COVID-19 Webinar Series

COVID-19 Webinar Series Session 11 – Rural Health System Response

April 22, 2020

Public Health & Prevention

Health Care Stakeholders | Policymakers | Media

COVID-19 Webinar Series Overview

This COVID-19 Webinar Series synthesizes the information in the headlines to provide cohesive insight into the status of the response and remaining gaps in the system that must be addressed to limit the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

Session 11 – Rural Health System Response

About one in five Americans (~60 million) live in rural areas, and research shows that these populations are more likely to experience poor health outcomes and socioeconomic disadvantages than their urban counterparts. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, those issues have only heightened, making it all the more challenging for rural health care entities to care for rural residents. In this webinar, panelists discussed the unique challenges that face rural health systems and the strategies they are employing during the emergency response. They also highlighted current or future legislative and administrative policy solutions.

Panelists

Michael R. Brumage, M.D., MPH, FACP, FACPM, Medical Director, Cabin Creek Health Systems; Director, Preventive Medicine Residency Program, West Virginia University School of Public Health; Medical Officer, West Virginia University Injury Control Research Center
J. Scott Graham, M.S., Chief Executive Officer, Three Rivers Hospital; Chief Executive Officer, North Valley Hospital
Jacob C. Warren, Ph.D., MBA, CRA, Director, Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities, Mercer University
Sarah J. Dash, MPH, President and CEO, Alliance for Health Policy (moderator)

The Alliance for Health Policy gratefully acknowledges the support of the National Institute of Health Care Management (NIHCM) and The Commonwealth Fund for this event.

Agenda

12:00 p.m. – 12:05 p.m. Welcome and Introductions

Sarah J. Dash, MPH

President and CEO, Alliance for Health Policy

@allhealthpolicy

12:05 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Opening Remarks

Michael R. Brumage, M.D., MPH

Medical Director, Cabin Creek Health Systems; Director, Preventative Residency Program, West Virginia University School of Public Health; Medical Officer, West Virginia University Injury Control Research Center

@ MikeBrumageMD

Scott Graham, M.S.

Chief Executive Officer, Three Rivers Hospital and North Valley Hospital

Jacob C. Warren, Ph.D., MBA

Director, Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities, Mercer University

12:20 p.m. –12:45 p.m. Moderated Discussion

Event Resources

Resources by Event

Session 1 – Flattening the Curve

“This is How We Can Beat the Coronavirus.” Carroll, A. and Jha, A. The Atlantic. March 19. 2020. Available at http://allh.us/fHUB.

“How Cities Around the World are Handling COVID-19– and Why We Need to Measure Their Preparedness.” Muggah, R. and Katz, R. World Economic Forum. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/kTBH.

“A ‘Novel Virus’ Means We Have to Take on ‘Novel’ New Ways of Living our Lives Right Now.” Winters, K. Lexington Herald Leader. March 11, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/w9fn.

“The Effect of Travel Restrictions on the Spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak. Chinazzi, M., Davis, J. Ajelli, M., et. al. Science. March 6, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/hBjU.

Session 2 – At the Front Line: Public Health and Health System Challenges

“Leveraging Partnerships Across State Agencies Can Vastly Improve Critical Immunization Efforts.” Kennedy, S. and Wasserman, S. Academy Health. March 23, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Ubtc.

“Are Hospitals Near Me Ready for Coronavirus? Here are Nine Different Scenarios.” Waldman, A. Shaw, A. Ngu A., et. al. ProPublica. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KCPv.

“How Should U.S. Hospitals Prepare for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)?” Chopra, V., Tone, E., Waldhorn, R., et. al. Annals of Internal Medicine. March 11, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/8YwK.

“COVID-19 and Surgery: Resources for the Surgical Community.” American College of Surgeons. March 2020. Available at http://allh.us/YMna.

Session 3 – Leading through Crisis: Perspectives from Governor Michael O. Leavitt

“State Action on Coronavirus (COVID-19).” National Conference of State Legislatures. March 27, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/tDMu.

