COVID-19 RURAL DIGEST

APRIL 2, 2020

The emergence of COVID-19 has caused an almost unprecedented amount of change in the framework surrounding rural care. The CORH team is dedicated to providing regular updates on this evolving situation to healthcare leaders across the country.

As the pandemic unfolds, we foresee sending out updates twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays with new developments.

CDC’s Number of Confirmed Cases of Covid-19 (04.02): 186,101

CDC’s Number of Confirmed Deaths due to Covid-19 (04.02): 3,603

See a city-by-city map of confirmed cases: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Four more states approved for 1135 waivers bring number to 38

• Montana, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia were approved for the emergency waiver Friday.
• These join Iowa, Indiana, Rhode Island, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Alabama, California, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, Arizona, Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi Louisiana, Illinois, Washington, New York, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, and Florida as waiver approved states.
• Check with responding state authorities for specific details of the waivers.
• Full list of waivers: https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/disaster-response-toolkit/federal-disaster-resources/index.html

FORHP announces expansion in Small Hospital Improvement Program funding

• As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the FORHP received $180 million to support rural hospitals during COVID-19 crisis.
• This money will be distributed through states state SHIP programs with the specific aim of aiding in COVID-19 response.
• Expected awards of nearly $90,000 per SHIP eligible hospital.
• See frequently SHIP questions: https://www.ruralcenter.org/ship/ta/faq#questions-basics
• Reach out to the proper SHIP officer with more questions: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rural-hospitals/region-map.html

Florida latest state to announce stay at home more states expected to follow as pandemic worsens

• Florida joins a growing list of states with stay at home orders.
• Many states are expected to follow in the coming weeks as the toll from the COVID-19 epidemic becomes more apparent.
• Read more: https://khn.org/news/under-pressure-florida-governor-finally-orders-residents-to-stay-home/

HRSA has developed COVID-19 resources page for FQHCs

• The page includes information on telehealth use and surge capacity from hospitals being driven in FQHCs.
• Read the page: https://www.hrsa.gov/opa/COVID-19-resources

Part of federal policy expansion allows surgery centers to receive surge capacity from hospitals

• Sweeping policy changes by the Trump administration to allow for close to 5000 surgical centers to take on COVID-19 patients as ‘makeshift hospitals.
• See full release from CMS: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/additional-backgroundsweeping-regulatory-changes-help-us-healthcare-system-address-covid-19-patient
• Read more: https://khn.org/news/more-than-5000-surgery-centers-can-now-serve-as-makeshift-hospitals-during-covid-19-crisis/

White House releases COVID-19 modelling

• The White House released modelling used in COVID-19 decision making detailing 81,000 dead over the next four months.
• National Stay at home suggestions extended until the end of April.
• Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-04-01/congress-eyes-another-coronavirus-relief-bill-for-infrastructure-vote-by-mail

After three pieces of legislation to combat COVID-19, Congress moving onto a fourth

• To provide more aide to the struggling health system and to stem the financial fallout of the COVID-19, Congress is moving forward with more COVID-19 relief legislation.
• Read for partial bill plans: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-04-01/congress-eyes-another-coronavirus-relief-bill-for-infrastructure-vote-by-mail