News

The Arizona Center for Rural Health is hiring!

Posted: Feb 6 2017

The Health Educator-Navigator position is a part-time (20 hours/wk) benefits eligible position w/ possible nights and weekends and frequent travel in Mohave, Coconino, Apache and Navajo counties.

Top of page

Arizona’s Ducey cites ‘Obamacare’ harm in seeking repeal, but law’s positives complicate issue

Posted: Jan 31 2017

Jan 27, 2017 Ronald Hansen and Ken Alltucker: “Arizona’s Ducey cites ‘Obamacare’ harm in seeking repeal, but law’s positives complicate issue.” The Arizona Republic | azcentral.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/health/2017/01/27/ducey-cites-obamacare-harm-arizona-seeking-repeal-laws-positives-complicate-issue/96998808/

With more than a half-million Arizona residents gaining health coverage through the health law’s marketplace, Medicaid expansion and KidsCare restoration, fewer uninsured patients are leaving behind unpaid bills. Hospitals must assess and stabilize all patients who seek care, regardless of their ability to pay.

A statewide survey showed Arizona hospitals have significantly reduced unpaid bills since ACA coverage expansion began Jan. 1, 2014. Arizona hospitals reported uncompensated care of $395 million in fiscal year 2016, down from $746 million in 2014, according to the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association survey.

“The data is unequivocal on this,” said Dr. Daniel Derksen, a University of Arizona professor and director of the Center for Rural Health.

Top of page

One Week In, Trump Sets Sights on Health Care

Posted: Jan 31 2017

Jan 27, 2017 Lorraine Rivera: Episode 300: One Week In, Trump Sets Sights on Health Care
A look at impacts on Southern Arizona of the president-s first actions. Arizona Public Media | NPR.
https://www.azpm.org/p/home-articles-news/2017/1/27/105408-episode-300-one-week-in-trump-sets-sights-on-health-care-and-the-border/

Arizona is one of 31 states that expanded the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. We ask how the state will respond to changes following Trump’s announced plans to “ease the burdens” on individuals and the health care industry.

Before the Affordable Care Act, 1.2 million Arizonans were without insurance. Today, it’s about 770,000. Open enrollment ends Jan. 31.

On the program:

Christine Corieri, senior policy adviser to Gov. Doug Ducey (4:45 to 10:35)
Dan Derksen, University of Arizona Center for Rural Health (10:45 to 17:15)
Julia Strange, Tucson Medical Center VP of community benefit (17:15 to 27:45)

Top of page

Ducey offers proposals for health overhaul repeal

Posted: Jan 27 2017

By BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press Jan 20, 2017 (Interviewed, background data provided)

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/washington/2017/01/20/ducey-offer-proposal-replacement-heathcare-obamacare-repeal/96859518/

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is urging Congress not to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul without a well-developed replacement plan, suggesting in a letter that it may take three years for a new system to be fully implemented.

In a letter and 15-page list of suggestions obtained by The Associated Press, Ducey urged House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to eliminate many of the basic insurance requirements in Obama’s law and allow states to again set their own insurance rules.

Ducey is urging McCarthy to keep tax subsidies for individuals in place for now to keep the marketplace that now covers 180,000 Arizonans from melting down. And he wants state flexibility for Medicaid plans, including limiting coverage in lean times and to require healthy individuals to work or seek jobs to maintain their coverage. Those plans now cover nearly 2 million people, including 400,000 under Medicaid expansion that’s part of the Affordable Care Act.

(continued at link below)

Top of page

If You Want to Die Young, Move to Rural America

Posted: Jan 27 2017

Written by Shawn Radcliffe | Published on January 20, 2017 | Healthline News

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/die-young-move-to-rural-america

Fresh air. Wide open spaces. Starry skies above.

Rural America has long claimed a reputation as a healthy place to live.

But the truth is that rural areas in the United States generally lag behind urban areas in many aspects of health.

A new study released this month by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the health situation for those living the country life.

Americans living in rural areas face a higher risk of dying from the five leading causes of death in the United States — heart disease, cancer, lower respiratory disease, stroke, and unintentional injuries — compared with their urban counterparts.

