May 24-31, 2010
May 24-31, 2010 |
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In this Issue...
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Click the logo for the Joint Commission on Health Care newsletter or click here to visit their newly designed website. |
| VRHA News |
| Members in the News |
By Candi Helseth - Rural Monitor
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By Lindsey Ward - WSLS 10 “It has been predicted that we will have a shortage of 200,000 physicians by 2020,” said Dr. Karen Rheuban, Medical Director of Office of Telemedicine. Dr. Rheuban and her colleagues have been connecting from Charlottesville with patients through telemedicine since the mid 90s and have a presence in dozens of communities in Virginia. She says it is only going to grow since health care reform is a reality. Click here to read the full transcript or view the video.
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| Virginia Rural Health News |
The Association of State and Territortial Health Officials (ASTHO) has developed ten case studies that continue ASTHO’s work in identifying leading state-based strategies to address health equity. The case studies are an in-depth examination of the data from ASTHO’s 2007 Minority Health Survey and State Snapshots. Based on interviews with directors of minority health, health disparities offices, state public health officials, community leaders, and local health officials the case studies describe health equity strategies and programs in depth in ten states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia.
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| Virginia Health Reform Initiative |
Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Bill Hazel announced the establishment of a statewide health reform initiative.
The intent of the Health Care Reform Initiative, which will be within the Health and Human Resources Secretariat, is to prepare Virginia for the implementation of federal health reform by planning for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility. Read the full press release.
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| Close to Home |
Pandemic Disaster Response Study Eager to Include Rural and Immigrant Health Center Experiences The University of Kentucky is conducting a study examining psychosocial responses to pandemic. Researchers are particularly interested in the experiences and observations of health care, behavioral health and social service workers who worked in rural and immigrant communities during H1N1 or SARS. The study is focused on the psychosocial effects of pandemic on children and families, how pandemic affected the lives of health care workers and their families, and lessons learned or suggestions for improved planning, preparedness and response to future health emergencies to develop best practice guidelines and training modules. It is imperative that the range of experiences among different populations based on geography, economics, ethnicity and other sociodemographic factors be explored. We need to hear about your experiences and observations! You may participate by taking an online survey, volunteering for an interview, or participating in a focus group. All participants will receive an incentive for their participation. Researchers would like to conduct focus groups of health care providers in your community. If you would be interested in participating in a focus group or interview, please contact the study. Click here to take the online Health Care Provider Survey, or click here to take the online Behavioral Health Provider Survey To volunteer for a focus group or interview, please contact Miriam Silman: 606-454-4715 Pandemic Disaster Response Study
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| National Rural Health News |
| Filling Health Care Gaps in Rural Areas |
By Candi Helseth - Rural Monitor These days, Laura Thiem is the only “doc” in Adrian, Mo. But Thiem isn’t a physician—she’s a certified family nurse practitioner. Four years ago, after the local rural health clinic where she worked had closed, Thiem opened a primary care clinic on Main Street in Adrian, a town of 1,500 that she has called home for many years. Now Thiem sees and treats approximately 4,000 patients a year. Ninety-three miles away, Marti Cowherd, who is certified as both a family and pediatric nurse practitioner, owns and operates the Family Practice of Ray County, a rural health clinic in Richmond, Mo., a city of about 6,000. When the physician who owned the clinic decided to leave Richmond in 2004, Cowherd purchased the practice. “We serve a population of patients that probably wouldn’t have health care if I weren’t here,” Cowherd said. “On average, we see about 25 patients a day. Most of them are on Medicaid or Medicare. Or they have no insurance.”
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| Healthy Students Are Better Students |
By Saba Bireda - Center for American Progress The recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L.111-148, promises to make far-reaching changes to our current health care system. But the law’s benefits may go well beyond improvements to care and savings to consumers. At least one provision in the law could help improve academic outcomes for low-income students by providing much-needed health services at school. The law for the first time creates federal grant programs to fund the expansion and support of school-based health centers, or SBHCs. School-based health centers provide free, comprehensive health services to students during school hours, including primary care, mental health, dental, vision, and nutrition services. The centers are typically located in medically underserved communities—almost a third in rural areas—and the grant program would give preference to SBHCs that serve large populations of children eligible for state Medicaid or children’s health insurance plans. Students in most schools have sporadic access to a school nurse, but students at or near SHBC schools can use the center for most of their health care needs. Read the full article.
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| Students Solve EMS Shortage |
By Zach Tecklenburg - KTIV.com In small towns, services like emergency response are often limited. That's why it's important for volunteers to step up and take on duties in the fire department, or as EMTs. Rounding up people to respond is a challenge in rural towns, but in Akron, Iowa, they're looking to teenagers to be first on the scene. Monday night, they received their EMS certification. "We have a problem with volunteerism in the community and this is a way to maybe get some more volunteers," says program instructor John Jorgensen.
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Do you have exciting rural health news that needs to be shared? Do you know of an upcoming health-related event which should be on our calendar? E-mail Beth O'Connor at: boconnor@vcom.vt.edu |
Disclaimer: The VRHA circulates state and national news as an information service only. Inclusion of information is not intended as an endorsement. If you prefer to receive email in plain text or rtf format instead of html or if you receive this email more than once, email VRHA. |
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