“COVID-19 Resources for State Leaders.” The Council of State Governments. March 27, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/TDkR.

“Governing in the Time of Coronavirus.” Boston Consulting Group. March 26, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Kyv4.

“Adapting, Learning, and Caring During a Public Health Crisis.” Simpson, L. Academy Health. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/ew4y.

“To Prepare for Coronavirus, Here’s What All of Us Must Do.” Leavitt, M. Fox News. March 5, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/bJ7r.

Session 4 – Health System Capacity: Protecting Frontline Health Workers

“COVID-19: Occupational Licensing During Public Emergencies.” National Conference of State Legislatures. March 24, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/jncQ.

“Keeping the Coronavirus from Infecting Health-Care Workers.” Gawande, A. The New Yorker. March 21, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/aNhy.

“American Hospitals Can Avoid Italy’s Fate.” Gottlieb, S. The Wall Street Journal. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/P9tg.

“Creating the New Normal: The Clinician Response to COVID-19.” Lee, T. NEJM Catalyst. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/vdTf.

“Hospital Readiness for COVID-19: Analysis of Bed Capacity and How it Varies Across the Country.” Blavin, F. and Amos, D. Urban Institute. March 2020. Available at http://allh.us/aHjv.

Session 5 – Health System Capacity: Mobilizing the Supply Chain

“The Defense Production Act is No Cure for Coronavirus.” Antos, J. American Enterprise Institute. March 26, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/7YAE.

“Premier Surveys Hospitals’ Supply Levels in March.” Premier. March 25, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/DWEF.

“The Defense Production Act of 1950: History, Authorities, and Considerations for Congress.” Congressional Research Services. March 2, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/CVuY.

“COVID-19: Managing Supply Chain Risk and Disruption.” Kilpatrick, J. and Barter, L. Deloitte. March 2020. Available at http://allh.us/wb4h.

Session 6 – Legislative and Regulatory Roundup

“The $2 Trillion Federal CARES Act: The Key Financial Assistance Provisions, Key Legislative Changes, and Next Steps.” Foley Hoag, LLP. March 28, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Ecwy.

“Careful or Careless? Perspectives on the CARES Act.” Enda, G., Gale, W., and Haldeman, C. Brookings Institute. March 27, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/h8Un.

“A Visualization of the CARES Act.” Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. March 27, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/AhD9.

“Using Medicaid Waivers to Help States Manage the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis.” Rosenbaum, S. The Commonwealth Fund. To the Point (blog). March 26, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/RucQ.

“COVID-19: WHG Catalogue of Health Agency Guidance and Government Response to COVID-19.” Cowey, T. and LaRosa, J. Wynne Health Group. March 24, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/BgQJ.

“COVID-19 Package #3: The Coverage Provisions.” Keith, K. Health Affairs Blog. March 21, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/fXj6.

“Overview on Using Medicaid to Respond to COVID-19.” Cuello, L. National Health Law Program. March 19, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/hyxu.

“The Families First Coronavirus Response Act: What You Need to Know.” Stauffer, R. and Zimmerman, E. McDermott+ Consulting. March 16, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/FRAJ.

Session 7 – From Data to Decisions: Evaluating State Capacity

Key Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

CoVidActNow. April 2020. Available at http://allh.us/r4YW.

“COVID-19 Projections.” Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). April 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Mp4X.

“Assessing Underlying State Conditions and Ramp-Up Challenges for the COVID-19 Response.” Baumgartner, J., Radley, D., Collins, S., et. al. The Commonwealth Fund. March 25, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/jPJT.

Interactive Tools (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“State Data and Policy Actions to Address Coronavirus.” Kaiser Family Foundation. April 2, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/xnVG.

“Are Hospitals Near Me Ready for Coronavirus? Here are Nine Different Scenarios.” Waldman, A., Shaw, A., Ngu, A., et. al. ProPublica. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KCPv.

