Feature Program
Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) Project
The Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) Project is a state and local collaboration that is committed to connecting dentists and underserved communities with the resources needed to increase access to care. This program engages dentists to establish dental practices in designated Iowa priority counties where access to dental care is limited. Recipients must devote a percentage of their practice to individuals who disproportionately face barriers to access care such as those enrolled in Medicaid, older adults, and other historically underserviced populations.
Since Delta Dental began the Loan Repayment program in 2002, 61 private-practice dentists have received awards and have provided 352,000 patient visits and more than 942,000 dental services to underserved Iowans in priority counties.
Based on the status of their practicing counties, FIND recipients receive funding of $125,000 (priority county) or $200,000 (high priority county) in return for a five-year commitment. This includes $120,000 or $195,000 from Delta Dental of Iowa and the State of Iowa, respectively, and a community match of $5,000.
Since Delta Dental began the Loan Repayment program in 2002, 61 private-practice dentists have received awards and have provided 352,000 patient visits and more than 942,000 dental services to underserved Iowans in priority counties.
Based on the status of their practicing counties, FIND recipients receive funding of $125,000 (priority county) or $200,000 (high priority county) in return for a five-year commitment. This includes $120,000 or $195,000 from Delta Dental of Iowa and the State of Iowa, respectively, and a community match of $5,000.
2024 Application Process Now Open
June 1: Set up application account
July 1: Application due date Delta Dental of Iowa is now accepting “intent to apply” requests from interested dentists or graduating dental students for the 2024-25 education loan repayment application cycle. The FIND Project provides loan repayment awards of $125,000 or $200,000 (based on the practice county) to dentists in private practice settings for a 5-year commitment period. As part of Delta Dental’s efforts to increase access to dental care throughout Iowa, awardees are required to allocate 35% of their patient visits to underserved populations, including 15% to patients who are enrolled in the Dental Wellness Plan (Medicaid). |
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Four Iowa dentists receive loan repayment awards from FIND project to increase access to dental care
Four Iowa dentists are the 2024 recipients of educational loan repayment awards from the Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) project, a collaborative public-private partnership.
Announcements
Iowa CareGivers Launches New Website |
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Impact |
Just this week, Iowa CareGivers launched a new website. There are some great improved features:
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Apply by May 6, 2024
Continuing the work of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), HRSA plans to make approximately 16 awards under RCORP – Impact, which will improve access to integrated, coordinated treatment and recovery services for substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural areas. |
3RNET’s Free Training for Employers |
Promote Your Faculty & Teaching Opportunities Nationwide with 3RNET |
Tuesday, March 12 at 2:00 pm Eastern
3RNET, a job hub for rural and underserved areas that is hosted by the Iowa Health and Human Services, is holding a live training session explaining how to post jobs and find job seekers on its site. |
3RNET now allows you to quickly and easily post faculty and teaching positions. These positions are added to 3RNET the same way employment opportunities are, and are searchable to our thousands of registered candidates via our interactive website.
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Previewing the 2024 Annual Data Release (with extended Q/A session) |
Annual Rural Health Conference |
Mar 12, 2024 02:00 PM in Central Time
Join our March webinar to preview the 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Annual Data Release. This year we will continue a focus on civic health, or the opportunities people have to participate in their communities. |
May 7-10, 2024, New Orleans
Join NRHA and hundreds of rural health leaders from across the country down in the bayou to help raise the standard for rural health with over 80 innovative, practical, and cost-saving sessions and much more. |
UPCOMING WEBINAR: The Changing Public Health Workforce |
Webinar Series on Rural Maternal Health |
March 21, 2:00pm (ET)
This webinar will provide an introduction to the public health workforce, with a focus on challenges that the workforce has faced since the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Webinar series begins March 12, 2024
Registration is now open for a four-part webinar series presented by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), in collaboration with the Rural Health Information Hub. Focused on the needs of rural facilities with and without birth units, the series will explain aspects of the new Birthing-Friendly Hospital Designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. |
Medical Residency Training (MRT) State Matching Grant Program
Applications due Apr 16, 2024 by 4:00 PM
A new funding opportunity has been posted to IowaGrants.gov for the Medical Residency Training (MRT) State Matching Grant Program. The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) # 58825001 is to establish or expand medical residency training programs or for medical residency liability cost reimbursement.
To view this opportunity, go to the IowaGrants home page https://www.iowagrants.gov/index.jsp. From the Main Menu, click on 'View Current Funding Opportunities' from the left side. You do not log in to view this. Search for Funding Opportunity 58825001.
