The Membership Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
Call for Presentations
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) invites you to partner with us in delivering high-quality educational opportunities to the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) throughout 2019. NOSORH hosts five regional partnership meetings and one national meeting of the SORH each year, aimed at enhancing the ability of SORH to deliver technical assistance to rural communities in their state.
While all proposals are encouraged, we are particularly looking for submissions that are future-focused and encourage cross-sector collaboration. The NOSORH planning committee is prioritizing proposals that include collaborative partnerships with at least one SORH, and proposals that incorporate interactive discussion components.
Click here to access the Call for Proposal form: https://nosorh.org/calendar-events/annual-meeting-information/
Proposal forms are due to NOSORH by March 1, 2019 (with anticipated extension for annual meeting presentations) and emailed to trevorb@nosorh.org.
If you have any questions about the content of the submission, please contact Chris Salyers at chris.salyers@nosorh.org or 734.881.9551
NOSORH is delighted to announce the newly developed Learning to Lead: The Jim Bernstein SORH Leadership Institute. This 12-part (90 minute sessions), online Institute is designed exclusively for State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) , focusing on the skills, characteristics and knowledge base important to successful leadership of a SORH. The Institute cost is $1,000 including all webinars, materials, optional in-person experiences and a Certificate of Completion. It is expected to start this spring and will deploy a variety of expert speakers and interesting materials (including TED Talks) to spark innovative leadership thinking and action.
The Institute is designed for SORH staff in current and rising leadership and/or management positions interested in developing the unique skill set required to become and remain an effective leader and manager in the rural health environment. The Institute includes topics that build capacity within the SORH Proficiencies framework and is inspired by the Jim Bernstein Mentoring Philosophy.
Jim Bernstein and the early leaders of the SORH movement were masters of change; they knew how to work within existing policy frameworks and built sustainable programs that addressed longstanding problems. Participants will focus on general principles of community driven leadership, program management and accountability. It is that philosophy that serves as the foundation of NOSORH’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of rural health leaders.
“I’m a former student of Jim Bernstein and am passionate about leadership,” said Tammy Norville, NOSORH Technical Assistance Director and Institute lead. “I know it’s going be an excellent opportunity for all.”
Additional information will be forthcoming, including registration information, full description of the sessions and requirements for earning a Certificate of Completion. In the meantime, contact Tammy (tammyn@nosorh.org) for additional assistance.
The Joint Committee on Rural Emergency Care (JCREC), a collaborative group of the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO), NOSORH, Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC) and the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), is now accepting comments on the 2019 Rural and Frontier EMS Three Year National Tactical Plan. The three-year Tactical Plan builds on the work of the original 2004 Rural EMS Agenda for the Future and proposes a three-year tactical approach to implementing some of the most important, feasible, remaining recommendations. Understanding the changes in the national healthcare environment, and specific trends and issues in the past few years, has shaped consideration of the recommendations and some recrafting of them. Some of these include the “volume to value” reimbursement emphasis, rural hospital closures, the role of communities, and the way EMS will be treated under evolving healthcare financing legislation.
The Steering Committee reviewed the recommendations of the 2004 Agenda and participated in a rating process for importance, feasibility for achievement in three years, and relevance to the JCREC. The scoring resulted in a clear grouping that had received a preponderance of the votes. These were then presented last April at the National Rural EMS and Care Conference and at the Rural Committee of the NASEMSO annual meeting. The recommendations were rated by the EMS providers, state rural health officials, EMS physicians, or state EMS officials attending these meetings. They were also invited to add to the list of recommendations. During this process and subsequent discussion, attendees approved a group of recommendations.
“We’re very appreciative of the excellent efforts that Kevin McGinnis has led, said Teryl Eisinger, NOSORH Executive Director. “I’m looking forward to reading the comments and seeing the input from State Offices of Rural Health, rural EMS agencies and state EMS Officials. This plan has the potential to impact rural communities for years to come.”