Additional Resources(listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening.” Gottlieb, S., Rivers, C., McClellan, M., et. al. American Enterprise Institute. March 28, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/XHFM.

“How Prepared is the U.S. to Respond to COVID-19 Relative to Other Countries?” Kamal, R., Kurani, N. McDermott, D., et. al. Peterson- Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker. March 27, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/hPwT.

“Hospital Readiness for COVID-19: Analysis of Bed Capacity and How it Varies Across the Country.” Blavin, F. and Arnos, D. Urban Institute. March 19, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/yGaM.

“American Hospital Capacity and Projected Need for COVID-19 Patient Care.” Tsai, T., Jacobson, B., and Jha, A. Health Affairs Blog. March 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/rVMx.

“COVID-19: A Stress Test for a U.S. Health Care System Already Under Stress.” Abir, M., Cutter, C., and Nelson, C. Rand Corporation (blog). March 12, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/TEtH.

Session 8 – Advancing Prevention and Treatment: A Conversation with Dr. Mark McClellan

Key Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening.” Gottlieb, S., Rivers, C., McClellan, M., et. al. American Enterprise Institute. March 29, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/h4Mn.

“Advancing Treatments to Save Lives and Reduce the Risk of COVID-19.” Gottlieb, S. and McClellan, M. Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. March 19, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Vfm7.

Interactive Tools (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“Coronavirus Test Tracker: Commercially Available COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests.” 360DX. April 6, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/JGcX.

“COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine Tracker.” FasterCures, a Center of the Milken Institute. April 2020. Available at http://allh.us/96XM.

“Where the U.S. Stands Now on Coronavirus Testing.” Gamio, L., Cai, W., and Hassan, A. The New York Times. March 26, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/NfXg.

Additional Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“What the COVID-19 Pandemic Will Mean for Drug Development.” Stires, H., George, K., Lucas, J., et. al. Avalere Health. April 3, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/cXqf.

“Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)- Industry’s R&D Efforts.” International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations. April 3, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/a9mp.

“COVID-19 Changed How the World Does Science, Together.” Apuzzo, M. and Kirkpatrick, D. The New York Times. April 1, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/BqQr.

“Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Affordability: Existing Mechanisms Should Not Be Overlooked.” Hughes, R., Cappio, K., and Fix, A. Health Affairs Blog. March 30, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/uXFc.

“The Science Behind the Test for the COVID-19 Virus.” Sparks, D. Mayo Clinic. March 28, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/TPRf.

“To Help Develop the Safest, Most Effective Coronavirus Tests, Treatments, and Vaccines, Ensuring Public Access to Clinical Research Data.” Morten, C., Kapcyznski, A., Krumholz, H., et. al. Health Affairs Blog. March 26, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Mrfd.

“Time for a 21^st Century Manhattan Project.” Usdin, S. Biocentury. March 23, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/dFhN.

“U.S. Drug Supply Could Be Affected by Insufficient Information on COVID-19.” Hagen, T. The Center for Biosimilars. March 16, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/8VEm.

Special Issue – Perspectives from the Veterans Health Administration

Key Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“How the Veterans Health Administration is Responding to COVID-19: Q&A with Dr. Richard Stone.” Zephyrin, L., Klein, S., and Hostetter, M. The Commonwealth Fund. To the Point (blog). April 7, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/EmPf.

“COVID-19 Response Plan.” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. April 7, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/xyEY.

Additional Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“’How COVID-19 is Reframing Healthcare in America’ with Dr. David Shulkin, Former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs.” DocWire (podcast). April 6, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/vCNw.

“Veterans Affairs has the Country’s Largest Health System, It Might Prove Useful Against COVID-19.” Dallas Morning News Editorial. The Dallas Morning News. March 29, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/f9jN.

“The Best Health System to React to COVID-19.” Gordon, S., and Craven J. The American Prospect. March 20, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/jrT3.