A new funding opportunity has been posted to IowaGrants.gov for the Medical Residency Training (MRT) State Matching Grant Program. The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) # 58825001 is to establish or expand medical residency training programs or for medical residency liability cost reimbursement.
To view this opportunity, go to the IowaGrants home page https://www.iowagrants.gov/index.jsp. From the Main Menu, click on 'View Current Funding Opportunities' from the left side. You do not log in to view this. Search for Funding Opportunity 58825001.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary sponsors health care scholarships for area students
Applications must be received by April 5, 2024.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary awards two scholarships annually, available to students or adults who are pursuing a career in healthcare. Nearly $100,000 has been awarded.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary awards two scholarships annually, available to students or adults who are pursuing a career in healthcare. Nearly $100,000 has been awarded.
Funding Opportunity: Nursing Workforce and Healthy Work EnvironmentsSubmit your proposals by April 5 at 10 p.m. ET for the 2024 Health Equity and Nursing Innovations Fund
Nursing Workforce and Healthy Work Environments. AARP, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action seek to fund projects that strengthen and diversify the nursing workforce, expand innovative nurse recruitment and retention strategies, and create and sustain healthy work environments. Awards of up to $25,000 will be granted and administered by the AARP Center for Health Equity through NursingSM (A-CHEN). |
Apply for a Nurse Corps Scholarship!Application is open now through May 2, 7:30 p.m. ET
Eligible nursing students can apply to the Nurse Corps Scholarship Program. If accepted, we pay your tuition, fees, and other educational costs, along with a monthly stipend. In return, after you graduate, you work at an eligible health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses (critical shortage facility). |
Rural Healthcare Workforce Town Hall Meeting
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Two Sessions: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm or 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Burlington Public Library
Two Sessions: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm or 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Burlington Public Library
Iowa communities are facing challenges recruiting and retaining the workforce population, especially for healthcare. To address this growing issue, Iowa HHS has partnered with the Iowa Medical Society to assess and evaluate the current landscape and future of the healthcare workforce in Iowa.
A series of Town Hall Meetings will take place across Iowa to engage cross-sector partners for diverse participation in the implementation of the Iowa Rural Healthcare Workforce Strategic Action Plan.
Who should attend: Physicians, pharmacists, nurses, direct care workers, public health personnel, all healthcare professionals & administrators, human resource professionals, educators, community organizations, local business, patients & families, and community members.
A series of Town Hall Meetings will take place across Iowa to engage cross-sector partners for diverse participation in the implementation of the Iowa Rural Healthcare Workforce Strategic Action Plan.
Who should attend: Physicians, pharmacists, nurses, direct care workers, public health personnel, all healthcare professionals & administrators, human resource professionals, educators, community organizations, local business, patients & families, and community members.
NOSORH Rural Health Capital Resources Master Class |
Advanced Nursing Education - Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program |
March 13, 2024
he National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) will provide a live, online master class designed for working professionals who want to learn more about accessing and utilizing capital from federal, state, and private sources for rural health development projects. The first two sessions offer introductory information and are available at no cost to all who wish to attend. There is a fee for three remaining sessions running March 13 through 27. |
April 2, 2024
The Advanced Nursing Education - Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE) Program provides grants to increase the number of registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and forensic nurses trained and certified as sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), with a preference for projects that will substantially benefit rural or underserved populations or help meet public health nursing needs in state or local health departments. |
Additional GME slots available for rural hospitals. |
Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment Program |
Applications for fiscal year 2025 are due March 31, 2024
Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021, makes available an additional 1,000 FTE resident cap slots phased in at a rate of no more than 200 slots per year beginning in fiscal year 2023. Applications for fiscal year 2025 are due March 31, 2024, via the Medicare Electronic Application Request Information System (MEARIS). For more information, see CMS’ FAQ document and CMS’ GME webpage. NRHA encourages eligible hospitals to apply and take advantage of this opportunity. Point of Contact |
Applications due March 30, 2024
The Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment program is seeking applicants for the next cohort of awards. The program repays up to $40,000 of federal student loan debt for qualified mental health providers in Iowa. 200 GME residency slots availableApply by Sunday, March 31, 2024
CMS has opened applications for the next 200 permanent graduate medical education residency slots. |
USDA Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants |
State Maternal Health Innovation Grant Opportunity |
Apply by March 14, 2024
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides funding for community-based outreach education and extension programs at land-grant colleges and universities that provide individuals and families based in rural areas with information on health, wellness, and prevention. Projects should utilize telehealth, telemedicine, and distance learning strategies for education and training in rural communities related to opioid and substance misuse. |
Apply by April 02, 2024
The purpose of the State MHI program is to reduce maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity (SMM)3 by: Improving access to care that is comprehensive, high-quality, appropriate, and on-going throughout the preconception, prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum periods; Enhancing state maternal health surveillance and data capacity; and Identifying and implementing innovative interventions to improve outcomes for populations disproportionately impacted by maternal mortality and SMM. |
The Public Health Conference of Iowa (PHCI)Join public health professionals, students, and allies for the public and environmental health conference at Holiday Inn Airport, Des Moines, on March 26-27, 2024.
