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GRHA Newsletter
Week of January 6, 2012

www.grhainfo.org

[email protected]
478-552-3620

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Georgia Rural Health Association (GRHA) is the oldest state rural health association in the country. Founded in 1981, this nonprofit network of healthcare providers, educators, and individuals is united in its commitment to improve the health and healthcare services of rural Georgians. Join now!

FY 2012 GRHA Board of Directors

President

Sallie Barker

Immediate Past President

Nannette Turner

President Elect

Denise Kornegay

Vice President

Ann Addison

Treasurer

Sheila Freeman

Secretary

Deidre Howell

Board Members

Carla Belcher

Laura Bland Gillman

Sue Nieman

Charles Owens

Chris Parker

Rhett Partin

Caroline Holley Womack

Paula Guy

Monty M. Veazey

Matt Caseman 

 

Meet our Board of Directors

 
"This is Public Health"
Video Contest

To learn more click here

The Auxiliary at John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital is seeking applicants for scholarships given annually to

deserving students enrolled in a medical-related field of study.

 

Applications are due February 1, 2012.

Information

 

GRHA Corporate Members

 

GACH

   

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield

 

 

Coca Cola

 


  

 

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GAPHC

NHSC's Loan Repayment Program expands applicant eligibility.

 

The Health Resources and Services Administration has released its 2012 guidance for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program.

It includes a pilot program that expands eligibility to critical access hospitals (CAHs) and certain clinicians working in CAHs:

 

Primary care physicians

Psychiatrists

Nurse practitioners

Certified nurse midwives

Physician assistants.

 

Allowing CAHs to be eligible for loan repayment will enhance health care access and flexibility. Most providers working for these hospitals staff clinical settings across the CAH, ranging from outpatient clinics to skilled nursing care and emergency services.

The Office of Rural Health Policy and the NHSC have conducted webinars related to these updates.

For additional program and application details, click here.

January Observances


Cervical Health Awareness Month

 

National Glaucoma Awareness Month

 

Thyroid Awareness Month

 

National Birth Defects Prevention Month

 

National Radon Action Month

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By joining our social media sites, you have the ability to stay updated on the latest rural health information in Georgia. Please help us spread the word! Thank you for your support and feel free to contact us with any questions.

 
Notice
GRHA circulates state and national news as an information service only. Inclusion of information is not intended as an endorsement.
Save the Date
 

State Capitol 

 

          Georgia Rural Health Association

 

Rural Health Day at the Capitol

 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

 

State Capitol 

 

South Wing

 

8:00 am-12:00 pm

 

Sponsorship Form

                                                              

 
 

 

Georgia Rural Health Association

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2012 R.U.R.A.L. Legislative Agenda  

Rural Health Training Programs Spreading

 

It's an oft-cited statistic: Only about 10% of physicians practice in rural areas, although nearly 25% of Americans live in rural areas. And though there are countless benefits to practicing in rural areas, provider recruitment and retention continues to be a challenge.

  

Rather than simply courting big-city providers and graduates, it's critical for rural communities and organizations to develop their own talent. Thankfully, that seems to be happening more and more often.

 

A new program the University of Florida's College of Public Health and Health Professions is among the latest to train rural providers where they'll be practicing. The school has partnered with Florida A&M University's Institute of Public Health to establish the Rural South Public Health Training Center. Using grant funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, the center will provide competency-based training for public health workers and internships for Masters of Public Health students.

Full Story

Medicare Extension Passed

  By Erin Mahn - National Rural Health Association

President Obama signed the two-month payroll tax/Medicare extension into law after the House of Representatives officially passed the Senate extension bill. The measure, almost identical to a Senate-passed resolution, extends vital rural provisions for two months while congressional leaders work out a compromise for a year-long measure.

 

The Senate and House conference committees are expected to begin their work on funding the full-year tax cut/Medicare extensions early in the New Year.

 

Join NRHA in continuing to advocate for the inclusion of all expiring rural provisions in any legislation at the Rural Health Policy Institute in Washington, DC. Attendees will learn firsthand about the development and implementation of health care policy at the federal level and meet with their members to discuss issues relevant to rural health care quality and access, including Medicare extenders. Click here to  register.

 

Please continue to monitor this blog and NRHA's congressional action kit for a full list of expiring provisions, updates and developments.
National Folic Acid Awareness Week
January 8 - 14
National council on folic acid
 
 
 Messages that NCFA wants all women of childbearing age to know: 
1. Folic acid is a vitamin thaqt can help prevent birth defeats. Women of childbearing age need an extra 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day.
 
2. Women can get the recommended 400 mcg of folic acid by taking a daily multivitamin or by eating fortified foods. Check the label of your favorite cereal to see if it has 100% DV (daily value) of folic acid.
 
3. Important growth of the baby happens early in pregnancy, before most women know that they are pregnant. Folic acid can prevent birth defeats of the baby's brain or spine if a woman takes it before and during pregnancy.
 
4. If you are pregnant, remember to take a prenatal vitamin with iron and folic acid every day.
 
5. More than half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Talk to your health care provider about a reproductive life plan.
 
6. If you are planning a pregnancy or are pregnant, do NOT drink alcohol. No amount of alcohol is safe for the unborn baby.
 
7. Talk to your doctor or midwife about newborn screening before your baby is born.
 
8. Every woman should talk to their doctor about their and their partner's family health history. Sharing your Family Health History can help your doctor identify diseases for which you may be at increased risk.
 
9. Sharing your Family Health History can help your doctor identify changes you can make to reduce your risk and your children's risk of developing disease.
 
Mark Your Calendar
 
CY2011 Uniform Data System (UDS) Traning
January 19, 2012
Double Tree by Hilton Atlanta Airport
The UDS training is a full day program covering the preparation of the 2011 UDS Report
  
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
2012 Policy Conference
Friday, January 20,2012
Loudermilk Conference Center
 
Community Health Center Day at the Capitol
Thursday, February 9, 2012
 
Georgia Rural Health Association
Rural Health Day at the Capitol
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Georgia State Capitol, South Wing
8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth
2012 Annual Conference
March 14th-16 Ritz-Carlton, Reynold Plantation
Lake Oconee, GA
 
Hopitals and Communities Moving Forward with Patient-and Family- Centered Care
March 19- 22, 2012
Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care
Emory Conference Center Hotel
Atlanta, Ga

 

Society of Trauma Nurses

STN 15th Annual Conference
April 11-14, 2012
Going Coastal: Reset your Trauma Compass
Hyatt Regency Savannah
Savannah, GA

  

NRHA 2012 Policy Institute
Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2012

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