The Rural Assistance Center is a collaborative effort of the University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health, and the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI); and is funded by a grant through HRSA's Office of Rural Health Policy.

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In This Issue:

1. New from RAC
2. Recent News
3. Funding Opportunities
4. New Documents
5. Tools
6. Open Calls for Contributions
7. Upcoming Events
8. Subscriber Services

New from RAC

The Rural Monitor - includes information on issues related to assisted living; as well as articles on a mobile clinic in southwest Virginia, the Community Apgar Questionnaire and an interview with Theresa Cullen, MD, Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Information Technology for the Indian Health Services.

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Recent News Go to RAC Recent News page

Children's Advocates Fear Health Reform Could Undermine CHIP
Aug 25, 2009 -- Kaiser Health News reports that as Democratic leaders pursue their quest to provide millions of Americans with health care insurance, some advocates see an unlikely casualty of reform: youngsters now covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program whom they fear could end up with reduced benefits.

USDA Launches New Website for Obama Administration's Rural Tour
Aug 18, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture today launched a new website designed to enhance discussions and facilitate innovation for issues facing rural America as part of the Obama Administration's Rural Tour.

Updated Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs Now Available
Aug 14, 2009 -- A new, updated guide to finding local substance abuse treatment programs is now available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

3 Areas Can Reenergize Rural America
Aug 11, 2009 -- Argus Leader, (SD) article reports that rural America faces the same challenges in this recession as corporate America, but the federal government has the ideas and money to energize small communities, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official says.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Launches Retooled Loan Assistance for Individuals and Businesses in Struggling Agriculture Industries
Aug 11, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is undertaking an unprecedented effort to use the department's administrative flexibility to provide relief to individuals and businesses in struggling agriculture industries.

Why Do Some Towns Thrive? — and Other Questions
Aug 10, 2009 -- Daily Yonder article tells how rural sociologists got together recently to talk about ethanol, migration, Obama and what it takes to be a thriving small town.

Raising Alabama
Aug 6, 2009 -- Economist.com article tells of the ACCESS program that uses the internet and videoconferencing technology to link students in one town to teachers in another, helping many small, rural schools, who because of their size, and the relative scarcity of specialized teachers, course offerings have been limited.

Technology Helps Bridge Rural Mental Health Care Gap, but Challenges Persist
Aug 5, 2009 -- Iowa Independent article discusses how agricultural populations have problems accessing mental health care services, but now more behavioral health professionals serving rural populations are testing and utilizing more technological tools for outreach.

Grants.Gov Web Site Offers New Feature for Information on Applying for All ARRA Federal Grants
Aug 4, 2009 -- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today unveiled a new feature on Grants.gov to help users find and apply for The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant opportunities.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces $1.7 Billion in Loan Assistance Available Now to Help Rural Businesses
Jul 30, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is now accepting applications for up to $1.7 billion to fund projects that help spur business activity and economic growth in rural communities.

House Passes Appropriations Bill with Significant Increases for Rural Programs
Jul 29, 2009 -- The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) reports that on July 24, the House passed H.R. 3293, the appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education by a vote of 264 to 153, matching NRHA’s requests for rural programs and also provided increases for other programs important to rural health.

Landmark Study Reveals Majority of District Wellness Policies Fail to Provide Healthy School Environment for Kids
Jul 29, 2009 -- While most students nationwide are enrolled in a school district with a wellness policy on the books, these policies are weak, failing to provide our children with the healthy foods and physical activity they need to learn and grow, according to a new report released today by Bridging the Gap and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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Funding Opportunities Go to RAC Funding Database

Healthy Environments
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to improve the health and well being of vulnerable children from low-income families by making the places they live, learn and play safe and supportive of overall good health.

Safety-net Enhancement Initiative
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding designed to reduce health disparities within vulnerable communities by enhancing collaboration and coordination among agencies and institutions providing health and social supports to these communities.

Safety-net Facility Improvements
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Facilities-capital challenge grant in community-based health centers through a variety of funding methods, including program-related investments or below market rate loans.

Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency Service Coordinators Program
Application deadline: Sep 18, 2009
Grants for the delivery and coordination of supportive services and other activities designed to help improve the living conditions of public and Indian housing residents who are elderly and/or disabled.

SAMHSA Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants
Application deadline: Sep 30, 2009
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.

