What's New
Updated Health Center Program Support Contact Form
We updated our Health Center Program Support (HCPS) Contact Form earlier this month. It features a new look, an easier way to verify and update your contact information, and the option to upload supporting files at the same time you request assistance. If you have trouble using the form, contact the HCPS team at 877-464-4772, and select Option 2.
You can also share your feedback about the new form, including ways to improve it, by either calling the HCPS team or using the form and selecting “Neither” on the “Health Center or EHBs Question” page.
California Wildfires Recovery and Operations
For health centers impacted by the wildfires in California, please visit the Health Center Program disaster relief page for important guidance documents and resources, including information on connecting with your Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator.
Physical Activity Guidelines
HHS recently released the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting. It provides evidence-based recommendations for youth ages 3 through adults to safely get the physical activity they need to stay healthy. There are new key guidelines for children ages 3 through 5 and updated guidelines for youth ages 6 through 17, adults, older adults, women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, adults with chronic health conditions, and adults with disabilities.
Review Process for Service Area Competition or Renewal of Designations Applications
This new graphic illustrates what to expect after submitting a Service Area Competition (SAC) or Renewal of Designation (RD) application to HRSA. Take a look to learn more about the updated HRSA review process.
A new quick reference guide tells SAC and RD applicants how to manage correspondence requests from HRSA about their application. It will help you respond quickly to the 14-day turnaround time in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks.
For more details, check out our fiscal year 2019 SAC and RD application and review award process Frequently Asked Questions.
Health Centers Recognized as Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions
The Million Hearts® Initiative and CDC recognized five HRSA-funded health centers (out of 18 total organizations) as 2018 Hypertension Control Champions for their success in achieving blood pressure control rates for at least 80% of their adult patients with hypertension through innovative approaches.
Visit the Million Hearts® website to find a map of all of the Champions, read previous Champion’s success stories, and find evidence-based tools and resources to share with your colleagues and partners to improve blood pressure control. If you missed it, check out the recent Vital Signs report on preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes.
HUD Policy Brief on Housing Choice Vouchers: Understanding the Impact and Potential for Health Centers
The Corporation for Supportive Housing, a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), published a policy brief exploring the role that health centers can play in linking eligible individuals to sustainable, affordable housing and providing health care to participants in HUD’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides housing stability through rental assistance.
Final Week: HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau launches Remote Pregnancy Monitoring Challenge
HRSA launched a Remote Pregnancy Monitoring Challenge, with submissions for Phase 1 accepted through Tuesday, November 27.
Many women who are low-income in both rural and urban communities face personal barriers (e.g., work, childcare, transportation, education, culture, and language), health system barriers (e.g., hours of operation and lack of services), and environmental barriers (e.g., location and connectivity or cell phone coverage) in accessing prenatal care. This challenge will award up to $375,000 over three phases for innovative solutions that increase remote and virtual access to quality care for low-income pregnant women. Such innovations may include alleviating barriers to quality.
NACMH Meeting
The National Advisory Council on Migrant Health (NACMH) met last week in Bethesda, Maryland for its biannual meeting. The Council heard presentations from federal officials and experts on issues facing agricultural workers, including the status of agricultural worker health. NACMH advises, consults with, and makes recommendations to the HHS Secretary regarding the organization, operation, selection, and funding of migrant health centers and other entities funded under section 330(g) of the PHS Act.
Front row, left to right: Wilma Alvarado-Little, Associate Commissioner, New York State Department of Health (Presenter); Sharon Brown-Singleton, North Carolina; Susana Castro, Illinois; Deborah L. Salazar, Colorado.
Middle row, left to right: Rogelio Aguilar, Idaho; Gary Skoog, New York; Adriana Andres-Paulson, California; Amy Snipes, Pennsylvania; Stephanie Triantafillou, North Carolina.
Back row, left to right: Daniel Jaime, Florida; William A. Morgan, Pennsylvania; Amanda Phillips-Martinez, Georgia; Christopher W. LaBarge, Maryland.
Resources
 This National Diabetes Month, we encourage you to check out relevant resources and opportunities from our partners:
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Health Center Program Diabetes Webpage and Special Edition Digest
Last week, the Health Center Program launched its Diabetes Quality Improvement Initiative webpage, which includes diabetes data, information about the initiative and its goals, resources, and promising practices.