“This report confirms the findings that we’ve seen in previous studies about rural populations tending to be older, poorer, and sicker,” Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health, told Healthline.

(continued at link below)

Top of page

Should women worry about their access to birth control under Trump?

Posted: Jan 27 2017

By: Alexa Liacko | January 20, 2017 | 1min, 33 sec | KGUN9 TV

http://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/will-access-to-birth-control-change-under-trump?autoplay=true

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) -

As Donald Trump prepares to takes office, women across the country are stocking up on birth control fearing it won't be as available once the new administration works to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Obamacare allows women to get birth control for free, but it could be cut with a new healthcare plan. Dr. Daniel Derksen, the director at the U of A Center for Rural Health and says if funding for birth control was cut, it would not be immediate:

"Now is the time to ask the questions to get the care you need, to get it while it's affordable. But I think it's natural for people to feel apprehensive," Derksen said.

(continued at link below)

Top of page

Possible Affordable Care Act repeal terrifies some Tucsonans

Posted: Jan 27 2017

By Stephanie Innes | Arizona Daily Star

Front Page of the Sunday Edition Jan 21, 2017

http://tucson.com/news/local/possible-affordable-care-act-repeal-terrifies-some-tucsonans/article_d72d00ac-5396-5cfa-bbf3-0e9dc6d4ca08.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Until she got health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Tucson real estate broker Jennie James routinely spent $12,000 per year in health bills related to the chronic illness she’s had since childhood.

The coverage she’s been able to get through the federal marketplace since 2014 has saved her thousands of dollars, and for the first time in her adult life, given her some peace of mind about her health care.

James, 37, is one of many Southern Arizonans who say they’re terrified about what might happen if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed. The 2010 law has received well-publicized criticism for premium increases, a lack of plan choices and for its “individual mandate” provision that all Americans have health insurance. But it has also had positive effects.

(continued at link below)

Top of page

Rural Vs. Urban: Divide Deepens With Growing Health Disparities

Posted: Jan 27 2017

By Lauren Gilger

Published: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 - 4:14pm

http://kjzz.org/content/426090/rural-vs-urban-divide-deepens-growing-health-disparities

If this election made anything clear, it may be that there’s a very large divide between rural America and urban America.

Most rural voters cast their votes for President Donald Trump, while the vast majority of people living in major cities — especially on either coast — voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But that divide goes beyond the ballot box. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a striking gap in health between rural and urban Americans.

According to the CDC, about 46 million Americans, or about 15 percent of the population, live in rural areas. And they are at higher risk of death from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries and stroke.

So, what’s behind this? According to the CDC, rural Americans tend to be older and sicker than people who live in cities. There are higher rates of poverty in rural areas of the country, and fewer people have access to health care or health insurance.

And, according to Dan Derksen, director for the Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona, poverty has a lot to do with this.

“In rural areas, there’s often not the job opportunities that there may be in other areas,” he said. “The jobs that tend to be available may not pay as well as other jobs that might be available in a more urbanized setting, and there may not be, if you are employed, the employer may not offer health insurance.”

And, he said, the effect of poverty has ripple effects on the health-care network in rural communities.

In Arizona, he said, we have cut the number of uninsured people in half since the Affordable Care Act went into effect.

“And that really helped these safety net, rural health providers and clinics and hospitals because it dramatically reduced their uncompensated care, what also called charity care,” he said. “When you have more people covered and there’s a payment source, it tends to help keep a healthy bottom line for these facilities and the health providers in these rural communities to continue to take care of people.”

Derksen also says the opioid epidemic has hit rural communities hard, but he thinks Arizona is taking a proactive approach to try to stop the rising numbers of heroin-related deaths.

Another big challenge facing rural communities is that there just aren’t enough health-care providers, according to Dr. Carlos Gonzales, assistant dean at the University of Arizona, where he runs the Rural Health Professions Program.

He spent much of his career, before coming to UA, working as what he calls a “frontier doc” in Patagonia, a small town south of Tucson.

And, he said the problem for patients in rural communities is simple: they’re rural. “Often, it takes them half-hour, 45 minutes to get to my office,” he said. Then, after an evaluation and waiting for an ambulance or helicopter, they’ll make it to a hospital to be taken care of.

