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LOUISIANA, September 8, 2020 - HHS awarded over $79MM in construction and other capital support for 165 HRSA-funded health centers impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods occurring in 2018/2019. This HRSA Capital Assistance for Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts (CADRE) funding will help ensure access to health care services for communities impacted by disasters and increase health center capacity to respond to and recover from future emergencies. FOCUS provided expert technical assistance to Access Health Louisiana, which was awarded $1,000,000 relative to this CADRE grant.

LOUISIANA, June 5, 2020 - The Federal Communications Commission, on 6/3/2020 approved 53 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, Executive Resources, LLC, provided expert technical assistance to Access Health Louisiana, which was awarded $930,098 to reduce COVID-19 transmission and increase care for COVID-19 patients as well as to expand at-risk and vulnerable patient access to telehealth services.

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2020 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand today announced that USDA is opening a second application window for funding under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program.

“Due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, USDA is providing an additional window for those who cannot complete applications prior to the first application deadline,” Brand said. “This action will provide more time for applicants to complete their funding requests. Access to distance learning and telemedicine makes it easier for thousands of rural residents to take advantage of health care and educational opportunities without having to travel long distances or be among large groups of people.”

Electronic applications for window two may be submitted through grants.gov beginning April 14, 2020, and are due no later than July 13, 2020. Paper applications will not be accepted under the second window. Additional information on how to apply will be available on grants.gov on April 14.

USDA opened the period for the first application window on February 10. That application deadline is April 10.

Applicants eligible for DLT grants include most state and local governmental entities, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses.

Rural Development was provided an additional $25 million in the CARES Act for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program. USDA will make a separate announcement in coming weeks when these funds are available.

USDA Rural Development has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. To learn more about Rural Development’s COVID-19 response, visit www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus.

FCC ESTABLISHES NEW COVID-19 TELEHEALTH PROGRAM

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a new emergency program - the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (Program) - to provide eligible health care providers with funding of up to $1 million to maximize the provision of connected care services (e.g., telehealth) during the pandemic. Following is a brief overview of the Program and its requirements.

COVID-19 Telehealth Program Overview

Program Eligibility. Program eligibility is limited to certain nonprofit and public eligible health care providers. This includes:

• post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, and medical schools;

• community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants.

• local health departments or agencies;

• community mental health centers;

• not-for-profit hospitals;

• rural health clinics;

• skilled nursing facilities; and

• consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more entities falling into the first seven categories.

Eligible health care providers must be determined to be eligible by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). This is done by submitting FCC Form 460, which can be accessed through the FCC web site at: http://www.fcc.gov/licensing-databases/forms (each separate site or location of a health care provider is considered an individual health care provider site for eligibility determination purposes). Interested health care providers can submit an application, as described below, while their eligibility forms are being evaluated.

Application Timeline. As soon as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approves Program information collection requirements, applications will begin to be accepted. Funding awards will be granted on a rolling basis until the funding is exhausted or the pandemic has ended.

Application Content.

• The FCC does not have a specific application but has mandated application content, which includes, among other things, a description of how patients will benefit from the applicant’s use of telehealth services. A description of the application requirements can be found in the FCC Rule and Order (R&O) at the link included below.

• It is notable that the FCC recognizes that some providers may have been under pre-existing strain (e.g., large underserved or low-income population, health care provider shortages, limited broadband access and/or Internet adoption), and encourages applicants to document such factors in their applications.

• While providers may use the Program to treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19, the Program is not limited to treating those types of patients as long as Program funds are used “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.”

• The FCC will also consider, as part of an application, a showing that telemedicine directly aids in the prevention of pandemic spread by facilitating social distancing and similar measures in the community.

• Applicants will be required to certify that, among other things, they comply with (i) HIPAA and other applicable privacy and reimbursement laws and regulations; (ii) applicable medical licensing laws and regulations; and (iii) applicable Program requirements and procedures.

For more information, the R&O may be accessed at: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-fights-covid-19-200m-adopts-long-term-connected-care-study