2010 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards
Application deadline: Oct 1, 2009
Awards to emerging leaders with disabilities.

Rethinking Mental Health: Improving Community Wellbeing
Application deadline: Oct 14, 2009
Funding to challenge organizations to explore innovations that allow individuals, families, communities and society to move past narrow perceptions of mental health.

Brownfields Assessment Grants
Application deadline: Oct 16, 2009
Grants to help states and communities clean up and revitalize Brownfield sites.

Brownfields Cleanup Grants
Application deadline: Oct 16, 2009
Provides funds to carry out cleanup activities at a specific Brownfield site owned by the applicant.

UnitedHealth HEROES Service Learning Grants
Geographic Coverage: 34 states and the District of Columbia
Application deadline: Oct 22, 2009
Funding to support youth-led projects that address childhood obesity.

Presbyterian Hunger Program
Application deadline: Oct 31, 2009
The Presbyterian Hunger Program provides grants in the five areas: 1) Direct Food Relief; 2) Development Assistance; 3) Influencing Public Policy; 4) Life-style Integrity; and 5) Education and Interpretation.

Hidden Valley Love Your Veggies Grant Program
Application deadline: Nov 6, 2009
Grants to support programs that increase student access to, and consumption of, fresh vegetables and fruits during school meals.

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New Documents Go to RAC Document Database

"Teen Screen" Rural Health Clinics Technical Assistance Conference Call Transcript, 7/14/2009
Transcript of the July 14, 2008 technical assistance call for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) about "TeenScreen," a program identifying depression and mental health screening for adolescents.
Organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
Date: 07 / 2009

2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-being
Provides national and state-by-state information and statistical trends on the conditions of America’s children and families.
Organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Date: 2009

Addressing Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment: A Treatment Improvement Protocol TIP 50
A manual designed to assist substance abuse counselors working with adult clients who may be suicidal, and to help clinical supervisors and administrators support the work of substance abuse counselors. Includes references to rural.
Organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Date: 2009

Baby Boom Migration Tilts Toward Rural America
Describes the trend of baby boomer migration patterns to rural and small-town populations.
Date: 09 / 2009

Broadband Internet Service Helping Create a Rural Digital Economy
Discusses the benefits of broadband high speed Internet service in rural communities in relation to employment and economic growth.
Organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Date: 09 / 2009

Broadband Internet's Value for Rural America
This report analyzes (1) rural broadband use by consumers, the community-at-large, and businesses; (2) rural broadband availability; and (3) broadband's social and economic effects on rural areas.
Organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Date: 08 / 2009

Community Services Block Grant: Annual Report, 2007
Reviews how the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)-funded network of state and local agencies helped individuals and families overcome economic insecurity in FY 2007.
Organization: National Association for State Community Services Programs
Date: 05 / 2009

Key Questions about Changes for Medicaid and Low-Income Individuals: American's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
Highlights key questions about provisions related to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and provisions that affect low-income individuals included in HR 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, released on July 14, 2009. Includes references to rural.
Organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Date: 07 / 2009

Q&A With Rick Smith, Director of National Health Service Corps
Smith answers questions about the NHSC's involvement with the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.
Organization: Health Workforce Information Center
Date: 07 / 2009

The Apocalypse Avoided: But an Uncertain Road Ahead
Addresses the state of the economy, its recession, potential recovery, and how it impacts rural America.
Organization: Rural Assistance Center
Date: 08 / 2009
Journal: Rural Monitor Volume: 2009 Issue: Summer

Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America
Identifies opportunities for creating transportation systems that promote health and equity.
Organization: Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership
Date: 2009

Unemployment Insurance: A Safety Net for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence and Their Children
Reports that expanding unemployment insurance benefits to victims of domestic violence is one mechanism for supporting women as they seek to escape the violence in their lives.
Organization: Carsey Institute
Date: 2009

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Tools

Disability.gov
Provides access to comprehensive disability-related resources including programs, services, laws and regulations to help people with disabilities lead full, independent lives.
Organization: U.S. Department of Labor

Health Reform
Offers customized fact sheets for each state, together with a directory of topics providing background information on the impacts health reform may have on the states and D.C.
Organization: Kaiser Family Foundation

National Association for State Community Services Programs State Contacts
Provides contacts for state community services programs funded through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (DOE/WAP).
Organization: National Association for State Community Services Programs

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Open Calls for Contributions View all RAC Open Calls for Contributions

