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Rural Health Briefing, Vol. 2, No. 3 November 1, 2001
Update: Critical Access Hospitals Program
National Action
(1) Flex Program Reauthorization: Legislation for reauthorization of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program is currently working its way through Congress. HR 3061 provides for an appropriation of $35,000,000; S 1536 provides for an appropriation of $25,000,000 (with $10,000,000 for construction and renovation of health care and other facilities). Contact your congressional representatives to support continued funding for this program.
(2) Medicare Rural Ambulance Relief Act of 2001: S. 1367, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Susan Collins, Maine, prescribes a transitional fee schedule for rural ambulance services, without offsetting reductions, until certain fee adjustments under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 take effect. The bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee on August 3, 2001.
(3) Alert - Federal Move to Abolish the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth and Place the Function Within HIV/AIDS Bureau: The Federal Register of October 15 gives a public notice that the Administrator of HRSA, Dr. Elizabeth Duke, is abolishing the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth and placing the function within the HIV/AIDS Bureau. The argument for the move is that the Bureau will offer OAT a better management infrastructure than now available.
OAT has been a central source for coordinating telehealth activities within all federal agencies, not just HRSA. To put it in the HIV/AIDS Bureau is administratively not logical. Telehealth supporters are urged to contact your Congressional delegation to express your opposition to this move, and to let Dr. Duke know your opinion. OAT needs to be maintained as a separate entity which can strengthen its efforts to coordinate telehealth activities and communication systems throughout the nation, especially in this dangerous era in which we are now living, with bioterrorist attacks always imminent. Dr. Duke may be reached at 301-443-2216.
(4) Model Emergency Powers Act: On October 30, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made public a draft Model State Emergency Health Powers Act as a tool for state and local officials to respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. The draft was developed by the Center for Law and the Public’s Health at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities, supported by the CDC, and wil serve as a basis for further CDC collaboration among interested partners, incuding the National Governors Association, the National Conference on State Legislatures, the National Association of Attorneys General, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of City and County Health Officers. The goal is to develop consensus-based model legislation to assist states that are considering new emergency public health legislation. A copy of the draft document is available at
http://www.publichealthlaw.net/.
b. State Action
(1) Arizona CAHS: Five Arizona hospitals have submitted applications for designation as Critical Access Hospitals: Wickenburg Regional Medical Center, Wickenburg, Arizona; Northern Cochise Community Hospital, Willcox, Arizona; Benson Hospital, Benson, Arizona; Southeast Arizona Medical Center, Douglas, Arizona; and Page Memorial Hospital, Page, Arizona.
The Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Licensure and Assurance, is scheduling site surveys, which must be completed before the applications are forwarded to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, formerly, the Health Care Financing Administration) for approval and assignment of new provider numbers.
The Medicare Fiscal Intermediaries for these Arizona hospitals (Blue Cross Blue Shield and Mutual of Omaha) and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) are working with the Arizona Rural Hospital Flexibility Program to assure that once new provider numbers are issued, the transition to cost-based reimbursement to these hospitals for Medicare services and enhanced reimbursement for Medicaid services will proceed smoothly.
(2) Hospital Capital Construction RFP: The Arizona Department of Health Services has issued a Request for Proposals for hospital capital project funding. $1.5 million from the tobacco tax fund is available to public and private non-profit hospitals that provide health care services in rural areas (defined by ARS 36-2171) or in medically underserved areas (as prescribed in ARS 36-2353).
The maximum amount for any single hospital capitol project award is $500,000. Funds must be used in conjunction with facility construction work which will prevent the loss of current services levels, expand current level of services, or provide new services to the community.
Preference will be given to applicants that serve rural areas for one-half of the $1.5 million, with highest preference being given to applicants for rural areas that serve medically underserved and that provide matching or in-kind contributions.
Grant applications are due November 30, 2001 at 3:00 p.m. MST. The Arizona Department of Health Services will sponsor a pre-offer conference on November 1, 2001 at 11:30 a.m. in Conference Room A & B, 1740 West Adams Street, Room 303, Phoenix. For those who cannot attend the pre-offer conference, contact Flex program staff member, Joyce Hospodar at (520) 626-7946 or hospodar@u.arizona.edu
for further information and assistance.
