Rural Telehealth and Education Enhancement Act of 2023

United Spinal Association advocated for and expressed thanks to Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) for championing the passage of a resolution designating September 2023 as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. United Spinal Association, as a member of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) and several of its task forces, signed on to a letter commending and thanking the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, and Melanie Fontes Rainer, Director Office for Civil Rights for the publication of its historic proposed rule, Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities - the 504 rule/Rehabilitation Act. United Spinal Association, along with numerous other disability organizations, as members of the Disability Rehabilitation Research Consortium, signed a letter to the bipartisan leadership of the U. S. Senates Committee on Appropriations, expressing serious concerns with the proposed $14 billion in cuts and eliminations of programs for the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in the House of Representatives proposed FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) appropriations bill. On September 26, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it had people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the NIH. United Spinal Association, as a member of the Disability Rehabilitation Research Coalition along with numerous other organizations, has long sought the designation. United Spinal, along with numerous other disability organizations, as members of the Disability Rehabilitation Research Consortium (DRRC), signed a letter to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) expressing the need to the agencies to move forward with the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Diversity, Subgroup on Individuals with Disabilities recommendation to recognize people with disabilities as a health disparities population. United Spinal, along with 1,290 healthcare providers, researchers, caregivers, organizations, and people with disabilities signed on to a letter urging the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to reconsider the recent National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) working group recommendation to reject designating people with disabilities as a health disparities population. On 9.19.23 United Spinal Association submitted the following question for the 9.21.23 @ 2:00pm White House Office of Public Engagement Aging and Disability Communities Call: Will the President assist to reconsider NIMHD working group recommendation to reject designating people with disabilities as a health disparities population? United SpinalAssociation, along with numerous other disability organizations, as members of the Disability Rehabilitation Research Consortium (DRRC), met with National Institutes of Health (NIH) leaders, Dr. Alison Cernich, Deputy Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Dr. Theresa Hayes Cruz, Director, NICHD National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). Discussion topics included: Current Status of Disability and Rehabilitation Research at NIH Status of ACD Recommendations and DEIA at NIH Engagement with Other Federal Agencies FY 2024 Appropriations and Funding of NIH Policy staff also asked about any response that had been received from researchers to: Home and Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions to Improve the Health of Wheelchair Users (R01 Clinical Trial Required): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-22-017.html Dr. Cruz responded, We received a strong number of applications to this RFA and were able to fund two R01s. United Spinal Association supports H.R. 5308 - Rural Telehealth and Education Enhancement Act of 2023, reauthorizing the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which allocates grants to assist rural communities in acquiring the essential technology and training needed to establish connections between educational and medical experts, students, teachers, and patients residing in rural areas. United Spinal Association met with NIDILRR, along with other staleholders, as part of the ITEM Coalition, to dsicuss improved access to bowel and bladder management supplies under Medicare. United Spinal Association endorsed MS Coalition comments to ICER reagrding evaluation of patient-reported outcomes in regards to MS therapies. United Spinal Association supported, as part of the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilition, Rep. Pascrells NDAA amendments that would require the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct two separate studies on (1) eliminating outpatient rehabilitation limits for active duty servicemembers suffering from TBI; and (2) recognizing non-governmental bodies for accrediting brain injury treatment programs for servicemembers. These studies will provide critical information to the Department of Defense and Congress about the possible expansion of rehabilitation treatment to our service members that have suffered a brain injury while serving this great country.