"So, that golden hour that they often speak about for these acute problems, is long gone,” he said.

The other problems, Gonzales says, is the cost of health care. Even after the Affordable Care Act meant that more low-income people could get health insurance, he said that many people couldn’t afford expensive deductibles on their plans.

The physician shortage in Arizona is another important factor. Since he left his clinic in Patagonia in 2006, they have not been able to find another full-time provider to fill his role.

The Rural Health Professions Program at UA, which Gonzales is in charge of, works to get medical students into rural areas for training with the hope they’ll stay and work in those areas.

But, he said, “We need them in all fields. We need family physicians, we need pediatricians, we need internal medicine specialists, we need Ob-gyns, we need surgeons,” he said.

Top of page

NOSORH Rural Health Grant Writing Institute

Posted: Jan 23 2017

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to write better grant proposals, turn rurality to your advantage, learn to connect with funders, and more. Participants will benefit from learning about a range of approaches to grant writing from an array of rural health partners. This series is perfect for beginners seeking to gain the skills to research and draft winning proposals from various agencies.

The NOSORH Rural Health Grant Writing Institute was developed to meet the unique needs of rural grant writers — like you!

Participants in the course will benefit from:

Learning assignments to apply what they learn to their everyday work and build a personal grant resource library.
Regular updates on upcoming grant opportunities.
A certificate of completion at the end of the class series after completing 6 of 9 classes and 4 of 6 homework assignments.
Connecting with other grant writers via the NOSORH Grant Writing group to learn about the latest hot topics in grant writing.

Registration ends March 29th, 2017 — class size will be limited and will be offered on a first-come basis, with a limit of 50 students, so ensure your place in this one-of-a-kind training. This is an opportunity for anyone looking to enhance their grant writing skills!

Registration Fee: $500
For more information contact Kassie Clarke (888) 391-7258 ext. 105 or at kassiec@nosorh.org

Don’t miss your chance to participate. Sign up today!

Top of page

Banner Page Hospital was one of 6 hospitals in Arizona with top nurse-patient communication scores

Posted: Jan 23 2017

At least 85 percent of patients at Banner Page Hospital responded on their surveys that nurses always communicated well. In Arizona, the average is 77 percent, slightly lower than the national average of 80 percent.

The figures are from CMS' Hospital Compare website and represent HCAHPS scores collected from January 2015 through December 2015, the most recent data available.

Page Hospital — 85 percent (I made a change from below, because our reports from the Federal Office say 85%)

Note: Hospitals with fewer than 100 completed surveys were excluded from consideration for this list. (which is most of the Critical Access Hospitals)

Top of page

Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital Receives National Recognition

Posted: Jan 19 2017

Award presented to the Holy Cross Hospital team

Presentation of the award to the Holy Cross Hospital team on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. From left to right – Dina Rojas-Sanchez, Director of Support Services, Holy Cross Hospital; Mark Valenzuela, Board Chair, Holy Cross Hospital; Debra Knapheide, Chief Executive Officer/CNO/COO, Holy Cross Hospital; Joyce Hospodar, Senior Advisor, Rural Programs, Center for Rural Health, The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; Les Caid, Fire Chief, Rio Rico Fire; Matt Eckhoff, Program Director, Rio Rico Fire Community Integrated Paramedicine Program.

Nogales, AZ – January 18, 2017 – Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital has received national recognition for demonstrating innovation in emergency medical services (EMS) that benefit patients and members of rural communities. The hospital – one of only four in the nation to be honored in this round of nominations – received the Critical Access Hospital Recognition certificate from the National Rural Health Resource Center for its work with the Community Healthcare Integrated Paramedicine Program (CHIPP).

Picture of the award certificate The certificate was established by the Center and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to recognize the excellent work performed by critical access hospitals (CAHs) and other rural safety net providers throughout the country. The recognition promotes excellence and innovation and honors the achievements and results of rural safety net providers while publicizing successful strategies.

