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June 5, 2025
What's New
CDC’s Suicide Prevention Communication Campaign Playbook. Closing out Mental Health Awareness Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new resource for planning suicide prevention campaigns. The playbook includes:
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Key Audience: Tools for identifying specific populations at higher risk and their networks of influence.
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Campaign Development: Steps to design effective strategies, craft meaningful messages, and promote behavior change.
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Behavior Models: Insights into frameworks like the Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theory.
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Messaging Best Practices: Strategies to emphasize hope and resilience and use culturally relevant language.
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Evaluation: Tools to measure campaign impact and improve future efforts.
The latest data from the CDC show that rural residents are at a higher risk for suicide than urban residents and that rates of suicide almost doubled between 2000-2020 in rural areas.
Funding and Opportunities
HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program – July 3. HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) will repay a portion of your health professional student loan in return for serving on the faculty at a health professions school. Successful applicants will receive up to $40,000 in loan repayment assistance as well as funding to offset the tax burden. Though the application and program guidance state a deadline of June 26 for this opportunity, BHW’s website updates it to July 3.
HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program – July 10. If you're a behavioral health clinician, clinical support staff, or trained in substance use disorder treatment, HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce offers up to $250,000 toward student loans through its STAR Loan Repayment Program. In return, you’ll commit to six years of full-time service at an approved facility, bringing vital care to communities that need it most.
HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program – July 17. This program from HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce offers up to $100,000 in student loan repayment for eligible clinicians who provide pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical specialty, or child and adolescent behavioral health care, including substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment. In return, participants commit to three years of full-time service at an approved facility.
Policy Updates
Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov.
CMS Is Now Accepting Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Applications – Apply by June 12 at Noon Eastern. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who collaborate with the aim of coordinating high-quality care to people with Medicare. When an ACO succeeds in both delivering high-quality care and spending health care dollars more wisely, the ACO may be eligible to share in the savings it achieves for the Medicare program (also known as performance payments). In Phase 1 of the application process, ACOs must submit applications through the Accountable Care Organization Management System. Certain new ACOs, including those in rural areas, may be eligible for Advance Incentive Payments, which include an upfront payment of $250,000 and two years of quarterly payments. The Application Toolkit provides detailed information for the upcoming application submission cycle and questions can be emailed to SharedSavingsProgram@cms.hhs.gov.
Changes to the CMS ACO REACH Model. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center is implementing changes to the ACO REACH Model, starting in Performance Year (PY) 2026. The changes are based on early findings in a preview of the PY 2023 Evaluation Report; CMS aims to improve the model’s sustainability by adjusting the financial methodology. ACO REACH is an advanced accountable care organization (ACO) initiative that provides novel tools, payment methodologies, and resources for primary care and specialty care providers to work together to support delivery of care and improve population health of beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare. In 2025, over 900 Federally Quality Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, and Critical Access Hospitals participated in ACO REACH.
Approaching Deadlines
CMS Proposes Updates for FY 2026 Hospice Payment Rates – Comment by June 10
CMS Proposes Updates to FY 2026 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 10
CMS Proposes Updates to FY 2026 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 Proposes Updates for the FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 10
CMS Seeks Input to Streamline Medicare Regulations – Comment by June 10
CMS Shared Savings Plan ACO – June 12
CMS Requests Public Feedback on the Health Tech Ecosystem – Comment by June 16
HRSA National Health Service Corps – New Sites – June 17
HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program – July 17
NOSORH Rural Health Capital Resources Training Series – Live sessions through June 18
Draft Guidance for Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program – Comment by June 26
USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grants – June 26
USDA Rural Development: Economic Development Loan & Grants Programs – June 30
USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – June 30
HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program – July 3
HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program – July 10
CMS Hospital Price Transparency Accuracy and Completeness Request for Information – Comment by July 21
Ongoing Opportunities
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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