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Arizona News
Southern Arizona Forum
The Arizona Rural Health Association received funding from the National Rural Health Association to develop leadership forums to support skills development for rural community leaders. A Northern Arizona Leadership Forum was held in 2000. A Southern Arizona Forum, originally scheduled on November 14 had to be postponed due to the calling of a special legislative session. The forum is now tentatively planned for December 13 in Benson, Arizona.
The program agenda includes presentations on Health Care Workforce Issues, Tohono O’odham Border Health Issues, Long Term Care Services in Rural Communities, Border EMS and Reimbursement Issues, Indian Nation Issues in Southern Arizona, Rural Hospitals and Critical Access Hospital Designation, and a lunch and open forum meeting with southern Arizona legislators.
To receive a program brochure and registration form, please contact Anne Trombley at the UA Rural Health Office: (520) 626-7946 or atromble@rho.arizona.edu.
Arizona Annual Legislative Forum on Health Care
Please mark your calendars for this year’s annual Arizona Legislative Forum on Health Care, to be held on Thursday, January 17, 2002 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. The forum will be held in the State Capitol Building in the Governor’s Reception Room, 2nd Floor of the Administration Building, 1700 W. Washington in Phoenix. The Legislative Forum is sponsored by the University of Arizona Rural Health Office and the Arizona Rural Health Association, Inc., with additional cosponsors that volunteer their support and work together regarding health policy issues.
The program agenda for the Legislative Forum will include: a welcome and introduction of issue forum resolutions; governor’s state of the state address; status report on HB 2050; emergency preparedness policy and implementation; reports from legislative leadership chairs on priorities and challenges for the upcoming legislative session; cosponsors report on their legislative agenda; and a report on budget reductions and their impact on state programs.
For a copy of the Legislative Forum program brochure and registration form, please contact Anne Trombley at the UA Rural Health Office (520) 626-7946 or atromble@rho.arizona.edu
Arizona School of Health Sciences School of Dentistry and Oral Health
The Arizona School of Health Sciences, of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, is establishing a school of dentistry and oral health to address the manpower needs provider institutions serving vulnerable populations. Jack Dillenberg, DDS, MPH, former director of Arizona’s Department of Health Services and long-time Harvard adjunct faculty member, has been named Dean of the dental school.
Dr. Dillenberg previously served as the consultant that established an advisory committee and developed innovative oral health educational concepts and strategies for the school, including a needs-based, student-centered educational model that utilizes the latest technology for the delivery of basic science content; simulation for the pre-clinical phase of learning; and adoption of a distributed learning strategy in later phases of clinical training.
Dr. Dillenberg has served as the president of the Association of State & Territorial Health Officials, president of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, and project director for the World Bank’s Calcutta Health Project.
Information about the Arizona School of Health Sciences and its programs is available on the school’s website: http://www.ashs.edu/ For more information about the new dentistry and oral health program, contact Dr. Jack Dillenberg, Dean, School of Dentistry a& Oral Health, Arizona School of Health Sciences, 3210 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85017-3043; Phone: (602) 589-1073; email: jdillenberg@ashs.edu.
Health Care Policy Roundtable
On September 17, 2001, the University of Arizona Rural Health Office and the Arizona Department of Health Services co-hosted a Health Policy Roundtable meeting via videoconference facilities in Tucson, Phoenix, and Flagstaff, focusing on health care work force issues. Representatives of the state’s major health care work force education and training programs, as well as recruitment and retention programs, participated.
In follow up to the meeting, a statewide conference is being planned for the spring or early summer to address issues related to key health care work force shortages, recruitment and retention, education and training programs, and other strategies for meeting the health care needs of rural Arizonans.
In addition, the UA Rural Health Office, in collaboration with ADHS, is preparing a preliminary directory of Arizona Health Care Work Force Programs and Resources. Any institution, organization, or individual wishing to be included in the directory should send the following information to the UA Rural Health Office, Workforce Directory, 2501 E. Elm Street, Tucson, AZ 85716, by no later than December 1.
Name of Contact Person
Title/Affiliation/Degrees, etc.
Agency Represented
Name of Workforce-Related Program
One page summary of the program.
Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association Report on Healthcare Workforce Shortages
The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association recently released a study of healthcare workforce shortages in Arizona. A similar study by the American Hospital Association was begun in June 2001.
The AzHHA study indicates that the impact of healthcare workforce shortages is more serious in Arizona than in most other parts of the country, especially so for registered nurses.
Examples cited in AzHHA’s Weekly Online Newsletter, October 5, 2001:
16% vacancy rate for registered nurses in Arizona versus 11% vacancy rate nationwide
91% of Arizona hospitals reported they had experienced emergency department overcrowding as a result of workforce shortage impacts, versus only 41% of hospitals nationwide.
The AzHHA Healthcare Workforce Shortages Report is available online at: http://azhha.org/public/pdf/workforce_report.pdf
3. National News
HHS Report on Impact of Health Workforce on Health Care Accessibility in 10 States
On October 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a new report, "The Health Care Workforce in Ten States: Education, Practice and Policy." The report provides a comprehensive assessment of how a variety of workforce issues impact health care accessibility in a set of representative states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The study on which the report is based was conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and examines topics such as how states organize and pay for health care; the impact of investing in primary care education; and the importance of high retention rates for those physicians trained in-state. The reports were prepared under contract with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Free copies may be ordered from the HRSA Information Center at 1-888-ASK-HRSA or on the web at www.ask.hrsa.gov
HHS Report on Community Health in Rural, Urban Areas
The 25th annual statistical report on the Nation’s health – "Health, United States, 2001 With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook," is the first to look at health status relative to communities’ level of urbanization.
Specific findings:
Death rates for working-age adults were higher in the most rural and most urban areas. The highest death rate for children and young adults were in the most rural counties.
Residents of rural areas had the highest death rates for unintentional injuries generally and for motor-vehicle injuries specifically. Homicide rates were highest in the central counties of large metro areas.
Suburban residents were more likely to exercise during leisure time and more likely to have health insurance. Suburban women were the least likely to be obese.
Both the most rural and most urban areas had a similarly high percent of residents without health insurance.
Teenagers and adults in rural counties were the most likely to smoke. Residents of the most rural communities also had the fewest visits for dental care.
The chartbook presents detailed analysis of population characteristics, health risk factors, health status indicators, and health care access measures for residents of counties grouped by five urbanization levels. It also examines patterns by region of the country.
Communities at different urbanization levels differ in terms of age, race, ethnicity, income, and other factors, which affect health status. For example, residents of the most rural and the most urban areas are more likely to be poor. Access to routine and emergency health care, racial and ethnic makeup, air quality, and other factors also affect a community’s health status.
The report is available on the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs.
c. American Public Health Association Annual Conference
The APHA’s annual meeting was held in Atlanta, Georgia on October 21. Arizona’s representation at the conference included the new Dean of the College of Public Health, Marie Swanson, as well as other faculty and staff of the College of Public Health and the Rural Health Office, which is now housed in the College of Public Health.
Among proposed policy statements adopted by participants, the following may be of particular interest to rural Arizonans:
(1) Support for Community Health Workers in meeting the nation’s health care needs.
The policy statement calls for: (a) recognition by all public health professionals of the skills and unique attributes that both volunteer and paid community health workers bring to their work; (b) encouragement for traditional and non-traditional educational institutions to develop and support effective training curricula for CHWs and their supervisors; (c) institution of permanent funding streams for CHWs from federal, state, local, and tribal public health agencies; (d) congressional recognition and support for appropriate funds to support CHWs; (e) inclusion of CHWs by public health professionals in effort to establish a public health credentialing process; (f) encouragement for national policy makers to support relevant evaluation of CHWs programs, with CHWs leading such evaluation efforts; and (g) promotion of the visibility of CHWs in public health work.
(2) Support for the roles and responsibilities of Acute Care Hospitals in meeting the emergency health care needs of communities.
