VRHA News
>>O'Connor Named to NRHA Committee

Virginia Rural Health News
>>New Medical School Dean

National Rural Health News
>>Depression Plagues Older Rural Communities
>>Medicare Seeks Communities for EHR Demonstration
>>Prevention in the MRI Suite

VRHA Executive Director, Beth O'Connor, has been appointed to the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Government Affairs Committee by NRHA President Paul Moore. The Government Affairs Committee is the leadership committee in advocating the association’s positions to Congress and the Administration.  The Committee works with the NRHA's Government Affairs staff to develop the association's legislative and regulatory agenda.  The Committee develops and implements strategies to ensure that the association's public policies and government affairs activities are fully addressed and communicated to both policymakers and the public.  The Committee meets three times a year in Washington, DC to engage policymakers and drive positive change for rural America. 

O’Connor joins the Committee as the representative of the State Association Council, which is made up of leaders of the nation’s state rural health associations.  Said NRHA Government Affairs Manager Tim Fry, "Beth brings a wealth of experience in working at the state level in Virginia and valuable relationships with the Virginia Congressional delegation." 

New Medical School Dean

By Alina Boey - Kansas City Infozine

Nearly one third of older rural people in Australia and America suffer from depression according to a study in the Wiley-Blackwell journal - Australian Journal of Rural Health. The study Prevalence and Predicators of Depressive Symptoms among Rural Older Australians and Americans examines and compares the factors causing depression among married people from the two continents, and seeks to extend the knowledge about the prevalence and predictors of rural late-life depressive symptoms.

Lead author, Dr Evonne Miller says, "With a quarter of the population predicted to be 60 years of older by 2050, the high numbers of older people suffering from depression is a troubling find for practitioners and policy-makers." The key determinant for depression symptoms in Australians was pain. The dissatisfaction in social support predicted depressive symptoms for American women, while American men had no single variable predicting depression.

Read the full article.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services seeks 12 communities to participate in a Medicare demonstration that will provide incentive payments to physician practices that use electronic health records to improve the quality and delivery of care, the agency announced February 20.

The communities will work with HHS to identify up to 1,200 small to mid-sized primary care physician practices to participate in the project, which expects to pay incentives totaling up to $58,000 per physician or $290,000 per practice over five years. The practices will be required to use an EHR certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.

CMS will accept applications from communities through May 13. Click here for more on the project.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was applied to health care in the late 1970s to provide never-before-seen two- and three-dimensional views of body tissue and structure. Today, more than 10 million MRI, or MR, scans are done in the United States each year.

While the capabilities of the MRI scanner are well-recognized, its inherent dangers may not be as well known. Click here for information about the types of injury can and have occurred during the MRI scanning process and risk reduction strategies.

Mark your calendar

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

March 18: The Difference Between Urban and Rural Shortage Issues - Webinar
March 19: Supporting Rural Family Caregivers - Satelite & Phone
March 24-28: 24th Annual HPR III Training Institute - Roanoke
March 28-30: Women's Health 2008: The 16th Annual Congress - Williamsburg
April 27-29: 12th Annual Virginia Faith Community Health Ministry Retreat - Toano
May 7-10: NHRA's Annual Conference - New Orleans, LA

Job Announcements

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

Position Vacancy - Site Director, Virginia Local Performance Site of the PA/MAAETC

Description:  To provide leadership in the coordination, planning, and implementation of HIV Education and Prevention training programs in accordance with the goals and objectives specified in the PA/MAAETC grant. To ensure that education programs, technical assistance, capacity building activities, and consultation are provided for the appropriate target audiences identifies by the PA/MAAETC grant located throughout the Comonwealth of Virginia. To serve as a liaison and foster collaboration among health care educators, clinicians at infectious disease clinics thoughout the state, the Virginia Department of Health Resource and Consultation Centers, community based minority organizations, Historical Black Colleges and Universities, the VCU HIV/AIDS Center and the Virginia Local Performance Site of the Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center. To provide key input in the strategic planning and oversight of the educational mission of the VCU HIV/AIDS Center. To coordinate PA/MAAETC grant activities at VCU, in addition to monitoring the quality assurance and fiscal contracts of the central office of PA/MAAETC and federal agencies.  

Qualifications:  Special licenses, registration or certification: Licensed as Registered Nurse in Virginia required. Certification as AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN) preferred. Valid VA Drivers License required.

Education or training:  Prefer Bachelors or graduate degree in Nursing (B.S.N., M.S.N., Ph.D.) or Masters of Public Health (M.P.H.).

Level and type of experience: Some years of experience in adult education and/or program development. Experience working with federal and state funded grants and contracts. Some years of clinical nursing experience or minimum of some years of experience working in the field of HIV/AIDS required.

Open immediately, Pay Rage $55,000-$70,000
Click here for more information or contact Donna Cantrell

Funding Opportunities

Virginia Oral Health Loan Repayment Programs
Applications for both programs are accepted through May on a first-come, first-serve basis

VIRGINIA DENTAL LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
This program was created by the Virginia legislature to ensure that dental health services are available in underserved areas.  In exchange for a loan repayment award, participating dentists will practice in a dentally underserved area in Virginia and are required to accept government-sponsored insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid, FAMIS). Click here for additional information.

VIRGINIA DENTAL HYGIENE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
This program was created to help ensure that dental health services are available in underserved areas.  In exchange for a loan repayment award, participating dental hygienists will practice in a dentally underserved area in Virginia in a practice that accepts government-sponsored insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid, FAMIS). Click here for additional information.