The Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Model: A Potential Health Care Delivery Alternative for Small Rural Communities

The Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) model may be a viable means of maintaining essential services in remote rural areas. ...Based on published evaluations of the demonstration project in Alaska and Washington, FESC operations in isolated remote areas can yield cost savings and improve quality of care. This Policy Brief presents data showing potential use of the FESC model in five rural states with substantial frontier area, using distance criteria from the demonstration project.

Contact Information:
Keith J. Mueller, PhD
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Phone: 319.384.3831
keith-mueller@uiowa.edu

Learn more at:
http://cph.uiowa.edu/rupri/publications/policybriefs/2013/FESCExtension.pdf

2012 Virginia Rural Health Action Conference

"You might be rural if." It sounds like the set-up for a joke that's likely to elicit a few groans. But the public health issues facing rural Virginia are no joke. The 2012 Virginia Health Equity Report estimates that the total costs of health disparities/inequities associated with living in a rural area instead of an urban area in Virginia cost $692 million annually.

Rural Virginians tend to die at an earlier age than non-rural residents. Some areas have an average life span up to 19 years below the state average, 59.6 years compared to 78.5 years. Rural areas also tend to have higher poverty rates and lower educational levels than urban Virginia, correlating to having limited health opportunities.

With these facts in mind, the Virginia Public Health Association and the Virginia Rural Health Association are joining together to offer the 2012 Virginia Rural Health Action Conference on October 8 and 9 at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel. Public health practitioners, concerned citizens, planners, policy makers, advocates and anyone with an interest in the health of rural Virginia will come together to explore the wide-variety of issues having an impact on the public health of rural Virginians and work to develop creative cross-sector solutions that can be incorporated into an updated State Rural Health Plan.

We want participation from everyone with a stake in the health of rural Virginia. Your input in the Virginia Rural Health Action Conference is highly valued and will help identify the priority items for the new Rural Health Plan.

Advance registration is required.

Registration fees are $160 for VAPHA and VRHA members, $210 for

Nonmembers, and $90 for Students. Fees will increase after September

28th. Fees support program costs and administration.

Click below for more information:

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/healthpolicy/Documents/SponsorshipandExhibit%20Opportunities.pdf  
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/healthpolicy/Documents/brochure_distributed_0001.pdf  

For complete details, visit the VAPHA web site at www.vapha.org.

Making the Most of NOSORH Resources

NOSORH is pleased to invite you to attend the following webinar –Making the Most of NOSORH Resources – on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 2:00 EDT.

Pre-registration is required. Please see the attached flyer for registration information.
By the end of the webinar, participants will:

• Learn how you can make the most of your NOSORH membership resources


• Review NOSORH website and Wikispace


• Discuss available resources, including the education exchange program, grant writing, and leadership institute
  
  The webinar will be recorded and posted on the NOSORH website after the call.
  
  Stephanie Hansen
  Education Coordinator
  National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
  steph@nosorh.org
  www.nosorh.org
  

Health Care Disparities Grant Program Applications Being Accepted

Health Care Disparities Grant Program

Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.Grants to improve the quality of health care delivered to low-income and minority Americans, and to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

The goal of The Commonwealth Fund's Program on Health Care Disparities is to improve the quality of health care delivered to low-income and minority Americans, and to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. The program builds on efforts to improve quality of care overall in the United States, by focusing on hospitals and ambulatory care providers serving large numbers of low-income and minority patients (minority-serving, safety-net institutions). The strategies it pursues include:

• Identifying opportunities for improving performance of safety-net providers


• Enhancing the capacity of safety-net providers to improve performance


• Fostering incentives and policies that promote better performance of safety-net providers

Website: Link to program website
Sponsor: Commonwealth Fund
Deadlines: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Contact: Phone: 212.606.3800 Fax: 212.606.3500 Email: cmwf@cmwf.org

2010 U.S. CENSUS MAP

Remember about a year & a half ago you filled out a census form? Well here are the result of this process. What you will see is a Map of the US - not just the 48 states but all of the 50 states. Territories are not in the census - but they did provide information during this process. So let us say you are in Virginia, you can go by county & as you zoom in by city to see the increase or decrease & then you can see the changes of the various races within these cities. Look at places you know & also look at the map at the darker brown location.

You can zoom in & out to get the information on the places you know. Use your cursor can move map around & you can zoom in on specific counties to get current stats. It is very interesting!

Fascinating!!! Just glide your cursor over the map & it displays every county. Can't imagine how long it took to create this map!!
Amazing!!!
Click the "2010 US Census" Map Below.
2010 U.S. CENSUS MAP
http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

The Virginia Telehealth Network introduces a new initiative

The Virginia Telehealth Network introduces a new initiative - the establishment of the Virginia Telehealth Network Awards Program. The Virginia Telehealth Network will recognize and thank individuals and/or organizations for making significant contributions to rural communities by improving access to quality, affordable and accessible health care through the use of telehealth.

Awards: • Virginia Telehealth Network Individual Award for Distinguished Service • Virginia Telehealth Network Award for Outstanding Contribution

The first award, “Virginia Telehealth Network Individual Award for Distinguished Service” will acknowledge individuals that are actively involved in successful initiatives addressing healthcare needs in rural areas of Virginia through the use of telehealth. The individuals must have played important roles in the design and implementation of programs and been instrumental in carrying out the programs successfully.

The second award, “Virginia Telehealth Network Award for Outstanding Contribution” will recognize organizations’ innovation and excellent performance in their efforts designed to address and enhance telehealth initiatives in rural areas. These awards will be presented at the 2011 Virginia Telehealth Summit, scheduled for April 5th, 2011.

All recipients will be recognized on the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, Virginia's State Rural Health Plan, and Virginia Telehealth Network websites.

Number of Awards for 2011: Up to two (2) individual “Distinguished Service” awards Up to two (2) organizational “Outstanding Contribution” awards Go to http://ehealthvirginia.org/VTN%202011%20Telehealth%20Summit%20Awards%20Nomination%20Packet-1-3.doc to access the nomination form.

2011Virginia Rural Health Summit - Save The Date!!

SAVE THE DATE!

2 011 Virginia Rural Health Summit
You don't want to miss this event! Virginia's fourth annual Summit that focuses on the progress of Virginia’s State Rural Health Plan (VA-RHP). The VA-RHP has been updated and was finalized in December 2008, after a two-year process of obtaining stakeholder input. The VA-RHP is a 3-5 year strategic plan designed to strengthen the health care infrastructure in rural areas. Come to see the progress we have made and provide your input! General information about the Summit can be found at the Virginia’s State Rural Health Plan website: http://www.va-srhp.org/2011-rural-health-summit.htm.


Summit information includes:
April 4-5: Virginia Telehealth Pre- Summit
What is the current status of the infrastructure and policies in Virginia? What does my organization need to know about funding and legal issues to implement programs? What is "meaningful use"? Get your answers here! Includes a presentation by Edward Brown M.D., CEO Ontario Telemedicine Network.
April 6: Virginia Rural Health Summit - Health Equity
Do the rural areas of Virginia get the same access and quality of health services as their urban peers? This event will examine what's different about rural Virginia and offer strategies and solutions for moving forward. Featuring the release of the Virginia Rural Health Equity Report and a panel discussion on the implications for rural Virginia.
April 7: Virginia Rural Health Summit - Health Policy
The past year has seen some major changes in the health policy landscape. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has many implications for the availability, delivery and quality of health and health services in the rural areas of Virginia. The event will highlight a panel discussion of representatives from the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Council. The panel will offer their perspectives on the recommendations developed by the Council, the implications for rural Virginia, and the future work of the Council.