Rural Health and Primary Care

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What's New and Featured Resources

As of December 5, the Northern Border Regional Commission’s (NBRC) J-1 Waiver Program is live and ready to accept applications. The Maine Rural Health and Primary Care Program will be responsible for reviewing all applications. The process is going to be very similar to the Conrad 30 J-1 Waiver Program in Maine. The NBRC will only be accepting applications from physicians practicing primary and mental healthcare during the first phase of the rollout. The employing facilities can be located in a HPSA of any score or an MUA. There is no deadline to accept these applications. However, each individual facility can only apply for 5 of these waivers per year.

For more information on the NBRC’s Visa Waiver program, please visit the Northern Border Regional Commission website. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our office.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). The purpose of the GWEP is to educate and train the health care and supportive care workforces to care for older adults by collaborating with community partners.

For more information on the program including eligible applicants and to download the NOFO, please visit the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program | HRSA.

The Rural Health Research and Policy Centers (RHRC) is hosting a webinar called 'How Does the Definition of Rural Impact Research'. Dr. Janice Probst and Dr. George Pink will share recent researched from FORHP Funded Rural health Research Centers to highlight the importance of rural definitions and how those definitions can impact research. For more information on the webinar and for the registration link, please visit the Rural Health Research Gateway.

The Division of Licensing and Certification recently held a Lunch and Learn on Staff Related Sentinel Events. The slides from this presentation are attached here (PDF attachment).

HRSA has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program. Applications are due on January 26th, 2024.

This opportunity supports the planning and development of integrated health care networks seeking to expand access and improve quality of care in rural communities. HRSA plans to award 30 grants to rural communities.

FORHP will be holding a technical assistance webinar via Zoom for applicants on Tuesday November 14, 2023 from 3 – 4 PM ET.

FORHP will also hold another technical assistance webinar for Tribes and Tribal Organizations on Monday November 20, 2023, from 3 – 4 PM ET. For more information please see the Dear Tribal Leader Letter. For eligibility and funding information, please see the NOFO linked earlier.

Matthew Webster held a webinar hosted by the Rural Health and Primary Care office on October 17th , 2023. The presentation, Immigration Pathways for Recruitment, described the different immigration pathways that a facility can take to recruit a foreign trained physician. If you were unable to attend the webinar, or if you would like to watch it again, you can find the recording (Passcode: ZE6q+E%7) or view a copy of the slides.

The J-1 Guide for the 2023 cycle has been released. You can find the guide here. A link to the Smartsheet will be available in the coming weeks. Please feel free to reach out to our office with any questions.

Recently, Kristen Ogden, RN, from the Compliance Team gave a presentation to Maine’s Rural Health Clinics on the Patient Centered Medical Home. View the slides from the presentation (PDF). The recording can be found here, Passcode: M=8AW@kw.

Recently, Kate Hill, RN, from the Compliance Team gave a presentation to Maine’s Rural Health Clinics on Regulatory Updates.

The slides from this presentation can be found here: (Maine RHC June 2023 (PDF)
You can find the recording of the presentation here.
Passcode: Crp0ZH.$

The 2023 Kids Count Data Book has recently been released. This year’s book focuses on key indicators like Child Poverty, Child Welfare, and Teen Mental Health to name a few. You can find the data book on the Maine Children’s Alliance website (PDF).

Thanks to all who attended the Listening Session on the Statewide Rational Service Areas. For those who were unable to attend or would like to rewatch, the session was recorded and can be found here: Watch the Recording (passcode cv0zZv$4). You can also look at the handouts that were discussed in the presentation (PDF) and you can download the slides from the presentation here.

Please reach out to our office with any questions.

3RNET has recently launched their 3RNET PLUS TOOLS. Please follow this link (PDF) for a one pager with information on the 3RNET PLUS TOOLS including a video.