Rural Health Briefing
Volume IX, No. 7, July 22, 2008
Rural Health Office
UA Zuckerman College of Public Health
in conjunction with the Arizona Rural Health Association, Inc.
National News
- Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007
- Cuts to Rural Medicare Providers Prevented: H.R. 6331 Moves Forward in the Senate with a $2 Billion Rural Package
- Department of Veteran Affairs Study Finds Health Care Disparities for Female Veterans
- Nation’s First Online Resource Center on Emergency Preparedness for Diverse Communities
Across Arizona
Children's Rehabilitative Service Contract Awarded
- Free Back to School Immunizations, Department of Public Health, Maricopa County
- AzDHS Announces: Arizona State Hospital Goes Smoke Free
- State of Arizona Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) Announces 2008 Awardees for Health Information Technology Grants
- ADHS News Release: After Storms Remove Standing Water to Prevent West Nile Virus
Upcoming Conference Calls
- Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) Monthly Conference Calls
- Rural Health Innovations - WebXpert Call, "The Medication Use System and the Causes of Errors", July 30, 2008
Grants and Opportunities
- Demonstration Project Rural Host Homes for Basic Center Program, DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau. Deadline: August 4, 2008.
- National Institutes of Health: NCMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60) – Deadline: August 29, 2008
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research Program: Rapid Response Grants Program. Deadline: On a rolling basis; Letters of Intent may be submitted at any time. Deadlines for receipt of invited full proposals are August 15 or October 15, 2008
- National Institutes of Health: Development of Models to Forecast Medicare Expenditures (R01). Closing date for applications: October 29, 2008
- DHHS - Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program. Deadline: October 16, 2008
Items of Interest
- The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation On-Line Fast Facts
- Rural Health Research& Policy Center: Far From the City: Community Orientation and Responsiveness of Rural Hospitals
- Rural Definitions: National and State Indicator Tables
- Seeking Rural Health Data: A Tool Kit
- State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC): State Health Access Profile
- National Opinion Research Center (NORC) Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis: Rural Public Health Agency Accreditation [FINAL REPORT] Publication
Calendar of Upcoming Events
May 2008 |
Date |
Event |
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Aug 4-5 |
35th Annual Arizona Rural Health Conference – Building Stronger and Healthier Rural Communities,
The High Country Conference Center at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. Contact: Rebecca Ruiz at 520-626-2243 or raruiz@email.arizona.edu
For more information, please visit: www.azrha.org
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Aug 8-9 |
Addressing Health Car Disparities: Cultural Competence Faculty Development Program Workshop, San Francisco, CA
This two day training of trainers is intended for individuals who have experience working with patients and are committed to teaching cultural competence to health professionals. The session is is suitable for those with beginning to intermediate levels of experience in cultural competence. Enrollment is limited to 35 participants.
Click here for more information and registration.
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Aug 12-14 |
National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media 2008, Atlanta, GA.
The conference is sponsored by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention's National Center for Health Marketing & the Office of Enterprise Communications. This year's theme is Engage and Deliver. The conference is scheduled to bring together individuals from academia, public health researchers, and practitioners from federal, state government, and private sector.
Click here for more conference information.
Click here for conference registration
Click here for hotel information and registration
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Aug 25-28 |
20th Annual Native Health Research Conference – Exploring the Interface Between Science and Traditional Native Health Research, Portland, OR. The conference is targeted at bringing together many different stakeholders involved in the conception, production, translation, and use of health research in American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AI/AN/NH) communities from across the continent. Participants will include health care providers, administrators, educators, policy-makers, tribal leaders, and researchers.
Click here for more information about the conference/registration. |
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Sept 12 |
5th Annual Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia in Native Americans, Weaving the old with the new: A Focus on Wellness and Alzheimer’s Disease, Flagstaff, AZ. The conference will take place at the Little American Hotel, 2515 East Butler Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ on Friday, September 12, 2008 from 7:30AM – 4:30PM.
For more information, please contact Banner Alzheimer’s Institute at 602) 239-6850 or email baiinfo@bannerhealth.com |
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Sept 12-16 |
The Community Health Institute (CHI) & Expo, New Orleans, LA. The conference is targeted at bringing together community health center managers, clinicians, employees, board members and leaders. The aim of the conference is to provide essential up-to-date information, training, technical assistance and networking connections to help community health centers strengthen and grow.