The CHIPP program, which was developed to help address the needs of individuals who frequently use the 911 system and hospital Emergency Department, is intended to ensure these indivuals are treated in a more proactive and cost-effective manner. Holy Cross Hospital is a key stakeholder in the success of this program, acting as an advisor and promoter and as a key contact for providers in the medical community, and providing referrals to the program upon discharge from the hospital.

“Holy Cross Hospital is a proud partner in the Community Healthcare Integrated Paramedicine Program and continues to find innovative models of care to provide quality healthcare for all Santa Cruz County communities,” said Debra Knapheide, CEO/COO/CNO at Holy Cross Hospital, “We are proud to be recognized for our work in this collaborative effort to deliver healthcare that is affordable, high-quality and necessary for the good of our community. Holy Cross Hospital is committed to keeping pace with healthcare transformation, which is key to sustaining access to health services for rural communities.”

Matt Eckhoff, Director of Rio Rico Medical and Fire District’s Community Integrated Paramedicine Program, added: “Today’s healthcare system is working hard to connect the dots between all the different folks who provide healthcare. From the ambulance to the emergency room to the primary care provider, the more we all talk to each other, the better we can provide excellent care to those we serve. Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital’s engaged leadership team has been instrumental in connecting those dots to better serve the Santa Cruz County community.”

Top of page

Report: Obamacare repeal could cut millions from Az public health funding

Posted: Jan 18 2017

Posted Jan 17, 2017, 11:46 pm

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2017/01/17/report-obamacare-repeal-could-hit-state-public-health-funding/

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/011717_obamacare/report-obamacare-repeal-could-cut-millions-from-az-public-health-funding/

By: Arren Kimbel-Sannit | Cronkite News

These are the two reports on the impact of funding cuts by state should the Prevention and Public Health Fund be eliminated as part of ACA repeal:

http://healthyamericans.org/reports/prevention-fund-state-facts-2017/release.php?stateid=AZ

http://healthyamericans.org/reports/prevention-fund-state-facts-2017/

Top of page

Three From UA Named to National Telemedicine Showcase Advisory Board

Posted: Jan 18 2017

Three UA faculty members have been appointed to the national advisory board for the third national Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase, which brings together companies that provide medical specialty services through telemedicine technology with hospitals and health care providers. Dr. Joseph Alpert, professor of medicine in the College of Medicine – Tucson, Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health, and Dr. Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia, professor of medicine, will join the 25-member board, whose members are nationally recognized as thought leaders, health care innovators and champions who have made major contributions in telemedicine. The showcase will be held Oct. 2-3 in Phoenix. Click here to see the full list of board members.

Top of page

Healthy Campuses Help Students #GetCovered

Posted: Jan 17 2017

JANUARY 13, 2017 AT 8:44 AM ET BY KRISTIE CANEGALLO

Summary: Today, leaders from nearly 60 of those campuses will attend Healthy Campus Challenge Day at the White House.

Healthy Campuses

The final open enrollment period of this Administration started on November 1, and since then, more than 11.5 million people nationwide have signed up for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace. As part of our Administration’s ongoing efforts to reach the remaining uninsured, the White House launched the Healthy Campus Challenge in September, hoping to engage college and university campuses in enrollment efforts. Campuses opted in by agreeing to undertake a series of best practices, like emailing all students and faculty with information about open enrollment, amplifying deadlines on social media, holding enrollment events, and producing creative online content to reach community members.

White House staff members worked with administrators, students, faculty, staff, alumni, local community leaders, and elected officials across the country to spread the word about open enrollment and the Marketplace, sharing best practices with them honed over the last four years.

Alyssa Padilla, MPH, CRH Special Projects Coordinator and two undergraduate Public Health students and SHARE Leaders, Nicole Lorona and Ariel Hayes More than 350 campuses from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico participated in the Challenge and carried out some enrollment activities, with nearly 100 campuses completing all the criteria. Today, leaders from nearly 60 of those campuses will attend Healthy Campus Challenge Day at the White House. We can’t wait to congratulate them for their hard work during the ongoing open enrollment period, hear creative ideas from these schools, and brainstorm ways for them to work together moving forward. Our hope in holding the Challenge was to institutionalize these enrollment practices on campuses nationwide for future open enrollments. Healthy Campus Challenge Day will be streamed live from South Court Auditorium at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 13 at www.whitehouse.gov/live.

