What's New
Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America
HRSA fully supports the Trump Administration's initiative: Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.
Through our Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) and Health Center Program, the agency will play a leading role in helping to diagnose, treat, prevent, and respond to end the HIV epidemic.
"We have an unprecedented opportunity to end the HIV epidemic in America. Through this initiative, in 2020, HRSA would work with program recipients to expand evidence-informed interventions proven to increase engagement and retention in care, reduce stigma, and improve viral suppression for the hardest to reach individuals," said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D. "HRSA's Health Center Program will play a major expanded role in providing Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to those populations at the greatest risk of acquiring HIV infection."
Read HRSA's statement of support.
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Health Center Program Support Email Change
Health Center Program Support (formerly the BPHC Helpline) is updating its email address from bphchelpline@hrsa.gov to HealthCenterSupport@hrsa.gov. By adding the new email address to a “safe senders” or contacts list, you may avoid messages going to your junk folder.
340B Recertification Due by February 25
Two weeks remain for covered entities to recertify and retain their 340B participant status before the Monday, February 25, deadline. All covered entities, including HRSA-funded health centers and look-alikes, who do not recertify by the deadline will be terminated from the HRSA 340B Program starting on Monday, April 1. You will require a new registration and not be eligible to participate in the 340B Program until July.
To recertify, Authorizing Officials (AOs) and Primary Contacts (PCs) must first set up user accounts by visiting the HRSA 340B Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System (340B OPAIS) and choosing “I am a participant.” It is the covered entity’s responsibility to ensure they have created their accounts before recertification to allow successful completion of the process.
For questions or assistance, contact the 340B call center at apexusanswers@340bpvp.com or 888-340-2787 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. ET). Watch a recording of HRSA’s 340B Program Recertification webinar for reference.
SAC-AA NOFO HRSA-19-110 Announced for Pago Pago, American Samoa
HRSA released a fiscal year 2019 Service Area Competition-Additional Areas (SAC-AA) NOFO, HRSA-19-110, for the Pago Pago, American Samoa service area. Applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 11, and in the HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 9. TA materials are available at the SAC-AA TA website.
Compliance Resolution Opportunity
Health centers may no longer make quick fixes onsite during an operational site visit (OSV). Instead, they have the opportunity to submit documentation demonstrating compliance following an OSV through a streamlined process called Compliance Resolution Opportunity (CRO).
If HRSA determines that a health center did not demonstrate compliance during their OSV, the agency will send them a Correspondence Request task in EHBs. Health centers will have 14 calendar days from the issuance of the EHBs task to submit documentation to resolve noncompliance findings, prior to the finalization of the OSV report. If the health center is able to provide acceptable evidence of compliance in response to the EHBs task, the element will be marked as compliant in the OSV report, and no condition will be applied. Learn more in a new quick reference guide.
HIV-Focused Funding Opportunities Available
HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau has recently released two NOFOs and updated TA resources for an older NOFO.
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Strengthening Systems of Care for People Living with HIV and Opioid Use Disorder (HRSA-19-038)
This announcement invites applications for a new three-year RWHAP Part F Special Projects of National Significance Initiative. It will fund an estimated one to four entities, referred to as System Coordination Providers, to assist states in leveraging resources at federal, state, and local levels for people living with HIV and opioid use disorder. Applications are due in Grants.gov by Tuesday, April 16.
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Enhancing Linkage of STI/HIV Surveillance Data (HRSA-19-039)
This announcement invites applications for a new three-year health information technology (HIT) capacity building demonstration project cooperative agreement. The purpose of this project is to improve linkage, re-engagement in care, and health outcomes for people living with HIV in the RWHAP. Applications are due in Grants.gov by Monday, April 8.
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Fiscal Year 2019 Part C Capacity Development Program (HRSA-19-031)
Last month, HRSA released the RWHAP Part C Capacity Development Program NOFO. Applications are due in Grants.gov by Friday, March 22.
The slides from last month’s TA webinar are located on the TargetHIV website. HRSA will add the audio recording and FAQ document in the coming weeks. 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.
Virtual Job Fairs
HRSA is hosting a series of Virtual Job Fairs for National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps organizations providing substance use disorder services in February and March. Registration is now open!
Round Three of Auto-HPSA Update Previews Released
HRSA sent the third round of automatically designated Health Professional Shortage Area Designation (Auto-HPSA) Update Preview reports by email to CEOs and Project Directors (PDs) for health centers and look-alikes identified in EHBs. If your CEO or PD listed in EHBs has not received your organizational report, please have them contact sdmp@hrsa.gov. Recipients should forward the report to all staff who have an interest in Auto-HPSA Designation scores.
