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Hot Topic Guide: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law on February 17th, 2009, contains more than $787 billion in spending and tax cuts through programs expected to aid in immediate economic recovery, with many programs expected to contribute to long-term economic growth. Recipients of ARRA funding are required to provide periodic reports to the Federal government. This guide focuses on ARRA news, events, documents, funding opportunities, and tools related to rural America.
House Democrats Unveil $894 Billion Health Care Bill
Oct 29, 2009 -- CNN Politics article reports that House Democratic leaders unveiled a sweeping $894 billion health care reform bill Thursday that includes a more moderate version of the government-run public health insurance option.
Hospitals That Care for Poor Patients Face Digital Divide Without Federal Help
Oct 27, 2009 -- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation article reports that hospitals that serve a disproportionately large share of poor patients are lagging behind other hospitals in adopting electronic health records (EHR), leading to a digital divide that could exacerbate health care disparities.
Rural Health Providers Improve Health of Economy, not Just Patients
Oct 27, 2009 -- Iowa Independent article tells how the steady decline in rural health care access can take a toll on patients’ health, but it can also impact the economic well-being of rural communities.
Cardiac Patients Across Rural America Risk Losing Access to Nearby Care as Federal Agency Considers Cuts this Week
Oct 26, 2009 -- PRWeb article reports that the clock is ticking for tens of thousands of heart patients in rural America as a looming federal government decision that is only days away could take away their access to quality cardiac care.
Oregon Offers Model to Boost Nursing Faculty
Oct 23, 2009 -- Associated Press article via Idaho Statesman tells how eight community colleges have joined Oregon Health and Science University to create the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education, allowing students in rural areas of the state to complete their coursework for a bachelor's while remaining in their community.
Senate Fails to Address Medicare Physician Sustainable Growth Rate Dilemma
Oct 22, 2009 -- Medicare Update article reports that on October 21, 2009, the U.S. Senate voted 47-53 on a cloture motion for the Medicare Physician Fairness Act of 2009 (S.1776), which would eliminate the 21.5 percent Medicare payment rate reduction for physician services in 2010 and sunset the sustainable growth rate (or SGR) formula.
Behind Purple Heart, Medical Hassle and Heartache
Oct 20, 2009 -- Anchorage Daily News, (AK) article tells the story of Sgt. 1st Class Michael Waszak, a Purple Heart recipient, and his efforts to bring national attention to the reimbursement problems of the military health plan called Tricare.
Lawmakers to Fight for Rural Hospitals Despite Budget Concerns on Reform
Oct 19, 2009 -- Kaiser Health News' staff writers report in a story produced in collaboration with Politico on lawmakers who want to help rural hospitals in their states get the funding boost that comes with the "critical access" designation.
New Program of OSU's Aims to Produce Rural Doctors
Oct 19, 2009 -- Tulsa World, (OK) article reports that Oklahoma State University (OSU) College of Osteopathic Medicine has launched a program designed to prepare future physicians for practice in rural areas.
Novel Telemedicine Project Links Rural Docs, Chronic Care Experts
Oct 13, 2009 -- AHA News tells of Project ECHO, a six-year-old program that helps rural New Mexico residents manage a dozen chronic diseases by putting a twist on the traditional use of telemedicine.
Groundwater Pollution in Rural Nuke Testing Areas
Oct 12, 2009 -- Associated Press article via KDKA, (PA) reports that rural communities that hosted the first nuclear missiles 50 years ago are now having to deal with a much longer-lasting legacy than the Cold War -- groundwater pollution.
Family Planning Services Grants
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Grants to provide family planning services.
Health Impact Project
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decision-making tool for policymakers.
HUD 242 (FHA Section 242) - Helping Hospitals Get Capital Financing
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Loan program to help hospitals finance new construction, refinancing, and modernization or to purchase major movable equipment such as hospital beds, wheeled equipment, and office machines.
Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
This initiative aims to enhance the leadership capacity of community-based nonprofit health organizations serving vulnerable populations.
Regional Community Health Grants Program
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
This program provides funding focused on reducing disparities in health care among racial and ethnic populations in eligible geographic areas.
RGK Foundation Grants
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Grants that support projects in the broad areas of education, community, and medicine/health.
Rural Emergency Responders Initiative
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Grants to strengthen the ability of rural communities to respond to local emergencies.
USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services in rural areas.
Building Healthy Communities Grant Program
Application deadline: Dec 15, 2009
Grants for community improvement projects.
Samuel Harris Fund for Children's Dental Health Dentistry Grant Program
Application deadline: Jan 8, 2010
Grants for oral health promotion programs designed to improve and maintain children's oral health through community education programs.
Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety Demonstration Projects (R18)
Letter of Intent (Optional): Dec 23, 2009
Application deadline: Jan 20, 2010
Funding for demonstration projects to allow States and health care systems to develop, implement and evaluate medical liability models that put patient safety first and work to reduce preventable injuries.
Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety Planning Grants (R21)
Letter of Intent (Optional): Dec 23, 2009
Application deadline: Jan 20, 2010
Funding for planning grants from States and health care systems for patient safety and medical liability innovations that put patient safety first and work to reduce preventable injuries.
