Repayment by VA of Educational Loans for Certain Psychiatrists. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is adding to its medical regulations a program for the repayment of educational loans for certain psychiatrists who agree to a period of obligated service with VA. This program is intended to increase the pool of qualified VA psychiatrists and increase veterans' access to mental health care.

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program. Final rule.

This final rule makes regulatory changes to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) based on the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. These changes strengthen requirements to protect the health and safety of children in child care; help parents make informed consumer choices and access information to support child development; provide equal access to stable, high-quality child care for low-income children; and enhance the quality of child care and the early childhood workforce.

Caregivers program. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopts, with changes, the interim final rule concerning VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. VA administers this program to provide certain medical, travel, training, and financial benefits to caregivers of certain veterans and servicemembers who were seriously injured during service on or after September 11, 2001. Also addressed in this rulemaking is the Program of General Caregiver Support Services that provides support services to caregivers of veterans from all eras who are enrolled in the VA health care system. Specifically, changes in this final rule include a requirement that Veterans be notified in writing should a Family Caregiver request revocation (to no longer be a Family Caregiver), an extension of the application timeframe from 30 days to 45 days for a Family Caregiver, and a change in the stipend calculation to ensure that Primary Family Caregivers do not experience unexpected decreases in stipend amounts from year to year.

Microfinance and poverty reduction: evidence from a village study in Bangladesh.

To evaluate the competing claims on the impact of microfinance programs on multidimensional poverty, a village study in Bangladesh was conducted where three microfinance programs had been operating for more than five years. The study found that microfinance has resulted in a moderate reduction in the poverty of borrowers, as measured by a variety of socio-economic indicators, but has not reached many of the poorest in the village. To make microfinance a more effective means of poverty reduction other services such as skills training, technological support, education and health related strategies should be included with microfinance.

ARRA and the HIM workforce.

The success of health IT will hinge on how well it is planned and managed. Provisions in the stimulus bill that promote professional support and fund training offer exceptional opportunities to HIM programs, individuals, and the profession.

Hot Topic: Title IV-E MSW Education and "Intent to Stay" in Public Child Welfare.

The 2018 proposed Family First Prevention Services Act suggests a change in the funding formula of Title IV-E of the Social Security Act-from entitlement to block grants. This study aimed to support the continuation of entitlement support based on the evidence that Title IV-E educational programs are effective in improving retention after the workers have obtained an MSW degree. Using a multigroup, multiple regression approach, this study analyzed secondary data collected from an e-survey sent to public child welfare (PCW) workers in a southern state. Data from 1,025 workers compare "intent to stay" (ITS) factors between PCW workers who received and those who did not receive the Title IV-E MSW educational stipend. The main analysis was conducted using Mplus version 7.4, with R version 3.3.2 used for data screening. Findings indicate that Title IV-E-supported education moderates the strength of the following ITS factors: respect from coworkers, team cohesion, self-assessed skills in working with special needs clients, and holding an MSW degree. MSW holders expressed lower ITS levels unless they had received Title IV-E stipends. These results provide evidence that Title IV-E education could help retain MSW graduates in PCW.

Impact of Title VII training programs on community health center staffing and national health service corps participation.

PURPOSE: Community health centers (CHCs) are a critical component of the health care safety net. President Bush's recent effort to expand CHC capacity coincides with difficulty recruiting primary care physicians and substantial cuts in federal grant programs designed to prepare and motivate physicians to practice in underserved settings. This article examines the association between physicians' attendance in training programs funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII Section 747 Primary Care Training Grants and 2 outcome variables: work in a CHC and participation in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP). METHODS: We linked the 2004 American Medical Association Physician Master-file to HRSA Title VII grants files, Medicare claims data, and data from the NHSC. We then conducted retrospective analyses to compare the proportions of physicians working in CHCs among physicians who either had or had not attended Title VII-funded medical schools or residency programs and to determine the association between having attended Title VII-funded residency programs and subsequent NHSC LRP participation. RESULTS: Three percent (5,934) of physicians who had attended Title VII-funded medical schools worked in CHCs in 2001-2003, compared with 1.9% of physicians who attended medical schools without Title VII funding (P<.001). We found a similar association between Title VII funding during residency and subsequent work in CHCs. These associations remained significant (P<.001) in logistic regression models controlling for NHSC participation, public vs private medical school, residency completion date, and physician sex. A strong association was also found between attending Title VII-funded residency programs and participation in the NHSC LRP, controlling for year completed training, physician sex, and private vs public medical school. CONCLUSIONS: Continued federal support of Title VII training grant programs is consistent with federal efforts to increase participation in the NHSC and improve access to quality health care for underserved populations through expanded CHC capacity.

A wake up call for nurses.

The purpose of NIWI is to provide nurses the opportunity to learn how to influence health care through the legislative and regulatory processes. Participants learn from health policy experts and government officials, network with other nurses, and visit members of Congress. This paper reflects this educational process by providing an overview of the current nursing shortage and the presentation of a new bipartisan Bill (S.1604) introduced to Congress on June 13, 2007 to increase efforts to help control the current and continuing nursing shortage in the United States.

30% of Recent Family Medicine Graduates Report Participation in Loan Repayment Programs.

Rising educational debt may discourage entry into primary care and practice in safety net settings, but little is known about participation in loan repayment programs that are thought to be part of the solution. A survey of 2052 recent family physician residency graduates found that 30% pursued loan repayment, only a portion of which is tied to service obligations, suggesting opportunities for research and areas for the attention of policymakers.