What's New
 Uniform Data System 2018 Reporting Season Opens
Access to report Uniform Data System (UDS) data for calendar year 2018 is now available to health centers through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). All HRSA-supported health centers are required to submit complete and accurate UDS reports by Friday, February 15. Upon successful submission, we will assign your UDS Report to a UDS Reviewer who will work with you to finalize your data submission through March. You are not permitted to change your center’s UDS report after Sunday, March 31. It is critical that you submit your report on time and make sure that the data is verifiably accurate.
The 2018 UDS Manual and other resources are available on HRSA’s website to help you complete an accurate report. The Manual includes an introduction to the UDS, instructions for completing each of the tables, and information on how to submit UDS data through EHBs.
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From Africa to the United States: Addressing Access to Early Detection and Treatment of Cervical and Breast Cancers
Renowned gynecologic oncologist Dr. Groesbeck Parham will visit HRSA to present strategies for improving access to care for cervical and breast cancer early detection and treatment. He will discuss how these strategies, with the use of technology and task-shifting, may be applied to gynecological practices in the U.S.
Monday, January 14
10:30 a.m.-noon ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Dr. Parham’s expertise is concentrated on the link between HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer in Zambia, Africa. His work on scaling up public sector cervical and breast cancer services in resource-poor global environments has been sought by the World Health Organization and United Nations Population Fund.
 New HRSA Program Will Help Clinicians and Patients in the Fight Against Opioid Addiction
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) provides financial assistance to health care professionals in exchange for a commitment to work at approved sites in high-need, underserved areas.
In a new HHS blog post, “New HRSA Program Will Help Clinicians and Patients in the Fight Against Opioid Addiction,” HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D. discusses two NHSC programs: its Loan Repayment Program (LRP) and a new Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP (SUD Workforce LRP). Both applications close on Thursday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
- The NHSC LRP awards up to $50,000 toward student loans in exchange for a two-year commitment to work at approved sites in high-need, underserved areas.
- The new NHSC SUD Workforce LRP provides up to $75,000 in exchange for a three-year commitment and expands eligible disciplines and site types for loan repayment. The program is open to health care professionals who provide SUD treatment services at NHSC-approved SUD sites.
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 Fiscal Year 2019 Part C Capacity Development Program (HRSA-19-031) Notice of Funding Opportunity
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part C Capacity Development Program recently released a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). The program’s purpose is to strengthen organizational capacity to respond to the changing health care landscape and increase access to high-quality HIV primary health care services for low-income, uninsured, and underserved people living with HIV. Funding under this program is intended to support one short-term activity that can be completed by the end of the one-year funding opportunity period of performance.
Applications are due Friday, March 22, by 11:59 p.m. ET. Access the NOFO on Grants.gov.
Join a technical assistance webinar:
Thursday, January 24
2:00-4:00 p.m. ET
View the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 877-939-8825
Passcode: 3054968
For programmatic question, please contact Mindy Golatt, Branch Chief, Division of Community HIV/AIDS Programs. For business, administrative, or fiscal issues related to the NOFO, please contact Potie Pettway, Grants Management Specialist.
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Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices
HHS recently released “Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices: Managing Threats and Protecting Patients.” In the introductory letter, Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan states that this publication is the fruit of collaboration between HHS and industry partners. Its goal is to provide “practical, understandable, implementable, industry-led, and consensus-based voluntary cybersecurity guidelines to cost-effectively reduce cybersecurity risks for health care organizations of varying sizes.”
State-Level Approaches to Address SUD in Women, Children, and Families
The Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations, a HRSA-funded grantee, recently highlighted ways that state health leaders can address rising rates of SUD among pregnant and postpartum women and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. The report reviews six public health approaches at the state level:
- Cross-sector planning and coordination
- Building on existing efforts
- Crafting and advocating for policies and legislation
- Facilitating partnerships
- Improving data systems and linkages
- Supporting provider education
Access the full report for more details, including examples of promising practices within individual states and links to additional guidelines and recommendations for working with this population.
Resources
New Clinician Tool: Screening for Substance Use
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDAMED) announces a new tool for clinicians: Science to Medicine—Screening for Substance Use. This clinician-informed tool summarizes the research on screening in different practice settings and provides practical recommendations.
The six clinicians interviewed for this resource share screening tools, resources, and helpful tips from their own experiences to help health care providers streamline screening. They also discuss next steps to take when a patient screens positive.
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (January 22-27) sheds light on the science behind the effects of drug and alcohol use on the brain, body, and behavior. Check out NIDAMED’s adolescent-focused CME/CE activities for courses on talking with your teen patients about substance use and prescription medication misuse.
Issue Brief: Barriers Encountered by Agricultural Workers Seeking Specialty Care and Potential Solutions
Farmworker Justice, a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), produced an issue brief outlining the continuing challenges in providing specialty care to agricultural workers and their families. It shares lessons learned, including opportunities for telehealth, and provides recommendations to health centers.
Oral Health Integration Webinar Recordings Available
HRSA has added two new webinar recordings to our Oral Health and Primary Care Integration quality improvement webpage.
Using Health IT to Facilitate SBIRT Service Delivery in Health Centers
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment to people with SUD and those at risk of developing this disorder.
To promote continuous quality improvement in SBIRT implementation, the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality Center (HITEQ), a HRSA-funded NCA, will host a webinar on promising practices for the use of health IT to facilitate SBIRT workflow integration.
Thursday, January 17
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
The discussion will focus on:
- coding and billing for SBIRT services;
- using health IT to enhance SBIRT screening, communication, data capture and documentation;
- clinical decision support; and
- information-sharing and reporting.
It will also feature the experiences and practices of health centers that are currently using health IT to facilitate SBIRT service delivery. For questions, please contact QualityDivision@hrsa.gov.
Building a Foundation for Healthy Active Living: A Focus on Childhood Obesity Prevention During the First Five Years
HRSA offers an opportunity for providers to learn about childhood obesity prevention:
- Why are the first five years of life critically important from an early obesity prevention perspective?
- How can health care providers support families in establishing and maintaining healthy, active living-related behaviors?
Dr. Sandra G. Hassink, previous president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and internationally recognized expert in child obesity prevention, will discuss key anticipatory guidance and counseling techniques and desired actions (for the health care provider and parent). She will also highlight tools and resources to support implementation.
Tuesday, January 15
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 888-946-4311
Passcode: 4786596
Free MAT Training and Mentoring to Become a DATA-waived Practitioner Webinar
Recording Available In a recent HRSA webinar, experts from SAMHSA’s Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) – Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program gave an overview of no-cost training and mentoring programs available to health center prescribers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) and their primary care teams. These programs support evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorder. Watch the webinar recording.
CDC Quality Improvement and Care Coordination Implementation Resource
Get the tools you need to fight the opioid epidemic! CDC’s Quality Improvement and Care Coordination resource may help providers looking to implement the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
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