Research Grants for Preventing Violence and Violence-Related Injury (R01)
Letter of Intent (Optional): Dec 18, 2009
Application deadline: Jan 22, 2010
Funding for research to expand and advance the understanding of violence, its causes, and prevention strategies.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program
Application deadline: Feb 2, 2010
Funding to develop the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards for outstanding junior nursing faculty.
Foundation for Rural Education and Development Scholarships
Application deadline: Feb 8, 2010
Scholarships to rural America's best and brightest students.
Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program
Application deadline: Feb 26, 2010
Grants to provide postdoctoral training for young physicians interested in research and leadership careers in health policy and academic medicine.
SAMHSA Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants
Application deadline: Mar 30, 2010
Funding for disseminating knowledge about practices within the mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment fields and integrating that knowledge into real-world practice as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Aiming Higher for Health System Performance: A Profile of Seven States That Perform Well on the Commonwealth Fund’s 2009 State Scorecard
Demonstrates that high levels of health system performance are achievable and sustainable, and provides useful examples of policies and practices in Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Delaware that may be associated with health system improvement.
Organization: Commonwealth Fund
Date: 10 / 2009
Comprehensive Congressional Health Reform Bills of 2009: A Look at Health Insurance, Delivery System, and Financing Provisions
Provides an overview of key provisions of the two separate comprehensive health reform bills passed by the five committees of jurisdiction in the U.S. Congress: the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee of the Senate, and the Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Energy and Commerce committees of the House of Representatives.
Organization: Commonwealth Fund
Date: 10 / 2009
Emergency Departments Under Growing Pressures
Reports on a set of interviews with emergency department heads and others practicing in emergency departments.
Organization: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Date: 08 / 2009
Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics: A Practical Guide for Professionals
Analyzes, solves, and anticipates health care ethics dilemmas to provide general ethics information and related guidance for clinicians and administrators of rural health care facilities.
Organization: Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College
Date: 2009
Health Reform Issues: State Financing and Medicaid
Highlights some of the potential benefits and costs to the states associated with Medicaid expansion in the reform proposals.
Organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Date: 10 / 2009
Improving Medicaid Managed Care for Youth with Serious Behavioral Health Needs: A Quality Improvement Toolkit
Details promising practices tested by nine participating health plans from the Center for Health Care Strategies: Collaborative on Improving Managed Care Quality for Youth with Serious Behavioral Health Needs.
Organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Date: 09 / 2009
Individuals with Special Needs and Health Reform: Adequacy of Health Insurance Coverage
Examines the health care needs of three individuals with extensive acute medical care and long-term service needs. Includes reference to Medicaid, FQHCs and Rural Health Clinics.
Organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Date: 09 / 2009
Marshfield Clinic: Health Information Technology Paves the Way for Population Health Management
Illustrates how Marshfield Clinic serving rural Wisconsin can improve patient outcomes and reduce costs by undertaking a population-based approach to ambulatory care management supported by information technology.
Organization: Commonwealth Fund
Date: 08 / 2009
Medicare Physician Guide: A Resource for Residents, Practicing Physicians, and Other Health Care Professionals
Offers general information about certain aspects of the Medicare program including enrollment, reimbursement, payment policies, evaluation and management services, protecting the Medicare Trust Fund, and inquiries, overpayments and fee-for-service appeals.
Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Date: 10 / 2009
More Choices, Better Coverage: Health Insurance Reform for Rural America
Describes how the economic downturn may increase many of the health and access disparities that are already a problem in rural communities. Presents possible health insurance reform solutions.
Organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Date: 10 / 2009
North Carolina’s ABCD Program: Using Community Care Networks to Improve the Delivery of Childhood Developmental Screening and Referral to Early Intervention Services
An overview of the key elements of North Carolina’s Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) screening program that identifies at risk young children in rural as well as urban areas needing early intervention services.
Organization: Commonwealth Fund
Date: 08 / 2009
Nursing's Reversal of Fortune
Describes how rural hospitals can recruit more nurses.
Date: 10 / 2009
Rural Renewal – As Near as Your Own Young People
An executive summary of detailed surveys completed by high school and middle school youth in 39 rural communities in Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas highlighting how broadly communities are missing out on their very best asset - youth.
Organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Date: 2009
Sweet the Bitter Drought: Why Rural America Needs Health Care Reform
Details issues facing rural Americans in the Health Care reform debate through researched feature reporting and interviews.
Organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Date: 09 / 2009
Uneven Cost of Rural Health Care
Reports that the Unites States is spending vastly more on health care in some rural areas than in others without any indication that the increased spending results in better health.
Date: 10 / 2009
2008 Profile of Local Health Departments
Information is free, but requires you to provide your name, email, and organization. Results of a survey of local health departments (LHDs) across the nation. Includes information on a wide range of LHD-related topics.
Organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
Access to Trauma Care
An interactive tool that allows the user to find the trauma care centers in their region and across the United States.
Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
State Scorecard 2009
An interactive U.S. map to view state-specific rankings and results compared to benchmarks, and to view the number of lives and dollars each state could save by achieving benchmark levels of performance.
Organization: Commonwealth Fund
Women’s Health USA 2009
A collection of current and historical data on the health challenges facing women, their families, and their communities.
Organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Health Future, LLC- Oregon
Health Future is a unique shared services organization jointly owned by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and six other Oregon hospitals.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Lakelands Rural Health Network Technology Project- South Carolina
A major weakness in the Lakelands Rural Health Network (LRHN) health care system was access to technology. Its rural network partners needed a system to collect, manage, and utilize consistent patient data efficiently and effectively.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Lakelands Rural Health Network- South Carolina
Clinical input and buy-in by primary care physicians was determined to be crucial for the success of the Lakelands Rural Health Network.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Management of Chronic Diseases by School Nurses- South Carolina
Middle school students with asthma and diabetes in the Upper Midlands Rural Health Network miss a significant amount of time from class and school.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Northeastern Rural Health Network- South Carolina
The Northeastern Rural Health Network was organized in November 2006. The partners of this provider-based network recognized that through ongoing dialogue, they could begin to identify and prioritize common needs and network strategies.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Outreach Advisory Committee for Planning and Implementing Middle School Chronic Disease Interventions
The Upper Midlands Rural Health Network worked to improve health status, disease management and appropriate use of services for area residents with diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Pneumonia Vaccination Among the Elderly- South Carolina
The Lakelands Rural Health Network received a one year Office of Rural Health Policy Rural Network Development Planning Grant in March 2005. A strategy was developed targeting Pneumococcal immunization coverage across the Lakelands service area.
Source: National Cooperative of Health Networks (NCHN)
Call for Abstracts: 37th Annual Professional Nurse Educators Group Conference
Deadline: Jan 29, 2010
Event dates: Oct 21 - 24, 2010
Baltimore, MD
Conference Website
| Nov 3, 2009 | Rural Health Open Door Forum |
| Nov 3 - 6, 2009 | Faces of a Healthy Future: National Conference to End Health Disparities II |
| Nov 4, 2009 | 2009 Invitational Symposium and National Healthcare Leadership Award |
| Nov 4 - 5, 2009 | 2009 Tri-State Health Information Technology (HIT) Conference |
| Nov 4 - 5, 2009 | 9th Transforming Healthcare through Health IT Summit |
| Nov 4 - 5, 2009 | Idaho RHC & CAH Conference |
| Nov 5, 2009 | CMS 'Town Hall Meeting' on 935 Appeals Process |
| Nov 5 - 6, 2009 | 2009 Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference |
| Nov 5 - 6, 2009 | Meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) |
| Nov 5 - 6, 2009 | Mississippi Rural Health Association Annual Conference |
| Nov 9 - 10, 2009 | Texas Rural Health Forum |
| Nov 9 - 11, 2009 | Health IT Certification Training |
| Nov 9 - 13, 2009 | NNAEMSA 2009 18th Annual Educational Conference |
| Nov 10, 2009 | Listening Session on Medicare Physician Resource Use Measurement Program |
| Nov 10, 2009 | Town Hall Meeting on Rural Health |
| Nov 12, 2009 | Rural Health Care Program Monthly Outreach Conference Call |
| Nov 12 - 14, 2009 | Meeting of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps |
| Nov 12 - 14, 2009 | Wisconsin AgriSafe Training - Agricultural Medicine: The Core Course |
| Nov 13, 2009 | Meeting of the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality |
| Nov 15 - 17, 2009 | 2009 Joint Conference: Changing Times, Changing Strategies. Working Together to Strengthen the Safety Net |
| Nov 16, 2009 | Health IT Certification Training: CPEHR, CPHIE, & CPHIT Training |
| Nov 17, 2009 | Face-to-Face Workshop: Making the Most of Evaluation / Advocacy Skills |
| Nov 17, 2009 | Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum |
| Nov 17 - 20, 2009 | 9th Annual California State Rural Health Conference |
| Nov 18 - 19, 2009 | NOSORH Annual Meeting |
| Nov 18 - 20, 2009 | 2009 AAMA Annual Conference: Certain Solutions for Uncertain Times |
| Nov 18 - 20, 2009 | 2009 Tennessee Rural Health Conference |
| Nov 19, 2009 | CMS Hospital & Hospital Quality Open Door Forum |
| Nov 19 - 21, 2009 | 19th Annual Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum |
| Dec 1 - 3, 2009 | Helping Small Towns Succeed |
| Dec 9 - 11, 2009 | 2009 Minority and Multicultural Health Conference |
| Dec 10, 2009 | Rural Health Care Program Monthly Outreach Conference Call |
| Dec 15, 2009 | CMS Low Income Health Access Open Door Forum |
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This e-mail and the RAC Health updates are a service of the Rural Assistance Center. The Rural Assistance Center (RAC) does not assume any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information provided in this message. Web site links included in the message are for your convenience. The RAC is not responsible for the availability or content of these web sites. For additional services and information, see the RAC web site at http://www.raconline.org or call 1-800-270-1898.