I am excited to announce a recent reorganization of HRSA.

The sustained growth of HRSA over the past decade speaks to our mission of improving health and access to care for people who are geographically isolated, or economically or medically vulnerable. Our reorganization will better position us to meet our priorities in the changing health care landscape.

HRSA has a new Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs to coordinate our broad range of stakeholder engagement, an Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) in the Office of the Administrator to serve as HHSs focal point for fostering the use of telehealth broadly, a Provider Relief Bureau (PRB) to manage and distribute financial support for health care providers as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and an Office of Special Health Initiatives (OSHI) to oversee the 340B Drug Pricing Program as well as several cross-cutting HRSA activities related to clinical care. The reorganization also includes internal realignments that will help us more efficiently manage our grants. All of these changes will bolster HRSAs ability to serve our stakeholders, improve health and achieve health equity.

You can see our currentorganization chart on the HRSA website. More details of the HRSA reorganization are available in the Federal Register.

Thank you for your commitment and partnership during these challenging times.

Diana Espinosa
Acting Administrator

August 27 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $10.7 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to expand pediatric mental health care access by integrating telehealth services into pediatric care. The awards were made through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Read the release.

Congress provided $178 billion in funding to establish the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) program that gives financial support to providers who have faced lost revenues and increased expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning, we have played a lead role in administering the PRF program and disbursing the funds as quickly as possible. With the expansion of the program, information previously hosted on the HHS website is now available on the HRSA website.We have made all archived content available to the public.

The 2022 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle is now open. This year, you can apply if you are a physician assistant (PA) student in your final-year of school.

Additionally, you can applyfor awards of up to $120,000 if you are a final year student studying to become a:

In exchange, you must commit to three years of providing primary care services at NHSC-approved sites in high-need underserved areas.

Application Deadline: Thursday,November 4, 7:30 p.m. ET.

Weve published new research briefs exploring:

The briefs were developed through the Uniform Data System (UDS) Mapper, a tool that helps evaluate the geographic reach, penetration, and growth of the Health Center Program and its relationship to other federally-linked health resources.

Visit the Health Center Research and Evaluation webpage to view the briefs and other resources that highlight ongoing health center research.

Research shows that communities of color, older adults, people with lower educational levels, and families of low-income aremore likely to experience limited digital access.

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) published a brief on how federal agencies and states are expanding digital access to improve digital equity and access to care through:

In addition, the ASTHO interview with Craig Settles, a broadband expert with more than 30 years of experience, explores broadband redlining, how pervasive it can be, and why the solutions will need to be community driven.

HRSAs National Organizations of State and Local Officials Cooperative Agreement provided support for these resources.

The mental health needs of school-aged childrenandyouthhave beenincreasingfor over a decade,atrendwhichhas been amplified by the pandemic.The American Rescue Plan Actcontainsseveral provisions thatprovide funding to state and local education agencies to support students returning to school, including by strengthening school mental health systems.

HRSAs National Organizations of State and Local Officials Cooperative Agreement provided support for this National Association of State Health Policy blog.