Session 9 – Social Isolation and Loneliness

Key Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“How the COVID-19 Pandemic Could Increase Social Isolation and How Providers and Policymakers Can Keep Us Connected.” Lewis, C., Shah, T., Jacobson, G., et. al. The Commonwealth Fund. To the Point (blog). April 8, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/BaCH.

“The Gaps in Our Social Safety Net.” Blumenthal, D., Jacobson, G., and Shah, T. The Hill. April 3, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/TXjc.

“A Renewed Commitment to Our Nation’s Older Adults.” Robertson, L. Administration for Community Living. March 25, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/AeYT.

“Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System.” The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Available at http://allh.us/wWGp.

“Association of Social and Behavioral Risk Factors with Earlier Onset of Adult Hypertension and Diabetes.” Pantell, M., Prather, A., Downing, J., et. al. JAMA Network. May 17, 2019. Available at http://allh.us/KPDc.

Additional Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“Addressing Loneliness and Social Isolation in the Medicare Population.” Davis, A. Health IT Consultant. April 9, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/VNEH.

“What Keeps Me Up at Night.” Tradeoffs (podcast). April 9, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/APby.

“How Behavioral Health Care Rules Are Evolving for COVID-19.” Maniar, P. and Kilker, S.J. Law 360. March 31, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/nHTE.

“Tools to Help Advocates Reduce Social Isolation During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Watson, J. Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation. March 31, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KYqP.

“Social Distancing Comes with Psychological Fallout.” Gupta, S. Science Magazine. March 29, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/hCjb.

“How Loneliness From Coronavirus Isolation Takes Its Own Toll.” Wright, R. The New Yorker. March 23, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KvWA.

“COVID-19 Isn’t Just a Danger to Older People’s Physical Health.” Clay, R. American Psychological Association. March 18, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/hqcp.

“How to Fight the Social Isolation of Coronavirus.” Tan, E. AARP. March 16, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/cnCg.

“How Connected Are You?” Connect2Affect. AARP Foundation. 2020. Available at http://allh.us/qbht.

“Cross-Sector Collaborations to Decrease Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older Adults.” Abedini, N., Solway, E., Piette, J., et. al. Health Affairs Blog. June 20, 2019. Available at http://allh.us/4AVn.

“Social Determinants of Health: Social Isolation and Loneliness.” America’s Health Insurance Plans. December 2019. Available at http://allh.us/7axU.

“How Social Isolation is Killing Us.” Khullar, D. The New York Times: The Upshot. December 22, 2016. Available at http://allh.us/kr6g.

Session 10 – The Science and Policy of Vaccine Development

Key Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine Tracker.” FasterCures, a Center of the Milken Institute. April 2020. Available at http://allh.us/3YhC.

Additional Resources (listed chronologically, beginning with the most recent)

“What Will it Take to Get a Coronavirus Vaccine?” Klein, S. and Hostetter, M. The Commonwealth Fund. To the Point (blog). April 14, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/m4QA.

“The Biopharmaceutical Industry is Leading the Way in Developing New Vaccines and Treatments for COVID-19.” PhRMA. April 9, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/kJeQ.

“The COVID-19 Vaccine Development Landscape.” Le, T., Andreadakis, Z., Kumar, A., et. al. Nature. April 9, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/MkcX.

“How We are Fighting COVID-19.” Wilbur, T. PhRMA. The Catalyst (blog). April 8, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/uvwx.

“Moonshot: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine.” FasterCures, a Center of the Milken Institute. April 8, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KxDV.

“Here’s Why We Can’t Rush a COVID-19 Vaccine.” Boyle, P. Association of American Medical Colleges. March 31, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/4Qdu.

“Developing COVID-19 Vaccines at Pandemic Speed.” Lurie, N., Saville, M., Hatchett, R., et. al. The New England Journal of Medicine. March 30, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/bXuy.

“Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Affordability: Existing Mechanisms Should Not Be Overlooked.” Hughes, R., Cappio, K., and Fix, A. Health Affairs Blog. March 30, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/uXFc.

Transcript

(This is an unedited transcript. For accurate quotes and presentations, please refer to the full-event video.)