Rural Dispatch: Jan. 31, 2023

It’s ‘Telehealth vs. No Care’: Doctors Say Congress Risks Leaving Patients Vulnerable
By Sarah Jane Tribble Congress’ $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package included a two-year extension of pandemic-era funding that helped telehealth services grow nationwide. But that cash bridge, embraced by those delivering services to patients in rural areas, doesn’t provide much certainty for the future of remote medicine.

Wave of Rural Nursing Home Closures Grows Amid Staffing Crunch
By Tony Leys Many small-town care facilities that remain open are limiting admissions, citing a lack of staff, while a wave of others shutter. That means more patients are marooned in hospitals or placed far away from their families.

After a Brief Pandemic Reprieve, Rural Workers Return to Life Without Paid Leave
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Coastal and politically progressive states have passed stronger paid sick and family leave policies, but many workers in rural America are left out, facing tough decisions when choosing between caring for themselves or sick family members or keeping their jobs.

Rural Seniors Benefit From Pandemic-Driven Remote Fitness Boom
By Christina Saint Louis When the pandemic began, senior service agencies hustled to rework health classes to include virtual options for older adults. Now that isolation has ended, virtual classes remain. For seniors in rural areas, those classes have broadened access to supervised physical activity.

A $30 Million Gift to Build an Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had to Run It.
By Bram Sable-Smith Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and chairman of his own charitable foundation, gave $30 million to build an addiction treatment center in the central Illinois community where he farms. But the money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, so the clinic is on its own to keep it running.

Transgender People in Rural America Struggle to Find Doctors Willing or Able to Provide Care
By Helen Santoro Many health professionals in rural areas don’t know how to provide gender-affirming care, leaving transgender patients with few options.

As States Seek to Limit Abortions, Montana Wants to Redefine What Is Medically Necessary
By Katheryn Houghton Montana officials are looking to tighten rules around medically necessary abortions for those who use Medicaid as their health insurance. Reproductive health advocates and Democratic lawmakers have said the move is part of a broader agenda to whittle away access to the procedure.

Montana Pharmacists May Get More Power to Prescribe
By Keely Larson Supporters of a proposed law say it would fill a health provider gap in rural areas, while doctors worry it will give pharmacists power outside the scope of their education.

In North Carolina, More People Are Training to Support Patients Through an Abortion
By Claire Donnelly, WFAE In the months since Roe v. Wade was overturned, training groups in North Carolina have seen an uptick in interest from people wanting to become abortion doulas.

Telehealth Brings Expert Sexual Assault Exams to Rural Patients
By Arielle Zionts Some rural residents must travel hours for a sexual assault exam. Specialized telehealth services are expanding so they can obtain care closer to home.

Behavioral Telehealth Loses Momentum Without a Regulatory Boost
By Darius Tahir As flexible treatment options spurred by the covid pandemic wane, patients relying on medications classified as controlled substances worry that without action to extend the loosened rules, it’ll be harder to get their meds.

Will Your Smartphone Be the Next Doctor’s Office?
By Hannah Norman Entrepreneurs see smartphones as an opportunity to meet patients where they are. But many app-based diagnostic tools still need clinical validation to get buy-in from health care providers.

Medicaid and Abortion Top Health Agenda for Montana Lawmakers
By Keely Larson State lawmakers say their health care goals for the new legislative session are to lower costs and improve access to care. They’ll have to grapple with a full slate of other issues, as well.

Luring Out-of-State Professionals Is Just the First Step in Solving Montana’s Health Worker Shortage
By Keely Larson Two proposals would make it easier for professionals with out-of-state licenses to work in Montana, but that tactic likely won’t be enough to fill the demand for mental health providers.

Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.