Rural Health Association of Tennessee (RHA) has been awarded a $1million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to combat Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in rural Tennessee over the next three years.

The announcement comes during National Recovery Month – an observance to bring public awareness surrounding mental health and addiction recovery. Tennessee, via the Behavioral Health Safety Network, prevention coalitions, and other change agents, have achieved many successes toward reducing Substance Use Disorder in the state. Most notably, opioid prescriptions have decreased statewide, resulting in fewer deaths involving opioids obtained through a prescription. Targeted prevention, treatment, and recovery programs do work.

Allie Haynes will represent Rural Health Association of Tennessee on Tennessee Council on Developmental  Disabilities.  The Council, established by the federal Developmental Disabilities Act (Spanish language version of the Developmental Disabilities Act.) and by Tennessee Executive Order 50 exists to:

• Build bridges between the experiences of real people with disabilities and the policies and service systems that affect their lives.
• See the big picture across government programs to help connect dots and fill gaps to meet real needs.. 
• Use these connections to make change toward greater inclusion, independence, and self-determination for people with disabilities in Tennessee.

To learn more about the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, visit their website.

Would you like to learn more about maternal health in Tennessee? Family planning, pre- and postnatal care, maternal health disparities, roles of maternal healthcare professionals, maternal and fetal mortality rates are just a few of the topics that will be discussed in this webinar. 

• Attendees will understand the overall landscape of Maternal Health Care in Tennessee
• Attendees will understand barriers that lead to disparities in rural versus non-rural populations
• Attendees will understand the role of Maternal Health Professionals, Labor Support & Birth Workers
• Attendees will be able to describe “Group Prenatal Care” as a model of care for rural communities

Click Here to Register

In November 2021, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative to bring   together industry, labor, education, equity and workforce leaders to partner with the department’s Office of Apprenticeship to promote Registered Apprenticeships as a valuable workforce strategy in high-demand industries to develop and expand opportunities for people historically underserved.

The goal of RHA’s apprenticeship program is to support the recruitment and retention of entry level healthcare workers such as Certified Nursing Assistants and Community Health Workers. Serving as an “Apprenticeship Sponsor,” RHA assists healthcare employers who need a partner in establishing a program and when possible, finding resources to support apprentices.

There’s nothing as important to families as the health and safety of their babies, and the formula shortage has left many people feeling anxious about how they’ll feed them. Some young children, teens, and adults with medical needs also rely on formula for their nutrition. We know it’s not easy to change a diet reliant on formula.

If you can’t find formula in stock, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the following resources:
Press Release: FDA Provides Educational Resources for Parents and Caregivers to Support Confidence for Imported Infant Formula Products
Resources page: Resources for Parents and Caregivers on Imported Infant Formula
Consumer Update: Infant Formula Supply

Join us in congratulating Beth Keylon, and April Judkins of our Workforce Team. They were invited to attend and present at the 2022 CTE Innovation at Work Conference on July 21^st in Chattanooga. During their presentation, they shared workforce development information and services offered by RHA of TN to attendees across the state. What an wonderful opportunity! Way to go, Ladies!

If you are interested in Workforce Readiness resources, click here to visit our website or email [email protected].

From RHA of TN's Past President of RHA of TN's Board of Directors

I am excited to issue a call for nominations from our members that would like to serve on the Board of Directors. The board provides governance, direction, and oversight of the Association and its many programs, projects, and activities. There are 3 seat openings (1 per Grand Region) for the 2023 - 2025.

Board positions are for a three-year term, with an option to renew for another three years after the conclusion of the first term. The commitment involves 4 meetings annually, attendance at the annual conference, and serving on at least 1 committee of the board. To be eligible, an individual must be a member in good standing and live in Tennessee.

Free COVID-19 Therapeutics Now Available!

All CMS-certified RHCs may now enroll in the HRSA RHC COVID-19 Therapeutics Program to receive a direct supply of free COVID-19 Antivirals! For more information click here.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government increased funding to hospitals and clinics and incentivized states to pause terminating enrollees from the Medicaid program to help increase access to health care and ease the financial burden caused by the global public health emergency. With the end of the pandemic in sight, we all need to prepare for the unwinding of the public health emergency (PHE). TennCare (our state’s Medicaid agency) has estimated that 300,000 people will lose their Medicaid health insurance after the PHE ends.