HRSA began distributing update previews in November 2018. Watch the TA webinar recording or visit the Shortage Designation Modernization Project website for more information.
Immunization Guidance Released
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently released 2019 guidance for immunization schedules. Access the schedules and see additional information from CDC.
Resources
 Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. – A Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champion
“There is no one right way to manage hypertension. It’s about good care management,” said Victor Lahnovych, MD, Medical Director of the Keystone Rural Health Consortia in Emporium, PA. With a medical team consisting of three physician assistants, three care managers, and one physician, Keystone achieved at least 80% blood pressure control among their hypertensive population ages 18 to 85. “We are pretty fluid with our approach to care management,” he continued. “Patients are supported from the front desk all the way to the top.”
Care managers play a key role in the development of individual, goal-oriented care plans managing medication, education, and compliance. Additionally, Keystone learns more about their patients’ needs at home and in the community based on their social determinants of health. Using the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE) from the National Association of Community Health Centers (a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA)), they survey not only race and ethnicity, but housing stability, social integration and support, incarceration status, history of domestic violence, and more.
Learn more from other health centers that are CDC Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions during our upcoming heart month webinar:
How We Became Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions
Thursday, February 21
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 888-233-9404
Passcode: 2662064
New Diabetes Promising Practices and Updated Diabetes Webpage
HRSA introduces three new promising practices from 2018 Diabetes Prevention and Management Leaders on the Health Center Program Promising Practices webpage:
- DFD Russell Medical Centers Use Community Partnerships to Help Manage Diabetes
- Health Partners of Western Ohio Use Prediabetes Screening to Prevent and Diagnose Diabetes
- Morovis Community Health Center Uses Home Visits to Manage Diabetes after a Hurricane
HRSA’s Diabetes Quality Improvement webpage provides health centers with information about the initiative, promising practices, and resources to improve the quality of their diabetes programs. Revisit the page for updated data, new diabetes-related promising practices, and updated resources.
HRSA UDS Sealant Measure Frequently Asked Questions Now Available
The National Network for Oral Health Access, a HRSA-funded NCA, has released its annual HRSA UDS Sealant Measure Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) guide. Developed in consultation with oral health specialists and HRSA staff, it answers questions about the HRSA UDS Sealant Measure for children between ages 6-9 years at risk for dental caries.
STAR2 Center Employee Engagement Learning Collaborative
Engaged employees are happier, more productive, and far more likely to stay for the long-term. Skilled managers are key to developing a highly engaged team. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (a HRSA-funded NCA) STAR2 Center invites health center managers to join a 12-week learning collaborative. They will alternate 30-minute webinars with relevant, hands-on homework assignments and dynamic discussions to put learning into action and strengthen teams for the long-term! Apply by Monday, February 18, to join this cohort.
Participate in the Launch of 80% in Every Community for Colorectal Cancer Screening
Join the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) in a live broadcast to introduce their campaign: 80% in Every Community. The broadcast will celebrate national achievements and emphasize areas in order to achieve an 80% colorectal cancer screening rate in every community. NCCRT will present their new materials for the campaign and marketing research for patients.
Thursday, March 7
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Mark Your Calendar! Patient Safety Week Webcast
Patient Safety Week is March 10-16. HRSA will host a webcast featuring Dr. Gordon Schiff, a general internist and Associate Director of Brigham and Women’s Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Quality and Safety Director for the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care. Dr. Schiff will speak on the topic of primary care and patient safety.
Wednesday, March 13
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Webcast information coming soon
HRSA Webinar Recordings Available
We’re sharing the recordings from some of our recent webinars for those who were unable to attend.
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State Strategies and Promising Practices to Support Delivery of Substance Use Disorder Services: Experts from the National Academy for State Health Policy discussed state policies that support innovative models, advance clinical quality measurements, and incentivize the delivery of coordinated substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services to health center patients.
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Using Health Information Technology 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 for people with SUD and those at risk of developing this disorder. Experts from the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality Center, a HRSA-funded NCA, presented promising practices for the use of health information technology that facilitate SBIRT workflow integration.
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Using Bright Futures to Achieve Excellence in Well-Child Care: Learn about the Bright Futures National Center and the revised Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th Edition, from one of its co-editors. A subject matter expert reviewed updates to the Guidelines and new content, including new health promotion themes, visit screening recommendations, anticipatory guidance, and more.
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