What's New
Health Center Program Statutory Change: Direct Employment of
Health Center CEO/Project Director
HRSA continues to assess changes made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of
2018 to section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. The law now
requires a health center to directly employ its Chief Executive
Officer (CEO)/Project Director (Section 330 (k)(3)(H)(ii)). HRSA anticipates
releasing an updated Compliance Manual and compliance-related
tools (i.e., Site Visit Protocol, Conditions Library) to align with statutory
changes by July 2018. HRSA will begin assessing compliance with this new
requirement through fiscal year (FY) 2019 Service Area Competition applications
and operational site visits occurring after release of the updated Compliance
Manual.
HRSA encourages all health centers that do not
directly employ their CEO/Project Director to begin any necessary changes in
employment arrangements in accordance with this statutory requirement.
SAM.gov Financial Information Review Request
HRSA advises entities registered in SAM.gov to log in and review their registration information, particularly
their financial information. Read Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from the General Services
Administration.
SAM.gov Initial Registration Change
Organizations registering in SAM.gov for the first time must complete an additional step. The
submission must include an original, signed notarized letter identifying the
authorized Entity Administrator. Learn more in an FAQ from the Federal Service Desk.
Health
Center Site Visits and HRSA’s Diabetes Quality Improvement Initiative
As a part of the HRSA Health Center Program Diabetes Quality
Improvement Initiative and consistent with the Site
Visit Protocol, operational site visits in 2018 will
include a review of the Uniform Data System (UDS) diabetes measure and action
planning using root cause analysis. Health centers will identify three actions
to improve or sustain their performance on the measure and input the action
plan in the HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). Subsequent to the site visit, Project
Officers will monitor health centers’ progress in implementing their action
plans. Make sure your health center registers for Action Plan privileges in the
EHBs. Watch a video
to learn more.
Executive
Search for MCHB Associate Administrator
HRSA has begun a national search for an
executive to serve as Associate Administrator to lead its Maternal and Child
Health Bureau (MCHB). HRSA’s maternal and child health programs aim to ensure
the health and well-being of women and children across their lives. If the
selected applicant is a physician, he/she may be eligible for a Physicians’
Comparability Allowance up to $30,000 a year. The vacancy announcements close
April 25.
Physician applicants | Non-physician applicants
 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Opportunities
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NHSC Loan Repayment Program
Primary care medical, dental, and behavioral health clinicians can receive up to $50,000 to repay their health profession student loans in exchange for a two-year commitment to work at NHSC-approved sites in high-need, underserved areas. Applications are due Monday, April 23, by 7:30 p.m. ET. Learn more about the NHSC Loan Repayment Program.
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NHSC State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) Notice of Funding Opportunity
Eligible state and U.S. territory entities may apply for the NHSC SLRP to assist them in operating their state educational loan repayment programs for primary care providers serving in Health Professional Shortage Areas in their state. This year, SLRP has added a new discipline, substance abuse counselors, to the list of health professionals who may apply for the program in their state. Applications are due Monday, May 7, by 11:59 p.m. ET. Prospective applicants should visit the NHSC SLRP page for more information or the HRSA Grants page to begin the application process.
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NHSC Scholarship Program
Students in eligible health disciplines can receive payment for tuition, fees, and other educational costs, as well as a living stipend, in exchange for serving two years at NHSC-approved sites in medically underserved rural, urban, and tribal communities. Applications are due Thursday, May 10. Learn more about the NHSC Scholarship program.
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Behavioral Health Virtual Job Fair
and Training
HRSA will host a Behavioral Health Virtual Job Fair on Wednesday, April 11, 6:45-10:15 p.m. ET. Employer registration
has closed. Job seekers may register until the event.
Two speakers
will present during the job fair. CEUs and CMEs may be available for select
behavioral health professionals. Register as a job seeker (even if you’re not
job hunting) to participate in the training sessions:
- Basic Tenets of Pain Management, 7:00-8:15 p.m. ET, Melissa Weimer, DO, MCR
- The
Importance of Mentoring for the Behavioral Health Workforce in Integrated Care
Settings, 8:30-9:45 p.m. ET, Helene Silverblatt, MD
National
Advisory Council on Migrant Health Requesting Nominations
HRSA
requests nominations to the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health
(NACMH). NACMH consults with and makes recommendations to the HHS Secretary and
the HRSA Administrator concerning the organization, operation, selection, and
funding of migrant health centers under section 330 of the PHS Act. Read additional information on the request for nominations in the Federal
Register Notice
Reminder: 2018 Million Hearts®
Hypertension Control Challenge Deadline is April 6
Friday, April 6 is the deadline
to enter the 2018 Million Hearts® Hypertension Control
Challenge. This competition identifies
clinicians, practices, and health systems that have demonstrated exceptional
achievements in working with their patients to control hypertension.
FY 2018 Title X Services Funding
Opportunity Announcement
The HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) recently released the FY 2018 funding opportunity
announcement for the Title X program. This funding
opportunity is for all 60 geographic service areas. Applications are due
Thursday, May 24, by 6:00 p.m. ET. View a webinar recording and resources.
