| Read this in your browser. May 8, 2025 What's New Children's Mental Health Awareness Week is May 4 - 10. According to the most recent National Survey of Children's Health, nearly 26 percent of children ages 3–17 had a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem. Of those children, approximately 20 percent did not receive needed mental health treatment or counseling from a mental health professional in the past 12 months. HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau is working to close that gap through the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) program. This program offers free teleconsultation services for health professionals to help them better care for children and youth in their practice with behavioral health concerns. Most consultations are completed in as little as 30 minutes and almost always within one business day. Participate in Setting Quality Standards for CMS Policy and Regulations – nominate yourself or someone else by May 15. The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) seeks rural health policy expertise from the public for the Endorsement & Maintenance committee and for Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review. Members of the PQM can be patients, patient advocates, clinicians, quality measure experts, or any other party interested in providing feedback on quality measures being considered for programs implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Expertise the PQM is seeking includes: - Patient or caregiver
- Clinician, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc.
- Facility/institution, including accountable care organization, hospital or hospital system, and post-acute/long-term care facility
- Patient Advocate or Advocacy Organization
- Purchaser and plans (state, federal, and/or private)
- Lived experience with or expertise in health care in Rural settings
- Lived experience with or expertise in health care in Urban settings
- Lived experience or expertise in closing care gaps among populations who may be at greater risk due to various factors such as socioeconomic status, health conditions, environmental exposures, etc.
- Researchers in health services, patient experience, survey development, health services financing, alternative payment models (e.g., bundled payments, shared savings, all-payer models, etc.), population health, or implementation science methodology
- Representatives of electronic health record vendors, provider and facility associations
- Experts in areas such as quality improvement, care coordination, patient safety, behavioral health, and national policy
There is still time to learn more about responsibilities and time commitments and nominate yourself or someone else by May 15. Funding and Opportunities Become a New Site for the NHSC – June 17. Health care facilities can now apply for approval to become National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites. Eligible sites include those that provide outpatient, ambulatory, and primary health care services—such as medical, dental, and behavioral health—to populations in high-need rural and urban areas. This year, Rural Emergency Hospitals are also eligible for NHSC approval. Approved sites gain the advantage of recruiting and retaining NHSC participants through the Loan Repayment, Scholarship, and Students to Service programs. Additionally, they can post job openings on the Health Workforce Connector and participate in Virtual Job Fairs. Learn more about NHSC site eligibility requirements and apply before the June 17, 11:59 p.m. ET deadline. HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce will hold a webinar for applicants on Tuesday, May 13 at 1:30 pm Eastern. Check the headline link for details. 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. Rural and Urban Differences in Suicide in the United States, 2018-2021. National data from the National Vital Statistics System and the American Community Survey were used to explore trends across urban and rural areas. Among the key takeaways in this brief from the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center: - Crude suicide rates have remained around 14.5 per 100,000 from 2018-2021, with rural areas consistently higher than urban areas overall and across all subgroups of interest.
- Males have higher crude suicide rates compared to females (23.2 vs. 6.0 per 100,000).
- Groups aged 25-34 and 45-54 in rural areas have the highest crude suicide rates (28.8 and 25.3 per 100,000, respectively).
- Western states generally report higher crude suicide rates than other Census regions, while Northeastern and Southern states have lower rates in both urban and rural areas.
Policy Updates for Rural Health Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. CMS Seeks Comments on the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program – Comments due June 10. In the recently released Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included several requests for information for the Promoting Interoperability Program, which requires hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to submit data demonstrating meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT). Hospitals and CAHs that do not meet the requirements are subject to a downward payment adjustment. Some issues that CMS seeks public input on include: - The Query of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Measure - This measure requires eligible hospitals and CAHs to attest yes/no on whether they have integrated their state's PDMP electronic database, which monitors the use of controlled substances, into their EHRs. CMS seeks comments on whether this measure should be performance-based and measure the percent of electronic prescriptions for which the hospital queried the PDMP for prescription drug history. They also seek comment on whether they should expand the types of drugs to which the Query of PDMP measure could apply.
- The Public Health and Clinical Exchange Data Objective Measure Scoring - Currently, eligible hospitals and CAHs must attest yes/no on whether they are exchanging data with six public health entities, and they can earn 25 points for reporting on all six required measures in this category. CMS seeks comments on whether they should change the scoring method to allow eligible hospitals and CAHs to earn up to 5 points for each measure, for a total of 30 points for the objective, but must earn at least 1 point for each measure to meet the requirement. CMS also seeks comments on whether these measures should be performance based with a numerator and denominator.
- The Use of Modern Technologies to Ensure Data Quality - CMS wants to encourage and support eligible hospitals' and CAHs' use of modern technologies and standards to ensure data are usable, complete, accurate, timely, and consistent. They seek feedback on what challenges hospitals and CAHs are experiencing with collecting high quality data, what the primary barriers are, and how CMS can partner with eligible hospitals, CAHs, industry, and Federal agencies to drive further improvements in the quality and usability of health information being exchanged.
Approaching Deadlines CMS-Driven Partnership for Quality Measurement Seeks Rural Experts – Nominate by May 15 CMS Proposes Updates to FY 2026 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 10 CMS Proposes Revision to Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 10 CMS Proposes Updates to FY 2026 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 10 CMS Seeks Input to Streamline Medicare Regulations – Comment by June 10 Become a New Site for the National Health Service Corps – June 17 NOSORH Rural Health Capital Resources Training Series – Live sessions through June 18 USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grants – June 26 CMS Proposes Updates for FY 2026 Medicare Hospice Payment Rate – Comment by June 30 CMS Proposes Updates to FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 30 USDA Rural Development: Economic Development Loan & Grants Programs – June 30 USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – June 30 Ongoing Opportunities - Updated May 2025 Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities. Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Technical Assistance for Rural EMS Communications Delta Regional Authority: Community Infrastructure Fund Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program General Services Administration: Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications HRSA National Health Service Corps/SAMHSA: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training HRSA Technical Assistance for Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program Indian Health Service SOAR Health Training on Human Trafficking Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM) Licensure Portability: the Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business Small Business Administration Rural Initiative Pilot Program Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Federal Emergency Management Agency/: Post-Disaster Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program USDA: Summer Food Service Program USDA/National Rural Health Association: Rural Hospital Technical Assistance USDA Rural Development: America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Program USDA Rural Development: Economic Development Loans & Grants – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter USDA Rural Development: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants USDA Rural Development: Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter USDA Rural Development: Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees USDA Rural Development: Rural Business Investment Program USDA Rural Development: Rural Energy Savings Program USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects) USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center: Recruiting Veterans for Telehealth Study – Ongoing until October 2026 | 
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