OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – More recipients of government payments in the Midwest are signing up for direct deposit, but officials say 1.8 million people are still counting on paper checks. That could be a problem because the federal government plans to end paper checks for Social Security and other benefits in March 2013. The Treasury Department says 88 percent of the benefit payments in the Midwest are now being made electronically. That’s up from 85 percent seven months ago. Officials hope the number of people using direct deposit will continue to grow. So reminders will be sent to benefit recipients in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Anyone needing help with the change can call 1-800-333-1795 or visit www.GoDirect.org.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County said Sunday, a Shelby County man was arrested at around 9-a.m. Sunday on a charge of public intoxication. 20-year old Dustin William Martz, of Irwin, was taken into custody on Highway 71,  about one-half mile north of the intersection with Highway 34. Martz was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 cash bond.

A Rural Health Roundtable held at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, Friday, gave area health care providers a chance to speak about issues affecting how they do their jobs and how the Obama administration’s new initiatives might affect them.

Dr. John Bigelow

One of those who spoke was Dr. John Bigelow, Executive Director of the Southwest Iowa Mental Health Clinic in Atlantic. Bigelow mentioned  the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) which is in danger of  closing because a lack of reimbursement from Medicaid and Medicare has cost the hospital nearly $500-million dollars. He said the Affordable Care Act policies are looking to make behavioral health care part of primary care, which is important, because many of the patients he treats have significant health issues. He says statistics show there are a significant number of people who are dealing with depression and anxiety disorders, due in-part to the economy. The economy he says also creates a hardship for those who have to travel about 40-miles or more to receive the limited amount of services they BHU can provide.

A number of surrounding counties he says, don’t have community mental health centers because they weren’t being funded appropriately. Bigelow says the SWIMC is doing better than similar facilities because of Medicaid cost reimbursement, but that only covers about 35% of the clients they serve. CCMH he says, has provided cash flow during times of financial shortage, and the County subsidizes services to individuals who don’t have insurance, but some policies have high deductibles or don’t cover mental health. Bigelow said he was pleased to learn the Health and Human Services Administration (HRSA) has expanded eligibility of the National Health Corps, because it should help to attract mental health professionals to rural communities. He says it took more than seven months to fill the last two positions in his department, because some applicants weren’t qualified to take advantage of financial programs which would allow them to work and repay their loans.

Ed Friedman, a rural health Physician’s Assistant (P.A.) at the Redfield Medical Clinic and an administrator for 26-years, said good legislation, along with reasonable enforcement of those regulations andreimbursement are critical to the delivery of rural health care.  Friedman said the funding of a P.A. education  program by HRSA has made a big difference in bringing licensed P-A’s to Iowa. He says 40-years ago, there were none, now there are 800. Rural Health Clinics he says, have also made a huge difference. Still, he says RHC’s and Community Health Centers need guidance from HRSA on how to collaborate on policies which are confusing, and out-of-date, and those policies need to be integrated into the Affordable Care Act.

P.A. Ed Friedman

A gathering of health care professionals and persons with an interest in rural health care participated in a Rural Health Roundtable held in Atlantic, Friday.

Dr. Mary Wakefield, HRSA Administrator

Keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Mary K. Wakefield, R.N., Administrator of the U-S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Health and Human Services Division (HHS). Wakefield, who was appointed to HRSA by President Obama in 2009, spoke with regard to the Obama Administration’s Rural Council, which was created in June, 2011, and  is led by U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, the former Governor of Iowa.  Wakefield said its new initiatives are aimed at strengthening rural health care infrastructure across the U-S.

She says when he was in Iowa earlier this Summer for a Rural Economic Summitt, President Obama announced two initiatives. An expanded eligibility of the National Health Service Corps, which offers an opportunity for those who are willing to work in under-served rural and urban areas, to have their loans repaid or receive scholarships. She says that will allow hospitals to recruit primary care physicians, practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists and others.

The other initiative, is with regard to Health Information Technology and Jobs Training.  It focuses on the way the use HIT can be expanded in rural areas. She says this past week, $12-million was awarded in rural HIT development nationwide, through HRSA.  $300,000 of that went to two providers in Iowa: Van Buren County Hospital, and the Wright Medical Center. Wakefield also spoke with regard to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She said there are a number of new provisions relevant to small communities, which are designed to improve the health work force infrastructure, help support access to health care services that target chronic illness, and focuses on illness prevention.”

Wakefield said since 2009, Iowa has received $114-million in direct funding, primarily through the ACA. She says of that, $56-million is directed to community health centers. $15-million out of that is for construction and critical renovation of those facilities.  $19-million dollars has been targeted towards the health of women, infants and children. $11.4-million has been allocated to support the next generation of health care providers through partnerships with education. $8-million is coming into the state to support rural health grants. Another $7-million is in the form of Health Information Technology grants to the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care. $8.4-million is for the Iowa Department of Public Health for its Information Health Exchange program.

$190,000 in Quality Improvement grants has also been given to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic from HRSA‘s Office of Rural Health Policy.  Wakefield said input from ongoing roundtables such as that which was held in Atlantic,  will help HRSA compile a report for the President’s Rural Council. The report will be submitted to him in October, along with a copy for Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U-S Department of Health and Human Services.

A report on some of the preliminary work that has been accomplished “Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America,“ can be found at www.whitehouse.gov.

Direct link:
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/08/16/president-announces-new-jobs-initiatives-rural-america