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Virginia Rural Health News
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>>Chest Pain Accreditation
>>Appalachian Health Care

National Rural Health News
>>Copying Iran
>>Waiting for Water
>>'Choking Game' and Rural Teens

New edition now available.

By GoUpstate.come (Spartanburg, SC)

The announcement of a new medical school opening in Spartanburg is an extraordinary boon to the area. The likelihood that it will be built on the former Spartan Mills textile site, giving another shot of momentum to the downtown area and an immediate boost to the prospects of the city's north side, comes as a simply extraordinary stroke of good fortune.

Blacksburg, Va.-based Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine said it will open the four-year post-graduate medical school as an additional campus in the fall of 2011, employing about 100 full-time faculty and staff and initially enrolling 150 students. College and city officials have confirmed that the Spartan Mills tract is being considered, a site plan already exists and a public hearing on the project is scheduled for Jan. 26.

Read the full article.

Shenandoah University Division of Nursing’s Graduate Program is offering a course titled “Health Disparities in Rural Settings.”  It is available for 1.8 CE credits from the Virginia Nurse’s Association and the American College of Nurse-Midwives and is offered through podcasts that can be downloaded onto I pods through I Tunes U.

This course analyzes the complex health disparities that occur in rural settings and that are rooted in historic and contemporary inequities.  Topics include discussions of health care systems, health policies, distributions of resources, community needs assessment strategies, access to health care professionals and ethical considerations.   Existing multi-level intervention strategies aimed at eliminating health disparities will be assessed, including those specific to rural settings as well as community-academic partnerships that translate research into action.   
The podcasts are lectures and interviews with experts in the field. They can be downloaded from www.shenandoahgraduatenursing.com

• Go to “Electives and CEUs.”
• Click on “Health Disparities in Rural Settings”
• On ITunes U, get all lectures and subscribe to the course

By subscribing, you will be able to get new interviews as they occur.

When you are finished with the course, fill out the “Health Disparity CE Evaluation Form”, then e-mail jfehr@su.edu notifying SU that the Evaluation form has been filled out and provide your address so your certificate can be mailed. 

Bills introduced into the General Assembly which could have an impact on rural health:

HB 308 Mobile dental clinics; Board of Dentistry to develop regulations.
HB 1307 Family healthcare; zoning provisions for temporary structures.
HB 1343 Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine; Board of Pharmacy to establish program to implement tracking sales.
HJ 191 Health insurance choice - to develop blueprint.
SB 675 Health insurance; mandated coverage for telemedicine services.
SB 697 Medicaid; DMAS to continue efforts to expand managed care of recipients throughout State.
SB 706 Health insurance; coverage for mental health and substance abuse services.
SB 731 Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; creation.

Chest Pain Accreditation

By UVa Today

Appalachia is known for its natural beauty and its proud, hard-working people, but a shadow that has fallen across the mountains is slowly robbing generations of Appalachians of the long and healthy lives enjoyed by most of the nation.

In response, the Healthy Appalachia Institute – a partnership between the University of Virginia, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, the Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium and the Appalachian Regional Commission – is working to develop strategies to foster a healthier region.

Read the full article.

By Bob Drogin - Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Greenwood, Miss. - Dr. Aaron Shirley has devoted his career to serving the rural poor in the Mississippi Delta, but now the 77-year-old pediatrician believes the key to reducing the nation's highest infant mortality rates lies in a surprising place: the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Never mind that America and Iran broke diplomatic relations after militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, or that the White House is seeking new United Nations sanctions to punish the regime for its nuclear development program.

In May, Shirley and two colleagues flew to Iran for 10 days to study a low-cost rural healthcare delivery system that, according to the World Health Organization, has helped cut infant deaths by 70% over the last three decades.

Read the full article.

By Katti Gray - Daily Yonder

How hard is it to get water in some parts of rural America? Ask the residents along the Ruleville-Drew Road in Sunflower County, Mississippi. They've been waiting seven years.

When an 800-foot well that had been their sole source of water began spitting up Mississippi sand almost seven years ago, the 10 homeowners on an outlying road in Sunflower County resorted to other means. They filled jars and jugs from relatives’ water taps and at a self-service laundry in the city of Ruleville, six minutes away by car. They began buying bottled water in bulk from a regional big-box store.

Seven years later, they still don’t have potable water. There are plans now to extend water lines to these ten homes, but the water isn’t there yet.

Read the full article.

By William McCall - The Associated Press

A new report suggests a large number of eighth-graders in Oregon have taken part in the "choking game," the dangerous practice of choking each other to get a feeling of euphoria.

