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News from the Az Center for Rural Health,
Arizona's State Office of Rural Health
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Az CRH Highlights


National Rural Health Day is Nov. 19!



Each year the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health and its partners (including AzCRH) set aside the third Thursday of November to celebrate National Rural Health Day (NRHD). NRHD is an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural.”

Alan MorganPlease join us in marking this year's National Rural Health Day with a special Telehealth Webinar on Nov. 19: 
2020 Mid-Year Rural Health Policy Roundup with Alan Morgan
, Chief Executive Officer for the National Rural Health Association.
Click for more information

Our Congrats to Heather Carter!

Heather CarterFor the last two years, Heather Carter EdD has done outstanding work as Associate Director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health. Effective October 1, Heather was named Executive Vice President of Greater Phoenix Leadership - the region’s premier CEO business leader organization engaged on critically important public policy issues. We thank her for her incredible service with AzCRH over the last two years, in the state legislature over the last ten years, and we wish her the best in this exciting new phase of her career!

Doctors fear COVID, flu will strain rural communities, hospitals

With flu season on the horizon, health experts say they fear hospital strain in rural areas as doctors deal with the flu and the coronavirus pandemic. Recent trends in many rural areas show COVID cases and hospitalizations are on the rise, and many rural health care facilities worry COVID infections among staff may lead to a shortage of providers this fall. To help curb the spread of both viruses, experts recommend wearing a mask, washing hands regularly, and following social distancing guidelines, as well as getting a flu shot.
Keep yourself and others healthy by getting your influenza shot.
» Find a vaccine near you.

COVID Trends in Arizona

Widespread implementation and enforcement of sustained community mitigation measures, including mask wearing, informed by state and local officials’ continual data monitoring and collaboration can help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and decrease the numbers of COVID-19 cases.

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Oct 7, 2020  :  COVID-19 cases in Arizona fall below 1,000 for 25th straight day
Sep 28, 2020  :  Native American tribes were already being wiped out. Then the 1918 flu hit.
Sep 24, 2020  :  Census: Number of Arizonans without health insurance rose again in 2019
Aug 28, 2020  :  State passes 5,000 COVID-19 deaths, but overall numbers trending down
Aug 12, 2020  :  Election 2020: What Exactly Is Joe Biden's Healthcare Plan?

» Your next step after voting this November is NRHA’s 32nd Annual Rural Health Policy Institute, your chance to guide the future of rural health policy and advocate directly on the issues you care about. Save the date for Feb. 9-11 as registration opens in October.

Oct 15 2020 : 13th Annual National Harm Reduction Conference
Oct 15 2020 : Arizona Health Equity Conference
Oct 20 2020 : Overdose Prevention, Recognition and Response Training
Oct 21 2020 : Tribal Opioid and Substance Use W
Oct 23 2020 : Arizona Trauma Program Managers' Workshop
Oct 26 2020 : 2020 NARHC Fall Institute
Oct 29 2020 : Community Overdose Training and Naloxone Training
Nov 19 2020 : Telehealth Webinar: 2020 Mid-Year Rural Health Policy Roundup
Jan 12 2021 : Revenue Cycle Management Best Practices
Feb 9 2021 : Rural Health Policy Institute

HHS rolls out applications for $20B in provider relief grants

HHS recently announced it will accept applications for $20 billion in new provider relief grants starting Oct. 5. The funds will be newly available to some behavioral health providers and any providers that began practicing in 2020. The deadline for applications is Nov. 6, and HHS urged providers to apply early. USDA has also announced more than $2 million in grants available to help rural communities in FEMA major disaster-declared counties. The funds will be available through September 2021. Finally, HRSA is now accepting applications for the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program, which is a community-based grant program that aims to promote rural health care services by enhancing health care delivery to rural underserved populations. The application deadline is Dec. 1.
Applications for Arizona Small Business Rent and Mortgage Relief Grants Reopen Oct. 8
In August, the Governor’s Office partnered with Local First Arizona Foundation to launch the Arizona Small Business Rent and Mortgage Relief Grant program and distribute $10 million in grants to small businesses who were required to shutter their doors during this pandemic. Starting Oct. 8, 2020, at 2 p.m., applications will reopen for gyms, fitness centers and studios, bars with a series 6 or 7 liquor license, water parks, tubing operators, and movie theaters seeking rent relief. Since the grant program launched on Aug. 20, LFAF has approved over $8.5M in rent relief to nearly 650 local businesses across the state. » To learn more about the grant program, visit: www.localfirstaz.com/azsmallbizrent
Tracking FY2019 Federal Funding to Combat the Opioid Crisis 
Report covering the allocation of federal resources for opioid initiatives at the federal, state, and local level. Presents data on federal funding and offers case studies of state and county-level spending data for Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana, Washington, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. Makes policy recommendations and briefly discusses grant initiatives that target rural-specific barriers to treatment. Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center, Date: 09/2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rural America 
Provides an overview of how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting rural areas. Includes charts and maps showing the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas and unemployment during the pandemic. Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service. Date: 09/2020


The Impact of Coronavirus on Households in Rural America 
Reports on the experiences of rural households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses impacts on finances, employment, healthcare, housing, food, and child care. Concerns related to healthcare include access to care during the pandemic, concerns for those with special health issues such as chronic conditions, and use of telehealth. Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Date: 10/2020


HRSA’s National Survey of Children’s Health. Each year the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) collects information from parents and caregivers on the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of children ages 0-17 years old in the United States. The survey is meant to be a tool with reliable data for researchers and policymakers on a wide range of factors that can influence children’s health – from the prevalence and impact of special health care needs, to adverse childhood experiences and mental and behavioral health.  HRSA also released a new brief on Rural/Urban Differences in Children’s Health using the combined data of the 2017-2018 surveys.


Guidance on Hospital COVID-19 Data Reporting and Enforcement This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the requirements and enforcement process for all Medicare and Medicaid hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to report COVID-19 data.  Hospitals and CAHs must report daily to the federal government or to their state if they receive a written release from the state.  Failure to do so will result in a series of enforcements actions over several weeks that could result in termination of the Medicare provider agreement.  Separate guidance provides the definitions of the data elements for hospitals and in-hospital labs. 


NACO: Considerations for Counties in COVID-19 Vaccination Plans. The National Association of Counties (NACO) describes steps identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for vaccine distribution, explains the county role for each of these, and provides a list of resources.


APA Resources for Farmer Stress.  The American Psychological Association (APA) goes in depth on stressors affecting U.S. farmers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The dedicated site includes a video conversation about farmer stress and links to resources.


A Look At Workplace Safety in Agriculture.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 574 private sector agricultural workers fatally injured on the job in 2018, and charts other workplace-related injuries, illness, and fatalities.

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Copyright © 2020 The University of Arizona Center for Rural Health, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this e-mail because you are a valued partner of the Az Center for Rural Health by attending the AZ Rural Health Conference or other event.

Cover photo: Pachete Lake by Dan Derksen.

Please send your comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter to Jennifer Peters,
Arizona State Office of Rural Health Program Manager (petersjs@email.arizona.edu).
Thank you.

Copyright © 2020 The University of Arizona Center for Rural Health, All rights reserved.


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