| View this email in your browser. June 13, 2024 What's New HRSA Invests $11 Million to Expand Medical Residencies in Rural Communities. Today, HRSA announced awards of more than $11 million to 15 organizations to strengthen the health workforce in rural areas. Administered through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, located within HRSA, the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program supports the planning and establishment of new residency training programs in family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, preventive medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery. HRSA-funded research has found that more than half of rural U.S. counties lack hospital obstetric services. In response to the declining rural access to maternal health care, one of the awards will be used to create the first obstetrics and gynecology Rural Track Program in the country. Another six of today's 15 awards will be used to develop new family medicine residency programs with a focus on enhanced obstetrical training in rural communities. Award recipients will each receive up to $750,000 over three years to establish new rural residency programs. They will use this funding to support accreditation costs, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and retention, resident recruitment activities, and consultation services to inform program development. These awards complement efforts by the Administration and by Congress to reform and expand Medicare payment policies for residency training. HRSA Makes Awards for the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, located in HRSA, awarded approximately $3 million to 30 awardees through the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program to support organizations in their efforts to develop integrated health networks to conduct planning activities over the course of one year, with the goal of expanding access and improving quality of care in the rural communities they serve. The project period is July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. Become an Approved Site for HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – Apply by June 27. HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce provides assistance for facilities employing professionals enrolled in the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program, which is open to a broader range of SUD treatment and recovery clinicians and paraprofessionals than other HRSA loan repayment programs. Sites eligible for this program meet one of the following criteria: 1) have a Mental Health Professional Shortage designation, or 2) location in a county with a three-year overdose mortality rate greater than the national average, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Find resources to determine these criteria in the headline link above. White House Releases Factsheet Highlighting Efforts toward Cybersecurity in Healthcare. Responding to recent cyber attacks in the health care sector, the White House outlined a number of actions to mitigate further disruption to providers and patients. The factsheet notes rural providers such as Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Emergency Hospitals are particularly vulnerable and details commitments from leading technology companies to provide free and low-cost resources for rural hospitals across the country. $500 Million in Funding for States Using HealthCare.gov – Apply by July 8. This Notice of Funding Opportunity from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide up to 120 awards to organizations serving as Navigators in states using the Federally Facilitated Exchange, HealthCare.gov, for individual health insurance. Navigators help consumers to establish eligibility, prepare applications, and enroll in coverage as well as help consumers determine if they qualify for insurance affordability programs. They provide outreach and education to raise awareness about the health insurance Exchanges and provide targeted assistance to underserved and vulnerable populations. According to new evaluation from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, access to health insurance has improved for rural consumers since 2010 through both the Exchanges and Medicaid. CRS Answers FAQs about Federal Funding for Health Care Facilities. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) compiles Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with background information on federal programs, including those that may be available to support facilities during an emergency or natural disaster. There are many references to rural throughout, describing facility types, payment models, and rural-specific funding. CDC: What Rural Clinicians Should Know about Influenza A(H5N1) – Tuesday, June 18 at 3:00 pm Eastern. Join to hear experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discuss clinical features of influenza A(H5N1), recommendations and considerations for influenza testing and treatment, and strategies for culturally competent patient evaluations for possible exposure to influenza A(H5N1). Take the HRSA Grantee Satisfaction Survey – Deadline Extended. Each program director of active HRSA grants has received an invitation to take our new and improved Grantee Satisfaction Survey. With the highest possible response rate through June 24, we can pinpoint crucial areas for action. For general questions about the survey, contact HRSAGranteeSurvey@hrsa.gov Ongoing: 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 are still required to register with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to prescribe controlled medications. On June 27, 2023, the DEA began to require that registration applicants – both new and renewing – 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. Watch this 11-minute video that explains the changes. 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 December 29, 2022 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement). Approximately $889,000 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 Learn About Long COVID & Fatiguing Illness – Thursday, June 13 at 3:00 pm Eastern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds this monthly webinar-style ECHO learning session to rapidly disseminate findings about Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). The series offers 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. Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth. ProviderBridge.org was created through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by the Federation of State Medical Boards and HRSA's Office for the Advancement of Telehealth. 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. Funding and Opportunities USDA Rural Housing Service Community Development Initiative – July 10. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects to make 25 awards to qualified public, private, and nonprofit intermediary organizations that can carry out financial and technical assistance programs for projects related to housing, community facilities, and/or economic development. The intermediaries will be required to provide matching funds in an amount at least equal to the RCDI grant, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. DOJ Meeting the Basic Needs of Underserved Crime Victims – July 29. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) offers funding for service and assistance to crime victims in communities that have been historically underserved, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization. The Rural Health Information Hub has an extensive and frequently updated topic guide on violence in rural America with supporting data and resources. HUD Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program – Ongoing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides loan and mortgage insurance to help acute care hospital facilities with remodeling, expansion, modernization, equipment, refinancing, and acquisition. 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. Risk Factors for Poor Health Among U.S. Older Adults in Rural and Urban Areas: Injury, Food Insecurity, and Lack of Social and Emotional Support. Among key findings in this brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center: - Nearly 30 percent of rural and urban older adults reported experiencing at least one of the selected risk factors (injury, food insecurity, or lack of social and emotional support).
