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September 2023
Update Index
2023 MN Rural Health Awards OPEN for nominations
 Rural Health Awards are given annually to individuals and groups who have made a significant contribution to improving rural health in Minnesota.
Nominees may have contributed to rural health in any capacity - in a volunteer or paid position, as a health care provider, and/or through policy or practice.
Applications are due Friday, October 13. Please email your completed Rural Health Award nomination form to: health.orhpc@state.mn.us. Feel free to include up to two additional 8 ½ x 11 pages (such as letters of support and/or news articles). The award will be announced on National Rural Health Day, November 16, 2023.
2023 MN Emerging Rural Health Leader Award OPEN for nominations
The Minnesota Emerging Rural Health Leader Award is given annually to an individual who has emerged as “leading the charge” to improve rural health on a local, regional, or statewide level. Nominations will be accepted until Wednesday, October 11. Please direct any questions you may have to info@mnruralhealth.org. The award will be announced on National Rural Health Day, November 16, 2023.
Equitable Health Care Task Force
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature established an Equitable Health Care Task Force. The task force, which will be convened by MDH, will examine inequities in how people experience health care based on race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and disability. It will identify strategies for ensuring that all Minnesotans can receive care and coverage that is respectful and ensures optimal health outcomes.
The Equitable Health Care Task Force is currently accepting membership applications. To become a participating member of the task force, please visit Equitable Health Care Task Force or Board/Commission Equitable Health Care Task Force. Applicants must submit a cover letter; other materials such as resumes and letters of recommendation are optional. The application review will begin on September 12; the application process will remain open until positions are filled.
MN Thrives
 The Minnesota Department of Health's MN Thrives: Building connections for mental well-being and resilience webpage includes an interactive database created by a variety of people entering information about initiatives currently happening in their community that promote mental well-being and resilience. Search the MN Thrives database to find a wide range of ideas happening in urban, suburban, and rural communities. If you have a project to share, please take a few moments to enter it into the database so others can learn about it. For more information please email health.mch@state.mn.us or call 651-201-3650.
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OPEN: Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness
The purpose of Minnesota’s Health Care Loan Forgiveness program is to recruit and retain health care professionals to needed areas and facilities in Minnesota. Loan forgiveness is an important benefit for health care professionals as well as health care facilities and communities experiencing a shortage of access to primary care services. The Loan Forgiveness program funds various health care professionals serving in high-need areas. The application cycle for Hospital Nurses is OPEN as of August 1 and applications are due Friday, October 6.
The application cycle for the remaining eligible professions will open Wednesday, November 1.
OPEN: Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
Minnesota's Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) is for primary care providers practicing in rural and urban Health Professional Shortage Areas in Minnesota. Applications are due by Friday, October 28. Please direct any questions you may have to: health.loanforgiveness@state.mn.us
OPEN: J-1 Visa and Waiver
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is committed to improving access to health care in underserved areas of the state. The Minnesota J-1 Visa Waiver Program, administered by the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), is one strategy to address the shortage of physicians in rural and underserved urban areas. Due to the difficulties some areas experience recruiting and retaining physicians, many communities turn to International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and J-1 visa waivers to fill their physician vacancies.
Through the J-1 Visa Waiver Program, MDH can recommend up to 30 waivers per federal fiscal year for physicians living and working in Minnesota. Generally, MDH receives more applications than it can recommend, and recommendations are allocated through a competitive process.
Applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. CT, Tuesday, October 31. For more information, please call 651-201-3634, or email: MN_health.J1NHW@state.mn.us
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 Clinical Dental Education Innovations 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. Applications are due Friday, September 15. For more information please contact: health.PrimaryCarePrograms@state.mn.us or call 651–201–3870.
REMINDER: Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion (HPCE) Grant
Minnesota Statutes Sec. 144.1505 authorizes the Commissioner of Health to award grants to support the establishment or expansion of clinical training for eligible health professional training programs. The grant program provides funding for planning clinical training programs and/or expanding existing clinical training programs in rural and underserved urban areas of Minnesota. Funds are awarded through a competitive review process.
Eligible, accredited training programs must be located in Minnesota and must train students enrolled in at least one of the following programs: advanced practice nursing, dental therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant, or mental health professional programs.
During this cycle it is estimated that approximately $500,000 will be available for the grant program.
Applications must be submitted by Monday, September 18. For more information please call 651-201-3895 or email Health.ORHPC.WorkForceGrants@state.mn.us
National Health Service Corps: Federal Loan Repayment Program
Medical, physician assistant, nursing and dental students can get money for school loans in exchange for serving in a community of need by applying for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program.
Receive up to $120,000, in addition to a competitive salary and benefits, for three years of full-time service or part-time for six years. This year, there is an additional $40,000 supplement for medical students who commit to providing OB/GYN services in a maternity care target area. Applications are due Thursday, December 7.
