What's New
Tomorrow: Medicare Site Enrollment Webinar This HRSA-hosted webinar will feature CMS speakers. They will explain upgrades to the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS) for health centers enrolling in Medicare to receive their FQHC certification. HRSA and CMS collaborated on PECOS upgrades that launched on April 1. These updates aim to streamline the enrollment process for new health center sites.
Wednesday, November 20 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET Join the day of the session Call-in: 800-779-3181 Passcode: 9080840
Application Deadline Reminders
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Service Area Competition for May 1 Starts
Service Area Competition (SAC) HRSA-20-019 applications are due in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) on Wednesday, November 20, by 5:00 p.m. ET.
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SAC for June 1 Starts
SAC HRSA-20-020 applications are due in:
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Grants.gov: Monday, December 2, by 11:59 p.m. ET
- EHBs: Tuesday, January 7, 2020, by 5:00 p.m. ET
Technical assistance (TA) materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
New Flexibility for Carryover of Unobligated Balances for Health Centers Going forward, you do not need prior approval from HRSA to carry over unobligated balances of grant funds that are up to 25% of the amount awarded. This is part of a new “Expanded Authority” HRSA is providing to health centers.
Starting with the submission of fiscal year (FY) 2019 Federal Financial Reports, your health center only needs to submit a prior approval request for carryover for these situations:
- If the amount of unobligated balances of grant funds is 25% or more of the amount awarded for the budget period.
- If the carryover is from a prior project period.
This includes carryover from base operational funding and supplemental awards. We will post FAQs and resources on our website about the submission of Federal Financial Reports and carryover requests under expanded authority. Contact your Grants Management Specialist with questions.
FY 2020 Ending the HIV Epidemic – Primary Care HIV Prevention Funding Opportunity Update HRSA modified the FY 2020 Ending the HIV Epidemic – Primary Care HIV Prevention (PCHP; HRSA-20-091) funding opportunity to clarify the eligibility information. See the Eligibility Information section of the instructions.
Applications are due in EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, December 16. The funding start date is Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
HRSA will host a Q&A session for applicants:
Tuesday, November 19 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET Join the webcast day of the session Call-in: 888-942-9686 Passcode: 5549121
Reminder: Please Do Not Upload Personally Identifiable Information in EHBs What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? PII is information that, when made publically available, could be used to identify an individual.
OK to Upload |
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Work contact information for health center staff, such as:
- Name
- Work phone
- Work address
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Patient or health center staff information that includes:
- HIPAA information
- Date of birth
- Passport number
- Social Security Number
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If you have any questions about PII and the EHBs, please contact Health Center Program Support online or by phone (877-464-4722).
CMS Releases Final Rule for the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule CMS recently issued the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule, which includes updates to payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare PFS effective on or after January 1, 2020. See the press release and fact sheet for more information.
HHS Request for Information on Chronic Disease Prevention HHS recognizes a need for new approaches to prevention and, as a first step, requests input from the public to better understand:
- The barriers to effective chronic disease prevention in the U.S.;
- Highlights of effective chronic disease prevention strategies; and
- The potential of scientific and technological advancements, innovative partnerships, and human-centered design to create and scale new models of chronic disease prevention.
Help advance chronic disease prevention in the U.S. by sharing your input. HHS will accept responses to this request for information until Friday, December 13.
Deadline Approaching: Call for Nominations The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable is accepting nominations for The 2020 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards. This competitive recognition program recognizes individuals and health centers dedicated to advancing the shared goal of reaching colorectal cancer screening rates of 80% or higher in communities across the nation.
Visit the awards webpage to learn about contest rules, prizes and recognition, and to submit your nomination by Monday, November 25.
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Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Syringe Service Programs: The Essential Roles of Non-Governmental and Community-Based Organizations This webinar, hosted by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, will feature perspectives from national and local community-focused organizations that support syringe service programs. These are important community-based prevention programs that can save lives, combat the nation’s opioid crisis, reduce the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C, and support individuals in accessing substance/opioid use disorder treatment services.
Thursday, November 21 2:00-3:15 p.m. ET Register here
Introducing HRSA’s Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA We are excited to announce the new HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA. The Center will provide training and TA on evidence-based interventions and promising practices to support the integration of behavioral health and substance use disorder services in primary care settings. Learn more at an upcoming webinar:
Tuesday, December 10 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET Register here
Diabetes
New Promising Practice: Harrisonburg Community Health Center Uses Action Planning to Improve Diabetes Measures Harrisonburg Community Health Center, Inc. (HCHC) serves patients in three locations in the Harrisonburg, VA, area. HCHC believed they were doing all they could about diabetes, until they analyzed their data. It told a different story—one they didn’t want to believe. In 2018, they participated in a diabetes targeted TA site visit, where they worked with experts to develop a diabetes action plan. Read more.