Click here for more conference and registration information. |
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Sep 26 |
Take Charge! 2nd Annual Native American Leadership Today Conference, Tempe, AZ.
Date: September 26, 2008
Location: Temple Mission Palms Hotel
60 E. Fifth Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
Contact: Nadine Groeing at (623) 670-3561 or
Email: Nadine@SIENA-AZ.org
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Oct 14-17 |
Critical Access Hospital Conference 2008, Savannah, GA. This conference has become the largest annual gathering of Critical Access Hospitals in the United States. The conference is geared for CAH administrators, leaders, and staff. Key sessions will be available on billing and regulatory concerns, bedsore quality measurements, evaluating replacement, and refurbishing options for hospitals and the Five Million LIves Campaign.
Click here for more information and registration. |
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Dec 2-4 |
Childhood Obesity/Diabetes Prevention in Indian Country: Making Physical Activity Count!, San Diego, CA. The conference is targeted to health care providers, diabetes educators, school nurses, nutritionists, coaches, physical education teachers, fitness program directors, and individuals involved in community or school based physical activity for Indian children and youth. Sponsors of this conference include the HIS, Bureau of Indian Educators (BIE), Active Living Research Center of San Diego State University, LIFESCAN, and The University of Arizona.
Click here for conference agenda, registration, and Call for Papers/Posters. |
National News
1. Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007.
According to a June 26, 2008 new release from the Center for Studying Health System Change more than 20 percent of the U.S. population in 2007 - one in five people- reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in the previous 12 months, up significantly from 14 percent-one in seven people- in 2003, as a result to a national study conducted by Peter J. Cunningham, PhD., and HSC senior fellow and coauthor Laure E. Felland, M.S. As stated by Dr. Cunningham, "This is the most up-to-date snapshot of the access problems Americans are facing when seeking medical care, and it's not a pretty picture, especially for insured people, who increasingly are finding that access to care once guaranteed by insurance is declining."
As noted by David C. Colby, PhD. vice president for research and evaluation at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, "The findings send a clear message that we are heading down the wrong path. The American health care system is broken, and with each passing year more Americans are falling behind when it comes to getting the medical care they need. This is a national problem that demands national attention."
Some important key findings include:
- Access to care deteriorated the most for insured people in poor or fair health—14.2 percent reported going without needed care in 2007, up from 9 percent in 2003.
- Uninsured people in poor or fair health reported the greatest problems getting needed care in 2007, with one in four (25%) reporting they went without needed care.
- People reporting an access problem, cost was cited the most —and a growing—obstacle to care.
- Between 2003 and 2007, insured people cited a health plan-related reason for going without or delaying care increased 8.5 percentage points to 39 percent in 2007. Most of the increase was attributable to people reporting more problems getting their health plan to pay for treatment or that their doctor or hospital would not accept their insurance.
- Between 2003 and 2007, people reported a health system-related reason for going without or delaying care increased 8.6 percentage points to 58.2 percent. Most of the increase was attributable to people reporting more problems getting timely appointments or not being able to get to the doctor's office or a clinic when it was open.
Click here to read the Tracking Report
2. Cuts to Rural Medicare Providers Prevented: H.R. 6331 Moves Forward in the Senate with a $2 Billion Rural Package
The National Rural Health Association's (NRHA) Maggie Elehwany, Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy issued a press release July 9, 2008 announcing the Senate overwhelming voted to clear a procedural hurdle on critical legislation to protect access to health care in rural America by a vote of 69 to 30. The passage of H.R. 6331 (Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act) will provide the necessary $2 billion dollars for rural health care and will fix the cuts to Medicare reimbursement rated to physicians.
With both the House of Representatives and the Senate passing legislation to protect access to health care in rural America both votes were sufficient to override a threatened presidential veto.
Rural provisions in H.R. 6331 include:
- Improves payment for sole community and critical access hospitals
- Extends FLEX grants for health care in ural communities
- Improves access to ambulance services
- Extends expiring rural provisions (such as; payments for rural physicians, special treatment of certain physician pathology services, exceptions process for therapy caps, etc.)
- Improves access to speach-language pathology services
- Improves access to telehealth services
- Retains access to Medicare Advantage
- Helps pharmacists server seniors.
As expressed by Alan Morgan, CEO for the NRHA, "This is a decisive victory for the health of America's rural seniors. H.R. 6331 contains a strong rural package that will both protect rural health safety net and the health of the tens of millions of seniors who call rural home."
Click here for NRHA official press release.