Call for Paper and Poster Abstracts: Faces of a Healthy Future: National Conference to End Health Disparities II
Deadline: Sep 15, 2009
Event dates: Nov 3 - 6, 2009
Winston-Salem, NC
Conference Website

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Upcoming Events Go to RAC Calendar of Events for complete listing

Aug 31, 2009

Rural Tour
Secretaries Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack will discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on renewable energies.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Zanesville, OH

Aug 31 - Sep 2, 2009

Office of Rural Health Policy Grantee Partnership Meeting
Office of Rural Health Policy
Washington, DC
kplummer@qualitysupport.com

Sep 2 - 5, 2009

2009 Community Action Partnership Annual Convention
Community Action Partnership
Philadelphia, PA
202.265.7546
info@communityactionpartnership.com

Sep 11, 2009

Rural Behavioral Health Practice Conference
Minnesota Psychological Association
Morris, MN
651.203.7249
education@mnpsych.org

Sep 14 - 15, 2009

2009 Rural Virginia Summit
Council for Rural Virginia
Lynchburg, VA
276.637.3821
rgrimes@swva.net

Sep 15 - 16, 2009

Employment Transportation Conference: Communities Collaborating for Economic Success
Community Transportation Association of America
Des Moines, IA
800.891.0590
expo@ctaa.org

Sep 17 - 18, 2009

Meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Washington, DC
202.220.3700

Sep 18 - 19, 2009

Together We Stand: Empowerment Through Support, Education and Shared Visions
Coastal Bend Rural Health Partnership
Alice, TX
361.664.0145 X 283
MHConference@CACOST.org

Sep 20 - 25, 2009

NASEMSO 2009 Annual Meeting & Tradeshow
National Association of State EMS Officials
Little Rock, AR
703.538.1799
robinson@nasemso.org

Sep 21 - 24, 2009

Evolving Paradigms II Conference & Exposition 2009
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Las Vegas, NV
1.877.448.3976
Info@TechnologyForums.com

Sep 21 - 26, 2009

14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse & Trauma
Institute on Violence, Abuse, & Trauma
San Diego, CA
858.527.1860 x4270
mindon@alliant.edu

Sep 22 - 24, 2009

Native American Law Enforcement Summit
Fox Valley Technical College
Carlton, MN
888.370.1752
sterling@fvtc.edu

Sep 22 - 24, 2009

Northern Plains Conference on Aging and Disability
"Resilience and Wisdom through Aging"
Moorhead State University
Fargo, ND
218.477.5862
contstdy@mnstate.edu

Sep 23 - 25, 2009

2009 3RNet Annual Conference
National Rural Recruitment & Retention Network
Albuquerque, NM
800.787.2512
info@3rnet.org

Sep 24, 2009

Preserving Rural Rental Housing: A Conference on Policy and Practice
Housing Assistance Council
Washington, DC
202.842.8600
leslie@ruralhome.org

Sep 27, 2009

NOSORH Webinar: Moving Your Project Forward
2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
586.336.4627
dpanosorh@comcast.net

Sep 28, 2009

Rural Tour
Secretaries Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack will discuss production agriculture.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Scottsbluff, NE

Sep 30, 2009

Rural Tour
Secretaries Shaun Donovan and Tom Vilsack will discuss rural infrastructure.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Las Cruces , NM

Oct 7 - 9, 2009

2009 Critical Access Hospital Conference
National Rural Health Association
Portland, OR
816.756.3140

Oct 14 - 16, 2009

3rd Annual Rural Substance Abuse Prevention Conference
Coalition for Healthy Youth
Lancaster, SC
803.283.4995
info09@coalition4healthyyouth.org

Oct 22, 2009

InSOPHE Fall Workshop: Addressing the Obesity Epidemic in the Heartland
Society for Public Health Education
West Lafayette, IN
765.494.6475
asimons@purdue.edu

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Tell Us How RAC Has Impacted You

The Rural Assistance Center is seeking your comments on how our services have helped you in your efforts to improve health and human services delivery in rural communities. Have the RAC services helped you to stay informed, get a grant, find the proper federal agency contact or other expert, or otherwise changed your life? Please send an e-mail telling how RAC has impacted you to ksande@raconline.org. Your stories may be used in testimony, budget documents and presentations concerning the Rural Assistance Center.

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This e-mail and the RAC Human Services 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.