| View this newsletter online. June 8, 2023 What's New CORRECTION: New Funding Opportunity: Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – Apply by July 13. Eligible substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinicians and community health workers can apply to receive up to $250,000 in educational loan repayment in exchange for working full-time for six years at an approved facility. Our announcement about this last week incorrectly linked to HRSA's Faculty Loan Repayment Program. See the Funding section below to learn how SUD treatment facilities can become an approved site for this program. Clinician Job Search Tool Gets an Upgrade. HRSA's Health Workforce Connector, a free tool for connecting clinicians to job and training opportunities, is now easier to use. New features simplify job searches by discipline and program, and an expanded display for Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) help clinicians looking for qualifying positions. The most recent quarterly report on HPSAs (pdf) shows that of all designated shortage areas, two-thirds are primary medical HPSAs in rural areas. Psychological distress is more common in some occupations; a thirty-seven year panel study. Researchers found that occupations with high risk of mental health problems are those with workers who: 1) have high physical or psychological job demands yet little control over work processes; 2) limited support at work; 3) limited ability to use their skills or discretion in how they do so; 4) low or inconsistent income; or 5) low occupational prestige. It's estimated that about 19 million Americans have a major depressive episode in a given year, and that mental health disorders cost employers nearly $200 billion in 2018. See Funding section below for a new federal program aimed at improving job quality in certain sectors of the economy. Event Recording: Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care in Rural America. On May 31, the Bipartisan Policy Center convened a panel of experts (including FORHP's leadership) to discuss findings in their newly-released report, Achieving Behavioral Health Care Integration in Rural America. Ongoing: Updates to Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing. As announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in January 2023, clinicians no longer need a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder. Clinicians will still be required to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to prescribe controlled medications. Beginning on June 27, the DEA registration will require applicants – both new and renewing – to affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training. Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023. Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained between January 1, 2019 and January 25, 2023 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement). Approximately $900,000 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. COVID-19 Resources FDA Simplifies COVID-19 Vaccination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in April that monovalent vaccines are no longer authorized for use. Bivalent vaccines – those that combine the original and Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains – will now be used for all COVID-19 vaccinations of eligible people aged 6 months or older. Most individuals, depending on age, previously vaccinated with a monovalent vaccine who have not yet received a dose of a bivalent vaccine may receive a single dose of a bivalent vaccine. Most unvaccinated individuals may receive a single dose of a bivalent vaccine. While reports have shown that rural adults were least likely to vaccinate against COVID-19, a recent study examining perceptions in one rural community found that, among vaccine-willing and vaccine-hesitant participants, almost all had greater trust in local authorities and sources of information. Updates to Coverage for COVID-19 Tests. The ending of the PHE on May 11, 2023 may have an impact on individual's coverage of COVID-19 tests. To help providers and the public understand these changes, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has developed a new Consumer Fact Sheet on COVID-19 tests in both English and Spanish. If you have any type of health insurance, you can get up to eight over-the-counter tests per month with no out-of-pocket costs through May 11, 2023. After that date, laboratory tests for COVID-19 ordered by providers will still be covered with no out-of-pocket costs for people with Medicare. Over-the-counter tests will still be available, but there may be out-of-pocket costs. Rural Health Clinics can continue to access free testing supplies directly from HRSA. (See more information below.) Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Distribution Programs - Vaccines, Testing Supplies, Therapeutics. As a reminder, CMS-certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) can receive COVID-19 vaccines, testing supplies, and COVID-19 antivirals directly from HRSA. Please reference the linked websites for additional information and enrollment instructions. Technical assistance resources for these programs are available through the National Association of Rural Health Clinics. Note: The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent vaccine for people 12 years of age and older is available to order through RHC Vaccine Distribution Program in both single and multi-dose vials. The single-dose option responds to widespread requests to allow greater flexibility for RHCs that may not have the demand or capacity to store multi-dose vials. Contact RHCVaxDistribution@hrsa.gov for more information. 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. Funding and Opportunities HRSA Primary Care Training and Enhancement - Language/Disability Access – July 3. Priority will be given to applicants who can demonstrate ability to facilitate the program in rural areas and tribal communities. Grants will be used to develop curricula and train medical students, physician assistant students, and primary care medical residents to provide high quality primary care services to individuals with limited English proficiency, and/or individuals with physical disabilities, and/or individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. NIH Community Level Interventions to Improve Minority Health – July 7. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides funding for research to develop and test community-level interventions to improve minority health and reduce health disparities. Populations of focus include American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and underserved rural populations, among others. HRSA Sites for Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – July 13. Eligible treatment facilities for substance use disorder can become approved for clinicians and community health workers in HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. DOL Critical Sector Job Quality Grants – July 17. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will fund demonstration grants aiming to improve job quality in certain sectors that include care, hospitality, and efforts to build climate resiliency and transition to clean energy. Eligible applicants are labor organizations, labor-management partnerships, and state or local entities that act as intermediaries between labor and industry, such as State Apprenticeship Agencies. Grantees will address equity, job quality, and worker voice as they design training models and train workers for family-supporting jobs. High-quality jobs, for the purposes of this grant program, include those that offer family-sustaining wages and benefits, have predictable hours and schedules, are filled through transparent and nondiscriminatory hiring and promotion practices, offer clear paths for advancement, always prioritize worker health and safety, and include workers' voices in the workplace. HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program – July 20. A new program from HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce makes a $15 million investment to recruit and retain clinicians who provide health care to children and adolescents. The program is open to eligible clinicians providing pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical specialty, or child and adolescent behavioral health care, including substance use prevention and treatment services and provides up to $100,000 in loan repayment support. Clinicians must commit to serving three years at an approved site in a health professional shortage area, medically underserved area, or to providing care to a medically underserved population. American Psychological Foundation Grant for Rural First Responders Mental Health Interventions – October 15. The national nonprofit will fund the research of psychologists for evidence-based research and intervention in providing mental health training dissemination to first responders in rural areas. Applicants must have a doctoral degree in psychology or a related field. NIH Pilot Interventions to Integrate Social Care and Medical Care for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases – October 19. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support pilot and feasibility trials to test interventions that involve screening for and addressing adverse social determinants of health, also called social risks, at a health care visit. The trials should lay the foundation for larger clinical trials to integrate social care and medical care related to the mission of NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases – especially among individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups, rural populations, sexual and gender minority groups, and other socioeconomically disadvantaged and medically underserved communities. Correction: RTT Collaborative Rural Program Directors University – Ongoing. The RTT Collaborative (formerly known as Rural Training Track) offers training and a peer learning community for program and site directors of rural residency programs. The program consists of 12 one-hour monthly meetings held online. Though last week's announcement indicated no cost, that is incorrect. For more information, write to the contact in the link above. 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. Providing High-Quality Obstetric Care to American Indian/Alaska Native People in Rural Kotzebue, Alaska. For American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) birthing people, the risk of pregnancy-related death is two to three times higher than that of white birthing people. In Alaska, the disparity is even greater; Alaska Native birthing people have the highest rates of pregnancy-associated mortality, at over five times higher than white birthing people. This case study from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines the strengths and challenges for a hospital-based Tribal maternity unit located in Northwestern Alaska. Diabetes Prevalence and Monitoring in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Areas Within a Commercially Insured U.S. Population. Compared to enrollees in metropolitan areas, enrollees living in rural areas had a 22 percent higher likelihood of having diabetes, even after controlling for factors like age and region. The Rural and Underserved Health Research Center also examined rates of screening for hemoglobin A1c and found that the odds for testing were 14 percent lower for people living in nonmetropolitan areas. Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Rural Training in Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowships. This study from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center describes characteristics of rurally oriented family medicine obstetrical (OB) fellowships and challenges these programs face in providing OB training. Policy Updates Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. CMS Seeks Nominations for Air Ambulance Committee – Apply by June 28. The No Surprises Act required the Secretary of HHS and the Secretary of Transportation to form an advisory committee for the purpose of reviewing options to establish standards for quality, patient safety, and clinical capability in air ambulances. CMS is seeking nominations now through June 28 from each of the following groups: state insurance regulators; health care providers; health insurers offering coverage plans for groups and individuals; patient advocacy groups; and accrediting bodies with experience in quality measures. Nominations for health care providers should include physicians and other clinicians, as well as health care operations professionals experienced with air ambulance services and/or experience in addressing the challenges associated with transport in rural areas. Withdrawal of Health Care Staff Vaccination Requirements. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that withdraws the regulations on COVID-19 health care staff vaccination requirements issued in a November 2021 interim final rule. COVID-19 vaccination policies and procedures for health care staff will no longer be required under Medicare Conditions of Participation and Conditions for Coverage, effective August 4, 2023. Learning Events and Technical Assistance Apply for the Faculty Loan Repayment Program – Thursday, June 8 at 1:00 pm ET. If you are a faculty member at a health professions school, the Faculty Loan Repayment Program could provide you up to $40,000 in loan repayment assistance. In exchange, you commit to two years of full or part-time service as a faculty member at an eligible school. Application Assistance for SUD Workforce Funding – Thursday, June 15 at 10:00 pm ET. Ask questions as ahead of the July 17 application deadline for HRSA's Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. Eligible substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinicians and community health workers can apply to receive up to $250,000 in educational loan repayment in exchange for working full-time for six years at an approved facility. Resource of the Week Finding Demographics and Housing Data from the 2020 Census. A brief video from the U.S. Census Bureau gives a step-by-step demonstration of how to find this data for urban and rural areas. Approaching Deadlines Indian Health Service Produce Prescription Pilot Program – June 8 SAMHSA Behavioral Health Equity Challenge: Outreach/Engagement for Racial/Ethnic Communities – June 8 Comments Requested on Proposed Medicare Hospital Payment and REH Updates – June 9 USDA Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater Projects – June 10 CDC Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences through Data to Action – June 12 U.S. Dept of Education Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions Program – June 12 HRSA Maternal Health Research Collaborative for Minority-Serving Institutions – June 12 HRSA Maternal Health Research Collaborative for Minority-Serving Institutions - Coordinating Center – June 12 National Center American Indian Health Professions Pre-Admission Workshops – June 12 DOL Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities (WORC) for Appalachian, Delta, and Northern Border Regions – June 13 Alaska Community Foundation Suicide Prevention Grant – June 14 AHRQ Small Research Projects to Advance the Science of Primary Care – June 16 IHS Tribal Self-Governance Program Planning – June 20 USDA Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant – June 20 USDA Rural Utilities Service Community Connect Grant Program – June 20 HRSA New Sites for the National Health Service Corps – June 22 CDC Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Centers – June 23 Delta Regional Authority States Economic Development Assistance Program – June 25 DOT Tribal Transit Program – June 26 SAMHSA Addressing Dementia in Indian Country: Models of Care – June 27 HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program – June 29 ACF Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities Program – June 30 USDA Tribal Colleges Extension Program: Special Emphasis – June 30 HRSA Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention Simulation Education Training Program – July 3 HRSA Primary Care Training and Enhancement - Language and Disability Access – July 3 SAMHSA Family Counseling/Support for LGBTQ+ Youth – July 3 USDA Delta Health Care Services Grant Program – July 3 HRSA Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program – July 7 NIH Community Level Interventions to Improve Minority Health – July 7 NIH Emergency Award: RADx-UP Research on COVID-19 Interventions – July 10 CDC Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plans – July 11 CMS Minority Research Grant Program – July 12 HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – July 13 HRSA Sites for Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – July 13 ACL Tribal Long Term Services and Support Resource Center – July 17 DOL Critical Sector Job Quality Grants – July 17 HRSA Enhanced Healthy Start Initiative – July 17 USDA Native Community Development Financial Institution Relending Demonstration Program – July 17 HHS Healthy Families Community-Based Perinatal Health Initiative – July 18 HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program – July 20 EPA Brownfields Job Training Grants – August 2 Berkley Rural Public Health Master's Program – August 13 NIH Research to Improve Native American Health (AIDS Related) – September 7 NIH Notice of Special Interest: Provider-to-Provider Telehealth Grant – October 5 UMMC Caregiver University for Alzheimer's Support – Quarterly deadlines until October 10 American Psychological Foundation Grant for Rural First Responders Mental Health Interventions – October 15 NIH Pilot Interventions to Integrate Social Care and Medical Care for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases – October 19 Ongoing Opportunities HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications Economic Development Administration Public Works/Economic Assistance Program (CARES Act Funding) 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 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 Regional Authority Community Infrastructure Fund 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 Native Americans into Medicine Host Sites for National Environmental Public Health Internship NIH Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination – Various dates until October 2025 NIH Project Talk Initiative Host Site Applications 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 NIH Researching Barriers to Care for HIV-Associated Comorbidities – May 2025 NIH Research to Address Vaccine Hesitancy in Health Disparity Populations – June 2026 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 RTT Collaborative: Rural Training Track Directors University RWJF Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health RWJF Pioneering Ideas Brief Proposals SAMHSA Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program for Communities Post-Disaster 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) Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program Veterans Affairs Virtual Living Room - Using Technology to Address the Critical Healthcare Needs of Veterans in Rural Areas WWAMI Area Health Education Center Scholars Program | 
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