In addition, an informational webinar for tribal students and clinicians who are interested in the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment programs will be held on Tuesday, September 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
HCBS Provider Capacity Grants for Rural and Underserved Communities
One hundred twenty Minnesota Home and Community-Based Service (HCBS) providers/organizations will be able to increase their capacity to serve older adults and people with disabilities in rural and underserved communities through the HCBS Provider Capacity Grants for Rural and Underserved Communities funded by the American Rescue Plan Act with a recent commitment by Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature to temporarily continue the grant program. Organizations serving people with disabilities and aging populations across Minnesota will receive over $14 million to expand services to diverse communities, rural areas and regional centers.
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September is Suicide Awareness Month
 September is Suicide Awareness Month. The latest provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that suicide death rates in 2021 were highest among American Indian, Alaska Native people, males, and people who live in rural areas. In addition, suicide deaths are increasing fastest among people of color, younger people, and those who live in rural areas with many groups seeing increases of 30% or more from 2011 to 2021.
The following are some suicide prevention resources:
September is also National Recovery Month
Carole Johnson, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), took time in HRSA's September 7th eNews to lift up the work done by "health centers in thousands of historically underserved communities that provide care regardless of individuals ability to pay....these grantees are on the frontlines in helping communities provide access to substance use disorder care and in helping people find their path to recovery.
The same edition of eNews highlighted HRSA’s Office of Women’s Health's Toolkit for Organization Leaders and Providers created to support organizations and health care providers who care for women living with opioid use disorder (OUD).
National Farm Safety and Health Week: September 17-23
Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week to raise awareness about the dangers of farming, and share resources to help protect America's agriculture workforce. Please view or download the US Ag Centers Promotional Toolkit for promotional guidance and other resources. This year's theme is "No One Can Take Your Place", and the daily topics are:
- Monday - Tractor Safety and Rural Roadway Safety
- Tuesday - Health and Wellness
- Wednesday - Priority Populations
- Thursday - Confined Spaces in Agriculture
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Friday - Brain Health
CMS requests applications for new Primary Care Model
The Innovation Center at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a request for applications detailing policies and requirements for the Making Care Primary (MCP) Model. Interested applicants should submit their application via web portal by Thursday, November 30, at 11:59 p.m. EST. The model will launch July 1, 2024, and will operate over a ten-year period. This model aims to strengthen coordination between patients’ primary care clinicians, specialists, social service providers, and behavioral health clinicians, to drive improved chronic disease prevention, fewer emergency room visits, and better health outcomes. While Rural Health Clinics are not eligible, other rural primary care providers (including Federally Qualified Health Centers) may seek to participate. Questions about the Application for MCP should be directed to mcp@cms.hhs.gov.
Creative solutions to rural transportation online course
The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) offers course modules, resources, and discussion forums that focus on solutions to rural transportation issues. Beginning Friday, October 13 at 8 a.m., EDT, NADTC is offering a four-part online course on creative solutions to rural transportation. The course includes four modules which are:
- Funding rural community transportation systems
- Volunteer transportation
- Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in rural transportation planning
- How technology supports rural transportation coordination
You must register to attend. It is designed for public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human services providers, including volunteer programs; city/county employees, including those working in the fields of aging and disability services, healthcare, housing, or employment; tribal agencies; and anyone interested in learning about rural transportation.
Post-acute transitional care using swing beds webinar
Allevant Solutions LLC , a joint venture between Mayo Clinic and Select Medical, offers consulting services to rural hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to develop post-acute care programs focused on measured outcomes and evidence-based processes. Register for a webinar either Wednesday, September 23, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CDT, or Thursday, November 9, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CST, to hear about post-acute transitional care using swing beds.
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School nurse from Red Lake School District named a 2023 Immunization Champion
Charmaine Branchaud, RN, BSN, PHN, CDE, LSN, a public health nurse at Red Lake Comprehensive Health Services, has been named a 2023 Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Read the MDH Press Release about her inspiring work.
Minnesota community hospitals in Becker's Hospital Review
The following Minnesota hospitals were cited in this year's Becker's Hospital Review as community hospitals "lauded for their clinical excellence, compassionate care and economic impact on their communities."
- Allina Health Faribault Medical Center
- Alomere Health, Alexandria
- Buffalo Hospital
- Cambridge Medical Center
- Mercy Hospital, Coon Rapids
- New Ulm Medical Center
- Sanford Bemidji Medical Center
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Examining rural-urban differences in the availability of hospital-based cardiac services between 2010-2020, Rural Health Research & Policy Centers, September 2023.
Leveling the playing field for rural health providers, HealthLeaders, September 2023.
Mental health providers to offer no-cost support to Minnesota farmers, Minnesota Public Radio News, August 2023.
A consensus panel approach to estimating the start-up and annual service costs for rural ambulance agencies, Maine Rural Health Research Center, August 2023.
Eight postpartum support programs in rural communities across the United States, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, August 2023.
Project swaddle, The Rural Monitor, August 2023.
Food for thought - Facing the facts about food insecurity, Episodes 1-3, Keep It Rural Podcast, 2023.
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National Rural Health Day will be held Thursday, November 16.
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