The policy statement notes that: (a) 43 million citizens lack health insurance; (b) the nation’s 5,000 hospital emergency departments, among others, bear a disproportionate share of the responsibility for treating the uninsured; (c) America’s health care safety net is endangered as a result of a rising number of uninsured patients in the face of shrinking government subsidies; (d) 18% of the nation’s uninsured rely on hospital emergency departments as their usual source of care; (e) the trend of hospital closures is accelerating, with 43 closures of general, short-term acute care hospitals in 1998 and 64 closures in 1999; and, (f) 27% of rural patients in communities where the hospital emergency departments closed in 1998, and 43% of such patients in 1999, had to travel more than 20 miles to the nearest emergency department to receive care.
Other resolutions called for increasing access to out-of-hospital maternity care services through state-regulated and nationally-certified direct entry midwives; establishment of a Medicare prescription drug benefit; support for the Surgeon General’s Framework for Action on Oral Health in America; support for elective courses in firearm related violence prevention; and support for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health care.
APHA policy statements adopted by conference participants should be available soon on its website: http://www.apha.org/
d. Analyses of the Impact on Rural Areas of Proposed Changes in the Medicare Program
(1) The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis released Policy Paper P2001-14 in September 200, responding to the recommendations of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to Congress on "Medicare in Rural America.." The RUPRI Analysis of the rural health implications of the MedPAC recommendations is available at: http://www.rupri.org/programs/health/misc/MedPACcomments.pdf
(2) The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
report, "Medicare in Rural America," was issued in June of 2001, and is available at: http://www.medpac.gov/html/body_june2001_report.htm
(3) The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health report, "Medicare Reform: A Rural Perspective," published May 2001, is available online at: ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/ruralhealth/reform.pdf
4. How to Contact Your Representatives
a. Arizona Congressional Delegation: Available through the Publication Technology Project at Arizona State University: http://aspin.asu.edu/~pctp/azdeleg.html. To get Congressional Handbook, http://www.congresshandbook.com. Links to Representatives are available at http://www.house.gov. Links to Senators are available at http://www.senate.gov.
Senate:
John McCain (R-AZ) DC Phone 202-224-2235; DC Fax 202-228-2862
State Offices: Phoenix 602-952-2410; Tucson 520-670-6334; Mesa 602-491-4300; Email: John_McCain@mccain.senate.gov
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) DC Phone 202-224-4521; DC Fax 202-224-2207
State Offices: Phoenix 602-840-1891; Tucson 520-575-8633; Email: info@kyl.senate.gov
House of Representatives:
Matt Salmon (R-1-AZ) DC Phone 202-225-2635; DC Fax 202-225-3405; Tempe 480-946-3600; Email: msalmon@mail.house.gov
Ed Pastor (D-2-AZ) DC Phone 202-225-4065; DC Fax 202-225-1655; Tucson 520-624-9986; Phoenix 602-256-0551; Yuma 520-726-2234;
Email: edpastor@mail.house.gov
Bob Stump (R-3-AZ) DC Phone 202-225-4576; DC Fax 202-225-6328;
Phoenix Phone: 602-379-6923.
John Shadegg (R-4-AZ) DC Phone 202-225-3361; DC Fax 202-225-3462; Phoenix 602-263-5300; Email: j.shadegg@mail.house.gov
Jim Kolbe (R-5-AZ) DC Phone 202-225-2542; DC Fax 202-225-0378; Tucson 520-881-3588; Sierra Vista 520-459-3115; Email: jim.kolbe@mail..house.gov
J.D. Hayworth (R-6-AZ) DC Phone 202-225-2190; DC Fax 202-225-3263; Mesa 602-926-4151; Flagstaff 520-556-8760.
b. Arizona State Legislators: Available through the Arizona Legislative Information System (ALIS): Call 1-800-352-8404 http://www.azleg.state.az.us/members/members.htm.
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Grant Opportunities
Maternal and Child Health Research
Deadline: Applications due March 1, 2002 and August 1, 2002
Funding Available: Approximately $2.2 million available in FY 2002 to support ten awards of $220,000 each. Project period is one to four years.
Eligible Applicants: Public and nonprofit institutions of higher learning and public or private nonprofit agencies engaged in research or in programs relating to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special health care needs are eligible to apply.
Purpose: Support applied research relating to maternal and child health services that shows promise for substantial contribution to the current knowledge pool, and when used in States and communities should result in health and health services improvements.
