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Greetings from the Virginia State Office of Rural Health!
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Page Alliance for Community Action
The Page Alliance for Community Action (PACA) is a non-profit coalition committed to promoting healthy life choices for the youth and families in Page County. They have been very busy this summer providing opportunities and resources focused on preventing substance misuse among our youth and combating childhood obesity with physical activities and nutritional education.
Recent projects include:
- Youth Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Project,
- Community Based, Advocacy Focused, Data Driven, Coalition Building, Association Leadership Trainings,
- Back to school events to talk to youth about building resilience,
- “Free Market Fridays” in their community gardens,
- Speaking to seniors about the importance of prescription drug monitoring, storage, and disposal,
- Summer enrichment programs,
- Free swim lessons for elementary school students.
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For more information and photos please visit the "Community Spotlight" section of the VA-SORH website.
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VA-SORH & Partner Updates |
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Save the date- National Rural Health Day is Thursday, November 16, 2023!
We’re excited to celebrate the Power of Rural on National Rural Health Day, November 16! Join us in recognizing the spirit of rural America and the efforts of healthcare providers and stakeholders addressing unique healthcare challenges.
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Delta Dental LRP Extension
The Delta Dental Loan Repayment Program application cycle has been extended through August 21, 2023.
The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation is committed to addressing workforce shortages with a one-year student loan repayment program designed to help Virginia dentists and dental hygienists in exchange for 12 months of service with a safety-net clinic.
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Nominate a Champion of Health Care!
Nomination Deadline: August 11, 2023
The VAFCC's Champions of Health Care award program has returned! An opportunity to honor and recognize individuals and organizations that have made a difference in the health care for Virginia's underserved.
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Reisa Sloce is the new Health District Director for Cumberland Plateau and Lenowisco Health Districts!
Reisa has working in public health for almost 24 years, most recently as the COO for the Cumberland Plateau and Lenowisco Health Districts. Previous roles include CEO for St. Mary’s Medical Management and 14 years as a school teacher! Reisa is a native of Southwest Virginia. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing tennis, gardening, reading, magnet fishing, walking and multiple other outdoor activities!
Back to School
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has created this resource to keep your children healthy in school. Here you will find recommendations about COVID-19, immunizations, and other information. Use the Back to School Checklists to stay organized with what you need to do before the new school year, and check back regularly to find the most up-to-date resources.
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Updated Case Definition of Childhood Lead Cases
In May 2023, Virginia adopted an updated childhood lead case definition and revised the Virginia Blood Lead Testing and Case Management Guidelines. Adhering to this updated guidance, health care providers should:
- Screen high risk children for lead exposure at ages 1 and 2, or up to age 6 if they have never received a blood lead test.
- Schedule confirmatory and follow-up blood lead tests (confirmatory and follow-up blood lead testing should now occur for all blood lead levels ≥ 3.5 μg/dL. The previous follow-up threshold was 5 μg/dL).
- Provide lead poisoning education materials to the family, including information on sources of lead, exposure prevention, and nutrition. Educational materials can be found on the Lead Safe Virginia website.
Please contact leadsafe_co@vdh.virginia.gov with any questions.
Rural Health Data Commons
The Rural Health Data Commons was created with the intention of bringing the VRHP to life. The purposes of the Rural Health Data Commons are to amplify the understanding of priority metrics and provide opportunities for a variety of audiences to explore current data insights in their region, communities or neighborhoods. Currently, the Rural Health Data Commons features the Virginia State Office of Rural Health’s seven priority metrics identified in the VRHP. These metrics aim to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the overall health and well-being of Virginia’s rural communities.
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National Rural Health Updates |
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Health Resources & Services Administration
HRSA Telehealth Updates
Are you up to date on all things telehealth? Subscribe to HRSA’s telehealth announcements to stay current on the latest resources, policy updates, and more.
HRSA: Lists of Designated Primary Medical Care, Mental Health, and Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas
HRSA announced the availability of the complete lists of all geographic areas, population groups, and facilities designated as primary care, mental health, and/or dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). HPSA designations that are currently proposed for withdrawal will remain in this status until they are re-evaluated in preparation for the publication of the HPSA Federal Register notice in January 2024. Lists are available on the Shortage Areas website and are current as of April 28, 2023.
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services
Virginia's Rural Road Trip
VA-SORH hit the road with a team from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Office in Philadelphia, along with Jasmine Dhindsa, MD CMS Chief Medical Officer, New York region and Rhonda Jackson from HRSA Region 3 Office for what was called a "Rural Road Trip" during the week of June 12, 2023. The locations visited were Johnson Health Center a Federally Qualified Health Center, Bath Community Hospital rural health clinics, Carillion Giles Community Hospital, HCA/Lewis-Gale Pulaski Hospital, Catawba State Hospital, the Allegany and New River Valley Health District and Blue Ridge Behavioral Health CSB.
The focus of the visit was to hear from those in the field who are charged with working within CMS regulations in order to learn what works and what does not. Overall, the sites showcased resilience, passion and a commitment to providers. Each location has learned to make it work for their location and their team but wanted CMS to understand that for rural, some rules need nuanced or relaxed. Rural localities have additional layers of challenges due to their population served, the area covered and the lack of resources at hand. One size does not fit all, even all rural.
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New Guidance for Critical Access Hospitals
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published new guidance to states on a one-time change to the annual 96-hour average patient length of stay standard that Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are required to meet under their Conditions of Participation. From March 1, 2020 through May 11, CMS waived this requirement for CAHs to provide flexibility during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. After May 11, 2023, the 96-hour length of stay calculation for CAHs will be adjusted to account for the waiver period.
CMS Requests for Comments- make your voice heard!
Deadline to provide comments: September 11, 2023
On July 13, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2024 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System Proposed Rule. The rule addresses enforcement of hospital price transparency requirements, 340B-acquired drugs and biologicals, and increased access to behavioral healthcare services and telemedicine, among other things.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Three rural Virginia health care facilities have been awarded funding to expand critical services through USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grants.
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Bath County Community Hospital has been awarded $850,500. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase an X-ray machine and electronic medical records system subscription for a small Critical Access Hospital that provides care for the medically underserved communities of Bath, Highland and Alleghany counties. Bath County Community Hospital will acquire a patient-side fluoroscopy and radiography system with dynamic flat-panel detector technology, adjustable height table and true dual use capability similar to the Siemens Luminos Agile Max. The subscription will give doctors quick access to health records from labs and clinic emergency rooms, which will not only improve patient care but will be critical to treatment of the coronavirus and future pandemics impacting the nearly 30,000 residents.
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Mount Rogers Community Services Board has been awarded $5,000,000. This Rural Development investment will be used to increase capacity to provide mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse disorder treatment programs at the Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS) Smyth County campus. The Rhea B. Lawrence Recovery Center will be expanded to include a second eight-bed unit, which will double the space available for providing residential services. The crisis care center will be relocated from an offsite leased facility to enable MRCS to centralize treatments and offer a full array of referral-based outpatient services in one location. These steps will help to elevate the quality of care available to the 32,208 residents of the applicant's service area, which includes Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth and Wythe counties as well as the city of Galax.
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Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia has been awarded $5,118,100. This Rural Development investment will be used to enable the Virginia Consortium to Advance health care in Appalachia to make telemedicine and health care resources more accessible for people in rural Virginia. Funds will expand regional networks that
will share resources, training and educational opportunities for rural people across
the Commonwealth.
