On December 4, the special interim committee reviewing North Dakota’s five-year, $100-million-per-year rural health proposal will meet to finalize the plan, which will require approval in a special session.
The grant comes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and is administered through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The proposal was submitted to CMS in November, and a decision on awarding the money should come by the end of the year.
The key points of the proposed North Dakota plan include strengthening and stabilizing the rural health workforce, a proposal to “Make North Dakota Healthy Again,” bringing high-quality healthcare closer to home, and a proposal to connect tech, data and providers.
More specifically, the proposal spotlights such things as suicide prevention, reducing chronic disease, and increasing telehealth.
North Dakota Health and Human Services held a number of listening sessions around the state to help craft the plan. So, lawmakers on that committee will meet, and once the plan is completely agreed to, it will be submitted. And that sets the stage for a special session.
Pardoning the turkey
This week, a ceremony was held at the Capitol to pardon a turkey for Thanksgiving. This has happened at the state level since the Link administration, and it mirrors the tradition of the President of the United States issuing a “pardon” at Thanksgiving.
As a part of the state ceremony, the Turkey Growers Federation donated turkeys to the Abused Adult Resource Center, and to the local Soup Café.
North Dakota raises about a million turkeys per year.
This one was a 40-pound tom. Yes, a “Big Bird.” And this one was talkative.
I remember earlier ceremonies where a turkey tried to attack a reporter, or tried to run away. It’s always fun, and it’s also for a good cause.