January 5, 2023 What's New New Research Publication: The Evolution of Rural Hospital Designations and Payment. Between 2005 and 2022, 181 rural hospitals in the U.S. closed completely or converted to another type of facility. In this report, the RUPRI Health Panel provides an overview of historic and current Medicare rural hospital payment policies and alternative payment models to understand their impact on rural hospitals and communities. It describes the historical context of the current Medicare inpatient hospital payment system, the special rural hospital payment provisions and designations, and the current federal payment models and potential revenue streams that support rural hospitals. Guidance on REH Enrollment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued instructions on how eligible hospitals can submit electronic and paper applications to convert to become a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). CMS also issued guidance to the Medicare Administrative Contractors on how to process REH enrollment applications and how to update payment systems to process REH claims. Comments Requested: Revised Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Criteria – January 20. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) seeks public comment on the revised draft of the updated Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Certification Criteria. Please provide your recommendations and input on the revised draft of the CCBHC Criteria by emailing CCBHCCriteria@samhsa.hhs.gov no later than January 20, 2023. Today, at 2 pm, SAMHSA will host an hour-long webinar to provide an overview of the draft updates and the process for public input. Rural organizations developing behavioral and mental health care services should review the criteria and requirements to ensure implementation the CCBHC model reflects the rural delivery care context. AHRQ on Use of Telehealth During the COVID Era. Examining more than 700 studies on the use of telehealth – benefits/harms, satisfaction/dissatisfaction, barriers/facilitators – the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports similar clinical outcomes compared with in-person care. Barriers included cost to providers owing to limited insurance reimbursement, and loss of clinician-patient rapport – particularly for complex clinical conditions. Census Releases 2020 Urban Area Files. Last week, the Census Bureau released the official list of urban areas (UAs). Relationship files and shapefiles for geographic analysis and mapping will be released later this month, January 2023. Several organizations use Census urban area data to define rural areas for multiple programs. These include the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Economic and Research Service (ERS), and FORHP. Release of these UA files will allow organizations to start calculating updated rural definitions with 2020 Census data. As a reminder, the Census revised criteria for identifying densely developed territory and no longer separates urbanized areas and urban clusters by population size. All places with urban land uses meeting the Census criteria are now delineated as UAs, all other places are rural when using the Census definition. See the December Federal Register Notice for more information on the UA changes for the 2020 Census. Spread the Word About Health Insurance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has a collection of tools for helping individuals and families get health insurance during the Marketplace Open Enrollment period, November 1, 2022 through January 15, 2023. Graphics, social media messages, and customizable posters and fact sheets, are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Marketplace plans are an important source of coverage for people in rural areas, who represent approximately 15 percent of Marketplace enrollees in states using HealthCare.gov. Ongoing: HRSA Payment Program for RHC Buprenorphine-Trained Providers. In June 2021, HRSA launched an effort to improve access to substance use disorder treatment by paying for providers who are waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained to obtain the waiver necessary to prescribe buprenorphine after January 1, 2019. Approximately $1.2 million in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. Send questions to DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov. There is ongoing availability of a free online course for waiver eligibility training from the Providers Clinical Support System. COVID-19 Resources *New: Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Portal – Report by March 31 for RP4. The PRF Reporting Portal is open from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023 for Reporting Period 4 (RP4). Providers who received one or more PRF (General or Targeted) and/or American Rescue Plan Rural payments exceeding $10,000, in the aggregate, from July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 must report on their use of funds during RP4. Resources are available to assist providers with completing their reports. For a quick glance at all PRF reporting-related resources, visit the PRF Reporting Resources Page. Updated Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccines. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines for children down to 6 months of age. This expands earlier guidance announced in October. Current recommendation is that people aged 6 months and older receive one updated (bivalent) dose if it has been at least 2 months since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, whether that was: - Their final primary series dose, or
- An original monovalent dose