AGENDA JANUARY 13, 2017 HEALTH CAMPUSES HELP STUDENTS GET COVERED

WELCOME REMARKS

Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, the White House

PANEL I: HEALTHY CAMPUSES SHARE WHAT WORKS

Moderator: Bess Evans, Senior Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council

Stephanie Blaisdell, Ph.D, Assistant Vice President, University of Memphis

Jessica Koscelnak, Director of Health Services, Keystone College

Jessica Lauritsen, Dir. of Student Life & Career Development, Hennepin Technical College

Alyssa Padilla, Special Projects Coordinator, University of Arizona

Susan Quinn, Director of Student Health Services, Santa Rosa Junior College

Jodi A. Ray, Director of the College of Public Health, University of South Florida

Brett Rowlett, Director of Governmental & Community Relations, Lane Community College

PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES

Kristie Canegallo, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Implementation, the White House

PANEL II: NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO IMPACT LOCAL EFFORTS

Moderator: Bess Evans, Senior Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council

Amaris Bradley, MPH, RD, Sr. Manager of Partnerships, Partnership for a Healthier America

Erin Hemlin, National Director of Training and Consumer Education, Young Invincibles

Kyle Lierman, Senior Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council

Ebonee Rice, National Director of Strategic Partnerships, Enroll America

CLOSING REMARKS

Bess Evans, Senior Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council

The following schools will attend Healthy Campus Challenge Day:

Ashland University (Ashland, OH)

Augsburg College (Minneapolis, MN)

Bakersfield College (Bakersfield, CA)

Bethune-Cookman University (Daytona Beach, FL)

Bowie State University (Bowie, MD)

Bunker Hill Community College (Boston, MA)

California State University, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)

Concord University (Athens, WV)

Cottey College (Nevada, MO)

Delta College (University Center, MI)

DePaul University (Chicago, IL)

Durham Technical Community College (Durham, NC)

Florida Memorial University (Miami Gardens, FL)

George Mason University (Fairfax, VA)

Harold Washington College (Chicago, IL)

Hennepin Technical College (Brooklyn Park, MN)

Kean University (Union, NJ)

Keystone College (Factoryville, PA)

Los Angeles Pierce College (Los Angeles, CA)

Lane Community College (Eugene, OR)

Livingstone College (Salisbury, NC)

Long Beach City College (Long Beach, CA)

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania (Mansfield, PA)

Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, NY)

Millersville University of Pennsylvania (Millersville, PA)

Missouri State University (Springfield, MO)

Monroe Community College (Rochester, NY)

Nash Community College (Rocky Mount, NC)

Norwalk Community College (Norwalk, CT)

Notre Dame De Namur University (Belmont, CA)

Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, CA)

Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA)

Pierpont Community & Technical College (Fairmont, WV)

Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)

Rider University (Lawrence Township, NJ)

Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA)

Southern California University of Health Sciences (Whittier, CA)

Spencerian College (Louisville, KY)

Sullivan University (Louisville, KY)

The University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)

The University of New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)

The University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS)

Trocaire College (Buffalo, NY)

United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck, ND)

University of Delaware (Newark, DE)

University of Hawaii at Hilo (Hilo, HI)

University of Memphis (Memphis, TN)

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)

University of Wisconsin - River Falls (River Falls, WI)

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)

Upper Iowa University (Fayette, IA)

Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)

Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)

Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA)

William Rainey Harper College (Palatine, IL)

Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA)

Kristie Canegallo is the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Implementation.

Top of page

Ducey: Don’t rush to repeal Obamacare without replacement

Posted: Jan 10 2017

By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services | January 7, 2017 | Arizona Daily Star

PHOENIX — Saying he fears harm to Arizonans, Gov. Doug Ducey is urging Congress to not to rush repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

“I don’t want to see any Arizonan have the rug pulled out from underneath them in terms of changing this law,” the Republican governor told an audience of business executives, lobbyists and lawmakers on Friday.

See more at link below:

Top of page

« first
‹ previous
…
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
…
next ›
last »

View All