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Social Determinants of Environmental Health Webinar SeriesRegistration is now open for the Social Determinants of Environmental Health webinar series.The series includes 9 individual webinar sessions scheduled from March 5 – April 2, 2024.
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HRSA Primary Care Training: Physician Assistant Rural Training in Behavioral Health Grant Opportunity
Apply by March 15, 2024
Up to 12 awards will go to accredited physician assistant training programs. The goal of the program is to increase the number of physician assistants in rural areas trained to integrate behavioral health with primary care services.
Up to 12 awards will go to accredited physician assistant training programs. The goal of the program is to increase the number of physician assistants in rural areas trained to integrate behavioral health with primary care services.
Webinar: 2024 Telehealth Policy Update and Overview - IowaMarch 8, 2024, 11:00 am (Central)
This webinar will review the current status of telehealth policy at both the federal and state level, including Medicare changes that went into effect in January and holdover policies from the PHE that have been extended to the end of 2024. We will also review the current policies and recent updates to the <STATE> Medicaid program telehealth policies. There will be ample time for questions and discussion. |
Rural Emergency Medical Services Training Grant Opportunity
Apply by March 20, 2024
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will support a two-year program to recruit and train Emergency Medical Services personnel in rural areas with a focus on addressing substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders of substance use and mental health. |
News
Hawkeye residents come together to improve the town’s mental and physical health |
The 2024 Top 100 Critical Access and Rural & Community Hospitals
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USDA Rural Development Invests $1.8 Million in Telemedicine Grants in Rural Iowa |
7 healthcare trends we're watching now |
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that the Agency is investing $1,823,465 in three grants to provide telemedicine and distance learning services to increase access to education, training, and healthcare resources that are otherwise limited or unavailable in rural Iowa.
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Drake University launches new accelerated nursing programThe university announced the launch of a new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program last week.
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Quality Star Ratings: Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Home Health Agencies |
Iowa Researcher Proposes Subsidies to Bring Cardiac Care to Rural Areas |
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system summarizes a variety of measures across areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital, with more stars indicating higher quality.
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Instead of relocating cardiology specialists to rural areas, research suggests that a well calculated subsidy for travel could sustain right levels of care despite dropping numbers of cardiologists around the country.
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Tools
Applying for Grants to Support Rural Health ProjectsThis guidance can serve as a starting point for those who need assistance to begin the grant writing process. It covers tips on searching for rural-specific funding, grant proposal preparation, building successful funding relationships, and planning for program sustainability.
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Black Maternal Health ToolkitThese resources are meant to provide quick actionable information to help pregnant people and their families make informed decisions about pregnancy, birthing health, and postpartum.
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Rural Primary Care Institute (On-Demand)Tailored specifically for State Offices of Rural Health and their partners and stakeholders, NOSORH’s Rural Primary Care Institute – On-Demand equips participants with the tools to deliver effective technical assistance to rural primary care providers.
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Rural Health Insights for Each State & Congressional District
Stroudwater Associates, in partnership with the National Rural Healthcare Association (NRHA) and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), has developed an integrated data visualization dashboard of healthcare infrastructure, workforce, outcomes, and status metrics.
Rural Health Leadership, with Steve Simonin
If Americans Respect Nurses So Much, Why Do We Treat Them So Badly?
Publications
National Plan for Health Workforce Well-BeingThe National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being is intended to inspire collective action that focuses on changes needed across the health system and at the organizational level to improve the well-being of the health workforce.