People who have gotten more than one original (monovalent) dose are also recommended to get an updated (bivalent) dose. In September, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced that people with public, private, or no insurance coverage can get COVID-19 vaccines at no cost, for as long as the federal government continues purchasing and distributing them. To find nearby locations for vaccines, masks, testing, and treatment, visit COVID.gov. HHS/DoD National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network. A joint program of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is available at no cost to hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients. Teams of critical care clinicians - critical care physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialized clinical experts – are available to deliver virtual care through telemedicine platforms, such as an app on a mobile device. Hear from participating clinicians, and email to learn more and sign up. Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth. ProviderBridge.org was created by the Federation of State Medical Boards through the CARES Act and the FORHP-supported Licensure Portability Grant Program. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing by state as well as a provider portal to connect volunteer health care professionals to state agencies and health care entities. Online Resource for Licensure of Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Psychologists, and Social Workers. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing in each state. Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Distribution (RHCVD) Program. Under the program, Medicare-certified RHCs will receive direct COVID-19 vaccines in addition to their normal jurisdictions' weekly allocation. Contact RHCVaxDistribution@hrsa.gov for more information. Webinar recordings explaining RHC vaccine programs are available on the National Association of Rural Health Clinics website. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Resources for COVID-19. A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from our grantees and stakeholders. Reaching Farm Communities for Vaccine Confidence. The AgriSafe Network is a nonprofit organization that provides information and training on injury and disease related to agriculture. Their health professionals and educators created a social media toolkit that aims to provide clear messages about COVID-19 vaccination for agriculture, forestry, and fishing workers. Funding and Opportunities HRSA Maternal and Child Health Secondary Data Analysis Research – February 13. The funding is intended to strengthen and expand the evidence base on topics addressed by 15 National Performance Measures for the health and well-being of mothers and children. Population health domains for the research are: health insurance, household income/poverty, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural residence. An estimated five awards of up to $120,000 each will go to public and/or private nonprofit institutions of higher education and/or research. EPA Grants Supporting Technical Assistance for Brownfields Communities – February 14. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications from contractors that can assist communities facing brownfields challenges, particularly those in rural and/or distressed communities. The EPA expects 11 cooperative agreements awarding up $5 million each. USDA Rural Business Development Grants – February 28. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of rural small businesses that have fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues. Grants range from $10,000 up to $500,000 for uses that include project planning/feasibility study, business incubators, land acquisition, leadership and entrepreneur training, and rural business incubators. Rural Health Research Research in this section is provided by the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Sign up to receive alerts when new publications become available. A Comparison of Evidence-Based Supports for Maternal and Infant Health in 133 Rural US Counties with and without Hospital-Based Obstetric Care. Among the findings depicted on this infographic from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center: within sampled communities that have lost access to inpatient obstetric services, there is also limited access to many supports and services indirectly related to inpatient obstetric care that have strong evidence of improving maternal and infant health outcomes, such as breastfeeding groups, doula care, and childbirth education classes. Policy Updates Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. See new research and guidance for rural hospital designation under What's New. Learning Events and Technical Assistance Updates to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Certification Criteria – Thursday, January 5 at 2:00 pm ET. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration invites the public to participate in an hour-long webinar today, where they will provide an overview of the draft CCBHC Certification Criteria updates and the process for public input. Center on Rural Addiction: SUD Interventions for Tribal Communities – Wednesday, January 11 at 12:00 pm ET. In an hour-long workshop, learn the evidence around substance use disorder (SUD) in rural American Indian and Alaska Native communities and ways to culturally adapt SUD interventions. The University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction is one of three Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders, part of the FORHP-supported Rural Communities Opioid Response Program. Applying to the Delta States Rural Development Network Program – Wednesday, January 11 at 2:00 pm ET. FORHP staff will provide an overview of the application process for this program to address unmet local health care needs and prevalent health disparities in rural Delta communities. For more information, email DeltaStatesGrantPrgm@hrsa.gov. Application Assistance for HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Funding – Thursday, January 12 at 2:00 pm ET. Program staff will hold a two-hour technical assistance session for the program that increases access to high-quality HIV primary health care services. The application deadline is February 17. Attendees without computer access or computer audio can use the dial-in information below. Call-In Number: 833-568-8864; Meeting ID: 160 877 4507; Passcode: 77212471. HRSA will record the webinar and make available on the TargetHIV Center website at https://targethiv.org/library/nofos. Long COVID /Fatiguing Illness Recovery Program – Thursday, January 12 at 3:00 pm ET. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fund this monthly webinar-style ECHO learning session to rapidly disseminate Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) findings and emerging best practices. The series offers didactic presentations by subject matter experts, examples of emerging best practices and models of care, and a facilitated Q&A. This program is intended primarily for providers who care for patients with PCC and ME/CFS but is open to all healthcare professionals and all Long COVID and ME/CFS patient-lived experience experts interested in learning more about the treatment of Long COVID and ME/CFS. Build Healthy Places 10 Year Anniversary – Thursday, January 12 at 3:00 pm ET. The national nonprofit Build Healthy Places Network (BHPN) celebrates a decade of helping to form investment partnerships between community economic development and health. Last year, BHPN created a Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Partnership Models of Investments, featuring case studies from all over the country highlighting core strategies used by rural healthcare entities as examples for future multi-sector partnerships to follow. Orientation to Rural Emergency Hospital Conversion – Wednesday, January 18 at 12:00 pm ET. Attendees of this 90-minute session will learn about this new Medicare provider designation intended to address rural hospital closures. The webinar is hosted by Mathematica and the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Design Center, a technical assistance provider for hospitals exploring conversion to Rural Emergency Hospital. Supporting the Health and Well-Being of Rural LGBTQ Adults – Wednesday, January 18 at 2:00 pm ET. During this hour-long webinar, researchers will describe rural/urban differences in health and access to care, including differences in self-rated health, chronic conditions, and mental health outcomes. The work comes from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, one of nine centers currently publishing work on the FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Approaching Deadlines CDC Grants for Injury Control Research Centers – January 6 Department of Labor Nursing Expansion Grants – January 6 HRSA Rural Health Network Development Planning Program – January 6 USDA Farm to School Grant Program – January 6 FCC Outreach Grants for Affordable Connectivity Program – January 9 HRSA Rural Telementoring Training Center Cooperative Agreement – January 9 ACL Empowering Communities to Address Behavioral Health and Chronic Pain through Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs – January 11 EPA Researching Health Impacts on Children in Rural Agricultural Communities – January 11 NIH/Duke/UNC – RADx-UP Rapid Research to Improve COVID-19 Disparities – January 13 FDA Innovation Award: Researching COVID-19 and Health Equity – January 16 AmeriCorps VISTA Accepting Concept Papers for Projects to Alleviate Poverty – January 18 HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Overdose Response – January 19 Clinic Applications for ALAI UP - HIV Treatment for Underserved Populations – January 20 Requesting Nominations: Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality – January 23 EPA Training and Technical Assistance for Small Public Water Systems – January 26 Education Department Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grants – January 27 HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Evaluation – January 27 HRSA Rural Residency Planning and Development Program – January 27 Comments Requested: Proposed Updates to Health Insurance Marketplaces – January 30 Comments Requested: Proposed Policies for the 340B Drug Pricing Program's Alternative Dispute Resolution Process – January 30 USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants – January 30 ACL Rural HIV and Aging Challenge, Phase 1 – January 31 Comments Requested: Protections for Patients with Substance Use Challenges – January 31 American Psychiatric Association Diversity Leadership Fellowship – February 3 SAMHSA Minority Fellowship – February 3 Department of Labor Youthbuild Grants – February 7 HRSA Funding for Rural Health Innovation and Transformation Technical Assistance Provider – February 7 HRSA Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship Program – February 10 HRSA Maternal and Child Health Secondary Data Analysis Research – February 13 Comments Requested: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D Updates – February 13 Comments Requested: Proposed Updates to Expand Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment – February 14 EPA Grants Supporting Technical Assistance for Brownfields Communities – February 14 CDC Researching Strategies to Prevent Firearm-Related Violence – February 16 HRSA Funding One Provider: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance – February 17 HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part C Capacity Development Program – February 17 CDC Research Grants to Inform Firearm-Related Violence Prevention