NRHA is accepting session proposals for our 2022 Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conferences, which will be held Sept. 20-23 in Kansas City, Mo, our hometown. The goal of NRHA’s RHC and CAH events is to share effective practices, policies, and information and provide insights and best practices addressing many of the access, quality, and patient safety issues confronted by critical access hospitals and rural health clinics. Five interest tracks are available for Critical Access Hospital Conference submissions: innovation, financial, leadership, quality, and best practices. Join us in the City of Fountains this fall and be part of NRHA’s fastest-growing events for rural clinic and hospital leaders, educators, staff, advocates, and other stakeholders.

According to a recent Rural Health Information Hub report, a lack of health literacy can lead to inequities, particularly in rural areas. “Providers can forget to translate their information back into plain language for their patients,” says Stan Hudson of Wisconsin Health Literacy. “This lends to the creation of an unequal system of information sharing in health care. Health care providers don’t always consider that their use of jargon alone can lead to an information divide or inequity.” Additionally, RHI Hub recently updated their topic guide on recruitment and retention for rural health facilities, including strategies and incentives to help communities attract health care providers and information on compensation, benefits, and incentives that rural facilities might offer.

NRHA leadership is secure for 2022 and beyond, thanks to recent elections for Board of Trustees and open Rural Health Congress positions.NRHA members chose Leslie Marsh as president-elect. Marsh, a longtime NRHA member and rural health advocate who serves as CEO at Lexington Regional Health Center, will assume the duties of NRHA president in 2023.

Elected in 2021, Beth O’Connor of the Virginia Rural Health Association will serve as president in 2022.

NRHA is pleased to announce the following individuals elected by their peers to serve as constituency group chairs:

• Hospitals and Health Systems: Steve Barnett, Sandusky, Mich.
• Public Health: Cody Mullen, West Lafayette, Ind.
• State Association Council: Ryan Kelly, Madison, Miss.
• Statewide Health Resources: Kristine Sande, Grand Forks, N.D.
• Student: Ada Pariser, Michigan State University

View NRHA’s Rural Health Congress page to see the full list of leaders and representatives, including Public Health Constituency Group representative and student Justin Kearley, as proudly reported by East Tennessee State University.

A new study found that rural counties had 2.4 times more COVID infections per 100,000 people than urban areas between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2021, when the Delta variant surged. In many rural areas, unvaccinated patients continue to overwhelm hospitals, and leaders are worried low vaccination rates will prolong the pandemic. Despite these challenges, NRHA CEO Alan Morgan and the COVID Collaborative’s John Bridgeland expressed optimism in a recent op-ed. “We’re optimistic 2022 will bring renewed efforts and progress in our work to help rural Americans overcome vaccine hesitancy and accelerate the day when all Americans can safely return to leading active and productive lives,” they write. The Georgia Health Policy Center will host leaders from NRHA and other organizations for a webinar on updates to the Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Program at 2 p.m. CST Feb. 22. A generational challenge has emerged in rural health care, but your community doesn’t have to go it alone. For more in-depth analysis, discussion, and advocacy alerts, join NRHA as a member.