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Gestational Diabetes Resources Each year, between 2 and 10% of pregnancies in the U.S. include a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, and approximately 50% of women with gestational diabetes later develop type 2 diabetes. Health centers can use ECRI Institute’s Gestational Diabetes Checklist and Resources to identify the appropriate education and management strategies for care of patients with gestational diabetes and to standardize postpartum care for patients with gestational diabetes.
NIH research suggests there may be a link between gestational diabetes and postpartum depression. Gestational diabetes is also linked to other negative health problems during pregnancy, including high birth weight, preeclampsia, and hypoglycemia. CDC has tips for pregnant women with gestational diabetes and community resources for mothers experiencing postpartum depression.
Diabetes and Infection Control in the Health Center Setting This recent webinar focused on best practices in infection control during blood glucose monitoring and insulin administration. Featured speakers from CDC and the Joint Commission shared how you can improve patient safety related to diabetes testing and care. Watch the recording.
Workforce
HRSA’s Virtual Job Fair for Health Centers in Rural Communities In celebration of National Rural Health Day, HRSA is hosting a Virtual Job Fair specifically for health care facilities serving rural communities.
Wednesday, November 20 6:45-10:15 p.m. ET Job seekers can register here
HRSA's virtual job fairs connect job-seeking primary care trainees and practicing clinicians with employment opportunities at health centers.
Oral Health
Call for Applications: Sealant Learning Communities Collaborative Is your health center interested in improving your UDS Sealant Measure number? The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), invites health centers to join a Sealant Learning Communities Collaborative from January to June 2020. For the past four years, NNOHA has provided individual health centers with training and TA on the UDS Sealant Measure. They’ll share what they’ve learned from that work, including promising practices in data collection, reporting, and measure improvement. Learn more or apply by 8:00 p.m. ET, Friday, November 22.
Oral Health Infrastructure Webinar Series NNOHA recently offered a series of webinars on strategies for oral health infrastructure enhancements. The webinars served as a companion to the NNOHA Oral Health Infrastructure Toolkit released in April. They highlighted health centers that have completed infrastructure enhancements and expansion of their dental programs to increase access to oral health care. Access recordings and slides.
Telehealth
Telehealth Office Hours The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NCA, now offers a monthly opportunity for health center, Primary Care Association, and Health Center Controlled Network staff to ask questions and share information about telehealth-related policy and operational activities. Sessions will take place on the second Thursday of each month. Each session will focus on a specific topic, but the agenda will always include updates and time for Q&A.
Thursday, December 12 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET Join office hours the day of the session Meeting password: Telehealth1 Submit a question in advance
Additional Resources
Pilot Test Opportunity for Health Centers on Healthy Weight and Obesity Prevention The American Academy of Pediatrics' Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, in partnership with Bright Futures, is offering two virtual quality improvement projects for pediatric practice/clinic teams:
- Optimize Infant and Toddler Feeding for Obesity Prevention Project: Improving early feeding assessment, counseling and obesity prevention (focused on children under age 2).
- Childhood Obesity in Primary Care Project: Improving obesity risk assessment and prevention (focused on children ages 2 and above).
The Institute is recruiting teams that represent diverse types of patient populations, geographic locations, and practices/clinics (including health centers). Teams should be interested in making practice changes to improve their obesity assessment and prevention care. Get more information or apply by Monday, November 25. Both projects will kick off in January 2020.
Questions? Contact program manager Stephanie Womack by email or phone: 630-626-6612.
NACHC Pharmacy Office Hours: USP 800 Rules Effective in December This session will begin with brief updates followed by a short presentation on USP 800, the new rules around handling of hazardous drug, which go into effect in December. Substantial time will be set aside for Q&A and discussion.
Thursday, November 21 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET Join office hours the day of the session Submit a question in advance
Primary Care and Home Visiting Partnerships to Promote Maternal and Child Health This HRSA webinar provided an overview of evidence-based home visiting programs and how health center and home visiting program partnerships can help achieve primary care goals and improve patient outcomes. Experts from HRSA, the Johns Hopkins University, and HRSA-funded health centers provided insight into the value and development of these partnerships. Watch the recording.
MHP Salud TA Office Hours MHP Salud, a HRSA-funded NCA, will host TA office hours to assist organizations with Community Health Worker initiatives and program support, including sharing resources and e-learning tools and addressing challenges. They look forward to talking with health center staff! See upcoming dates, times, and access information.
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