• SAVE THE DATE: Rural Health Day on the Hill RHA's annual Day on the Hill will be March 7th. Mark your calendars to join us at Cordell Hull State Office Building. Registration for Day on the Hill will go out in January.

• Reaching Gen Z: Engaging Young Audiences in Public Health The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials will host a virtual conversation on effective communication strategies for rebuilding trust in public health and engaging Gen Z as public health advocates. To learn more and register for this December 12th webinar, click here. 



• Long COVID: New Research and the Economic Toll As we enter the third COVID-19 winter, nearly 1 in 3 adults in the US that had COVID-19 also reported experiencing symptoms of long COVID at some point. Emerging research illustrates that long COVID is not just a health problem — it’s an economic one too, disrupting patients’ lives for years after having COVID-19. To learn more and register for this December 15th webinar, click here. 

• Virtual Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit - The NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Place-Based Solutions for Rural Community Participation, Health, and Employment will host a virtual Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit, January 10th and 11th, 2023, 3 – 4:30 pm ET each day. The summit will explore timely issues affecting rural people with disabilities. Each session will feature presentations and panel discussions on personal assistance services and rural digital access. Learn more and register here.

• Lunch and Learn Join RHA of TN and guest speaker Scott Robbins with Midwest Healthcare, Inc. on January 13th on a webinar titled "RHC Updates: Program Evaluation and Survey Preparation." Learn more and register here.

• Rural Health Policy Institute NRHA’s 34th Rural Health Policy Institute is your chance to guide the future of rural health policy with NRHA leadership and advocate for issues you care about with new and returning members of Congress and the administration. Policy Institute will be held in Washington, D.C. Feb. 7-9. Your must be a NRHA member to attend. Find out more here.

• Dare to Lead: School Health Leadership Academy Join us on February 8-10, 2023 for RHA of TN's first school health specific leadership academy. Spots are limited so make sure to sign up soon. Find out more information here.

• New Job Postings! A lot of new jobs have been posted to the job board! Learn more about these open positions here. 

• Certified Men's Health Educator Training The Certified Men’s Health Educator (CMHE) training course is aimed at healthcare professionals and others who are passionate about helping boys, men, and their families achieve true health and wellness—and reimagining the healthcare system in a welcoming, guy-friendly way. The Certified Men’s Health Educator program is currently being offered free of charge to healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals interested in improving the health of those living in their community, and who live or work in designated rural counties in Tennessee. Training for these professionals is provided by Men’s Health Network, in association with the RHA of TN, and funded by the CDC. Those who successfully complete the course will earn the “Certified Men’s Health Educator” designation. Learn more and register here. Use the following discount code: RHA2022

• Open Enrollment for ACA Marketplace is happening now If you have an uninsured patient that needs assistance finding a health plan, please refer them to our 866-675-7092 hotline to speak with a trained patient navigator. Our Patient Navigator Manager, Andrew Hawkins, is also a TennCare expert and has direct connection with TennCare if you have patients experiencing difficulty getting approved. Patients may also shop for their own plans via our website: https://www.tnruralhealth.org/enroll

• Tennessee State Loan Repayment Program The Tennessee State Loan Repayment Program provides educational loan repayment to qualified primary care practitioners in exchange for an initial 2 year service obligation to practice full-time or part-time at an ambulatory public, non-profit or private non-profit primary care site located in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). Apply and learn more here.

• TDH Resilience: Vulnerability and Social Cohesion Survey The Tennessee Department of Health Emergency Preparedness Program will use this short questionnaire as part of a study to rate your community in five categories to learn more about your community's resilience to emergencies and disasters. The survey is available in both Spanish and English. Take the survey here.

• Who Will Care for Rural Older Adults? Measuring the Direct Care Workforce in Rural Areas Direct care workers are an essential part of supporting an aging rural population, particularly as more individuals favor aging in place over nursing homes and require in-home assistance with activities of daily living. Aging in place generally refers to older adults remaining in their homes and communities as they age, rather than relocating or moving into an institutional setting. Learn more here.

• Aiming For 'Real and Accessible': EMS Simulations Give Rural Providers Hands-On Experience Rural EMS providers have fewer chances to practice their skills on the job, but simulation tools can help small agencies prepare for high-stress calls. Learn more here.

• Meeting Substance Use and Social Service Needs in Communities of Color This study explores experiences and practices of substance use treatment providers and their human services partners when serving people of color. It also discusses practices that promote active and positive participation in their programs as well as constraints, and includes information from programs that serve American Indian and Alaska Native people. Learn more here

• Measure Up: A Call to Action This report highlights six principles for measuring rural development progress to open and deepen conversations about better ways for funders and investors to design programs that consider lower-capacity communities’ realities, needs, and goals. It also contains recommendations for government, philanthropy, and rural practitioners to better measure what matters for rural. Read more here.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline Beginning July 16th, 988 will become the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline will provide compassionate, accessible care and support via phone, text, or online chat to anyone experiencing mental health-related distress. Anyone can use 988 if they have thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crises, or any other kind of emotional distress. Find out more about the new lifeline here.

• COVID-19 Updates On September 12, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced that people with public, private, or no insurance coverage can get COVID-19 vaccines at no cost, for as long as the federal government continues purchasing and distributing them. To find nearby locations for vaccines, masks, testing, and treatment, visit COVID.gov.

• Adult-Size Changing Tables In Tennessee
• CDC Foundation Increasing Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) – Deadline December 19
• CDC Pilot Projects to Advance Harm Reduction/Prevent Overdose – Deadline December 23
• EPA Researching Health Impacts on Children in Rural Agricultural Communities – Deadline January 11
• NIH/Duke/UNC – RADx-UP Rapid Research to Improve COVID-19 Disparities – Deadline January 13
• Clinic Applications for ALAI UP - HIV Treatment for Underserved Populations – Deadline January 20
• Education Department Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grants – Deadline January 27