As many as 2,600 eighth-graders may have risked injury, long-term disability or even death by trying the so-called "game" that also carries nicknames such as "Pass-Out," "Space Monkey," "Flatliner" and "Blackout."

The results of the Oregon Public Health survey were compiled from responses from nearly 8,000 eighth-graders at 114 schools in Oregon. The survey also indicated that teens in rural areas and teens with increased mental health risk factors or involved in substance abuse were more likely to take part in the risky game.

Read the full article.

Mark your calendar

For more information about these and other events, visit http://www.vrha.org/events.html

February 5: Improving the Care of People with Mental Illness in Rural Areas - webinar
February 7 – 10: Annual Rural Health Care Leadership Conference - Phoenix, AZ
March 16: Rural Health Workforce Summit - Danville
March 17: Annual Rural Health Summit - Danville
March 18: Telehealth Summit - Danville
May 20: People Count--Rebuilding Rural Communities with People Attraction Strategies - webinar

Resources

New from the Medicare Learning Network:

The new Medicare Billing for Speech-Language Pathologists in Private Practice Fact Sheet (January 2010) is now available in downloadable format.  This fact sheet provides general information and guidance to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) on enrollment and billing procedures.

The revised Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Fact Sheet (January 2010), which provides general information about the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) including MPFS payment rates and the MPFS payment rates formula, is now available in downloadable format.

The revised Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System Fact Sheet (January 2010), which provides general information about the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, ambulatory payment classifications, and how payment rates are set, is now available in downloadable format.

The revised Hospice Payment System Fact Sheet (November 2009) is now available in print format from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Learning Network. This fact sheet provides general information about the Medicare hospice benefit including coverage of hospice services, certification requirements, election periods, how payment rates are set, patient coinsurance payments, caps on hospice payments, and additional reporting required on hospice claims. To place your order, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo/, scroll down to “Related Links Inside CMS” and select “MLN Product Ordering Page.” 

The revised Ambulatory Surgical Center Fee Schedule Fact Sheet (January 2010), which provides general information about the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Fee Schedule, ASC payments, and how ASC payment amounts are determined, is now available in downloadable format.

The 2007 through 2009 MLN Matters articles indices have been redesigned!  These redesigned indices are much more user friendly and are now available for use on the MLN Matters web page at:  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/ (see the downloads section).  Use the new indices to find relevant articles needed to explain and support CMS transmittals--zero in on the article needed to get the information you want now!

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Statehealthfacts.org has recently added new and updated data on Demographics and the Economy, Health Status, Medicaid & CHIP, Medicare, Managed Care & Health Insurance, and Women's Health. You can also view a list of all recent updates.

Funding Opportunities

Virginia Dentist Loan Repayment Program
Will provide funding for four dentists practicing in community health centers and health department clinics.  Dentists must be within 5 years of graduation and have outstanding loans as a result of their undergraduate dental education.   The amount is up to $20,000 per year for up to three years.  For further information, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Barrett at (804) 864-7824.

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program
Application deadline: Jul 29, 2010
Loan repayment funding to ensure an adequate supply of health professionals to provide primary health services in selected health professional shortage areas.

William Randolph Hearst Foundations Health Grants
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Provides funding to improve access to quality health care for underserved populations in rural and urban areas.

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program
Application deadline: Jul 29, 2010
Loan repayment funding to ensure an adequate supply of health professionals to provide primary health services in selected health professional shortage areas.

CVS Caremark All Kids Can Grants
Application deadline: Oct 31, 2010
Grants to support charitable organizations that are making a difference in the lives of children with disabilities and to organizations that provide healthcare to the uninsured.

CVS Caremark Community Grants
Application deadline: Oct 31, 2010
Grants to support children with disabilities and healthcare for the uninsured.

KaiserEDU.org
Fourth Annual Student Essay Contest. Submit an original essay on the topic for a chance to win $1,000. Deadline for submission is March 8, 2010.

United States Department of Agriculture
Rural Utility Services (RUS) Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant
Supports projects to develop and expand local distance learning and telemedicine capcacity through the acquisition of equipment, technical support, and training in highly rural, economically disadvantaged locations. Pre-grant webinar offered by Polycom Grant Assistance Program February 10.

Ryan White Program in SW Virginia
(full application) (addendum number 1)
The Council of Community Services is accepting proposals for April 1, 2010-March 31, 2011 under Part B of the Ryan White Program.  Organizations providing services to people with HIV in Southwest Virginia and who cover at least one health district are eligible to apply for funding.  Approximately $1,200,000.00 is anticipated. Multiple awards will be made for HIV-related health care and support services.  Deadline for proposals:  4:30 PM, Friday, February 19, 2010.