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• RHA's 29th Annual Conference: "Shining a Light on Rural Health: Advocating for a Brighter Future" Enjoy networking, learning from industry experts, attending engaging sessions, and being part of shaping the future of rural healthcare in Tennessee. To register, and for more information about he agenda, hotel accommodations, and sponsorship opportunities, click here. Early bird registration ends August 31st.

• Promising Practices for Utilizing Motivational Interviewing to Improve Care Coordination and Address Social Determinants of Health Webinar Find out more on this August 17th webinar how MI can improve communication in integrated care settings. Register here.

• Resilient Tennessee Collaborative - Building Strong Brains The Resilient Tennessee Collaborative seeks to promote community connectedness, strengthen understanding of community engagement, and more with community collaboration. Find out more about this August 25th event and register here.

• National Telehealth Conference Join health care professionals, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from around the country on September 12th at HRSA's virtual telehealth conference. Learn about the latest telehealth best practices, health equity, broadband, and more here.

• Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Telehealth to Drive Value-Based Care in Rural Hospital Settings A webinar designed exclusively for CEOs and C-Level administrators of rural hospitals. Delve into the crucial topic of value-based care and evolving applications of inpatient telehealth to complement patient access and clinical workforce strategies. Find out more here. Register for this September 14th webinar here.

• Tennessee Public Health Association Annual Conference TPHA Annual Conference: Healthy Environments, Healthy Communities is September 20th-22nd in Murfreesboro. The Conference is an opportunity for public health professionals and partners to learn about the unique public health issues Tennesseans face and the best practices to address them. Register here.

• TAADAS Annual Recovery Month Dinner & Awards This September 21st event includes dinner and an award ceremony honoring several leaders in the field of addiction treatment and recovery, including the naming of a public official as Recovery Advocate of the Year. Purchase tickets here.

• TSPN Suicide Prevention Conference "Until Zero", a Suicide Prevention Conference, will be September 25th and 26th in Nashville. The conference will include testimony, research, networking, and inspiration and will feature keynote speaker, Thomas Joiner, Ph.D., one of America’s leading authorities on suicide prevention. Find out more and register here.

• NRHA Rural Health Clinic (September 26th - 27th) and Critical Access Hospital (September 27th - 29th) Conferences Join NRHA in Kansas City share effective practices, policies and information and provide insights and best practices addressing many of the access, quality and patient safety issues confronted by CAHs and RHCs. Register here.

Resources

• Survey: Advocacy Priorities for 2024 RHA wants to hear what you think our top advocacy priorities for 2024 should be! RHA members will be receiving the survey via email, or you can login to your member profile, and it will be available to take on your member landing page. If you have any trouble accessing the survey, please reach out to info@tnruralhealth.org

• Rural Health Task Force Releases Policy Recommendations Tennessee's Rural Health Care Task Force, formed in June 2022 by Governor Bill Lee, has released a number of recommendations aimed at improving access to care and health outcomes for rural Tennesseans. Find the recommendations here.

• NRHA's Rural Health Fellows Program 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. Apply here.

• National Immunization Awareness Month highlights the importance of routine vaccination for people of all ages. To help promote and educate the importance of vaccinations, use online tool to help individuals know what vaccines they may need here.

• 2022-2023 Center for Rural Health Research Annual Report The CRHR at ETSU has released its annual report covering their growing staff, increased funding, and how they are helping the rural Tennessee community. Find the report here.

• Advancing Racial Equity in Rural Communities ChangeLab Solutions has created a suite of resources to support local and state policymakers, community organizations, and changemakers in advancing racial equity and rural prosperity across the United States. Find the guide here.

• Federal Funding in Tennessee School Districts The Sycamore Institute completed research on how much federal education funding passes through state government to each local school district. Find the new brief and interactive map showing the distribution of money and which districts rely on it most here.

• New Federal Office Will Focus on Long COVID U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced a new office that will lead the federal response to Long COVID. The implications for rural communities are tied to higher rates of infection, lagging vaccination uptake, and lower rates of health insurance. Find out more about the new office here.

• In the News Find out more about the Rural Access to Interventions in School Environments project, or Project RAISE, and how they will use the federally provided funds over five years to increase school-based mental health personnel in 40 Tennessee school districts, identified as rural and underserved. Read more here.

• Vaccine Decision Parents often have questions about the vaccines recommended for their children. Your child’s doctor can answer any questions you might have. Learn more about how routine vaccinations protect your children. Learn more here.

• Disaster Preparedness Resources While you cannot prepare for every scenario, the more you try to anticipate every potential threat and identify solutions in advance, the better prepared you will be. Find resources here.

• Rural Health Information Hub The RHIhub is a great first stop when looking for information, opportunities, and resources on rural health. Access the RHIhub here.

Funding Opportunities

The below grants have been hand picked to offer new funding opportunities.

• Grants for Disability Inclusion and Justice in Oral Health Deadline August 31
• Interventions to Expand Cancer Screening and Preventive Services to ADVANCE Health in Populations that Experience Health Disparities Earliest date to submit is September 5
• Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program Community Engagement for Shelby and Surrounding Counties Deadline September 8
• NRHA Rural Health Fellows Program Deadline September 14
• Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council Community Grants Deadline October 9
• Truth Initiative Tobacco/Vape-Free College Program Deadline October 12
• Caring for Communities Grants Deadline October 16
• Dispensary of Hope Dispensing Site Network Ongoing basis
• Direct Relief Partnership Network Ongoing basis
• 3RNET Recruitment Retention Assistance Ongoing basis
• Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator Ongoing basis

Welcome to Our New and Returning Members!

The below organizations have recently joined or renewed their memberships. Members can search our member directory to connect with other members when logging into the RHA of TN's website. While you're searching, update your profile!

Fletcher Group, Inc

Free Medical Clinic

Tennessee Public Health Association

Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System

Western Governors University

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsors

for making this communication and our annual conference possible.

Rural Health Association of Tennessee

Mailing Address:

PO Box 656,

Decaturville, TN 38329