Resources
Health Center Learning Event - Bright
Futures: Addressing Childhood Obesity
This HRSA initiative aims to reduce childhood obesity through
better prevention and management within primary care settings. This training
event will introduce Bright Futures
Guidelines, including the development and testing of a training and
implementation tool for use by health center-based primary care clinicians and
innovative health information technology for demonstrating improvements in the
delivery of effective care.
Tuesday, April 10
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 1-800-369-3328
Passcode: 1353412
NACHC’s Pharmacy Office Hours
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a
HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), is offering a new monthly
opportunity for health center and Primary Care Association staff to discuss and
learn about pharmacy and 340B activities. Office hours occur the third Thursday
of each month at 2:00 p.m. ET. Join office hours the day of the
session. This link will work for all sessions; use it to access call-in
information.
The
next session is:
Patient
Definition
Thursday, April 19
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Submit
a question in advance
Each
session begins with updates and a short presentation on a specific topic; Q&A
and discussion take up the bulk of the time. A recording will be available in
MyNACHC afterwards.
Addressing
Health Disparities and Their Role With Diabetes Treatment
According to 2016 UDS data,
HRSA-funded health centers served more than 16 million patients who identified
as a racial and/or ethnic minority, representing 62% of the total patients. In
recognition of National Minority Health Month, learn more about health
disparities, impacts to the health system, and ways to address the social and
health issues that increase the risk of health disparities by using the HHS
National Partnership for Action Toolkit for Community Action.
Learn
strategies for tailoring diabetes prevention and treatment activities in the Improving Care and Promoting Health in
Populations section
of the American Diabetes Association’s 2018 Standards of Medical Care in
Diabetes.
Diabetes Quality Improvement Talks: Using Enabling Services to Prevent Lower
Extremity Amputations
The next Diabetes Quality Improvement Talk
focuses on the social factors that can increase an individual’s risk of lower
extremity amputation and steps to reduce the risk for amputation.
Thursday, April 26
2:00-3:30 pm. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 800-619-2521
Passcode: 2503524
New
Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual
HRSA’s National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center has
released the 2nd edition of their Safety Net
Dental Clinic Manual. Developed by a team of experts, it aims to
help safety net dental clinic directors, administrators, and others address a
wide range of issues related to clinic development and operations, and others
including:
- Essential Elements
- Facilities and Staffing
- Finances
- Administrative Operations
- Quality Management
- Clinical Operations
The manual also includes supply
lists, floor plans, photographs, budget worksheets, quality-improvement plans,
fact sheets, websites, and additional oral health resources. You can quickly
find what you need through the interactive site index.
Suicide Prevention Roundtable
Discussion for Regions 1 and 5
Join
the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions for a regionally-focused
and interactive roundtable discussion on suicide prevention with a special
focus on the LGBTQ population. The discussion format is tailored for health
centers, including specific intervention topics to help providers meet the
needs of their community. Joining the discussion will be subject matter experts
from the nationally recognized Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Tuesday,
April 10
3:30-4:30 p.m. ET
Register
now
Assessing
Risk and Strategies to Address Compliance in Your Dental Department – Recording
Available
HRSA and The Joint Commission recently hosted a technical assistance (TA)
session highlighting risk assessment and strategies to provide support in health
centers’ dental departments. Speakers discussed the safety and quality
challenges faced by organizations providing dental care and highlighted the
most challenging standards cited in dental settings. Access an audio recording and presentation slides.
Tribal Grants Education and TA Series
HRSA introduces a TA webinar series for tribes, tribal
organizations, Indian health, tribal and urban Indian health programs.
Learn
about the federal grant application process, how to write better grant
proposals and evaluation plans for projects, strategies for successful grant
management, and more. Participants can also connect with HRSA subject matter
experts, grant reviewers, and peers to discuss best practices and barriers to
successful grants application and management. They will also receive up-to-date
grant resources and information on open and upcoming funding opportunities.
Webinars
take place on the second Wednesday of every month from 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET,
beginning next week:
Federal
Grant Application Process: The Basics: Where to Find Funding Opportunities,
Grants Resources & Technical Assistance
Wednesday, April 11
Register
here
For
more information and/or if you have suggestions for webinar topics, please contact Nancy Rios.
Learning Collaboratives For Older Adult/Elder
Care
The National Center for Equitable
Care for Elders, a HRSA-funded NCA, is recruiting for two learning collaboratives: 1) Integrating Primary Care, Oral Health, and Behavioral Health
for Older Adults, and 2) Care Coordination for Elders with Diabetes and Other
Chronic Conditions. The first will examine the interplay between chronic
co-morbid conditions (medical, dental, and behavioral) and the role
polypharmacy plays. The second will examine the various models of coordinated
care and referral processes for older adults with diabetes and identify best
practices. Both will run from April to June via video conferencing calls. Apply
by April 6.
In
case you missed it:
Read
last week’s Primary Health Care Digest.
To learn more about HRSA and
its programs:
Sign
up for the biweekly “HRSA eNews” newsletter.
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