Strategies – February 20 USDA Rural Business Development Grants – February 28 USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program – Reach and Resiliency – March 6 HRSA Funding One Provider: Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals – March 7 HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response - Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome – March 8 Comments Requested: Proposed Updates for Interoperability – March 13 Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program – March 22 FCC Rural Health Care Telecommunications Program – April 1 Ongoing Opportunities CDC Monkeypox Vaccine Equity Pilot Program CFPB Rental Assistance Finder Extended Public Comment Period for FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program FCC Affordable Connectivity Program for Broadband Service FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance HRSA Payment Program for Buprenorphine-Trained Clinicians – Until Funds Run Out SAMHSA 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Volunteer and Job Opportunities USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grants (Track One only) – September 2023 or until funds run out ACF Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ACF Rural Community Development Program for Rural Water Systems AgriSafe Mental Health Training for Agricultural Producers & Families AgriSafe Nurse Scholar Program – March 2023 AHRQ Health Services Research Demonstration and Dissemination Grants – October 2023 American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) Foundation - Accreditation Grants American Heart Association Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator American Indian Public Health Resource Center Technical Assistance Appalachian Regional Commission J-1 Visa Waivers for Doctors ASA Rural Access to Anesthesia Care Scholarship Burroughs Wellcome Fund Seed Grants for Climate Change and Health – Quarterly through August 2023 CDC Direct Assistance to State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Agencies CDC Training Pediatric Medical Providers to Recognize ACEs Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program Delta Doctors J-1 Visa Waiver Program Department of Commerce: Economic Development Assistance Programs Department of Labor Dislocated Worker Grants DRA Technical Assistance for Delta Region Community Health Systems Development EPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund EPA Water Infrastructure and Innovation Program FEMA/SAMHSA Post-Disaster Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program GPHC & RWJF: Rapid Cycle Research and Evaluation Grants for Cross-Sector Alignment HRSA Seeking Nominations for Migrant Health Advisory HRSA Technical Assistance for Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program Housing Assistance Council: Housing Loans for Low-Income Rural Communities HUD Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance Program HUD Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program IHS Tribal Forensic Healthcare Training IHS/DOD Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM) NARHC Certified Rural Health Clinic Professional Course Host Sites for National Environmental Public Health Internship NIH Project Talk Initiative Host Site Applications NIH Research to Improve Native American Health – Various Dates Until September 2023 NIH Practice-Based Research for Primary Care Suicide Prevention – February 2023 NIH Researching Mental Health Practices in Low-Resource Settings – September 2024 NIH Researching Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impact of COVID-19 in Underserved/Vulnerable Populations – September 2024 NIH Researching the Role of Work in Health Disparities – Various Dates Until September 2024 NIH Special Interest Research – Pandemic Impact on Vulnerable Children and Youth – May 2024 Nominations for Federal Advisory Commission on HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Oweesta Native CDFI Loan Funds and Technical Assistance Primary Care Development Corporation Community Investment Loans Rural Community Assistance Corporation Community Facility Loans for Western States and Pacific Islands Rural Community Assistance Corporation Environmental Infrastructure Loans for Western States Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development RWJF Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health RWJF Pioneering Ideas Brief Proposals SAMHSA Training to Provide Medication Assisted Treatment SBA Guaranteed Loans for Small Business Southeast Rural Community Assistance Loans Tribal Grant Writing Training Treasury Department Opportunity Zone Economic Development Program United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc Tribal Health Program Support USDA Community Facilities Program USDA Community Food Projects Technical Assistance USDA Drinking Water and Waste Disposal for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages USDA Economic Impact Initiative Grants USDA Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants USDA Healthy Food Financing Initiative Technical Assistance USDA Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees USDA Intermediary Relending Program USDA Rural Business Development Grants USDA Rural Business Investment Program USDA Rural Energy Savings Program USDA SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects) USDA Summer Food Program USDA Technical Assistance for Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees USDA Funding for Rural Water and Waste Disposal Projects USDA Water and Waste Disposal Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands and Colonias USDOT Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S) WWAMI Area Health Education Center Scholars Program | 
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