3. Study finds Health Care Disparities for Female Veterans
According to a report cited in The Philadelphia Inquirer on June 15, 2008, health care for female veterans lags behind the care offered to their male counterparts. Women account for 14% of the U.S. Armed
Forces and about 5% of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) population with the number expected to double in the next two years. The review found a need for more physicians trained to address the health care needs of women, as well as more equipment for women's health. The reported noted other studies had found better surgical outcomes and decreased mortality for women at VA hospitals compared with women enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans or those receiving private care.
Click here to read the full article published in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
4. Nation’s First Online Resource Center on Emergency Preparedness for Diverse Communities
The National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities is the nations first online clearinghouse and information exchange portal designed to facilitate communication, networking and collaboration to improve preparedness, build resilience and eliminate disparities for racially and ethnically diverse communities in public health emergencies. The center offers hundreds of resources including publication, courses and training curriculum, research and evaluation tools, promising programs and projects, and translated materials. News updates and events within the field are featured.
Click here to learn more about the National Resource Center
Across Arizona
1. Children's Rehabilitative Services Contract Awarded
The Arizona Department of Health Services (AzDHS) news release dated June 5, 2008 announced Arizona Physicians IPA, Inc. (APIPA), has been awarded a contract for the provision of Children's Rehabilitative Services (CRS) for the state of Arizona. The initial contract term will be from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2010, with the option to renew for up to 24 additional months, for a possible total of four years. Most Arizona hospitals will be included in the network along with six out-of-state children's specialty hospitals including the Children's Hospital Boston and Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. Additional information will be available before October 1, 2008 informing members of clinic availability and how to continue access care. Members may call the AzDHS Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs at 602-542-1860 or email OCSHCN@azdhs.gov for more information or questions.
Click here for immunization locations in the Phoenix area
2. Free Back to School Immunizations, Department of Public Health, Maricopa County
The Department of Public Health, Maricopa County will be offering FREE back to school immunizations to children 17 years and younger on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 9:00AM - 2:30PM in several locations in the Phoenix, AZ area. A list of available vaccinations for both children and adolescents plus a list of locations can be viewed by clicking the link below.
Click here to view available vaccinations and locations in the Phoenix area.
3. AzDHS Announces: Arizona State Hospital Goes Smoke Free
Arizona Department of Health Services announced in its July 1, 2008 press release the Arizona State Hospital is officially a Smoke Free environment designed specifically for the benefit of patients, staff and visitors. John Cooper, Arizona State Hospital CEO said, "While approximately 23 percent of the general population smokes, the prevalence is three times higher in persons with other addictions or mental illness. The heavy rate of smoking in our patient populations puts them at higher risk of developing medical consequences from tobacco use, such as emphysema, heart disease and cancer." The Smoke Free long-term environment will reduce health care costs for patients along with other benefits. States with smoking bans in their psychiatric hospitals have observed decreased aggression and assaults, a reduction in the use of restraints and psychiatric medications, improved patient supervision, and better participation in therapy sessions.
Click here for information and the Press Release the AzDHS.
4. State of Arizona Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) Announces 2008 Awardees for Health Information Technology Grants
The office of the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) announced July 10, 2008 the awardees for Rural Communities 2008 Grants Advance the Arizona Health-e Connection Roadmap these included:
- Benson Hospital - Grant amount: $103,576
- Cochise (County) Health Network - Grant amount $106,370
- Marana Health Center - Grant amount $173,775
- Regional Center for Border Health (Somerton) - Grant amount: $150,000
- Verde Valley Guidance Center - Grant amount: $99,052
- Yuma Regional Medical Center - Grant amount: $57,762
Each of the awardees submitted applications on behalf of broad based local community coalitions and demonstrated high level partnership, collaboration, and strategic planning for implementation of e-health programs. The RHITA program also provided direct grants for $298,663 in consulting and education services to health care organizations in rural communities.
Click here to read the official GITA Press Release.
5. ADHS News Release: After Storms Remove Standing Water to Prevent West Nile Virus
On July 11, 2008 the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) issued a News Release reminding people to be vigilant in removing standing water in hopes of preventing the spread of the West Nile Virus. In a statement from State Health Director Susan Gerard, "The monsoon season has kicked into full gear, so the risk of West Nile virus has increased. With the amount of standing water in our communities due to the recent heavy rains, Arizona's residents must take precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites."
