What's New
New Fiscal Year 2020 Cooperative Agreements and Training and Technical Assistance for Health Centers
Last week, HRSA announced the new fiscal year (FY) 2020 awards to Primary Care Associations (PCAs) and National Training and Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAPs)* to support and expand training and technical assistance (T/TA) for health centers. (*These were formerly called National Cooperative Agreements or NCAs.)
As a part of these awards, PCAs serving the seven states identified in Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America as having a high rural HIV burden received funds to enhance T/TA activities to support health centers’ HIV prevention efforts in their states. All PCAs received workforce funding to enhance workforce T/TA activities to support the Health Professions Education and Training initiative at health centers in the PCA’s state/region.
HRSA also funded one new type of NTTAP, intimate partner violence, which was awarded to Futures Without Violence.
The following are TA sessions for NTTAP and PCA awardees:
New Project Period Webinar for NTTAP Awardees
Thursday, July 2
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Call-in: 800-779-5383
Passcode: 4213046
View the TA webpage for NTTAP awardees.
PCA New Project Period Kick-off Call
Thursday, July 16
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
We will email connection information to participants.
View the TA webpage for PCA awardees.
Did you miss it?
Last week, HRSA also awarded $8 million to PCAs and NTTAPs to provide critical support and expertise to advance health centers’ ability to prevent, prepare, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visit the Strategic Partners webpage to request T/TA for your health center.
Federal Tort Claims Act Health Center Program Updates and Important Reminders
Applications for medical malpractice coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) are open in HRSA's Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). All health center and volunteer health professional redeeming applications for FTCA coverage for calendar year 2021 are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, July 13.
As a reminder, HRSA-funded health centers must register with the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). In order to query or report to the NPDB, a health center must first apply to access NPDB information.
HRSA guidance for both new applications (deeming) and renewal of existing coverage (redeeming) for health center staff is available in Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2020-02. Details about coverage for health center volunteer health professionals are available in PAL 2020-03. The HRSA website has more details about the application process, including a recorded webinar.
Need application assistance? Contact Health Center Program Support online or by phone: 877-464-4772, option 1.
Less than One Month Left
Health centers that have Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition by Wednesday, July 1, 2020, may be eligible to receive the 2020 Health Center PCMH Recognition Quality Award. View the table of health centers with valid PCMH recognition status and the number of sites with PCMH recognition. If your health center serves multiple states, please be certain to check the number of sites for EACH state to calculate the total number of PCMH-recognized sites in HRSA’s EHBs.
- If your health center’s PCMH recognition is accurate, no action is needed.
- If it is inaccurate, please submit an update to your PCMH recognition information via the EHBs no later than Sunday, July 5. View instructions for submitting an update, including the acceptable forms of required documentation.
If you have questions, please contact us. To make sure you receive our reply email, add 'BPHCAnswers@hrsa.gov' to your address book.
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Precision Medicine: All of Us Research Program Beta-Test New Data Platform
As an important step in the effort to accelerate new scientific discoveries, the All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health has launched beta-testing for its Researcher Workbench. Investigators can now begin using the initial dataset and tools in studies and submit feedback to improve the platform. This early version of Researcher Workbench includes data from nearly 225,000 of the program’s first participants. 80% of All of Us participants are from groups that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research. All of Us is a key partner in HRSA’s Advancing Precision Medicine Initiative.
COVID-19
Frequently Asked Questions
Today we updated our COVID-19 FAQ webpage adding:
- What are the CMS emergency preparedness requirements for health centers?
- What CMS flexibilities are available to health centers that open temporary sites due to the COVID-19 public health emergency?
- May health centers contribute COVID-19 testing data to sentinel surveillance systems?
We also continually update our page for coronavirus-related funding FAQs. The resources and links on our COVID-19 Information for Health Centers and Partners webpage now include links to Provider Relief Fund FAQs/resources and to recent Today with Macrae sessions.
CMS Guidance for Patients Considering In-Person, Non-Emergency Treatment
CMS released a guide for patients considering in-person, non-emergency treatment. Many health care systems and patients have postponed non-emergency, in-person care during the pandemic. CMS provides these recommendations to ensure that non-emergency health care resumes safely (encouraging telehealth for patients with high COVID-19 risk) and that patients are receiving needed in-person treatment that may have been postponed due to the public health emergency.
CDC Guidance on Telehealth During and Beyond COVID-19
CDC’s guidance provides considerations for using telehealth services to provide virtual care during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Health centers are specifically mentioned in the “Safeguards for Telehealth Services” section.
HRSA Fiscal and Grants Management Best Practices for Health Centers
BPHC and HRSA’s Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM) will host two sessions of a webinar highlighting key fiscal aspects to provide health centers with strategies to ensure compliance and properly manage all HRSA funding including each of your HRSA health center COVID-19 awards (H8C, H8D and H8E).
OFAM speakers will share best practices for managing your portfolio of HRSA funding and guidance on how to ensure all costs are allowable and support each respective grant and will discuss these key items:
- Examples of adequate supporting documentation for allowable costs under the health center and fiscal year 2020 COVID-19 awards.
- Budget and fiscal requirement reminders.
- Financial management system best practices (e.g., separation of funding by source, internal controls, etc.).
Both sessions will cover the same information and will end with a question and answer session. Submit a question ahead of time.