Hospitals and clinics are bracing for a significant reduction in funding, particularly in rural areas where providers were struggling even before the pandemic to provide health care to many uninsured people. Join the Rural Health Association of Tennessee and the Tennessee Justice Center to learn how the PHE unwinding will impact access to health care in your community. Click here to register today!

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes new rule that creates a pathway for rural hospitals and critical access hospitals to increase access to emergency and outpatient care.

Click here to read CMS' statement on Expanding Access to Emergency Care Services in Rural Communities
Click here to read the Fact Sheet on Conditions of Participation for Rural Emergency Hospitals and Critical Access Hospital COP Updates (CMS-3419-P)

The TN AHEC Scholars Program seeks to develop, prepare, and sustain a culturally competent healthcare workforce that is prepared to deliver high quality care in a transforming heath care delivery system, with emphasis on training rural and urban underrepresented minority, and educationally disadvantaged students for practice in rural and/or underserved areas.

TN AHEC is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2024 cohort. Click here for informational letter. Click here to view the program brochure.

The following statement is from STLT Policy & Public Health Partnerships in regards to under 5 year old vaccinations:

On Saturday, June 18^th, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation to expand COVID-19 vaccination to children younger than 5 years of age. This decision now universally recommends COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, paving the way for about 20 million children in this age group to get vaccinated and allowing providers to begin vaccinating with either the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as soon as possible.

The Rural Health Association of Tennessee hosts a webinar titled, "Time Out for Men's Health" on June 02, 2022 from 10am-11am CST. Our guest speaker is Mike Leventhal, Executive Director with the Men's Health Network- Tennessee.

1. Who is Men's Health Network and why is men's health important?
2. "The Silent Crisis" that is men's health.
3. Ways and means for public health professionals to get involved and become part of the men's health movement.

We'd like for you to join us for this virtual event! Register Here

Registration for this event is closed. 

Join us on May 17th from 9:00am-2:00pm ET at Bishop Hall at East Tennessee State University as we partner with ETSU Rural and Community Programs and Coordinated School Health to bring you RHA of TN's East Tennessee Regional Event: "Rural Resilience: Strengthening Restoration through Partnerships and Collaboration."

General Preventive Medicine & Public Health Residency Program

The Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Program (GPM) at Meharry Medical College (MMC) is for individuals who want to pursue a career in Preventive Medicine with a special interest in Maternal and Child Health, with emphasis on the health of underserved and rural communities. Board certification in a Primary care specialty will be enhanced by additional education and experiences in public health and prevention.

GetCovered Tennessee, a healthcare access program of Family and Children’s Service, is a great resource here in Tennessee! They are the state grantee for connecting uninsured Tennesseans with health insurance through TNCARE/CoverKids/Affordable Care Act. FCS is a non-profit offering free healthcare access service in all 95 Tennessee counties, and their services are free of charge. In addition to enrollment, they also provide educational training on TNCARE/Coverkids/Affordable Care Act or Health Assist Safety net programs, such as how to use your insurance coverage and what the insurance terms mean. 

GetCoveredTenn is a non-profit program providing free health insurance enrollment and healthcare advice to all Tennesseans. GetCoveredTenn has a team of 20 experts to help Tennesseans find quality healthcare through affordable insurance, access to community-based healthcare services, or both. Their services are free and unbiased.

The March of Dimes Maternal HealthCARE (Collaborative to Advance Racial Equity) is taking a novel approach to community engagement that generates honest feedback that is of value to hospitals and health systems. This collaborative is seeking additional partnerships with statewide partners to join this collaborative. RHA of TN wants to be sure that the voices of rural Tennesseans are heard. If you or someone that you know would like to be apart of this collaboration, apply here. 

Find out more information at: 

Are you curious about what leadership solutions are available for rural healthcare leaders who are passionate about making a difference? This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio we explore another rural-focused leadership program that’s working to improve health equity, NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows Program. 

NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows program is a yearlong, intensive training program that develops leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. Each year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience. The goal of the Fellows program is to educate and develop a network of diverse rural leaders that will step forward to serve in key positions in the association, affiliated advocacy groups, and local and state legislative bodies with health equity as the main focus. For more information, go to https://www.ruralhealth.us/programs/rural-health-fellows

Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio