New York State Announces 1115 Waiver Approval

On January 9, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved an amendment to New York State’s Section 1115 Demonstration. The following is an excerpt from the Governor’s Press Release:

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved a groundbreaking amendment to New York’s Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration that will be catalytic in New York’s continuing efforts to build a health care system that benefits all New Yorkers. The demonstration bundles a comprehensive series of actions to advance health equity, reduce health disparities, and strengthen access to primary and behavioral health care across the state, and will be supported through $7.5 billion in funding over the next three years.

“This amendment allows New York to make investments in critical Medicaid initiatives that will enhance health equity in this state,” Governor Hochul said. “CMS’ approval of the amendment will help us to continue to support underserved communities, provide New Yorkers with critical services such as nutrition and housing support, and improve access for individuals and families affected by substance use.”

Of particular interest to Rural Health Network and other community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide important social and community health services, is the $3.673 billion in funding for the development of “Social Care Networks”. New York State plans to fund nine “Regional CBO aggregators” which will develop and manage the Social Care Networks in their respective regions. The Social Care Networks will provide a range of non-clinical social care services, including food, transportation, housing and other social services essential to health and wellness.

Read the full article.

-Jack Salo

Interim Executive Director

We're Hiring

Accountant

The Rural Health Network Accountant, under the direction of the Finance Director, maintains multiple accounts across agency programs, including state and federal grants and contracts that require periodic compliance monitoring and strict adherence to government regulations. The Accountant is part of the administrative team that will support Rural Health Network Program Directors with their financial reporting requirements. Applies principles of accounting to record and report financial information. 35 hours per week, $24,.50 - $26.00 per hour.

Mobility & Transportation Advocate

The Mobility and Transportation Advocate I (MTA I) works in a collaborative team environment using various strategies to improve transportation access, independence, and service coordination. MTAs work telephonically in the Getthere Call Center, which is open Monday through Friday from 7am until 5:30pm, and provide one-on-one transportation case management, education, and assistance to callers, including older adults, people with disabilities, and lower-income individuals. Using a customer or person-centered approach, MTAs work to help those they serve to access healthcare and other appointments as well as other goods, services and opportunities. 35 hours per week, $19.75 - $20.55 per hour.

Rural Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Visit our website for full position descriptions and application information.

Community Health Workshops Coming Soon

Rural Health Network is excited to share that our calendars are filling up with workshops and courses for 2024! All participants will receive their choice of a gas or grocery gift card upon completion. Healthy snacks, coffee, water and valuable resources and information are provided at all workshops and courses. 

We have two Living Healthy Self-Management workshop series scheduled, one to begin in February and one to begin in April. These workshops run for 7 weeks, and they are designed to help anyone dealing with symptoms related to chronic pain or long-term health conditions. Caregivers are welcome as well. Which one will you join? To learn more and to register, contact Wendy at 607-788-6897.

Also in February, we will hold a 2-day Mental Health First Aid program. This 8-hour course provides information and guidance on the best ways to help a person with a mental health or substance use concern from early signs and symptoms to crisis. All are welcome. To learn more and to register for the February course, contact Jules at 607-788-6896.

We are excited to announce that through a partnership with Truth Pharm and with funding provided by Broome County, we will offer an optional supplement to our workshops and courses this winter and spring: Truth Pharm will join us at the end of each workshop series to offer Narcan and Science of Addiction training. Participants will receive a free Narcan kit in addition to important, valuable, life saving information!

Public Health AmeriCorps Positions Available in Tioga County

Two Public Health AmeriCorps positions are available with the Tioga County Public Health Department. These are fantastic opportunities for anyone considering a career in public health. The Community Health Educator will focus on outreach and education about healthy eating, physical fitness, and sun safety. The Environmental Health Educator will focus on outreach and education about safe drinking water, healthy homes, and other environmental factors.

Environmental Health Public Health AmeriCorps Member

The Environmental Health Public Health AmeriCorps member will serve as a member of the Rural Health Network Community Health team. They will assist with an environmental health education initiative focused on educating and engaging the community on extreme weather preparedness, resiliency, and response.

For more information about these positions or other AmeriCorps positions available with Rural Health Service Corps, please visit our website or email Haley Desilet or Alexis Sankofa.

Click on the image below to download the flyer and share these opportunities within your network.

Produce Rx Retailer Information Night Scheduled

The Produce Prescription Program of South Central NY (PRxSCNY) allows healthcare providers in the community to write prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables to patients who are at-risk or have been diagnosed with diet-related chronic illness and are experiencing food insecurity.

In order to increase access for PRx patients, we are seeking additional farm stands, markets and grocers who will accept vouchers at their locations. 

Our goal is to be as locally-minded as possible and we are happy to work with our vendors every step of the way to develop a PRx redemption system that works for them and their market or store.

Please join us for a Produce Rx Retailer information night on Thursday, February 15th at 6:30pm on Zoom to learn more about how the program runs and how we can collaborate to bring PRx patients to your business. Register here

Check out our website to find out more about PRxSCNY and the other projects of the Food and Health Network (FaHN). 

Northern Broome CARES Delivers Gifts to 230 Seniors

Northern Broome CARES staff put a smile on the face of 230 seniors this Christmas season. Through the generous donations from the community, Rural Health Network board members and staff, as well as Visions Federal Credit Union, staff had over $2000 to spend on gifts for Northern Broome's most vulnerable residents. Each senior was able to get 3-4 gifts each, ranging from blankets to puzzles to bath products. Many gift recipients got emotional during the gift delivery, stating things like "I wasn't expecting this!' and "It's so nice to know that someone is thinking about me this time of year."

Program Coordinator Megan Arenas-Cardoso and Community Health Worker Karli Jeavons would like to thank everyone who donated, gifts, money, or time wrapping presents. There is no way we could have done all of this without you!

Team members who helped wrap gifts for seniors included Kate Miller-Corcoran, Food as Medicine Coordinator; Alexis Sankofa, RHSC Program Coordinator; Brooke Traver, Public Health AmeriCorps member; Lani Kosick-Ames, VISTA Member; Emma Nalin, Assistant Director of Community Health; Cindy Martin, Resource Development Director; Bolanle Olatunji, VISTA Member; and Kevin Davidson, Farm to Early Care Coordinator.

Thank you again to Visions Federal Credit Union for their generous challenge donation! Jocelyn Bailey, Visions Community Development Liaison , presented a $1,000 check to Megan Arenas-Cardoso, Program Coordinator; Karli Jeavons, Community Health Worker; and Emma Nalin, Assistant Director for Community Health. 

Getthere Announces Staff Promotions

Megan Blenis has been promoted to Assistant Director of the Getthere Program. Megan has been with Rural Health Network since October 2022 as a Mobility and Transportation Advocate. She has enjoyed helping people in our five county coverage area. She is excited about helping to promote and continue the great work that Getthere does to improve mobility and navigate affordable transportation services. In her free time, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends, crafting, and walking. A fun fact about Megan is that she is 100% Irish American.

Stan Varghese is now our Transportation to Employment Coordinator. Stan started with Rural Health Network as a Transportation to Employment Associate in August 2021. He enjoys helping people address barriers to finding long term employment and is looking forward to continuing to grow the Transportation to Employment Program. In his free time, Stan enjoys spending time with friends, hiking, reading and music. A fun fact about Stan is that while at college he was a DJ.

News, Articles of Interest, and Resources

Food Spending and Government Budgets: Prospects for 2024

This CUNY Urban Food Policy Forum virtual webinar on January 22nd at 10:30 AM provides an overview of the food-related budget decisions coming up in the next year, the governance and political processes that will influence these decisions, and the opportunities for advocacy.

Webinar - Accessing Federal Rural Resources

Join this webinar on January 31st at 2 PM Eastern time to hear takeaways from a new Brookings report quantifying the funding and technical assistance for rural America and hear from rural leaders on the challenges and opportunities they see on the horizon. The 90-minute virtual exchange will include a 20-minute presentation from the Reimagining Rural Initiative, a 40-minute panel discussion with rural leaders, and an open audience Q&A.  

Persistent Wildfire Smoke is Eroding Rural America's Mental Health

This story was produced through a collaboration between the Daily Yonder, which covers rural America, and Climate Central, a nonadvocacy science and news group. Although much of the article focuses on western states, eastern states were impacted by wildfire smoke last summer, making the article relevant to our region.

The FCC is Taking Steps to Wind Down the Affordable Connectivity Program

Without additional funding from Congress, the FCC anticipates that the current ACP funding is projected to run out in April 2024. This date is an estimate and may change. As a result, the FCC has begun taking steps to wind down the ACP. No new applications will be accepted after February 7th and existing participants can expect to hear from their provider about what will change when current funding runs out. For more information, read this fact sheet or visit fcc.gov/acp.

Global Health Corps Announced US Fellowship Program

The GHC Fellowship in the U.S. identifies diverse, high-potential, emerging public health leaders (ages 21-30) and provides them with the leadership training, coaching, network, and resources to excel in their careers and advance health equity. Applications open February 1st. Nominate someone in your network.

NYHealth Webinar Recap

In December, NYHealth hosted a discussion about ways to better meet the needs of people impacted by the opioid epidemic in New York. See the speaker slides and watch the webinar recording here.