Wednesday, June 17
12:30-1:30 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Call-in: 888-566-7701
Passcode: 9747226
OR
Tuesday, June 23
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Call-in: 888-628-9525
Passcode: 9747226
COVID-19 Survey and User Guide
As a reminder, the survey you received on Friday, June 12, is due by 11:59 p.m. ET today. We recently created a User Guide to assist you in completing the survey. See the bulletin we sent last Friday discussing the survey link.
THANK YOU to the health centers and look-alikes that complete these weekly surveys! You’re helping us track health center capacity and COVID-19’s impact on health center operations, patients, and staff. The survey results give us a better understanding of training and technical assistance, funding, and other health center resource needs.
Reimagining Care: Reducing Talent Burnout & Increasing Workforce Resiliency
The “Reimagining Care” series from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, focuses on how health centers will continue to lead the primary health care industry through flexibility and innovation in a post-COVID-19 world.
The next session will offer guidance on reducing burnout in a time of increasing stress. Subject matter experts will provide promising practices with “real world” perspectives, guiding tips, and resources to help meet the current and future demands of delivery of care.
Thursday, June 25
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Visit NACHC's website to register or view past recordings
Additional “Reimagining Care” sessions are planned for 1:00 p.m. ET on July 9, July 23, and August 6.
Many federal organizations, HRSA-funded NTTAPs, and other partners are holding COVID-19-related webinars. Our Technical Assistance Calendar lists more of them and includes descriptions and registration information.
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Resources
Strategies to Manage Financial Operations During COVID-19 Response and Recovery
NACHC is producing a five-part podcast series to help health centers manage their fiscal solvency during COVID-19 response and recovery. Podcast topics include managing your health center’s cash flow, paycheck protection, the Provider Relief Fund, grants management, and staffing. The first three sessions are available now:
- Podcast 1: Staffing Considerations
- Podcast 2: Provider Relief Fund, CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
- JUST ADDED: Podcast 3: Funding Streams and the SBA Paycheck Protection Program Loan
NIH Research Opportunity: Digital Intervention During COVID-19
NIH supports digital health intervention research seeking to improve how we identify, treat, or provide services for health conditions secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic for NIH-designated health disparity populations and those with medical or social vulnerabilities (e.g., residents of chronic care facilities, community-dwelling older adults, pregnant women, homeless, incarcerated, health care staff on the front lines of pandemic, and workers in essential business operations).
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Join a Community of Practice to Help Your Health Center Develop a Safe and Effective Opioid Prescribing Strategy
Does your health center have a sound strategy for assessing and treating people with chronic pain who are at risk for opioid use disorder and substance use disorder (SUD)? Participants will develop skills to create an infrastructure to support the expansion of alternatives to pain management within your health center.
To apply, please create an account on the HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Technical Assistance's website.
Webinar Recording Available: HIV PrEP for Patients with SUD
The HRSA-funded National Clinician Consultation Center recently held a webinar to help health centers overcome pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation challenges, assess PrEP eligibility, and identify strategies for addressing side effect and adherence concerns. Speakers covered:
- National trends of PrEP use among different populations at risk for HIV, including persons with SUD.
- Recent updates on new PrEP medications and dosing strategies, and unique considerations that may arise when counseling persons with SUD.
- Strategies for health centers to increase PrEP education, initiation, and persistence.
View the webinar recording and resources.
Notice of Funding Opportunity for Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Planning
HRSA will make approximately 50 awards of $200,000 each to rural communities to enhance capacity to address SUD, including opioid use disorder. Over the course of an 18-month period of performance, grant recipients will conduct a series of planning activities, engage multi-sector consortiums, and participate in the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)-Planning learning collaborative. Applicant organizations may be located in an urban or rural areas; however, all activities supported by this program must exclusively target HRSA-designated rural areas (per the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer). Learn more or apply by Monday, July 13.
HIV
Ready, Set, PrEP Updates
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 response, HHS is adapting the Ready, Set, PrEP program to help ensure patient retention in ongoing PrEP care and adherence to PrEP HIV prevention medications, and to reduce the burden on the nation’s health care providers and health care systems. This includes special override requests for 90-day fills in some cases and automatic extensions of eligibility. Read the full announcement.
Workforce
National Health Service Corps New Site Application Open
Health care facilities can now apply to be approved as a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) site. Eligible locations include health care sites that provide outpatient, ambulatory and primary health care services (medical, dental, and behavioral health) to populations residing in high-need urban and rural areas. Additional eligible site types include facilities providing general SUD treatment, a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program, or an opioid treatment program. Applications are due Tuesday, July 21. Learn more about the NHSC new site application.
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Men’s Health Month
June is Men’s Health Month. Did you know that men make up 75% of patients waiting for a heart transplant, and about 60% of those waiting for a kidney or liver transplant? Although over half of deceased donors in 2019 were men, more organs are needed to meet the demand, especially since female organs are often too small for larger men (and women) in need of transplants. Celebrate Men’s Health Month by encouraging all men to sign up as organ, eye, and tissue donors at www.organdonor.gov or www.donaciondeorganos.gov.
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Additional Resources
Webinar Series: Accountable Care Academy
NACHC’s Accountable Care Academy focuses on the fundamental considerations for risk-based contracts and how to prepare health centers for participation in arrangements with risk. Visit NACHC’s website for more information or to register for sessions (find this series under “Upcoming Operations Management Webinars.”)
In case you missed it: Visit the Primary Health Care Digest archive.
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