NRHA Partner National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers will host a webinar at 2 p.m. CST Feb. 22 on how rural hospitals can respond to and contain a cyber attack in 14 minutes or less. This session will introduce tactical incident response, a proven approach to cybersecurity incident response for rural hospitals that prepares teams to respond to a high-velocity attack or violent attack and address an attack in progress within a critical response window. NRHA Partner Caravan Health will host a webinar at 2 p.m. CST Feb. 23 on how rural ACOs earned more than $100 million in shared savings and expanded their 340B programs up to 50 percent. Participants will learn hidden opportunities in the program for ACO participants; review how to implement audit-ready strategies for improving claims capture; and more. Let’s achieve the pinnacle of rural health in the Land of Enchantment with more than 80 sessions on topics including alternative payment models and more at NRHA’s 45th Annual Rural Health Conference May 10-13 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Nurse training programs are usually located in metro areas, drawing students from rural communities not only for school but potentially the rest of their careers, according to NRHA. “While there are no shortcuts to training competent nurses ready to enter today’s health care environment, enhancing access to nursing programs is the next best solution,” says Charnelle Lee of Western New Mexico University. Omak Family Medicine Residency Program in Washington recently received accreditation to develop a family medicine rural training track, and Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine aims to train physicians to work in rural areas by providing them with rural clinical experience. Let’s achieve the pinnacle of rural health in the Land of Enchantment with more than 80 sessions on topics including workforce growth at NRHA’s 45th Annual Rural Health and Rural Medical Education Conferences May 10-13 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Aging in place is especially challenging for those living in rural areas. “Housing stock tends to be older and of poorer quality, there is less access to health care, and those in rural areas are generally lower-income,” says NRHA member Carrie Henning-Smith of the University of Minnesota. Many state programs designed to help older adults stay in their homes do not have an explicit rural focus. In Montana, about 20 percent of the population is over the age of 65, more than any other western state, and the majority of them wish to age at home. This has left many older adults struggling to find and access the care they need. Additionally, some stakeholders suggest courts and the FTC should approve hospital mergers that help the underserved, particularly as data from the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program, an NRHA member, shows that 138 rural hospitals have closed since 2010.

HRSA is now accepting applications for the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program through March 22. The purpose of this program is to increase the number of dental and dental hygiene faculty in the workforce by assisting dental and dental hygiene training programs to attract and retain faculty. HRSA is also accepting applications for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program through March 31. This program aims to support the training of residents in primary care residency training programs in community-based ambulatory patient care centers. Programs will prepare residents to provide high quality care, particularly in rural and underserved communities, and develop competencies to serve these diverse populations and communities.

HHS recently announced it is releasing more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund payments to 7,600 provider organizations facing financial shortcomings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money follows a December distribution of nearly $9 billion, with both falling under $17 billion fourth phase of HRSA’s relief program. HHS has also announced the availability of $19.2 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support and expand community-based primary care residency programs. Awardees will use this funding to train residents to provide quality care to diverse populations and communities, particularly in underserved and rural areas. Finally, HHS is providing $66.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to eight grantees to expand outreach efforts in 38 states and the District of Columbia to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and vaccinations.

Many Minnesota ambulance services are struggling to respond to emergency calls as workers leave the field in pursuit of better pay and working conditions. The exodus comes as demand for emergency medical services is increasing statewide. “There’s communities right now taking a good look at their services to try to figure out what to do,” says Mark Jones of the Minnesota Rural Health Association, an NRHA member. “When 911 is called, I am very confident that at some point an ambulance will get there. The concern is whether the rural ambulance services are able to answer the call in a timely manner.” Let’s achieve the pinnacle of rural health in the Land of Enchantment with more than 80 sessions on topics including rural emergency hospitals and more at NRHA’s 45th Annual Rural Health Conference May 10-13 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Dental screenings will begin in early February as part of the new Northampton County Public Schools dental program partnership in Virginia. Information collected will be used to assess the oral health status of all NCPS children as well as connect children with urgent needs with care. Eventually permanent dental offices will be established at each of the NCPS’ three public schools that will provide both preventive care and treat children with existing dental disease. HRSA is now accepting applications for the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program through March 22. The purpose of this program is to increase the number of dental and dental hygiene faculty in the workforce by assisting dental and dental hygiene training programs to attract and retain faculty.

New fact sheets coauthored by NRHA members from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center look at colorectal and cervical cancer prevention in rural health clinics in South Carolina. Patients in rural areas undergo cancer screening less frequently than urban patients with corresponding higher cancer incidence and mortality. This study used a mixed methods design to investigate perceptions and practices regarding cervical and colorectal cancer prevention at rural health clinics. Study results support the need for increased technical and material resources at RHCs to improve uptake of colorectal and cervical cancer screening.