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Due to COVID-19, CRH will continue working remotely through July 31.

Rural COVID-19 Update
April 23, 2020

The Center for Rural Health (CRH) has created this weekly e-newsletter as well as a COVID-19 webpage to keep people informed about what the CRH is doing to help during the pandemic.

News & Resources

North Dakota's Rural Hospitals Could See CARES Act Dollars Administered Through UND
Senator John Hoeven announced that University of North Dakota (UND) CRH has been awarded more than $3 million in federal funds through the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program. CRH will distribute the funds to rural hospitals in the state to help combat COVID-19.

NDDoH Recruiting Health Professionals for COVID-19
The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) is asking for assistance in recruiting a pool of healthcare professionals to help during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New and Expanded Flexibilities for Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
To support Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and their patients, Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have made changes to requirements and payments during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This guidance document from CMS details the changes, including:

  • New payment for telehealth services, including how to bill Medicare
  • Expansion of virtual communication services
  • Revision of home health agency shortage requirement for visiting nursing services
  • Consent for care management and virtual communication services
  • Accelerated/advance payments

HRSA 340B Drug Pricing Program: COVID-19 Resources
HRSA is working to keep 340B Program participants and stakeholders updated on the latest information regarding COVID-19.

NOSORH COVID-19 Updates
With the growing COVID-19 concern brewing around us, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) is providing rural-relevant resources on coding/billing/payment, 1135 waivers, telehealth, emergency medical services, and more. Additional updates, resources, and information are added to the page as they become available.

NDDoH Resources for Healthcare Professionals
The NDDoH offers a variety of COVID-19 resources for healthcare professionals:

Funding & Other Opportunities

DaCCoTA Pilot Project Program Seeks Applications for COVID-19-Related Pilot Grant Awards
The Dakota Cancer Collaborative on Translational Activity (DaCCoTA) Pilot Projects Program is requesting applications for COVID-19-related Pilot Grant Awards. Letters of intent are due May 1, 2020.

Events

Weekdays
Governor Doug Burgum's Weekday Press Briefings
The NDDoH Joint Information Center press briefing with Governor Doug Burgum is held every weekday at 3:30 pm Central on the NDDoH's Facebook page. Recordings of all of the briefings are available on Facebook and on YouTube.
April 23, 2020
NDAAP April 2020 Meeting
The North Dakota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (NDAAP) is hosting an April 23 Zoom meeting, and everyone is invited to attend. Among the topics to be discussed:
  • Pediatrician's Role in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
    6:00 – 6:45 pm Central
  • Neonatal Considerations in the Time of COVID-19
    6:45 – 7:30 pm Central
A recording of the March 2020 meeting features a North Dakota COVID-19 update and a Q&A with Alison Hornyak, a pediatric infectious disease and immunology specialist with Sanford Health, and Joan Connell, field medical officer for the NDDoH and a pediatrician at the UND Center for Family Medicine.
April 28, 2020
Telehealth Learning and Consultation Tuesdays
The Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Telehealth Learning and Consultation series supports behavioral health providers who are new to telehealth. Registration is required, but recordings of the presentations and additional resources will be posted to the web as they are available.
May 1, 2020
Geriatric and Age Friendly TeleECHO COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
This Project ECHO session, presented by Dr. Donald Jurivich, will be held May 1 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm Central.

Publications

North Dakota Nonprofit & Community COVID-19 Resources Toolkit
Source: StrengthenND
This toolkit provides resources to answer the following questions:

  • Where can we access funding?
  • What can we do to help our friends and neighbors (and ourselves)?
  • Who can help us?

2020 State and Local Government Responses to COVID-19
Source: Stateside
A list of legislative, executive, regulatory, and local actions regarding COVID-19 by state.