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September 2021
Update Index
 1 more month to nominate your rural health heroes!
We are accepting nomination forms for the MN Rural Health Awards now through Friday, October 1. The three awards are given to those who have made a contribution to improving rural health in Minnesota:
- MN Rural Health Hero Award – given to one person
- MN Rural Health Team Award – given to a team or group of people
- MN Rural Health Lifetime Achievement Award – given to one person towards the “end” of their career
Download the 2021 Minnesota Rural Health Awards Nomination Form (PDF Document - 6 pages). The awards will be announced on National Rural Health Day, November 18, and at the MN Rural Health Conference held in Duluth, June 2022. For more information, please contact: maria.rogness@state.mn.us
National Rural Health Day - 2 months away!
This year, National Rural Health Day will be celebrated on Thursday, November 18. It is always held on the third Thursday of November. Its purpose is to celebrate and promote the “Power of Rural,” bringing much needed attention to the ongoing efforts to communicate, educate, collaborate, and innovate to improve the health of an estimated 57 million people who call rural and frontier areas home
Download tools & resources from: powerofrural.org
MDH and partners release new state plan to improve oral health
More than 200 community stakeholders and dental providers have come together to create the State Oral Health Plan 2020-2030 that outlines a road map for preventing dental disease, making oral health care in Minnesota easier to access, improving data infrastructure and integrating dental care with medical care. The MDH Oral Health Program will play the role of backbone organization, responsible for coordination, communications, roundtables, and evaluation of the initiatives and outcomes of this plan.
Going forward, one of the tasks is to bring together a dedicated group of professionals to identify and implement strategies about populations in rural areas as the needs and challenges of those populations are different from the urban populations. The Oral Health Workgroup of the Minnesota Rural Health Advisory Committee will be called upon for their expertise. This workgroup was formed to assess oral health outcomes and services in rural Minnesota and presented the report Strengthening the Oral Health System in Rural Minnesota. MDH will also reach out to other rural health advocates to discuss avenues for collaboration.
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Reminder: Clinical Dental Education Innovations Grant
Clinical training is a requirement for dental professionals to become licensed, but opportunities to receive clinical training can be limited. Under the authority of Minnesota Statutes Section 62J.692, Subdivision 7a, the Commissioner of Health is authorized to award grants to sponsoring institutions and clinical dental training sites for projects that increase dental access for underserved populations and promote innovative clinical dental education or clinical training programs. Potential uses of grant funds include expanding existing clinical training programs that have demonstrated success in providing dental services to underserved populations and in developing or implementing new programs designed to improve access for underserved populations. Applications are due September 10. For more information, contact: health.SafetyNetGrants@state.mn.us
Reminder: Mental Health Safety Net Grant
Minnesota Statute 145.929 authorizes the Commissioner of Health to award grants to support eligible mental health providers who serve the uninsured. The RFP is available at Mental Health Safety Net Grant. Funds will be awarded each year proportionally among all eligible programs, based on the total number of uninsured patients under the age of 21 served. A Letter of Intent (LOI) is due Monday, September 13. All questions regarding this grant must be submitted by email or phone to health.SafetyNetGrants@state.mn.us
New: Dental Safety Net grant
MDH is soliciting proposals for Dental Safety Net grants to dental clinics who serve the uninsured. Eligible applicants include nonprofit critical access dental providers not affiliated with a hospital or medical group, who provide free or reduced–cost oral health to low–income patients under the age of 21, and who can demonstrate that at least 80 percent of patient encounters were with patients who were uninsured or covered by Minnesota health care programs. Funding will be distributed based on the number of uninsured patients under the age of 21 served by the provider. To be considered for funding, an initial Letter of Intent (LOI) applications must be received by MDH no later than 11:59 p.m. CT, September 20. For more information, contact: health.SafetyNetGrants@state.mn.us
New: International Medical Graduates (IMG) Career Guidance and Support Grant
All eligible nonprofit organizations to submit an application for the Immigrant International Medical Graduate (IMG) Career Guidance and Support Grant Program. This grant program provides a foundation for a comprehensive program authorized by Minnesota Legislature to address barriers to practice and facilitate pathways to assist immigrant international medical graduates (IMGs) and other foreign trained health care professionals integrate into the Minnesota health care delivery system, with the goal of increasing access to primary care in rural and underserved areas of the state. Applications due Friday, October 15 at 11:59 p.m. CST. For more information, contact MN_health.IMG@state.mn.us.
New: Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program
The Minnesota's State Loan Repayment Program (MN SLRP) is now open and accepting applications through Friday, October 15, 11:59 p.m. The purpose of the program is to improve access to primary care by assisting underserved communities with recruitment and retention of primary care providers. For more information contact: health.loanforgiveness@state.mn.us
Opening soon: Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness Program
Due to increased funding, the Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness Program will be accepting applications early for the following eligible professions beginning September 13 through November 22:
Please note that Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADC) are now included as Urban/Rural Mental Health Professionals.
ALL eligible professions may apply for the Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness during its regular program cycle beginning November 1 through January 7. For more information, contact health.loanforgiveness@state.mn.us
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Webinar: Availability of post-acute care and long-term care services in rural areas
Date: Tuesday, September 14
Time: 12:00 - 1 p.m. CT
Website: ruralhealthresearch.org/webinars/availability-of-care-services
Zoom link and registration: https://und.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vce-sqTMuGNYuNQmFg6OI3cRcPZhk0V1F
Registration is free and required. Attendance of the live webinar is limited to 500 persons. If you are unable to attend, you will be able to access the recording, archived on the Gateway website.
During this webinar, Hari Sharma, PhD, will discuss the availability of post-acute care and long-term care services in rural areas, focusing on nursing homes. Dr. Sharma will examine the trends in nursing home closures and identify areas without nursing home services. He will then explore the extent to which hospitals with swing beds provide coverage for post-acute care and long-term care services in rural areas and assess the availability of home health care services in areas without nursing homes.
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Trends in Nursing Home Closures in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties in the United States, 2008-2018 February 2021, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, Rural Policy Brief
Recommendations on Strengthening Mental Health Care in Rural Minnesota (PDF) 2021, Minnesota Rural Health Advisory Committee, MDH
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