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Virginia Rural Health News
>>Virginia Receives Partnership Grant
>>Recognition Awards
>>Roanoke Mission of Mercy

National Rural Health News
>>Action Alert
>>How Will Health Reform Impact You?

Many of the presentations from the March 16th Rural Health Workforce Summit and the March 17th Annual Summit are now available. To view the presentations, visit the summit website and click the name of the presentation you wish to view.

James Lester, Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of 38 junior investigators who have been awarded medical research grants from the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation.

This year's recipients are studying cardiovascular/pulmonary diseases, HIV/AIDS, leukemia, and neoplastic diseases. Click here for a full recipient list.

In this HRSA video, Dr. Wakefield visits the Blue Ridge Medical Center in rural Arrington, Viriginia to talk with the staff and see the improvements that ARRA funds provide for this community health center.

Click here to view the video.

The Virginia State Office of Rural Health has been awarded a Partnership Champions grant from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The Virginia proposal - Rural Psychology Training Models: Compendium of Best Practices and Analyses of Gaps and Barriers to their Widespread Adoption intends to expand the rural healthcare workforce and reduce behavioral health disparities in rural communities.

Recognition Awards

By Sarah Bruyn Jones - The Roanoke Times

Before the sun rose Saturday, organizers of the Mission of Mercy free dental clinic in Roanoke turned away about 400 people for the second and final day of the event. The decision was made at 4:30 a.m., well before the doors were supposed to open at 6 a.m.

"We just didn't want people standing out in the cold to find out that we weren't going to be able to serve them," said Pat Young, the clinic's project manager.

Many of those seeking dental treatment Saturday did not follow organizers' requests to wait until 4 a.m. to line up. Instead traffic began to back up on Williamson Road forcing police to open the parking lot to the Roanoke Civic Center by 12:30 a.m., Young said.

The same situation occurred Friday, when the clinic had to turn away about 600 people in need of dental care.Young said they plan to rethink the process for accommodating the huge demand before next year's clinic. About 360 people were able to get a spot in today's clinic, while about 700 people were served Friday. That means that just as many people were turned away as made it inside the clinic.

Click here for photos and additional coverage of the event.

Support Strong Funding for the Rural Health Safety Net - Contact your Senators today!
Health reform legislation has been signed by President Obama and great strides have been made for rural health.  However, a number of small safety net programs have already been in place for years, supporting the rural health care delivery system and improving the lives of millions.  These programs will be even more important when health coverage is available to more Americans. 

These rural programs require continued funding each year through the appropriations process.  Senator Kent Conrad and Senator Pat Roberts, members of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, are seeking additional signers for their letter encouraging the Appropriations Committee to ensure funding with modest increases for these programs. 

Call or email your Senators today to urge them to contact the offices of Senator Conrad or Senator Roberts to sign on today. 

Take Action!

Learn how the new health reform law will impact you. NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference will offer numerous educational sessions on providing care in the new climate May 19-21. Arrive early in Savannah, Ga., to hear expert analysis of the historic health reform legislation.

Health Reform Workshop
Tuesday, May 18 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - $69, lunch included - Space is limited.
Gain insight from the nation’s top rural health lobbyists on how providers, employers, physicians, hospitals, clinics, state agencies and health centers will be affected, and learn how health reform will provide funding and help you advance HIT efforts. The workshop will also cover:

• Medicare/Medicaid provider bonus payments
• Grants available to improve workforce
• Primary care training options
• 340B
• Extenders
• Value-based purchasing
• Frontier regions
• Emergency care
• Mental health services
• General disparities

Mark your calendar

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

April 7-10: Applied Gerontology as Community Engagement - Richmond
April 13 & 14: Virginia Small Rural Hospital Conference - Williamsburg
April 30: STDs: Your Top 3 in Southwest Virginia - webinar
May 12 & 13: Virginia Community Healthcare Association Annual Leadership and Education Conference - Richmond
May 17 & 18: Statewide Summit on Childhood Obesity - Richmond
May 19 - 21: NRHA's Annual Rural Health Conference - Savannah, GA
June 16-18: Medication Use in Rural America Conference - Kansas City, MO

Resources

Kaiser Issues Timeline on Implementation of Major Health Reform Provisions
With the enactment of a comprehensive health reform law Tuesday, the Kaiser Family Foundation has prepared a timeline detailing when specific provisions of the legislation are scheduled to take effect. The implementation timeline reflects the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed, as well as provisions of the Health Care & Education Reconciliation Act, which the House and Senate both passed this week. It includes more than a dozen key provisions scheduled to take effect this year, including the creation of a national high-risk pool for people with pre-existing conditions that can't buy insurance on their own, tax credits for some small businesses that provide health coverage for their workers and assistance for Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs who reach the drug benefit's coverage gap or "doughnut hole." The timeline continues through 2014, when the major reforms to expand access to health coverage are fully implemented, and beyond.

The Foundation has also updated its interactive side-by-side health reform comparison tool to reflect the reforms both as signed into law Tuesday (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) and as they would be amended by the reconciliation bill that passed the House and Senate this week. The online tool allows users to quickly compare the provisions of those two versions of the bills along with the previously House-passed bill from last year. Similarly, the Foundation's interactive subsidy calculator includes options to reflect both the provisions of the new law, as well as how the law would be modified by the House-approved reconciliation provisions. The calculator helps to illustrate the financial assistance that people would be eligible for, based on their income, if they do not have employer coverage and are not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare and instead purchase coverage on their own through an exchange.

Funding Opportunities

Family Centered Substance Abuse Treatment Grants for Adolescents and their Families
Application deadline: Apr 23, 2010
Funding to provide substance abuse services to adolescents and their families/primary caregivers in geographic areas with unmet need.

Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment in Targeted Areas of Need - Technology Assisted Care
Application deadline: Apr 27, 2010
Grants to enhance and/or expand the capacity of substance abuse treatment providers to serve clients who have been underserved.

Brookdale Foundation National Group Respite Program
Application deadline: Jul 1, 2010
Awards consist of seed grants to service providers that offer new, dementia-specific adult day programming to participants, along with support to caregivers, in order to help individuals remain in their homes.

Do Something Community Action Projects
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Grants to help young people implement or expand a community action project, program, or organization.

Jenny's Heroes Community Grant Program
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Grants to individuals who submit the best ideas for tangible, lasting community projects.

USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services in rural areas.

Wal-Mart National Giving Program
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to support the replication of a particularly innovative local or regional initiative at other sites around the country.

Wal-Mart Store and Sam's Club Giving Programs
Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding to local nonprofit organizations in four main areas of focus: Education, Workforce Development / Economic Opportunity, Health & Wellness and Environmental Sustainability.