All comments on the Tactical Plan can be submitted to Kevin McGinnis, NASEMSO Program Manager, at kevin@mcginnis.ws by no later than close of business on February 22, 2019.
NOSORH, The National Association of State EMS Officials, The Joint Committee on Rural Emergency Care, and the South Carolina Office of Rural Health invite you to join them on April 17-18 in Charleston, South Carolina, for the 5th Annual National Rural EMS & Care Conference. This will be an amazing opportunity to engage with partners from all over the country and at different levels of EMS care!
Whether you are a State Office, local EMS provider, state EMS Director, or a hospital administrator, this year’s conference will benefit all who attend with an agenda that features a wide variety of rural and frontier EMS topics. Some of the many areas being considered include developing a high-performance EMS system in low-volume rural areas, how State Flex Programs, EMS directors and State Offices of Rural Health can work together, how FQHCs and RHCs are promoting introductions between EMS and other partners, and maternity/delivery care. The conference will also be expanding by offering a set of breakout sessions, providing attendees more options and time for discussion on specific topics.
Invited attendees include rural EMS directors, medical directors and officers, rural health care providers, state EMS officials, state rural health officials, hospital administrators, elected officials, federal agency officials, and other EMS partners.
Francis Marion Hotel
387 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403
Room Rate: $226
To reserve a room call: (843) 722-0600 or 1-(877) 756-2121 or click here.
Group Code: NOSORH EMS Meeting
Parking is $17/day
For more information about the conference as it become available, click here.
The following update was provided by Hall Render, NOSORH Policy Liaison:
Thanks to the efforts of many, President Trump signed into law the State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018 in the final hours of the 115th Congress. The bill signing was a culmination of two years of hard work by State Offices of Rural Health, their partners and Hall Render in educating members of Congress and Congressional Committees on the importance of SORHs to our nation’s rural health care. Special acknowledgement to Senator Roberts (KS) for introducing the bill, Representative Mullin (OK) and Representative Schrader (OR) and their staff for supporting SORH.
The bill (S. 2278), which is now public law, reauthorizes the SORH grant program for the first time since its creation in the early 1990s. It also authorizes $12.5 million in federal funding for the SORH grant program between fiscal years 2018 and 2022.
The bill passed the House on December 19 by a roll call vote of 357-4 and was sent to the President on December 27. The New Year’s Eve bill signing was one of the final Presidential actions of 2018.
NOSORH’s Grant Writing Institute—Beyond the Basics is now on-demand! This course is designed for individuals looking for education beyond the introductory or beginning level. This is the only grant education of its kind focused on rural health grant writers. Topics will include learning communication strategies to connect with funders, using work plans to meet basic grant reporting, understanding how to create meaningful evaluation tools, and how to use data. Past participation in NOSORH’s Grant Writing Institute is not required.
To view the brochure, please click here.
To register, click here.
For more information, contact Tammy Norville at tammyn@nosorh.org.
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has partnered with Lilypad, LLC to implement the Practice Operations National Database (POND™) program, a web-based data collection, reporting and benchmarking application for rural primary care providers. POND is a unique benchmarking program which focuses on rural-relevant financial, operational, productivity and compensation measures. POND provides a vehicle for rural practices to selectively share blinded operational and productivity data and to use peer benchmark information to guide improvements in performance and inform recruitment/retention and hospital-physician alignment activities.
POND will benefit SORHs wishing to:
POND provides an easy, consistent approach to engage RHCs and other primary care providers. It can also be used to promote community between rural primary care providers through data-based discussions and can establish the SORH as a source of relevant and unique resources.
Getting Started with POND is an easy, step-by-step implementation guide. A sample POND report is available to help you see what data will be available.
Annual fees for SORHs are $2500 for states with fewer than 90 RHCs and $3500 for states with more than 90 RHCs. This annual fee enables all rural primary care practices in your state to participate in POND.
If you have any additional questions, contact Kassie Clarke.