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 two grantee spotlight articles. We welcome your feedback. If you have any comments or recommendations for future content, please reach out to us at chsdteam@gsu.edu.
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The Georgia Health Policy Center recently spoke to Katrina Keough, the project director for Upper Peninsula Health Care Solutions, about efforts to coordinate care for birthing women with opioid use disorder in Marquette County and Chippewa County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
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The Georgia Health Policy Center recently spoke to Shauna Lively, who serves as a nurse with the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership and the outreach education director and project director for the West Virginia RMOMS, which serves an eight-county region.
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Rural Health Care Coordination
Program (Care Coordination)
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Grantee Meeting: Integrating Care to Improve Quality and Value
Thank you all for your participation in the grantee virtual meeting on May 4 and 5. There were two days of engaging speakers and presentations as well as wonderful resources shared on the community forum. As a reminder, all content is still available via the conference platform for 90 days. Participants who were registered for the meeting can log into Whova to review content or continue any engagement there. For those that were not registered for the meeting, or to access materials after their expiration in Whova, all presentation recordings, slides, and accompanying resources have been posted to our Rural Health Link website here.
Rural Care Coordination Webinar Announcement: Process Mapping for Partnership Engagement
Tuesday, July 19th, 1 pm ET
Process Mapping is a helpful practice and tool to support partnership engagement. In this webinar, Karla Weng from Stratis Health will provide an overview of process mapping, with a special focus on swim lane process maps as a way to structure conversations with partners and team members. As a result of this webinar and resources provided, attendees will:
- Understand what a swim lane process map is and when and why they can add value
- Discuss how to engage your team and partners through process mapping and the value of doing so
Diana sent a calendar invitation for the webinar with a Zoom link to join. If you have not received the invitation or have any questions, please reach out to your technical assistance provider.
Sustainability Formative Assessment
Many of you have begun the process of engaging partners in assessing the potential for sustainability of your care coordination initiative. Remember, the final Sustainability Formative Assessment and action plan is due on November 30, 2022. Work with your technical assistance (TA) provider to craft a plan for partner input and joint planning. You can access the template, self-directed assessment tool, and a recording of the webinar that outlines the tool under the webinar section of the grantee portal.
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Delta States Rural Development
Network Program (Delta States)
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Announcements from FORHP
Reminder, Chinyere is on deployment till July 1, 2022. Patricia Burbano is the interim project officer for Delta States until she returns. For all communication regarding the Delta States program, please use the following email: deltastatesgrantprgm@hrsa.gov.
Reminder, the quarter 4 COVID-19 Supplemental Funding Quarterly Report is available in the Electronic Handbook now and is due July 15. If you have already completed all activities and expended all funds, you still need to fill out the report and just indicate this in the report. For any questions, please use the following email address: deltastatesgrantprgm@hrsa.gov.
Learning Opportunities with RACE for Equity: Learning Labs
The first learning lab with RACE for Equity was held on May 12, Critical Conversations: Understanding and Addressing Racism as a Social Determinant of Health. The materials and recording are posted here.
The second learning lab, Meeting Facilitation Guide: Considering Racism as a Social Determinant of Health, will take place on July 14 at 1 p.m. ET. You can register in advance here.
COVID-19 Supplemental Funding Peer Call
If you missed our peer call on the COVID-19 Supplemental Funding on June 15, you can find the recording and presentation materials here.
Delta States Program Meeting- Save the Dates
The Delta States Program meeting will be held with the Rural Health Network Development grantee on August 24-25 from 1-5 p.m. ET. More information to come!
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Small Health Care Provider Quality
Improvement Program (Rural Quality)
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Grantee Meeting: Integrating Care to Improve Quality and Value
Thank you all for your participation in the grantee virtual meeting on May 4 and 5 on the Whova platform. There were two days of really engaging speakers and presentations as well as wonderful resources shared on the community forum. As a reminder, all content is still available via the Whova platform for 90 days after the meeting. Participants who were registered for the meeting can log into Whova to review content or continue any engagement there. For those that were not registered for the meeting or to access materials after their expiration in Whova, all presentation recordings, slides, and accompanying resources have been posted to our Rural Health Link website here.
Year 3 Closeout Deadlines and Deliverables
The end of the grant cycle is quickly approaching. Here are a few reminders of upcoming deadlines:
- July 1, 2022 – Year 3 Data Dashboard submission due in EHB
- July 31, 2022 – Last day of the grant project period
- August 31, 2022 – Year 3 PIMS report due in EHB
- October 30, 2022 – Final Federal Financial Report due
- October 30, 2022 – Final Closeout Report due; if you have a no-cost extension, this deliverable will be due 90 days after the end of the extension period
All of these dates are also on the deliverable schedule posted here. Any questions regarding these final deliverables and dates can be directed to project officers and TA consultants.