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Taking Action Against Clinician BurnoutPatient-centered, high-quality health care relies on the well-being, health, and safety of health care clinicians. However, alarmingly high rates of clinician burnout in the United States are detrimental to the quality of care being provided, harmful to individuals in the workforce, and costly. It is important to take a systemic approach to address burnout that focuses on the structure, organization, and culture of health care.
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The Health of US Primary Care: 2024 Scorecard Report — No One Can See You Now
Grounded in the recommendations of the 2021 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report, Implementing High Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundations of Healthcare, 8 this year’s Scorecard report assesses the health of primary care at the federal level using measures of access, financing, workforce/training, and research. This assessment identifies five reasons why primary care in the United States is inaccessible for so many Americans.
Reforms Could Expand Behavioral Health Care AccessThis year, Medicare will increase coverage for behavioral health services that community health workers and peer support specialists provide. Commonwealth Fund senior fellow Nathaniel Counts explains how these reforms will expand the type of providers eligible for reimbursement while increasing resources for early intervention and crisis care. Counts says the reforms also acknowledge the importance of addressing Medicare beneficiaries’ social needs.
Pharmacists Co-Located With Primary Care Physicians: Understanding Delivery of Interprofessional Primary CareDespite evidence supporting the integration of pharmacists in team-based primary care, little information exists on the co-location of pharmacists with primary care physicians in the United States, and even less information on the factors associated with these models in primary care.
This article analyzes the degree to which pharmacists are co-located with primary care practices and characteristics associated with co-location. NACCHO’s release of their 2022 Profile Study report.The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently released the 2022 National Profile of Local Health Departments (Profile) Study report. The study represents the largest and most reliable data source on local health department infrastructure and practice. Findings in the study are broken down by rural and urban and explore the local public health workforce, services, leadership, finance, and more.
Chartis Study Reveals America’s Rural Hospitals Fall Deeper into the Red as ‘Care Deserts’ Grow Bigger.Chartis, a comprehensive healthcare advisory firm, released new research indicating that 50% of the nation’s rural hospitals are operating at a loss and 418 are vulnerable to closure. Data and insights from “Unrelenting Pressure Pushes Rural Safety Net Crisis into Uncharted Territory” will be presented this week to members of Congress, rural healthcare advocates, and state offices of rural health during the National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA) 35th annual Rural Health Policy Institute Conference in Washington.
Pennsylvania Hospitals Cut Staff Turnover by 28%The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania’s (HAP) workforce report found that Pennsylvania hospitals reduced turnover rates by 28% in 2023. Efforts to improve pay and benefits, talent development, and worker safety have been effective.
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Better Primary Care: What Will It Take to Get the U.S. to Wake Up to the Need?U.S. spending on primary care fell again, to a mere 4.6% of total health care dollars spent. Primary Care Collaborative is the only national multi-stakeholder organization focused on whole-person primary care.
Primary Care Collaborative President & CEO Ann Greiner joins hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss better compensation and reimbursement for primary care clinicians and efforts to increase training, expanding access to community health centers, and opportunities for primary care to help as the country faces a mental health crisis. New Insights on a Recurring Theme: A Secondary Analysis of Nurse Turnover Using the National Sample Survey of Registered NursesNurse workforce shortages are not new, yet concerns about a shortfall of nurses intensified across health care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand how a health care crisis such as COVID-19 can impact nurse turnover at national and regional levels, documentation of a baseline national turnover metric is needed for comparing future registered nurse (RN) workforce changes.
Support for Vulnerable Rural Hospitals: Lessons LearnedAn overview of state and federal programs and models designed to support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals describes challenges – including chronic workforce shortages, high operating and staffing costs, inadequate reimbursement, operational and regulatory issues, and the diverse demographics of rural communities.
More Than Half of US Rural Hospitals No Longer Offer Birthing Services—Here’s WhyMore than 200 hospitals in rural areas of the US have closed up shop on labor and delivery services over the past 10 years, according to a recent report. The result: more than half of rural hospitals no longer offer birthing services. And as hospital expenses increase, patients in rural areas may face even greater difficulties accessing maternity care, leading some experts to declare a state of crisis.
Publication Iowa continues to have the 2nd highest and fastest growing rate of new cancers in the U.S.The Iowa Cancer Registry released their annual Cancer in Iowa Report, with new data showing Iowa still has the second-highest and fastest-growing cancer incidence rate in the country.
While there is no single cause for Iowa's high incidence rate, one of many contributing factors could be high alcohol consumption. The 2024 Cancer in Iowa Report focuses on alcohol consumption as one of many risk factors for cancer. |