Contact: Kishena Wadhwani, PhD, 301-443-2927, kwadhwan@hrsa.gov
Substance Abuse Policy Research
Deadline: Letters of Intent for projects requesting under $100,000 will be accepted at any time. Letters of Intent for projects requesting $100,000 to $400,000 should be submitted by February 4, 2002.
Eligible Applicants: This call for proposals is intended to encourage experts in public health, law, political science, medicine, sociology, criminal justice, economics, psychology, and other behavioral and policy sciences to address issues related to substance abuse.
Purpose: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (http://www.saprp.org/) is requesting proposals for research projects that will produce policy-relevant information about ways to reduce the harm caused by the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs in the United States.
Projects are expected to increase understanding of public and private policy interventions to prevent, treat, and reduce the harm caused by the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, including the advantages, disadvantages, and potential impact of these policies. Projects may address policies at the national, state, or local levels in the public-sector, or they may address private-sector policies within companies, associations, unions, or trade groups.
Contact: See the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Web site for program guidelines and application information.
Contact:
Tracy Enright Patterson
Tel: (336) 716-5170
E-mail: tpatters@wfubmc.edu
Substance Abuse Policy Research Program
Program Department of Public Health Sciences
Office Wake Forest University School of Medicine
2000 West First Street
Piedmont Plaza II, Suite 101
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Tel: (336) 716-9748
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Route 1 and College Road East
P.O. Box 2316
Princeton, NJ 08543-2316
c. Teen Smoking Program
Deadline: January 4, 2002 (postmark deadline)
Eligible Applicants: Applicants must be nonsmokers and must partner with an adult at their school or a nonprofit organization to plan and execute their submission. Proposals will be judged based on originality, thoroughness, effectiveness, and viability.
Purpose: Program Seeks Youth Leaders in Battle Against Teen Smoking
The TeenH.I.P. (Teens Helping Influence People) Grant Program, sponsored by Lorillard Tobacco Company's Youth Smoking Prevention Program, offers students age 12 to 18 grants of $10,000 to help keep youth and teenagers in their community from smoking. Five winners will receive funding to team with their schools or a local organization to
create a youth smoking prevention program or fund an existing program.
Contact: Visit the program's Web site for program guidelines and an application form. RFP Link: http://www.buttoutnow.com/
Contact:
TeenH.I.P. Grant Program
c/o Alex Abraham
BSMG Worldwide
676 N. St. Clair, Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60611
d. Behavioral, Social, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Research with Diverse Populations
Deadline: Expiration: June 1, 2004. Unless otherwise announced
Purpose: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is committed to supporting research that will increase scientific understanding of the health status of various population groups and lead to more effective health interventions and services for individuals within those groups. High priority is placed on research with groups that appear to have distinctive health risk profiles but thus far have received insufficient attention from investigators. This Program Announcement (PA) highlights a particular set of such groups: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and related populations (designated here as LGBT populations).
e. Telehealth Funding Guide:
The Office for Advancement of Telehealth’s (OAT) Telehealth Funding Guide is available at: http://telehealth.hrsa.gov/grants/funds.htm
f. Others
Current federal grant opportunities related to rural health are available at http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/richs/grants.htm
Foundations: Current Funding Programs and Master List is available at http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/richs/foundat.htm
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6. Conferences Relevant to Rural Health
Mobile Health Technology Conference
November 15-17
New Technologies in Wellness, Prevention and Treatment: First International Conference on Mobile Health American Telemedicine Association, NRHA & others. San Diego, CA
* For more information, contact:
International Conference on Mobile Health
1058 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-3109
(800) 844-5047
E-Mail: katherine@mmobilehealthconference.com
Web Site URL: http://www.mobilehealthconference.com
b. Farmworkers Conference
December 5-8
Building Capacity-Achieving Access: 11th Annual Midwest Farmworker Stream Forum, National Center for Farmworker Health, Austin, TX
*For more information contact:
Lisa Hughes
National Center for Farmworker Health
1770 FM 967
Buda, TX 78610
(800) 531-5120; (512) 312-2700; Fax:(512) 312-2600
E-Mail: hughes@ncfh.org
Web Site URL: http://www.ncfh.org
c. Technology Opportunities Program Grants Conference and Technical Assistance Workshop
December 6-7
The Technology Opportunities Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration is sponsoring its "2001 Networks for People Conference" on December 6 and 7, 2001at the Renaissance Washington D.C. Hotel.
