This newsletter is brought to you by the Community Health Systems Development Team at the Georgia Health Policy Center, funded through a contract with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).
 
Welcome to the Rural Health Link: Rural Health Services Quarterly Digest. This newsletter will share program updates, the technical assistance (TA) schedule of events, as well as a variety of resources focused on rural health services. Each issue will also feature a grantee spotlight article. We welcome your feedback. If you have any comments or recommendations for future content, please reach out to us at chsdteam@gsu.edu.
GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT
Grantee Profile: Washington County Mobile Integrated Healthcare Network 
The Washington County Mobile Integrated Healthcare Network is bringing together Great Mines Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center; Washington County Ambulance District, an emergency medical service (EMS) provider; and Mineral Area College, which trains EMS students, to build out mobile integration of heart care for high utilizers in a three-county rural area of Missouri.  
 
The Georgia Health Policy Center recently spoke to Roby Walker, human resources and compliance officer at Great Mines Health Center, about implementation and participation in the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program. 
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC UPDATES
Rural Health Care Coordination
Program (Care Coordination)
Meet the New Rural Health Care Coordination Program Coordinator! 
Diana Alatorre (Dye-anne-uh Ah-lah-toe-reh) (She/Her) joined the FORHP’s Community-Based Division as a public health analyst on July 6. She will be the program coordinator for the Rural Health Care Coordination Program and a project officer on other programs as well. As a former Peace Corps volunteer, Diana worked alongside her local Nicaraguan community to address respiratory issues among women and children due to kitchen smoke inhalation. Diana has extensive experience working for grassroots organizations, government agencies, and international non-profits on improving environmental and social challenges including climate change, sustainable agriculture, and social justice. She graduated from Emory University with a master’s degree in development practice, a certificate in water, hygiene and sanitation, and a concentration in social justice. In her free time, Diana enjoys watching reality TV, catching up with friends and family, and going on long nature walks with her partner and their pup, Emma. 

Webinar: Data Interoperability: What Every Practice and Partnership Should Know
On September 16, FORHP and the Rural TA team hosted a webinar on the present and future of data interoperability. The slides and recording of the webinar can be found here.  
 
Webinar description: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released data-sharing and transparency regulations affecting payers and providers this year, aiming to empower the patient as a health care consumer. Many believe these interoperability policies stand to create the cost inflection point sought to deliver high-value, low-cost health care.

Speaker: Adele Allison, Adele Allison Consulting  
Delta States Rural Development
Network Program (Delta States)
Peer Group Call: COVID-19 Supplemental Grant Part 2: Innovations and Successes 
Please join us for peer discussion on how the implementation of the COVID-19 supplemental grant program is going so far on September 22 at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. Click here to join. 
 
No passwords needed. Just come prepared to share innovations, strategies to challenges, and ideas for tracking your efforts. 
 
Upcoming Learning Opportunity in the Fall 
Be on the lookout for information regarding a learning opportunity that will focus on health equity and social determinants of health. 
 
Delta States Email Address to be used September – December 
Reminder to use the Delta States Email address:  deltastatesprgm@hrsa.gov for all communications with your project officer during the months of September- December 2021. 
Small Health Care Provider Quality
Improvement Program (Rural Quality)
Webinar: Data Interoperability: What Every Practice and Partnership Should Know
On September 16, FORHP and the Rural TA team hosted a webinar on the present and future of data interoperability. The slides and recording of the webinar can be found here.  
 
Webinar description: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released data-sharing and transparency regulations affecting payers and providers this year, aiming to empower the patient as a health care consumer. Many believe these interoperability policies stand to create the cost inflection point sought to deliver high-value, low-cost health care.

Speaker: Adele Allison, Adele Allison Consulting  

Year 2 Annual Performance Improvement Measurement System (PIMS) Reporting 
A reminder that your Year 2 Performance Improvement Measurement System (PIMS) reporting period begins September 1 and is due September 30. The reporting period will reflect the full second year of your grant (August 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021). 

Upcoming Technical Assistance This Fall 
Stay tuned for more updates including a resource to support you in solidifying our quality improvement processes and roles, as well as additional guidance, including a template, for your Rural Quality grant Sustainability Plan. Your sustainability plan will be due next year on June 1, 2022. 
Rural Health Care Services
Outreach Program (Outreach)
Grant Program Directory  
A grantee directory will be developed for the 2021 cohort of Outreach grant-funded programs. The directory is a compendium of information on each grant program. Information populated in the directories may include consortium partners, target populations, focus areas, description of project, and any evidenced-based model used or adapted. The publicly shared directory will serve as a reference for peer connections and provide an overview of each FORHP program for interested stakeholders. A template form and instructions will be provided to you by your HRSA project officer and assigned TA provider.  

