ARHA Member's
Listserv Notice - November 2, 2008
This
information is provided to members of the
***********************************
Return Ballots and
Rural Health Issues Questionnaires by November 10
All active ARHA members
should have received a ballot for the election of new officers and a
questionnaire designed to help ARHA identify the greatest issues involving
rural health in
If you did not receive these
forms by mail, please contact ARHA at arhaadmin@bellsouth.net
and these will be sent to you immediately.
***********************************
A meeting was held in
Clanton on October 23 to discuss possible revisions of the current state income
tax credit for rural
Discussions centered around
the requirement that credit recipients must live and practice in a rural
community, the definition of a rural community, the required admission
privileges in rural hospitals, possibly expanding the amount of the
credit, possibly increasing the number of years for which the credit is
available, requiring that physicians provide service to Medicare and
Medicaid populations to qualify for the credit, and the desires of those
instrumental in passing the original legislation.
A second meeting will be
scheduled in the near future. Please contact ARHA if you have ideas on
enhancing the effectiveness of this legislation.
***********************************
ARHA Trying To
Establish A Rural Interest Group In
The Alabama Rural Health
Association is initiating efforts to establish a Rural Caucus or Rural Interest
Group in
***********************************
Join The Southern Growth Policy Board Listserv
Southern
Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan public policy think tank based in
Supported
by memberships from 13 Southern states — Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, Southern Growth provides a gathering
place for regional collaboration. Southern Growth Policies Board is a private
non-profit organization that is also supported through associate memberships
from corporate, nonprofit and academic institutions, as well as grants,
contracts and corporate sponsorships.
You can receive the Southern Growth Policies Board listserv
(Southern Compass) at no charge by visiting http://www.southerncompassnews.org/.
This listserv provides diverse information on subjects of economic interest,
including healthcare subjects.
***********************************
Income Inequality and Poverty Rising Around the World
According to Growing Unequal—a
report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development—income gaps
have widened over the past two decades in the majority of the world’s
countries. The report found that countries with a wide distribution of income
tend to have more widespread poverty. In addition, social mobility is found to
be lower in countries with high inequality, such as
(Southern Compass - Oct. 27)
***********************************
Census Bureau Announces Expanded Health Insurance Estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau, in conjunction with
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has issued detailed new
estimates on health insurance coverage at the state and county levels. The
Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) provide estimates of health
insurance coverage in 2005 for categories of age, sex, race, Hispanic origin,
and income at the state level, and for categories of age, sex, and income at
the county level. The SAHIE website allows users to create descriptive tables
of insurance coverage for specific geographies, view maps of insurance
coverage, or download the entire dataset.
According to this
information, the percent of residents under 65 years of age in 2005 without
health insurance was highest at 22.7 percent in
(Southern Compass - Oct. 27)
***********************************
HUD Begins Neighborhood Stabilization Program
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development has announced a new Neighborhood Stabilization Program in response
to the continuing foreclosure crisis. The program will help state and local
governments purchase properties that may otherwise be abandoned and fall into
disrepair. Available funds can be used by state or local governments to
purchase the properties, rehabilitate them, demolish them, or to provide down
payment and closing cost assistance to low-income buyers who purchase the
homes. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program is temporary — its $3.92 billion
in funds will be distributed to qualifying areas over a period of 18 months.
Read the entire press release at http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr08-148.cfm
(Southern Compass - Oct. 27)
***********************************
Buy and Sell Free in
the
The Alabama Department of
Agriculture and Industries offers a free agricultural-related classified ads
service for buying and selling. The Alabama Farmers and Consumers
Bulletin is available by mail and on-line at no
charge. Major headings in the current issue of Bulletin include
aquaculture; cattle; Christmas trees; egg & poultry; farms for rent, sale,
wanted; farm labor available & wanted; hay & feeding grain; horses
& mules; livestock, dogs; machinery; miscellaneous; plants, bulbs, & seeds;
rabbits; sheep & goats; swine; syrup, honey, bees; and wanted.
To view the current issue,
subscribe to receive the Bulletin, or place an ad, visit http://www.agi.state.al.us/bulletin-current
***********************************
ARHA NOTES
The Alabama
Rural Health Association wants to greatly expand its visibility in promoting
rural healthcare. Please encourage others sharing your interest in
rural healthcare to become a member. If you are not currently a member of
the Alabama Rural Health Association, you're invited to become a part of this
growing organization with a very important mission - - - "To preserve and
enhance the health for rural citizens of
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The ARHA List-Serve is an informational service provided for members of the Alabama Rural Health Association. To have information included in the ARHA List-Serve or to contact ARHA concerning other needs, please contact the ARHA Executive Director, Dale Quinney.
Dale E. Quinney, Executive Director
Telephone: (334) 281-3866
Facsimile: (334) 206-5434
E-mail: arhaadmin@bellsouth.net