We also published a diabetes-focused special edition of the Digest. It is a year in review covering health center diabetes data from 2017, the Health Center Program Diabetes Quality Improvement Initiative, promising practices, technical assistance, and resources.
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Oral Health and Diabetes for Patients Experiencing Homelessness
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) and National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC), both HRSA-funded NCAs, are partnering to present a webinar on oral health and diabetes for patients experiencing homelessness. There is a heavy burden of periodontal disease and diabetes for individuals experiencing homelessness due to the barriers they experience to health care. This webinar will review the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes, barriers to health care, and prevalence of diabetes and periodontal disease in this population. This webinar will also feature health center experiences with treating patients who experience homelessness.
Tuesday, November 27
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
1.0 Continuing Dental Education (CDE) credit is available
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Advancing Oral and Primary Health Care Integration to Support Diabetes Prevention and Management Webinar
HRSA will host a webinar that focuses on the relationship and importance between oral health care and diabetes prevention and management in health center settings. Presenters will highlight HRSA and CDC initiatives, health center models, partnerships, and resources that support integrated oral health and diabetes care.
Thursday, November 29
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
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Apply to a Spanish Language ECHO Diabetes and Hypertension Series
Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) is a HRSA-funded NCA. Be a part of their ECHO Diabetes and Hypertension Series. Take advantage of this dynamic opportunity to become a part of a group of health workers from across the country dedicated to diabetes and hypertension care in the communities they serve.
The series will be presented in Spanish and is targeted for health promoters, community outreach workers, and case managers who work directly with patients in the detection, treatment, self-management, and prevention of diabetes and hypertension. Beginning Thursday, January 17, 2019, ECHO participants will meet weekly on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Apply early as space is limited to 25 participants.
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What Happens If She Screens Positive For Postpartum Depression?: Moving Postpartum Care from Screening To Treatment And Beyond
This HRSA-sponsored webinar features Dr. Nancy Byatt, the founder of MCPAP for Moms and Lifeline4Moms, and other experts in the maternal mental health field. They will discuss the programmatic, policy, and research requirements to move postpartum mental health care from depression screening to treatment and beyond using the Massachusetts model as a case study.
Wednesday, November 28
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Smoke-Free Public Housing Webinar
Join a HRSA-sponsored webinar to learn how "Change is in the Air" for public housing units across the country since HUD's smoke-free policy went into effect on July 30. Public Housing Primary Care (PHPC) health centers are in a unique position to collaborate with Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to implement the smoking ban and address the health care needs of public housing residents. Join the National Center for Health in Public Housing, a HRSA-funded NCA, to learn how PHPCs and PHAs can work together to support policy implementation and improve health outcomes within their communities. This informative webinar will highlight innovations/promising practices from health centers in Alabama and New York and identify helpful resources for PHPCs.
Tuesday, December 11
12:30-2:00 p.m. ET
Join the webinar the day of the session
Call-in: 800-593-9913
Passcode: 9283710
Updated Resource Page for Behavioral Health Providers
The National Conference of State Legislatures has updated its “Scope of Practice Policy” webpage. It now features an in-depth look at three profession areas for behavioral health providers: peer support specialists, licensed professional counselors, and also nurse practitioners and physician assistants who can prescribe buprenorphine-containing products, after receiving a waiver from the federal Controlled Substance Act’s special registration requirements. Explore licensed profession information through an interactive map that includes links to relevant scope of practice legislation by state. HRSA’s NOSLO (The National Organizations for State and Local Officials) cooperative agreement funds the website.
Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Technical Assistance for Providers
HRSA sponsors The University of California-San Francisco’s Clinician Consultation Center Warmline to support primary care providers at health centers. Get free, expert clinical advice on substance use disorder treatment for managing complex patients with addiction, chronic pain, and behavioral health issues. Both online and phone consultations are available. The Warmline is accessible by phone toll-free at 855-300-3595 and operates from 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday. Providers can also upload cases online. Learn more.
Pregnancy and Substance Use Disorder
If your providers have questions about how to treat pregnant or parenting women with substance/opioid use disorder, these resources may help:
In case you missed it:
Visit the Primary Health Care Digest archive.
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