Rural Health Briefing
Volume VIII May 1, 2007
Arizona Critical Access Hospital Program
Rural Health Office
UA Zuckerman College of Public Health
in conjunction with the Arizona Rural Health Association
National News
- Women’s National Health Week- Join the WOMAN Challenge
- Choosing Rural Definitions
- RHC Technical Assistance Conference Call: Access to Capital
- The Next Big Online Health Care Web Site?
- Announcing New HRSA Bureau
Across Arizona
- Arizona White House Conference on Faith and Community Initiatives
- Five Million Lives campaign
- The Arizona Telecom Summit 2007
- Seventh Bi-Annual Trejo Foster Foundation Institute
- Join Healthy Arizona in its Citizen’s Initiative Effort
- Children’s Action Alliance Message and Fact Sheet
Grants and Opportunities
- Rural Youth Development
- Section 330 Grant Workshop
- Teleconference Workshop on the New Rural Utilities Services Grant and Loan Opportunities
- Nearly $153 Million Available for Distance Learning and Telemedicine in Rural Communities
- HIT Planning Grants
Calendar
May 13-19, Women’s National Health Week , Nationwide
May 20-24, Community Health Workers as Essential Components of Public Health, Tampa, Florida
May 21-23, National Network of Public Health Institutes Annual Conference, New Orleans
May 20-24, Community Health Workers as Essential Components of Public Health, Tampa, Florida
Mark Your Calendar
June 4, Great Critical Access Hospital Boards – Governing at the Edge, Phoenix and via videostream
June 6-8, 5th Annual Western Region Flex Conference, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
June 19-22, Race and Class Inequalities in Health, Boston
July 12-13, Arizona Rural Policy Forum, Flagstaff, AZ
July 19, EMS Training on Pediatric Trauma, Cochise College, Sierra Vista
July 24, EMS Training on Pediatric Trauma, Flagstaff Medical Center, Flagstaff, AZ
July 24-26, Measuring Diabetes and Obesity in Indian Health Systems, Tucson, AZ
July 30-August 1, Arizona Rural Health Conference, Fountain Hills, Arizona
National News
1. Women’s National Health Week- Join the WOMAN Challenge
Women and girls (ages 9 and above) are being encouraged to participate in the National Women's Health Week. This year the Office on Women's Health is sponsoring an 8-week national physical activity challenge called the WOMAN (Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation) Challenge. There are 10,800 pedometers available on a first-come-first-served basis for participants who request one during registration. The Challenge offers women and girls two options for participating: either as an individual or as a team. Participants record their daily activity levels on a personal WOMAN Challenge online account to move them along their chosen virtual route. Throughout the Challenge, participants receive automatic progress reports, motivational e-mails, and health education.
Click here for details
2. Choosing Rural Definitions
The Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel (RUPRI) recently published Issue Brief #2: "Choosing Rural Defintions: Implications for Health Policy." The brief notes that there are more than 13 definitions of “rural” currently used by the federal government. The document concludes that "Policy makers should consider consulting experts when designing or assessing rural definitions for policy."
Click here for a link to the 8 page brief and further details.
3. RHC Technical Assistance Conference Call: Access to Capital
Anyone with questions about access to capital for rural health clinics is encouraged to participate in the next RHC Technical Assistance national conference call. The topic will be "Access to Capital." It is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (1:00PM Central; 12:00PM Mountain; 11:00AM Pacific), for a duration of one hour.
The speakers will include:
* Joseph Ben-Israel, Director, Community Programs Guaranteed Loan Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development
* Chadwick O. Parker, Director, Community Programs Direct Loans and Grants Division, USDA Rural Development
* Pandor Hadjy, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Business Programs, USDA Rural Development
There will be a 15-minute question and discussion period with the speakers following their presentations. Copies of the speakers' presentations will be emailed prior to the May 8th conference call. Questions may be submitted in advance of the May 8, 2007 call to info@narhc.org: <mailto:info@narhc.org> Please be sure to indicate "RHC TA Question" in the subject line of your email.
To access the conference call dial the toll free number and give the operator the passcode when asked. The moderator for the call is listed as Bill Finerfrock.
Toll-Free Phone #: 1-888-259-2603
Passcode: 107208
4. The Next Big Online Health Care Web Site?
In early 2000 only a handful of online health care Web sites, such as Drkoop.com or WebMD.com were competing to become the premier destination for health information via the Internet. Over time other players entered the online health care arena. Now according to a recent New York Times article featured April 16th, 2007, and written by Milt Freudenheim, the landscape of health care Web sites is about to expand again. AOL’s co-founder Stephen M. Case unveiled his new company’s Web site for consumers called RevolutionHealth.com.
Click here for further information.
