Mental Health and Substance Abuse

I try to regularly post about resources you can use to address mental health and substance abuse problems in your rural communities.  As I’ve written before, I think this is an area that often gets short changed, especially in rural areas, for a variety of reasons.

Several organizations will host substance abuse and mental health conferences in and near Wisconsin this spring and summer.  Even if you’re unable to attend, check the conference sites after they’re over.  The hosts often post presentations and other useful information. Read the rest of this post »

March 11, 2010  Tags: , , , , , ,   Posted in: Conferences and Webinars, Grant Advice, Training and Tools  No Comments

Health Care Workforce Woes

In case it wasn’t obvious to anyone who lives in or works with rural communities, an article in the Sunday WI State Journal describes what I believe is the most significant crisis in rural health care: workforce.  Life and Death in Park Falls describes the difficulty in recruiting providers in rural communities and the impact shortages can have.  Provider shortages exist across all professions and fields, including dentists, physicians, even EMS.

There are a number of programs that seek to address this problem, many at the local level. Read the rest of this post »

March 9, 2010  Tags: , , , , , ,   Posted in: Conferences and Webinars, Program Updates, Provider Loan Repayment  No Comments

Federal Grant Workshop

The Wisconsin Office of Rural Health will host a federal Office of Rural Health Policy grant workshop on April 27 here in Madison.  ORHP staff will share information on upcoming community-based federal grant opportunities, including the Rural Health Outreach, Network Development, and Network Planning programs.  You’ll learn proposal writing advice, federal grant deadlines and review cycles, and partnership development strategies. The workshop is designed to inform rural health care providers, coalitions and advocates on federal funding opportunities, encourage community organizations to apply for these funds and increase organizations’ capacity to obtain federal grant funds made available through ORHP.  The workshop is free, but you must register; registration forms and more information are available on our website.

March 5, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Grant Advice, Program Updates, Training and Tools  No Comments

Poison Prevention and Safety

March 14-20 is Poison Prevention Week and the Poison Prevention Week Council has prepared a number of resources your organization—EMS, law enforcement, clinics, schools—can use to raise awareness of this safety issue.  Take a look around their site.  There are opportunities to order education material (free!), examples of PSAs, posters, etc.  Did you know you shouldn’t mix anything containing chlorine bleach, like some dishwasher soap, with any material containing ammonia, like some liquid dish soap? 

This post is all about safety resources—funding, tools, and reports. (I hope some of you look at the reports I post about—they contain some great information, data and ideas for projects you could use in your community or your next program proposal.)  Read the rest of this post »

March 4, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Grant Advice, Reports and Studies, Training and Tools  No Comments

Food and Nutrition

March is National Nutrition Month, so I’ll feature resources that may help your community improve access to healthy food and that describe the impact of that access (or lack of access).  The American Dietetic Association is the primary sponsor of the National Nutrition Month—the link to the left takes you directly to the ADA’s webpage.

Although this article is a year old, I imagine that unfortunately it’s still true: Obese Americans outnumber the “merely” overweight.  In 2005-06, “34 percent of Americans were obese, compared to 32.7 percent who were overweight. Just under 6 percent were “extremely” obese.”  Add those numbers up—over 70% of us weigh more than we should!  Read the rest of this post »

March 1, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Grant Advice, Reports and Studies  No Comments

Health Technology Part 3

This is the final post in my series on health technology.   I imagine many people are asking, how can IT help us in providing health care?  Isn’t it just an accounting or record keeping system?  Many rural providers are using technology, in various forms, to improve care or provide care that they otherwise couldn’t.  This recent article describes a program in Tennessee that provides mental health services to rural patients through Skype, a videoconferencing system.  Read the rest of this post »

February 26, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Reports and Studies, Training and Tools  No Comments

Health Technology Part 2

In this part of my series on health technology, I’m sharing several more funding opportunities, including an opportunities to nominate an organization in your community (including your own!) that has achieved excellence in implementing health technology.  I also have several tech resources and reports I hope you find useful. Read the rest of this post »

February 25, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Conferences and Webinars, Grant Advice, Reports and Studies  No Comments

Health Technology Part 1

As you can see, this is a multi-part post.  There’s so much information out there about technology, I thought I’d run a series (my first!).  I’m taking the broad approach to technology.  When many people hear or discuss technology in relation to health care, they think IT—broadband, electronic medical records, etc.  I have some information on IT, but I want to remind people about the potential of “lower level” technology.  I also have some information on technology funding opportunities. Read the rest of this post »

February 22, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Conferences and Webinars, Grant Advice  No Comments

A New Look for the Blog and Oral Health News

The blog has a new look!  I hope you find it easier to get around and find what you want.  Contact me and let me know what you think.  Or leave a comment.  We’re still making a few adjustments (I don’t have my picture up yet!), so bear with us a little longer.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so I thought I’d post some appropriate resources. Read the rest of this post »

February 9, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Grant Advice, Reports and Studies, Training and Tools  No Comments

Federal Grants

I’ve posted many times about federal grants and I usually mention that the proposals require more work than most other funding sources.  Here are a few federal grants and some sources to help you navigate the federal grant system.

 

All federal grants are officially announced on Grants.gov.  Here you can search for grant opportunities (there are hundreds, so be prepared to narrow your search or spend a lot of time scrolling) and register to apply.  This step is very important!  If your organization isn’t registered, and you think you might apply for a federal grant at some time in the future, go ahead and register here.  Doesn’t cost anything, but the approval process can take a while.  Your registration is good indefinitely. Read the rest of this post »

January 26, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Grant Advice  No Comments