- Of the three risk factors, lack of social and emotional support was the most common, reported by over 18 percent of older adults from both rural and urban areas.
- Injury was the second-most reported risk factor and was more commonly reported by rural than urban older adults.
- Food insecurity was experienced by a slightly higher percentage of rural older adults than those in urban areas.
Policy Updates Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. Rural Enrollment in Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program Lags Urban. The latest Report to Congress from the non-partisan Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) shows that the number of rural Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMBs) who also receive full Medicaid benefits stayed relatively the same between 2010 and 2021, while the number living in urban areas increased. These "QMB plus" enrollees receive assistance from Medicaid with their Medicare premiums and cost sharing plus full Medicaid benefits through eligibility pathways, such as Supplemental Security Income benefits and the aged, blind, and disabled pathway for individuals who are low income and age 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability. This growing disparity between urban and rural enrollment may indicate that there are opportunities for future outreach to enroll more eligible rural enrollees in this assistance program. This report also provides recommendations to Congress to increase transparency in Medicaid and CHIP financing, tools that states can use to optimize state Medicaid agency contracts, and improvements to demographic data collection in Medicaid. Understanding CMS' Consensus-Based Process for Rulemaking – Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00 pm Eastern. With so many forms of consensus-based entity (CBE) measure reviews—Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR), Measure Set Review (MSR), and Endorsement and Maintenance (E&M) review—what is the point of each? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites you to attend the Measures Management System's Information Session, Get a Clue About CBE Measure Reviews: PRMR, MSR, & E&M, to learn about the goals and evaluation criteria for these different types of measure review. Learning Events and Technical Assistance HRSA Q&A for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP) – Thursday, June 20 at 1:00 pm Eastern. HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce will hold a four-hour session to answer questions from behavioral health clinicians, support workers, and clinical support staff seeking to apply for loan repayment through the STAR LRP. A third and final session will take place on Wednesday, June 26, just before the June 27 deadline. Resource of the Week Is "Social Infrastructure" the Solution to Loneliness and Social Isolation in Rural America? A feature article in the latest edition of The Rural Monitor examines the ways that some rural leaders are finding to help their neighbors connect. Approaching Deadlines Alaska Community Foundation Suicide Prevention Grant – June 14 DOJ Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Program – June 14 Rocky Mountain Power Foundation Grants – June 15 CMS Medicare Shared Savings Program, Phase 1 – June 17 ACL Elder Justice Innovation Grants – June 18 Department of Labor Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) for Appalachian, Delta, and Northern Border Regions – June 20 CMS Seeks Public Comment On Shared Claims Matching Program with Department of Veterans Affairs – Comment by June 24 HRSA Delta Health Systems Implementation Program – June 24 Become a New Site for the National Health Service Corp – June 25 HRSA Rural Northern Boarder Region Outreach Program – June 25 HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program – June 27 HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – June 27 Become an Approved Site for HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program – June 27 CDC: A Cultural Approach to Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country – June 28 NIH Researching Barriers to Care and Risk of HIV-Associated Comorbidities Among Vulnerable Population Groups – June 28 Native Americans in Philanthropy/Common Counsel Foundation – Native Voices Rising Grants – June 28 DOJ Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-Based Program – July 1 USDA Improving WIC Workforce – Implementation Projects – July 1 USDA WIC State Agency General Infrastructure Grants – July 5 CMS Funds for States Using Federally Facilitated Exchanges – July 8 HRSA Center for Maternal and Child Health Medicaid Partnerships – July 10 HRSA Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program – July 10 USDA Rural Housing Service Community Development Initiative – July 10 CMS Increasing Organ Transplant Model – Comment by July 16 IHS Addressing Dementia in Indian Country: Enhancing Sustainable Models of Care – July 16 ACF Community Economic Development Project – July 17 HUD Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program – July 18 Telehealth Resource Centers: Telehealth Implementation Bootcamp – July 18 Call for Rural Health Papers - CDC's Preventing Chronic Disease Journal – July 19 DoD announces Removal of Certain Temporary Regulation Changes Made in Response to COVID-19 for TRICARE – Comment by July 23 DHS 2024 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grants – July 25 DOJ Meeting the Basic Needs of Underserved Crime Victims – July 29 Medicare ACO Primary Care Flex Model Request for Applications – August 1 NIH Advancing HIV Service Delivery Through Pharmacies and Pharmacists – August 13 HRSA New Access Points for Health Center Program – August 15 HRSA Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project – August 15 NIH Health Care Models for Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions from Populations that Experience Health Disparities: Advancing Health Care towards Health Equity – September 7 NIH Notice of Special Interest: Telehealth Strategies for Individuals with HIV and Substance Use Disorders – September 7 EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants – November 21 Ongoing Opportunities HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications Medicaid and CHIP Renewal and Transition Resources for Partners Extended Public Comment Period for FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program National Indian Health Board Vaccination Event Funding – Ongoing while funds last SAMHSA 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Volunteer and Job Opportunities USDA Disaster Repair Grants for Rural Communities USDA Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants ACF Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ACF Rural Community Development Program for Rural Water Systems Addiction Policy Forum: Sites for Anti-Stigma Pilot AgriSafe Mental Health Training for Agricultural Producers & Families 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 AmeriCorps American Connection Corps for Broadband in Rural Areas Appalachian Community Fund Technical Assistance Grants Appalachian Regional Commission J-1 Visa Waivers for Doctors Association of American Indian Physicians Tribal Grant Writing Training ASA Rural Access to Anesthesia Care Scholarship CDC Direct Assistance to State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Agencies CDC Training Pediatric Medical Providers to Recognize ACEs CORH Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program 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 DRA Technical Assistance for Delta Region Community Health Systems Development EPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund EPA Water Infrastructure and Innovation Act Program FEMA/SAMHSA Post-Disaster Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program GSA Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use GPHC & RWJF: Rapid Cycle Research and Evaluation Grants for Cross-Sector Alignment HRSA/SAMHSA Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training and Mentoring 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) Licensure Portability: the Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project NARHC Certified Rural Health Clinic Professional Course National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence Technical Assistance National Indian Health Board Tribal Environmental Justice Technical Assistance Center National Indian Health Board Tribal Environmental Impact Network Call for Technical Assistance Providers National Indian Health Board Vaccination Event Funding National Indigenous Women's Resource Center Technical Assistance for Domestic Violence Programs Native Americans into Medicine Host Sites for National Environmental Public Health Internship NIH Research to Improve Native American Health – October 2024 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 Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination – Various dates until October 2025 NIH Researching Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention – February 2026 NIH Research to Address Vaccine Hesitancy in Health Disparity Populations – June 2026 NIH Planning Grants for Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) – various dates until July 2026 NIH Research to Understand Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality – Various dates until October 2026 NIH Data Informed, Place-Based Community-Engaged Research to Advance Health Equity – January 2027 NIH/UVA Seeking Rural Individuals to Participate in Weight Loss Study (iREACH) – until 2027 NIH Project Talk Initiative Host Site Applications NOSORH Rural Primary Care Institute Nominations for Federal Advisory Commission on HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases NRHA Chief Nursing Officer Certification Program for Rural Hospitals Opportunity Finance Network/Partners for the Common Good – Economic Justice Partnership Fund 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 Rural Grocery Transition Specialist Program 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 Treasury Department Opportunity Zone Economic Development Program United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc Tribal Health Program Support USDA Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems 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 Intermediary Relending Program USDA Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees USDA National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program USDA/NRHA Rural Hospital Technical Assistance 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 Western Region Public Health Training Center – Future Leaders Program WWAMI Area Health Education Center Scholars Program 3RNET Recruitment and Retention Assistance | 
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