On December 6, the conference will feature TOP projects that are making a lasting impact and continue to work in their communities across the country. Conference presenters will include creators and directors of TOP projects that are using information technology tools for social services, tele-health, community networks, public safety, lifelong learning, and the arts. Program presenters will share information about how they developed their projects, what they do in the community, and how they have sustained their effort.
On December 7, TOP will hold a Technical Assistance Workshop to discuss the fiscal year 2002 grant round, program funding priorities, application requirements, and lessons learned from previous TOP grantees.
For more information, contact Judith Sparrow (202) 501-5131 jsparrow@ntia.doc.gov (technical contact) or Teresa Vicente (301) 975-3883 teresa.vicente@nist.gov.
d. Rural Minority Women Conference
December 6-8
Rural Minority Women: Reaching Out and Reaching Goals in the New Century, NRHA's 7th Annual Rural Minority Health Conference, San Antonio, TX
* For more information, contact:
Rosemary McKenzie
Minority Affairs Director, NRHA
One West Armour Blvd., # 203
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 756-3140; Fax: (816) 756-3144
E-Mail: rmckenzie@NRHArural.org
e. Health Quality Conference
January 30-February 1, 2002
The Changing Face of Health Care. 2002 Technical Conference
American Health Quality Association, Dallas, TX
* For more information, contact:
Jolie Crowder
American Health Quality Association
1140 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1050
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 331-5790
E-Mail: jcrowder@ahqa.org
Web Site URL: http://www.ahqa.org/tech_conf/webpages/tech_conf_main.html
7. Other
a. Community Health Leadership Awards
Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program Invites
Nominations
Deadline: December 4, 2001 (Letters of intent)
Each year, the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program honors ten outstanding individuals who help expand access to health care and social services to underserved and isolated populations in communities across the United States. Each honoree is awarded $100,000: $95,000 for program support and $5,000 as a personal stipend.
Community-based health providers and advocates in mid- career who have created or significantly improved health programs in local communities where healthcare needs have been ignored and unmet are eligible to be nominated.
Nominees must be U.S. residents of one of the 50 states, D.C., or Puerto Rico and must be currently working in their own local community (not on a national or international level) in affiliation with a nonprofit or government agency on a three-quarter to full-time basis.
Nominations are welcome from consumers, community leaders, health professionals, government officials, and others who have been personally inspired by people providing essential community health services. Nominations from development and public relations departments or professional grant writers cannot be accepted.
Visit the program's Web site for complete eligibility information and guidelines on submitting a nomination. (Please note that the 2002 awards cycle is pending funding approval by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)
Contact:
Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program
30 Winter Street, Suite 920
Boston, MA 02108
Tel: (617) 426-9772
Fax: (617) 654-9922
E-mail: Info@communityhealthleaders.org
RFP Link: http://www.communityhealthleaders.org/
b. The Rural Hospital Issues Group
The Rural Hospital Issues Group is an informal group of 15 hospital
administrators, hospital finance experts, and association representatives who meet each year to address regulatory issues related to rural hospitals and the communities they serve. The group, which began meeting in March of 2000, is a cooperative effort of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the hospital constituency group of the National Rural Health Association and the American Hospital Association. The idea is to provide a forum for the sharing of information, identification of potential problems and a ongoing discussion of potential policy options to ensure the continued viability of America’s 2000 rural hospitals. The group meets each December for two days in Washington to discuss pressing regulatory issues affecting rural hospitals and hear from knowledgeable experts and health service researchers on a variety of topics related to Medicare, Medicaid and workforce recruitment and retention.
The Office of Rural Health Policy, which is charged with advising the Secretary and the Department on issues related to rural health, sees the Group as a way to better inform staff about the key issues affecting rural hospitals. Members are the Group are recommended by either the NRHA or the AHA and represent a wide cross section of hospital types and geographic regions.
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Staff Contacts:
Forrest Calico Tom Morris
fcalico@hrsa.gov tmorris@hrsa.gov
(301) 443-0835 (301) 443-0835
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