Exit Calls and Final Evaluation
Our final TA calls in July will serve as exit calls for the grant and be a time of reflection between grantees, project officers and TA consultants to discuss the progress and challenges of the three-year period. A final evaluation of technical assistance received during the grant will also be shared via Survey Monkey for grantees to share feedback.
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Rural Health Care Services
Outreach Program (Outreach)
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Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program Virtual Meeting Materials
Thank you to all of those that attended the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program Virtual Meeting, Building Bridges for Healthy Rural Communities through Innovation and Collaboration on June 22-23. The session recordings and materials will be posted here next week.
Resource: Best Practices in Data Collection
The resource, Best Practices in Data Collection, is available here along with the resources provided with the webinar, Successful PIMS Reporting for your Outreach Grant. This resource is designed to assist you with planning for data collection throughout your grant.
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Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management
Strategies Program (RMOMS)
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Non-Competing Continuation Progress Report
Thank you for your recent submission of your Non-competing Continuation (NCC) Progress Report deliverables. We will review the progress reports on an upcoming monthly call.
2021 Cohort Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program Directory
Quarterly Learning Opportunity
June 29, 2022, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Join us for the next quarterly learning opportunity for 2021 RMOMS awardees. The TA team at the Georgia Health Policy Center, in collaboration with the JBS International, will host a webinar entitled: Transforming Care for Individuals with Perinatal Substance Use Disorder: Policy, Practice and Partnership Considerations. Community partnerships and connection are at the heart of the innovative strategies that rural communities have employed during the nation’s opioid epidemic to improve maternal and child health, safety and recovery outcomes in families impacted by substance use that occurs during the perinatal period. This webinar will explore these strategies in more depth and include a discussion about:
- What works and why;
- Which high-value strategies can be implemented even in the context of limited resources; and
- The importance of centering dignity in every aspect of perinatal policy and practice.
Click here to join the webinar on June 29 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will also be recorded. Soon after the webinar, you can access the audio recording and presentation slides on the grantee website, on the RMOMS page, and under webinars
Data Visualization Workshop with Stephanie Evergreen
July 19 and 20, 12:00-1:30 p.m. and 2:30-4:00 p.m. ET each day
The Data Visualization Workshop is back again and in high demand! For those who have signed up, we hope you are looking forward to it. Participation is limited to two people per RMOMS team. As part of this workshop, Stephanie will use sample data visualizations and highlight what works well and ways to improve, including a focus on qualitative data.
If you have registered, please submit an example of a current visualization from your work that can be used during the workshop. The visualization should be submitted as a chart in Excel or a figure in PowerPoint- in its original, editable format and not as a PDF. Workshop planners are especially looking for qualitative examples this year, so feel free to share any qualitative reports or examples, even if they are not in chart format. Upload your example data visualization here.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make 40 awards of up to $125,000 each to state, local, and tribal governments. Grantees will develop an implementation-ready plan to reduce disparities related to chronic disease in underserved populations. These include racial and ethnic minorities, people living in rural communities, and those otherwise affected by persistent poverty or inequality. Applications are due July 8.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Internet for All, a $65-billion investment included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – that passed last November. The federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency within the Department of Commerce, opened the application window for several programs that will support efforts in states and U.S. territories to close the digital gap in areas with little or no high-speed internet. This is a particular issue in rural communities given long-standing gaps relative to urban areas. Click here for more information regarding Internet for All.
A separate program, the Affordable Connectivity Program, helps low-income households pay for monthly internet service and provides discounts for laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. Click here for more information regarding the Affordable Connectivity Program.
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RESOURCES, NEWS AND OTHER UPDATES |
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The National Council for Mental Wellbeing recently published a paper to introduce the Comprehensive Healthcare Integration Framework for guiding implementation of integrating physical health and behavioral health. This can help providers, payers, and population managers measure progress in organizing delivery of integrated services, demonstrate the value produced by integrated service delivery and provide initial and sustainable financing for integration. Click here to access the paper and framework.
The webinar discusses how some rural health providers are addressing social determinants of health in their communities and mitigating hardships associated with COVID-19. Additionally, the webinar highlights strategies using value-based payment models and collaboration with community partners. Click here to access the webinar.
COVID-19-Related Resources
Visitors to the site can enter their county and map nearby locations for masks, respirators, vaccines, boosters, and all testing and treatment options. Click here to access the toolkit.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services provides resources (posters, flyers, videos, and talking points) to help promote the extra protection from COVID-19 boosters. Click here to access the resources.
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July 12, 2022, 1:00 p.m. CT
This webinar will provide an entry-level overview of how to gather and use data to take a step in the transition from volume to value. Additionally, this session will provide practical application of quality metrics, data collection, and the use of that data in telling the story of services provided.
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September 19–20, 2022
Communities Joined in Action (CJA) is hosting their annual conference. The mission of CJA is to connect and equip communities with tools to improve health equity and well-being. CJA is a national membership organization committed to improving health and eliminating disparities. This year’s conference theme is Bridging Communities to Achieve Equity for All: 20+ years of improving health, increasing access, and eliminating disparities.
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