5. Announcing New HRSA Bureau
The creation of a new HRSA Bureau, the Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service (BCRS), with Rick Smith as its new Associate Administrator and June Horner as Deputy Associate Administrator has recently been announced. The new Bureau will bring together existing HRSA programs that offer scholarships and loan repayments to recruit and place health care professionals in medically underserved areas.
Programs making up the new Bureau are:
* the National Health Service Corps;
* the Nursing Scholarship Program;
* the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program;
* the Faculty Loan Repayment Program; and
* the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program.
These programs, housed previously in the Bureau of Health Professions, differ from other HRSA grant programs by providing funds directly to students and individual health professionals rather than to community organizations. The new Bureau will improve HRSA's support for these individuals by streamlining and integrating Information Technology and Call Center resources that serve its program components.
The Bureau will have two offices and three divisions:
* an Office of the Associate Administrator;
* a Legal & Compliance Office;
* a Division of Site and Clinician Recruitment;
* a Division of Applications and Awards; and
* a Division of Scholar and Clinician Support.
Across Arizona
1. Arizona White House Conference on Faith and Community Initiatives
The Arizona White House Conference on Faith and Community Initiatives will take place on May 15-16 at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix. The tentative schedule is Tuesday, May 15, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday, May 16, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This conference is a joint collaboration between the White House and the Arizona Governor’s Office. It is free and open to everyone; however, on-line pre-registration will be required. Numerous plenary and breakout workshops will focus on diverse issues such as grants, initiatives with HIV/AIDS and malaria, workforce development, homelessness, emergency preparedness, substance abuse recovery, mental health care, foster care, prison initiatives, community development strategies, health promotion and disease prevention, veterans issues, marriage and family initiatives, and vulnerable populations of children and youth, elders, the poor, and victims of domestic violence.
Click here for more details and online registration
2. Five Million Lives Campaign
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has generated a nation-wide effort to improve patient safety by implementing the “5 Million Lives Campaign”. Jack Beveridge, President of AzRHA, is encouraging the AzRHA Board and members to become active in this initiative. The Institute’s overall aim is to “…improve the lives of patients, the health of communities, and the joy of the health care workforce….”
The campaign includes a Rural Affinity Group that is accessible through the Institute’s website at http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/Campaign/
The Institute is offering access to some interesting conference calls on patient safety-related issues. Some of these are listed below:
May 7: Leadership Strategies for Improvement
May 8: Reducing MRSA
May 15: Medication Reconciliation
May 24: Deploying Rapid Response Teams
May 31: Improving AMI Care
Click here for details
3. The Arizona Telecom Summit 2007
The Arizona Telecom Summit 2007 will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2007. It will provide a forum for high level decision makers to reach consensus on policies and strategies to remove barriers to the deployment of affordable broadband Internet and advanced telecommunications services to underserved Arizona communities. Participants will include federal, state, local, tribal and private sector leaders, as well as telecom service providers. The full day event in Mesa will be presented by the ATIC in cooperation with the Communications Infrastructure Advisory Committee (CIAC) of the Governor's Council on Innovation and Technology (GCIT - http://www.gcit.az.gov/) and will conclude with a free After5 reception in the exhibit area in cooperation with the Arizona Technology Council (http://www.aztechcouncil.org/).
Click here for details
4. Seventh Bi-Annual Trejo Foster Foundation Institute
Per the official press release issued April 2nd, 2007:
“Librarians, information specialists, health educators and health professionals serving Hispanics and Latinos are invited to register for the 2007 Trejo Foster Foundation Institute to be held July 12 – 14 on the campus of the University of Arizona. The bi-annual Institute brings together leaders, practitioners and students in the library and information fields to discuss and advocate for issues, policies and practices that affect Hispanic Latino communities and individuals. Topics presented over the two day Institute range from social, historical and cultural influences on the health status of Hispanics in the U.S., to funding sources, research, and community outreach. A complete schedule and agenda is posted on the conference website. Registration for the two day Institute is $75.00, which includes all conference activities plus meals. Students are eligible for a reduced rate of $40.00. The registration deadline is June 30, 2007.”
Click here for further details
5. Join Healthy Arizona in its Citizen’s Initiative Effort
Healthy Arizona is a grassroots non-profit and non-partisan citizens’ organization with the mission to improve the health of all Arizona citizens. Healthy Arizona was largely responsible for placing Proposition 204 on the 2000 ballot and ensuring its passage. Prop 204 increased family income eligibility for the AHCCCS Program from 33% to 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The Federal match is 67% and the State match is 33%. As a result of Prop 204, more than 150,000 individuals were able to enroll in AHCCCS resulting in a decrease in the uninsured population in Arizona. In the summer of 2006, Healthy Arizona began work on an Initiative for the 2008 ballot that will assure access to quality, affordable health care for all US citizens and legal residents living in Arizona. Its efforts to achieve these results are well underway, but additional assistance is always welcome and needed. Contact Healthy Arizona for further details and opportunities to become involved at (520) 577-VOTE (8683).