One of the best ways to protect yourself from this mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and neighborhood and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites, such as:
- Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes can breed. Check for items outside the home that collect water, such as potted plants, cans, bottles, jars, buckets, old tires, drums and other containers.
- Drain standing water which remains for more than 3 days in low lying areas of your property.
- Change water in flower vases, birdbaths, planters and animal watering pans at least twice a week.
- Repair leaky pipes and outside faucets, and move air conditioner drain hoses frequently.
- Install or repair screen doors to keep mosquitoes out of the home.
- Wear mosquito repellant and lightweight clothing that covers the arms and legs during dawn or dusk and at night. These are the times when mosquitoes are most active.
- Keep swimming pools, animal troughs, and fountains operating properly and free from debris.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph glands, and skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Some people affected with the virus will experience severe symptoms. such as meningitis, encephalitis, paralysis, and even death. Individuals over the age of 50 are generally at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. If you or anyone you know thinks he or she has symptoms of West Nile virus, immediately consult your health care provider.
Click here for more information.
Upcoming Conference Calls
1. Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) Monthly Conference Calls
The Rural Health Care Program hosts monthly outreach conference calls for applicants and service providers on the second Thursday of each month at 2PM, ET. Monthly conference calls offer an opportunity for applicants and service providers to raise issues and concerns or to seek clarification on program rules and requirements. An agenda is provided by USAC for the calls which are followed up by a general question and answer period.
Click here for more information regarding USAC’s conference calls and the 2008 schedule.
2. Rural Health Innovations - WebXpert Call, "The Medication Use System and the Causes of Errors," July 30, 2008. The conference call will be from 2:00pm-3:30pm (CST), speakers will be Michelle Mandrack, RN, BSN, and Matt Fricker, MS, R.Ph., Institute for Safe Medication Practice. This presentation will focus on a discussion of system based causes of errors, introducing the Institute for Safe Medication Practices' (ISMP) Ten Key Elements of medication use system.
Click here for information and online registration
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. Demonstration Project Rural Host Homes for Basic Center Program, DHHS, Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau. Deadline: August 4, 2008.
The purpose of these grants is to establish new, or strengthen existing, community-based Basic Center Programs that use host home model to provide temporary emergency shelter and care to runaway and homeless youth in rural settings.
Eligible for funding are:State, county, local, city or township government, regional organizations,
Indian/Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), Indian/Native
American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized), Indian/Native American
tribally designated organizations, public/Indian housing authorities, non-profits
with/without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education), Hispanic serving
institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions.
Total program funding: $1,000,000; 10 awards averaging $100,000 per budget period.
Click here for additional information.
2. National Institutes of Health: NCMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60) – Deadline: August 29, 2008
The purpose of this grant is to establish a Comprehensive NCMHD Center of Excellence (COE) which contributes to either the improvement of minority health, the elimination of health disparities, or both. To be eligible for the COE in this FOA, applicant institutions must have existing federal research support and/or research infrastructure as reflected in a level of NIH institutional funding of more than or equal to $80 million for the year 2007. An Comprehensive NCMHD COE supported under this FOA must contain an Administrative core, a Research core, a Research Training/Education core, and a Community/Engagement core. Pilot research projects or feasibility projects/studies are not supported under this FOA.
Eligibility: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCU's)
Expected number of awards: 5
Estimated total program funding: $6,000,000
Click here for the full announcement.
3. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research Program: Rapid Response Grants Program. Deadline: On a rolling basis; Letters of Intent may be submitted at any time. Deadlines for receipt of invited fall proposals are August 15 or October 15, 2008.
The programs have issued a Call for Proposals to support time-sensitive, opportunistic studies to evaluate changes in policies/environment with the potential to reach children who are at highest risk for obesity, including African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, and Pacific Islander children between the ages of 3 to 18 living in low-income communities.
Eligibility: Public entities or nonprofit organization who are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS.
Amount: Up to $800,000 total.
Maximum amount for single grant: $150,000, with a maximum funding period of up to 12 months.
Click here for more information
4. National Institutes of Health: Development of Models to Forecast Medicare Expenditures (R01). Closing date for applications: October 29, 2008
NIH is seeking application for research projects (R01) to develop models that forecast Medicare expenditures or provide insights into key aspects of the forecasting of Medicare expenditures (e.g., cost growth and population aging).
Eligibility: Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education, Private Institutions of Higher Education, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCU's), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Nonprofit's with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education, Nonprofit's without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education), Small Businesses, For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses), State Governments, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized), Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organizations, U.S. Territory or Possession, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized), Regional Organization, Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations).