Regular Track Assessment Plan (due November 1) 
Regular track grantees are required to submit an assessment plan. The template and additional guidance are under development and will be provided to you in the coming weeks. Your Georgia Health Policy Center TA team will also provide resources to support you in the completion of this deliverable. 
 

HRHI Track Community Assessment Phase 1-2: Asset Mapping (due November 15) 
This HRHI deliverable has been updated to combine the community assessment phase 1 (gap analysis) deliverable with phase 2 (asset mapping) for a more streamlined approach and reduction in overall reporting burden. Template and additional guidance are under development and will be provided to you in the coming weeks. Your Georgia Health Policy Center TA team will also provide resources to support you in the completion of this deliverable. 
OPPORTUNITIES
The Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Distribution Program will distribute COVID-19 vaccine directly to Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinics to increase the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in rural communities. The program aims to improve COVID-19 access and vaccination rates to medically underserved rural communities. Click here for more information.  

Funded through FORHP, Texas A&M University is conducting a study to better understand what rural stakeholders think the most important Healthy People 2030 priorities for rural America are. This can help guide future research and funding related to rural health. Click here to participate in the survey.   
ARTICLES
Many of you are focused on addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve targeted health outcomes in the communities you serve by integrating SDOH referral tools into workflows. This article details how Sentra Health, located in Virgina, employed SDOH referral tools that connect patients to social services. Click here to access the article.  
 
Although approximately 165 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, hesitancy still exists in many communities across the nation, including rural communities. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s latest blog features a public health nurse who shares five lessons learned from vaccinating a diverse community, that can assist with increasing vaccination rates in hard-to-reach communities. Click here to access the blog. 
RESOURCES, NEWS AND OTHER UPDATES
Judith Field, M.D., MPH, MMM, national medical director at Ontrak, and Laura Simmonds, MBA, MSN, R.N., care community program manager at Ontrack, recently presented a webcast focused on addressing gaps in SDOH support programs. Field and Simmonds share why offering resources alone isn't enough to address social risks; how culturally sensitive, whole-person coaching can identify and address all types of social risks; and why on-going screening and sustained engagement is critical in helping individuals build the skills and knowledge needed to mitigate social risks long-term. Click here to access the webcast.  

COVID-19 Related Resources  

  • Customizable COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkit for Rural Communities: The Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program, with support from the Delta Regional Authority and the Health Resources & Services Administration's FORHP, created a toolkit to support rural health organizations with developing internal and external communication materials. Click here to access the toolkit.  
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit: The National Rural Health Resource Center developed a toolkit to build confidence around the COVID-19 vaccine. The toolkit includes posters, print ads, brochures, social media posts, and a tool kit user guide. Click here to access the toolkit.  
  • COVID-19 Communication Vaccine Communications Resource: The American Hospital Association compiled a list of resources to assist and support health care and public health professionals with COVID vaccination efforts. The resource includes a rural resource toolkit, communication materials by audience, and more. Click here to access the resources. 
  • Ways Health Departments Can Help Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced a collection of strategies and resources to build vaccine demand in different settings (where people live, work, learn, pray, play, and gather) and tips for how to build trust, address misinformation, and tailor messages and material. Click here to access the resource.  
  • Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services drafted a handout on building COVID-19 vaccine confidence. It includes information on COVID-19 vaccine information (key websites, scientific information, etc.), and outreach materials (resources to combat myths, print material, toolkits, etc.). Click here to access the handout.  
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 20-22, 2021, Boston, MA 
September 23-October 29, 2021, Virtual 
 
Please join a host of sponsoring organizations as they host the 5th annual Patient Experience Symposium. This year’s symposium will include networking opportunities and cover a range of topics including managing readmissions, co-designing telehealth with patients, advancing patient experience through the lens of equity, improving quality and care, and more.  
September 23-24, 2021 
Manchester, N.H.  

Please join the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center as they host their seventh annual Northeast Regional Telehealth Conference. During this two-day conference, attendees will have the opportunity to learn telehealth best practices and innovations, network, and identify opportunities to advance telehealth. 
October 4-6, 2021 

Please join the Root Cause Coalition as they host their sixth annual National Summit on Social Determinants of Health. This year’s summit will focus on systemic racism, food insecurity, lack of safe and affordable housing, and other SDOH that are negatively impacting the nation’s health.  
October 14-15, 2021 

Please join the National Center for School Mental Health as they host their annual conference on Advancing School Based Mental Health. This conference brings together school-based mental health leaders, practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders to share the latest research and best practices.