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
Rural Health Value Community Engagement Resource Guide and Infographic
The Rural Health Value team recently released a new resource guide and infographic focused on the importance of community engagement as a core strategy related to value-based care. It provides rural health care leaders a variety of toolkits, strategies, and information to help initiate, improve, and inspire community engagement strategies that support value. The Rural Health Value team is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
Other
Request for Data and Information on Minority Veterans
Deadline to Submit Comments: August 21, 2023
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of the Secretary, Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), is hereby giving notice of an opportunity for the public to provide available data and information on minority and historically underserved Veterans. Historically underserved Veterans includes racial and ethnic minority (Asian American; Black; Hispanic/Latino; Native American (including American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian); or Pacific-Islander American); LGBTQ+; those whose religious or conscientious identity, beliefs, and practices have been determined to be underserved; language barriers or are without citizenship status; and those in rural areas and on tribal lands.
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Upcoming Meetings & Webinars |
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Funding Opportunities & Resources |
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Virginia Department of Health Workforce Incentive Programs
The Commonwealth of Virginia offers several incentive programs to attract health professionals to Virginia’s underserved areas. These programs not only assist with paying down outstanding medical education debt but also afford individuals an opportunity to become part of a community and provide care to deserving populations.
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AgriSafe Network Programs
Application Deadline: Ongoing
AgriSafe is offering the following programs in Virginia through funding from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service:
- The AgriStress HelplineSM, a 24/7 free and confidential crisis line for agricultural communities;
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FarmResponse®, a 3.5-hour on-demand continuing education course for healthcare professionals on mental health and wellness for farmers and their families;
- “Cultivating a Healthy Mind,” a 45-minute presentation on mental health and wellness for agricultural youth ages 14-23; and
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QPR for Farmers and Farm Families, a 1.5-hour training for laypeople on suicide intervention in agricultural communities.
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Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project
Application Deadline: August 15, 2023
Applications are being accepted to receive one year of technical assistance beginning in November 2023. This program is designed to assist small rural hospitals and certified rural health clinics strengthen their foundation in key elements of value-based care including, but not limited to, efficiency, quality, patient experience, and safety of care.
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Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program
Application Deadline: August 31, 2023
The VHRMP Program explores the potential benefits of awarding grants to nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate and modify the primary residence of veterans who are low-income and have disabilities. A number of America’s veterans who are low-income and have disabilities are in need of adaptive housing to help them regain or maintain their independence, are unable to fund significant home repairs, or are burdened by utility costs. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, HUD designed the VHRMP to test a new approach to address these challenges. The VHRMP provides competitive grants of up to $1 million each to nonprofit organizations that provide nationwide or statewide programs that primarily serve veterans and/or low-income individuals.
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Rural Health Fellows Program
Application Deadline: September 14, 2023
A year-long, intensive fellowship program designed to develop a community of rural health leaders that will be able to step forward and serve in key positions in NRHA, affiliated advocacy groups, and local and state legislative bodies with health equity as a main focus.
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Healthy Behaviors Healthy Spaces Grant
Application Deadline: September 8, 2023
Grants to support capacity building, planning, and implementation activities for projects that improve health and well-being in communities in the Western Tidewater region of Virginia and North Carolina. Focuses on populations experiencing the greatest health disparities based on income, race/ethnicity, and geographic location.
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Invest Appalachia Fund
Application Deadline: Ongoing
Loans and technical assistance to support sectors and industries that are driving economic diversification, local ownership, and community wealth building in Central Appalachia.
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Appalachian Community Fund Technical Assistance Grants
Application Deadline: Ongoing
Funding designed to meet specific technical assistance needs of grassroots organizations working for social change in Appalachia, this program awards grants to help build organizational capacity and train board or staff members in key skills.
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USDA Strategic Economic and Community Development
Application Deadline: Ongoing
The USDA is seeking applications for funding to support projects that will help rural people and economies prepare for the future. SECD supports projects that promote and implement strategic community investment plans. These plans use the unique strengths of rural communities to advance prosperity.
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National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program
Application Deadline: Ongoing
Funding for schools and residential child care institutions to provide afterschool snacks to low-income children who participate in the National School Lunch program.
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This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number 5H95RH00138 State Office of Rural Health. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Virginia State of Office of Rural Health
Virginia Department of Health Office of Health Equity
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