Funds Available: $800,000 in total costs for fiscal year 2009 to fund 2-3 applications
Click here for more information
5. DHHS - Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program. Deadline: October 16, 2008
The Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program is seeking proposals for the development of new and innovative health care delivery systems in rural communities that lack essential health care services. The emphasis of this grant program is on service delivery through collaboration, requiring the lead applicant organization to form a consortium with at least two additional partners.
Eligibly: Rural public or rural nonprofit private entity located in a rural county or in a rural census tract of an urban county. All of the proposed services must be provided in a rural county or census tract. Exceptions to this are 330(g) Migrant Health Clinics that exclusively provide services to migrant and seasonal farm workers in rural areas or a Federally recognized Native American Tribal Government providing all of the proposed services on Federally-recognized Tribal land.
Funds available: $13,500,000 for approximately 90 awards.
Click here for more information.
Items of Interest
1. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation On-Line Fast Facts
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has a new web page with online tools providing easy and fast access to the latest health policy facts. "Kaiser Fast Facts," is a new component of kff.org, features "Quick Takes" and "Kaiser Slides," two new tools providing direct access to facts, data and slides about the nation's health care system and programs. The format is easy to use and is free!
Click here for more information.
2. Rural Health Research& Policy Center - Far From the City: Community Orientation and Responsiveness of Rural Hospitals
The Rural Health Research & Policy Centers reports the findings of a national study focused on variation in hospital community orientation and responsiveness across differing rural contexts. Study findings suggest that measures of community orientation and responsiveness differ between urban and rural hospitals, and further research is needed to develop an improved, context specific, model for community benefits.
Click here for more information.
3. Rural Definitions: National and State Indicator Tables
The United States Depart of Agriculture Economic Research Service has released the National and States Indicator Tables which is a tool that provides selected socioeconomic indicators (e.g., population, education, poverty, etc.) for each definition of rural, for each State
ad the U.S., in one Excel file. Through the table indicator tables you can:
- Determine how many people are considered rural in the U.S. under different definitions.
- Compare the average household income of the rural population under different rural definitions.
- See how changing the population threshold from 2,500 to 10,000 affects the number of people considered rural in ones State.
- Compare the poverty rate for the rural population in your State for the different definitions.
Click here for more information.
4. Seeking Rural Health Data: A Tool Kit
Seeking Rural Health Data: A Tool Kit, created by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, is a tool for State Office of Rural Health that provides access to national databases of resources that address rural health issues.
Click here for more information.
5. State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC): State Health Access Profile
The State Health Access Profile provides answers questions on who is insured, which employers offer state health insurance, who gets medical care if they need it, and many more, on a state-by-state basis. The University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF publishes the chart book annually. A broad set of health care access measures for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are reviewed. SHADAC researchers go beyond indicators of health insurance coverage to identify and assemble indicators that measure state resources that enable access to health care for residents. Unlike other sources, the State Health Access Profile includes 14 measures that: (1) have underpinnings in the theoretical or empirical literature; (2) are readily available in the 50 states and the District of Columbia; and (3) are likely to be provided consistently in the future.
Click here to view the report.
6. National Opinion Research Center (NORC) Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis: Rural Public Health Agency Accreditation [FINAL REPORT] Publication
The NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis released its publication on Rural Public Health Agency Accreditation June 2008. The report was written by Michael Meit, MA, MPH, Karen Harris, MPH, Jessica Bushar, Bhumika Piya, and Maria Molfino.The purpose of this study was to enhance the understand of how public health infrastructures may influence the attitudes and actions to seeking accreditation in public health departments.
Click here to view the full NORC publication
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 joint project of the Rural Health Office housed at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, and the Arizona Rural Health Association, Inc. The mission of the Rural Health Office is to promote the health of rural and medically undeserved individuals, families, and communities through service, education and research. The Arizona Rural Health Association, Inc. advocates on behalf of the health needs of rural Arizonans at national, state and local levels. Its multidisciplinary membership provides a respected and highly effective group of rural health practitioners and rural community residents. For example, the AzRHA, Inc. has actively and successfully advocated with the state legislature for funding for telemedicine and mobile clinics in all fifteen counties of the state. Your questions (or answers) are always welcome. Please send them as well as address changes to Sharon Van Skiver, RHO Administrative Associate.
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