Steal Sheet - February 2015

NOSORH offers Steal Sheet articles for SORHs to distribute in emails, in your (or your partners’) newsletter, on web sites, Facebook pages, etc. The February Steal Sheet includes:

  • NOSORH Prepares for the National Rural Health Association Policy Institute

Rural Training Track (RTT) Conference

  • Registration Open for First National Rural EMS Conference
  • Funding Opportunity Announcement: Rural Network Allied Health Training Program
  • Funding Opportunity Announcement: Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling
  • 2015 Webinar Series: Address Health Disparities through the National Prevention Strategy and Partnerships

1.NOSORH Prepares for the National Rural Health Association Policy Institute

This week, State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) and other rural health partners from around the country will gather for the National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Together with state partners and NRHA, NOSORH will ask Congress to increase appropriations for SORH by $5.5 million. “This is just the beginning of this work. I’m proud that the Board of Directors has a vision to increase funding for SORH. Funding has been level or lower for at least the past years, despite increasing demands on SORH. With additional funding SORH will be able to build the capacity of rural providers and communities across the country to increase access, keep rural people health and increase the quality of care.” Click here to see the SORH appropriation increase request flyer NOSORH will be sharing with Congress.

2. Rural Training Track (RTT) Conference

Moving Forward in the Face of Chaos

The RTT Collaborative Annual Meeting

Madison, Wisconsin- May 27 to 29, 2015

With all the uncertainty around payment reform, workforce needs, medical education finance and governance, it’s sometimes difficult to know how to move forward, even to take the first step. There are lessons to be learned from other Rural Training Tracks, from the past as well as the present. This is your opportunity to both teach and learn! All are invited to participate and contribute to this rural training collaborative!

Click here for a draft agendaand click here for registration,transportation and lodging details. To directly register, click here. Following registration you will be sent an acknowledgement andan invoice or instruction regarding payment.

3. Registration Open for First National Rural EMS Conference

The Joint Committee on Rural Emergency Care invites Rural Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Directors, State EMS Officials, State Offices of Rural Health, Flex Program Managers, hospital administrators, elected officials, medical directors & other interested EMS partners to attend the National Rural EMS Conference: Building Integration & Leadership for the Future in Cheyenne, Wyoming on May 5-6, 2015. During the conference participants will learn about the future of rural EMS, community paramedicine, systems of care, performance improvement, ambulance service sustainability, rural EMS education, simulation in motion, and much more.

“I’ve been hearing from people all over the country that are interested in attending the conference. People seem genuinely interested to getting together to learn about and discuss rural EMS issues,” said Stephanie Hansen, NOSORH Education and Service Director. The cost to attend the conference is $200 and includes food. Online registration is now open. Sign-up today to reserve your spot!

Vendors are needed to help support the conference. Follow link below for details.

DRAFT AGENDA: Click here.

REGISTRATION:

CONFERENCE WEBSITE:

VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES: Click here.

Visit the conference website for additional details or contact Stephanie Hansen ( or 208.375.0407) for more information.

4. Funding Opportunity Announcement: Rural Network Allied Health Training Program

In response to the White House Job-Driven Training initiative, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is pleased to announce the release of the Rural Network Allied Health Training Program (Allied Health Training), a new one-time funding opportunity.

The Allied Health Training Program supports the President’s Rural Health Care Initiative by focusing on rural recruitment and retention activities and builds upon the accomplishments of the Rural Health Workforce Development (RHWD) pilot program, which ended in 2013. As a result of the RHWD Program, approximately 4,000 program participants completed their rural training/rotation, and of these, almost half said they plan on returning to practice in a rural area and a number of them have. Moreover, there was a significant economic impact of $19 million within rural America from FORHP’s $12 million investment via the RHWD Program.

The Allied Health Training Program will support the development of formal, maturerural health networks that focus on activities that achieve efficiencies, expand access to, coordinate and improve the quality of essential health care services, and strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. This purpose will be achieved through the recruitment, clinical training, and retention of allied health professionals.

This program will further support integrated rural health networks that can partner with local community colleges and other accredited educational institutions (such as vocational and technical colleges) to develop formal clinical training programs. These formal training programs will target enrolled rural allied health professional students, to include displaced workers and veterans, in completing a rural, community-based clinical training rotation and obtaining eventual employment with a rural health care provider.

FORHP will hold a technical assistance webinar on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time to assist applicants in preparing their applications. The toll-free call-in number (for audio) is 800-857-9638, and the passcode is ALLIEDHEALTH. The Adobe Connect webinar URL is .

To learn more about applying for the FY15 Rural Network Allied Health Training Program (HRSA-15-068), please visit and look under the “application package” tab. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2015.

For further information, please contact: Marcia Colburn, at or (301) 443-3261.

5. Funding Opportunity Announcement: Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is pleased to announce the release of the Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling Program (Benefits Counseling), a new one-time funding opportunity.

FORHP is committed to increasing health insurance coverage for all of rural Americans and is providing funding for this new community-based pilot program. The Benefits Counseling Program is targeted to improve outreach and service delivery in local and regional rural communities. The purpose of the three-year program is to expand health insurance outreach, education and enrollment efforts to eligible uninsured and newly insured individuals and families in rural communities. FORHP plans to award up to 10 new awards for $75,000 per year.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created a pathway to health insurance for many Americans. As a result, FORHP provided supplemental resources to current community-based grantees to help stimulate outreach and enrollment in rural communities. In 2013, FORHP grantees conducted over 1,100 outreach events, educated over 22,000 consumers about affordable health care options and enrolled over 9,000 eligible consumers into affordable health insurance coverage offered through the ACA. The Benefits Counseling Program will build upon the successes of these supplemental grants.

Applicants must meet all three of the following eligibility requirements: 1) Located in arural county or eligible rural census tract (please click here to determine rural eligibility); 2) Public and non-profit entities including faith-based and community organizations and tribal governments and organizations,and 3) In a consortium with at least two additional organizations. The consortium must include at least three or more health care providers.

FORHP will hold a technical assistance webinar on Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 1:00 PM EST to assist applicants in preparing their applications. The technical assistance webinar is open to the general public. The toll-free call-in number (for audio) is 800-619-7597, and the passcode is 7509059. The webinar URL (for web) is (log in as “guest”). Furthermore, in an effort to share lessons learned among a broader audience, FORHP developed a resource titled “Best Practices Guide to Rural Outreach and Enrollment”, which highlights outreach and enrollment successes and challenges at the community level.

To download the application package, please click on:

For further information, please contact: Linda Kwon, or 301-594-4205.

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