 at 3:00 pm ET. Developers of the annual County Health Rankings and Roadmaps will discuss the findings for 2019 and how to use them as resource for improving well-being in your county. This year's rankings focused on the implications of secure and affordable housing. It reports that housing cost burden is lowest in rural areas, but that half of all rural counties experienced an increase in severe housing cost burden since the housing crisis of 2006-2010. AgriSafe Think Tank on Total Farmer Health – Wednesday, June 5 at 1:00 pm ET. Join AgriSafe during this virtual town hall to help formulate best practices for rural health care providers in response to the mental health crisis impacting farm families. Emphasis will be placed on caring for the agricultural producer. Various health care professionals, mental health leaders, and other stakeholders will join this session to share their perspectives on how best to equip health care providers. Introducing the Rural Telehealth Toolkit – Wednesday, June 5 at 1:00 pm ET. The Rural Health Information Hub and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis will present the Rural Telehealth Toolkit, which is designed to help rural communities identify and implement telehealth programs. Developed by NORC on behalf of HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the toolkit compiles promising approaches and resources to support rural communities seeking to develop and expand telehealth programs. This toolkit presents practical strategies that can help rural communities identify successful telehealth models; address common implementation challenges; and prepare for long-term sustainability. Join the Conversation on Maternal Health Care in Rural Communities – June 12 at 8:30 am ET. This interactive event hosted by CMS, HRSA, the National Rural Health Association, and others will provide an overview of the state of maternal healthcare in rural communities, with a focus on access to maternal health services before, during, and after pregnancy. Learn about promising practices and help identify areas of opportunity to improve access to maternal health services and achieve health equity within rural communities. The event will be held in Washington, DC, and virtual attendance will be available via webcast. Northeast Telehealth Resource Center Regional Conference – June 17-18. This two-day conference in Portland, Maine features a keynote presentation by Chris Gibbons, MD, MPH - Chief Health Innovation Adviser, FCC and the Future for Digital Health, a special panel on Federal and Regional Telehealth Policy Perspectives, and other key topics from national and regional telehealth leaders. There are more than fifteen breakout sessions on a wide variety of areas including: strategies for planning and sustaining telehealth programs, telehealth use cases across various environments, models for serving vulnerable populations through telehealth, and more. This year's event also includes a Pre-Conference Telebehavioral Health Workshop: "A Provider's Guide to TeleMental Health: Key Concepts and Use Cases", and two hands-on technology labs with the National Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center. National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse – June 23-27 in Menomie, WI. Registration is open for this unique annual conference for rural alcohol and drug abuse professionals, federal agency representatives and nationally-known experts. Key resource professionals from throughout the U.S. will present intensive study tracks and special topics on current innovative and emerging topics. National Opioid Leadership Summit – Tuesday, June 25 in Sacramento, CA. Join the Public Health Institute, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and colleagues from across the country on June 25, 2019 in Sacramento to learn about, share and collaborate on real solutions to the opioid crisis that bridge the criminal justice, health care, and public health sectors. Resources of the Week Health Professions Training Programs Dashboard. Visit HRSA's new dashboard at data.HRSA.gov to view data from HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce education and training programs for academic year 2012–2013 to present. Find out how these health workforce grant programs are supporting HRSA's goal of providing high quality, culturally competent care in rural and underserved communities. Improving Oral Health Care Services in Rural America. The shortage of practicing dental professionals in rural communities is influenced by a variety of factors, especially the limited number of dentists who are able and/or willing to start a rural practice. The archive of this hour-long presentation is now available, in which experts discuss policy recommendations in the recent report on this topic from the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Approaching Deadlines New Sites for National Health Service Corps – May 30 HHS: YES Initiative for Minority and Disadvantaged Youth – May 31 Capacity Building for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research – May 31 Comments Requested: Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) – May 31 USAC Telecommunications Program for Rural Health Care – May 31 USDA Rural Broadband Loan and Grant Program – May 31 American Indian Graduate Center Fellowships – June 1 Comment Period Extended: Proposed Rules for Interoperability of Health IT – June 3 ACF Community Economic Development (CED) Projects – June 3 Rural PREP Micro-research Grants – June 3 USDA Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program – June 3 DOJ Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program – June 5 USDA Rural Community Development Initiative – June 5 Community Development Financial Institution Program – June 6 Native American Community Development Financial Assistance – June 6 SAMHSA Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Grants – June 7 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training – June 10 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Medication-Assisted Treatment Expansion (RCORP-MAT Expansion)– June 10 RCORP - Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders – June 10 USDA Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant – June 10 USDA Rural Health and Safety Education Grants – June 10 DOJ School Violence Technology and Threat Assessment – June 11 Brookdale Foundation Relatives as Parents Program – June 12 CDC Grants for Health and Wellness in Indian Country – June 12 Research for Smoking Cessation in Disadvantaged Populations – June 13 CDC Emergency Department Surveillance of Non-fatal Suicide Outcomes – June 14 HRSA Medical Student Education Program – June 14 NIH Research to Address Opioid Epidemic and Minority Health Disparities – June 14 Comments Requested: Clarification of Ligature Risk Interpretive Guidance – June 17 Comments Requested: Proposed Changes to Payment and Policy for Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities – June 17 Comments Requested: Proposed Payment and Policy Changes for Medicare Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities – June 17 Comments Requested: Trusted Exchange Framework for Electronic Health Information – June 17 Comments Requested: Proposed Update to Hospice Payment Rate – June 18 Comments Requested: Proposed Payment and Policy Changes for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities – June 18 USDA Local Food Promotion Program – June 18 Comments Requested: Proposed Updates for FY2020 Medicare Inpatient and Long-term Care Hospital Payments – June 24 Proposals Requested: Medicare Measures for Promoting Interoperability – June 28 Hardship Exclusion for Medicare Interoperability – July 1 HUD Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program – July 1 Comments Requested: CMS Issues Draft Guidance on Hospital Co-location – July 2 Request for Information: State Waivers for Health Insurance – July 2 Contractor Sought for RWJF Rural Leadership Pathways Learning Initiative – July 8 USDA Rural Housing Preservation Grant – July 8 Federal Investment in Rural Transportation – July 15 DOL Workforce Opportunity for Appalachian and Delta Regions – July 15 NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program – July 18 CDC National Harm Reduction Syringe Services Program Monitoring and Evaluation – July 26 AHA Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award – August 30 Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program – Ongoing through August 2019 NIH: Research for Disparities Among Minority/Underserved Children – Cycles thru May 2020 Guaranteed Loans for Rural Rental Housing – Ongoing through 2021 RWJF Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health – Ongoing Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans – Ongoing Funding for Rural Water and Waste Disposal Projects – Ongoing Drinking Water and Waste Disposal for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages – Ongoing HIT Strategies for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures – Ongoing HIT to Improve Health Care Quality and Outcomes – Ongoing Community Facilities Program – Ongoing Summer Food Service Program – Ongoing | 
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