Opioids Are Devastating Cherokee Families. The Tribe Has a $100 Million Plan to Heal

Mar 19, 2023 - Tribal leaders in the Cherokee Nation say $100 million won in opioid settlements will help their community heal from decades of addiction. Over the next five years, the tribe plans to roll out a total of $75 million in new treatment facilities. The remainder will go toward the costs of running these sites as well as a scholarship fund.

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Less Staff, Longer Delays and Fewer Options: Rural America Confronts a Health Care Crisis

Mar 18, 2023 - Discusses ongoing challenges rural hospitals face, including finances and workforce, noting that at least 136 rural hospitals and health systems closed between 2010-2021, and over 40% of rural hospitals operate with negative profit margins. In 2019, the Health Resources and Services Administration funded 32 new rural residency programs in an effort to increase the number of providers practicing in rural areas, .

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February in Brief: Expanding Access to Health Care in Rural Areas and Improving Early Access to Cancer Screenings in Underserved Communities

Mar 2, 2023 - Provides brief summaries of recent Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) highlights and news from the HRSA regions, including the role of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, the initiative to improve access to cancer screenings in underserved communities, the National Rural Health Association's annual policy conference, advancing health equity among Hispanic and Latino populations, and programs to support health workforce training, recruitment, retention, and development in Missouri.

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Med Students Given a Taste of Rural Life Will Likely Return

Feb 27, 2023 - A survey of University of Washington medical school alumni who graduated between 2009-2014 found that a significant number of doctors who participated in the Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP) eventually established their practices in rural communities. The RUOP offers medical students a four-week rotation in rural areas of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho and Montana.

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Wicker, Hyde-Smith Push to Preserve Medicare Reimbursements for Rural Hospitals

Feb 27, 2023 - Mississippi Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and 12 colleagues have formally requested an extension of the Low Wage Index Hospital Policy. The policy allows rural hospitals to compete for and retain high-quality staff by increasing reimbursements to hospitals in rural areas with lower overall wages. Medicare payments to these hospitals will decrease after Sept. 30, 2023 unless action is taken.

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