March 2016

News & Information

2017 Budget Sets BHW on Strong Path

The President’s 2017 Budget included $1.27 billion to support the work of the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), which includes $380 million for the National Health Service Corps and $295 million in mandatory funding each year through 2021 for the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education program.  For more details, see the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) full FY 2017 Congressional Budget Justification and Budget Overview fact sheet.

New Web-based Nursing Model

The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis has launched the Nursing Health Workforce Model, a new web-based application to assist researchers and policy makers in projecting the nursing workforce.  The web application allows individuals to examine the future supply of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in relation to the demand for their services, as well as explore alternative scenarios by modifying key parameters, such as graduation rates, attrition, and retirement rates.  To use the application, you must register for an account.

NPDB Data Highlights Distribution of Malpractice Claims

An article recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine uses data from BHW’s National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) to draw conclusions regarding the distribution of malpractice claims among physicians.  The article was co-authored by NPDB Senior Researcher Harnam Singh.

Public Health Notes

Dr. Mary Beth Bigley, director of BHW’s Division of Nursing and Public Health, has published a column in Public Health Reports on HRSA’s work to help transform the way U.S. public health workers are trained.

Webinar Series Highlights Behavioral Health Integration

BHW’s Division of Medicine and Dentistry held its first webinar as part of its new Clinical Tools Quarterly Webinar Series.  The first session, Integrating Behavioral Health Training into Primary Care, included speakers and resources for clinical teaching practices looking for ways to further expand behavioral health training in their curriculum and expand integrated behavioral health/primary care at their facilities.  The next webinar is tentatively planned for April and will focus on Integrating Oral Health and Primary Care. For more details, sign up for “Health Professions Workforce Updates.”

Revised Opioid Overdose Toolkit Now Available

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released a revised version of the Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit, designed to educate first responders, physicians, patients, family members, and community members on ways to prevent opioid overdose.  The Toolkit now includes information on the first FDA-approved nasal spray version of naloxone hydrochloride, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Important NHSC Program Updates

In an effort to better integrate mental and behavioral health with primary care, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) added two changes to the Application and Program Guidance for the 2016 Loan Repayment Program application, which closes on April 5. Mental and behavioral health providers must now spend at least 32 hours each week providing patient care at approved health care sites – the same requirement for NHSC medical and dental providers. Previously, the requirement was 21 hours.  Additionally, mental and behavioral health providers must work in a community-based setting. If the provider works at a private practice, the practice must be affiliated with a community-based facility that provides comprehensive health care services, including mental health.

NHSC, NURSE Corps on LinkedIn

The NHSC and NURSE Corps are now on LinkedIn!  Follow the NURSE Corps and NHSC LinkedIn pages for program updates, valuable resources, and to connect with their respective communities.

BHW Staff Helps Organize Youth Mental Health Course

Operated by the National Council for Behavioral Health, the Youth Mental Health First Aid course introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents.  BHW staff in Kansas City and Denver – working in concert with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Indian Health Service (IHS) staff – recently coordinated an eight-hour Youth Mental Health First Aid course at Pine Ridge Hospital in South Dakota.  Twenty-two people joined the class, including staff from Delta Dental, Pine Ridge IHS, the Tribal child welfare agency, and the local school system.  Visit the National Council’s website to learn more about adult and youth courses, or find a course near you.

Workforce Calendar

March 19 – 2016 National Association of Community Health Centers Policy & Issues Forum, with guest speaker Dr. Luis Padilla, BHW Acting Associate Administrator.

March 21-22 – National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC) meeting, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. E.T.

March 22 – NURSE Corps Scholarship Program Application TA Call, 7-9 p.m. E.T. To dial-in, call 888-790-3148, and use passcode 2128624.

March 23 – Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Virtual Job Fair for NFLP student borrowers. Subscribe for event updates here.  Registration instructions will be posted closer to the date of the event.

March 24 – NHSC Scholarship Application and Program Guidelines Webinar, 7 – 9 p.m. E.T. For audio, dial 888-566-6151, and use passcode 5672258.

March 29 – Site registration opens for the May Virtual Job Fair.

March 31 – Public Health Town Hall with the Division of Nursing and Public Health, 2-3:30 p.m. For audio, dial 888-390-0955, and use passcode 8592240.

April 5 at 7:30 p.m. – Deadline to submit 2016 NHSC Loan Repayment Program application.

April 7-8 – Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) meeting, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. E.T.

April 12 – The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) site application cycle begins on April 12, 2016, and closes June 7, 2016.

April 12 – Clinical Tools Webinar Series - Integrating Oral Health into Primary Care, 2-3:30 p.m.  E.T. For audio, dial 888-469-2091, passcode 6130745.

April 13 – Interested in becoming an NHSC Ambassador? Join the Ambassador 101 Conference Call, 4-5 p.m. E.T. E-mail NHSCAmbassador@hrsa.gov for dial-in information.

April 14 – NHSC Scholarship Program Technical Assistance Conference Call, 7 – 9 p.m. E.T., call 888-566-6151, and use passcode 9730122.

April 19 – Job seeker registration opens for the May NHSC Virtual Job Fair.  Sign up to receive VJF updates.

April 19 – Maximize Your Ambassador Profile Webinar, 3 p.m. E.T. E-mail NHSCAmbassador@hrsa.gov for dial-in information.

April 27-28 – Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD) meeting, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. E.T.

April 28 at 7:30 p.m. – Deadline to submit 2016 NHSC Scholarship application.

April 30 – NURSE Corps Scholarship Program Application TA Call No. 2, 2:30-4:30 p.m. E.T.  To dial-in, call 888-790-3148, and use passcode 2128624.

Knowledge Now

Zika Virus Resources

Everything you need to know about the Zika virus, including travel alerts, questions and answers, and much more, is available through various U.S. Department of Health and Human Services resources, including CDC guidelines issued in February.

Did You Know?

Million Hearts Resources
The Department of Health and Human Service’s Million Hearts program provides tools to enhance treatment efforts for heart disease and stroke prevention, including a Patient Visit Checklist for health care providers; a Heart Age Calculator; and a Hypertension Prevalence Estimator.  For more Million Hearts program updates, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) subscription page.

VICP, CICP: No-fault Alternatives to Traditional Legal System

Most people who get vaccines have no serious problems. However, in very rare cases, a vaccine can cause a serious problem.  In these instances, HRSA’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) may provide financial compensation to individuals who are found to be injured by a VICP-covered vaccine.  For more information on the VICP, visit the VICP website, or call toll free 1-800-338-2382.  Additionally, HRSA’s Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) provides benefits to individuals who are seriously injured as a direct result of the administration or use of a covered countermeasure used to prevent, diagnose, or treat certain diseases, health conditions, and more.  For additional details, visit the CICP website, or call toll free 1-800-338-2382.

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