White House Rural Council Delivers Report on Rural America – Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America
August 12, 2011 (White House Press Release) - Today, the White House Rural Council released a new report entitled Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America, which lays out the economic landscape rural Americans face today and highlights the Administration’s key accomplishments in rural communities. The Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America report focuses on five critical areas: creating jobs and promoting economic growth, improving access to quality health care and education, fostering innovation, expanding outdoor opportunities, and supporting veterans and military families.
“This report on “Jobs and Economic Security in Rural America” underscores the commitment my Administration is making to rural communities,” said President Obama. “It highlights some of the many programs and policies my Administration has implemented in rural America to support economic growth. It also offers a look at the economic agenda we will continue to pursue during my Presidency.”
“This report highlights the importance of understanding some of the specific needs as well as unique opportunities found within rural America,” Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack said. “It also presents vital strategies that can and will be used to seize those opportunities and tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our rural communities.”
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CDC awards more than $49 million to strengthen State and local health departments
August 15, 2011 (HHS News Release) - HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today awarded $49 million in grants, partly supported by the Affordable Care Act, to improve the quality of health care and strengthen the public health infrastructure. Awarded to all fifty States, the grants strengthen State, local and territorial health departments’ capacity to perform critical epidemiology and laboratory work, detect and prevent healthcare-associated infections and support immunization programs. This is double the spending for the same programs in 2010.
“Investing in public health is a key part of the Affordable Care Act. It helps transform our nation’s health care system from one based on when people get sick to one that prevents disease in the first place,” said Sebelius.
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Rural Communities Fear Budget Cuts Will Hit Hard
Neal Conan, Host
August 11, 2011 (NPR: Talk of the Nation) - The percentage of Americans living in rural areas is shrinking. As rural America changes, programs that serve those areas, like postal facilities and subsidies for commercial aviation service, are being reevaluated.
NEAL CONAN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. New census figures show that rural America accounts for a smaller piece of the American pie, now just one-sixth of the country's population. And as the population dwindles, companies and agencies that serve these areas are reconsidering.
The U.S. Postal Service may close thousands of postal facilities early next year. The Federal Aviation Administration may cut subsidies that keep rural airports open, and budget cuts may hit country schools and clinics disproportionately.
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HRSA: Call for Abstracts for Special Theme Issue
Evidence for Informing the Next Generation of Quality Improvement Initiatives: Models, Methods, Measures and Outcomes
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health (NIMHD/NIH), in collaboration with the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU), have partnered to publish a special theme issue that addresses: quality improvement initiatives related to clinical care outcomes, health systems delivery, organizational efficiencies, financing models, reducing medical errors, improving patient safety, and communications.
Interested parties will need to submit an abstract of 500 words or less which includes: 1) author names and affiliations, 2) contact information for the corresponding author, 3) proposed title, and 4) type of manuscript (original paper, commentary, brief communication, report from the field, column, or review) by September 1, 2011 to OHITQPapers@hrsa.gov and addressed to: Ahmed Calvo, MD, MPH, Senior Guest Editor.
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HHS, Treasury take new steps to help states build Affordable Insurance Exchanges
August 12, 2011 (HHS News Release) - The Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury today took the next steps to establish Affordable Insurance Exchanges – one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their health needs and have the same kind of insurance choices as members of Congress. Among other policies, the proposed rules describe how middle-class families will gain access to unprecedented tax relief that will dramatically reduce the cost of coverage.
Since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, over half of states have taken actions to build an Exchange. Today, HHS awarded $185 million to 13 states and the District of Columbia to help them build Affordable Insurance Exchanges and, with Treasury, posted three proposed rules that will provide a simple, streamlined, and affordable path for consumers to use the Exchanges to purchase private health insurance. Additionally, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to governors laying out options and resources available to states to set up their Exchanges.
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After Health Reform, Safety Net Providers Still Play Crucial Health System Role, Experts Say
August 8, 2011 (The Commonwealth Fund News Release) - Nearly all leaders in health and health care policy recently surveyed (98%) believe traditional safety-net providers—including public hospitals, community health centers, and faith-based and mission-driven organizations—will continue to play crucial roles in the U.S. health system after the Affordable Care Act is implemented. Even in the post-reform environment, experts say, these providers will fulfill a critical need by serving individuals who remain uninsured and by being best equipped to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations —for example, providing culturally competent care or translation services. These findings and others are from the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, which asked respondents about the ways in which health care reform can improve care for vulnerable populations—including low-income people, the uninsured, and disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities.
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Pilot Program of Enhanced Contract Care Authority for Veterans in Highly Rural Areas
August 15, 2011 (The Federal Register via RAConline.org) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is implementing the "Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008," which requires VA to establish a pilot program to contract with non-VA health care providers to provide health services to highly rural veterans. This program will assist veterans who often have great difficulty obtaining VA health care due to physical distance to VA facilities.
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Rural ERs lag in electronic prescribing: study
August 12, 2011 (Reuters Health) - Emergency departments in rural hospitals may be behind their urban counterparts in switching to computerized drug prescriptions, a new study finds.
President Barack Obama has made information technology a cornerstone of his plan to cut costs out of the U.S. healthcare system. That includes not only electronic prescribing of medications, but completely digitizing patients' medical records so they can be easily accessed and shared among providers.
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Date: September 27, 2011