Click here for details
6. Children’s Action Alliance Message and Fact Sheet
AzPHA has recently updated and posted the latest Children’s Action Alliance public charge fact sheet.
Click here to access the information.
Grants and Opportunities
Note: Technical assistance is available for the development of grant proposals and other funding applications from the professional staff of the Rural Health Office and the State Office of Rural Health Program. Please contact Jennifer Peters.
1. Rural Youth Development
Application deadline: May 21, 2007
The Rural Youth Development Grants Program is intended to breakdown barriers to participation, especially for rural youth; enhance opportunities for youth involvement in policy and decision-making; create safe and inviting environments for youth activities; and improve access to information and technology. The overall goal of the program is to provide opportunities for rural youth to improve their own lives and the communities in which they live. Grants will be made to expand the youth development programs carried out by the eligible organizations in rural areas or small towns. The project is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The brief announcement is available here.
Click here for full announcement details.
2. Section 330 Grant Workshop
Registration Closes: May 4th, 2007
This workshop being held on May 31st, 2007 in Flagstaff, AZ is an overview of the Health Resources Services Administration Section 330 grant program. Participants should include staff from Tribal Organizations, Urban Indian Centers, Indian Health Service and any other organizations that serve a predominant Native American population primary care services or collaborates with.
Personnel may include but is not limited to:
- Chief Executive Officers of urban Indian and tribal health centers
- Board Members of urban Indian and tribal health centers
- Indian Health Service personnel
Learning Objectives Include:
Become familiar with the HRSA Section 330 Grant eligibility criteria and the benefits of being a Section 330 Grantee. Identify the steps to becoming a HRSA Section 330 Grantee and understand what is defined as the Medically Underserved Area/ Population designation. Receive information on the Federally Qualified Health Center look-a-like program and hear from a Tribal Section 330 Grantee about their experience.
Click here for details.
3. Teleconference Workshop on the New Rural Utilities Services Grant and Loan Opportunities
Registration Closes: May 2nd, 2007
This special teleconference workshop being held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on May 7th, 2007, is targeted toward those associated with small rural hospitals and clinics in Arizona.
The purpose of the teleconference is to cover the following topics:
- The new combination loan/grant program that allows distance learning, telemedicine, and electronic health record systems, up to $1 million.
- The grant program for telemedicine and distance learning for up to $500,000.
- The loan program for the above that has no maximum amount.
Reservations are required for participation by sending an e-mail to Erna Heckele at ernamh@u.arizona.edu and marking “New Rural Utilities Services Grant & Loan Workshop” in the subject matter field of your e-mail. Prior to the call, registrants will receive by e-mail, a copy of a power point, and the call-in number and password to access the call. The deadline date for the grant program is June 11, 2007.
There is no deadline for the combination grant/loan program, or the loan program. For further information please contact: Joyce Hospodar 520-626-2432; Alison Hughes 520-626-6253.
4. Nearly $153 Million Available for Distance Learning and Telemedicine in Rural Communities
Application Deadline: June 11th, 2007
According to the recent press release:
“Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas C. Dorr announced that USDA is making available $62.9 million in distance learning and telemedicine loans, $75 million in loan and grant combinations, and $15 million in grants. Applications for the $15 million in distance learning and telemedicine grants must be received by June 11, 2007 and will compete nationally for funding. Applications for loans and loan and grant combinations will be accepted year round.”
Click here to read the entire press release.
5. HIT Planning Grants
Application deadline: May 4th, 2007
The Office of Health Information Technology is supporting HIT initiatives such as practice management systems, disease registries, clinical messaging, personal health records, electronic prescribing, electronic health records, and health information exchanges. These grants are for market assessment and strategic planning. Eligibility is limited to public and non-profit organization including faith based and community based organizations. This grant program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The brief announcement is available here.
Click here to download application and full details via the Grants.gov link.
Contact Your Representatives
a. Arizona Congressional Delegation: Links to Arizona members of the U.S. House of Representatives are available at: U.S. Representatives. Links to Arizona members of the U.S. Senate are available at: U.S. Senate
b. Arizona State Legislators: Available through the Arizona Legislative Information System (ALIS): Call 1-800-352-8404 or follow links at Arizona Legislature.
Important Links
Editor's Note: This online newsletter is a project of the Arizona Critical Access Hospital Program, housed in the Rural Health Office at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, and supported, in part, through a grant from HRSA (Office of Rural Health Policy). The program was created by Congress to improve the financial viability and stability of health care in rural areas, including creation of a new designation for rural hospitals as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Designated CAHs are eligible for cost-based reimbursement for services provided to Medicare patients. In some states, including Arizona, additional reimbursement is also available for CAH services provided to Medicaid patients.
Your questions (or answers) are always welcome. Please send them as well as address changes to Alison Hughes, Director. Arizona Critical Access Hospital Program.
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