What's New
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.
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 at 877-464-4772, option 1.
COVID-19 Progress Report Due Friday, July 10
The first COVID-19 progress report is due Friday, July 10. The reporting module opened in EHBs on Wednesday, July 1. Progress report resources, detailing requirements, are available on these technical assistance (TA) web pages:
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Ending the HIV Epidemic – Primary Care HIV Prevention Progress Reporting Question & Answer Session
We will host a live question and answer session for all Primary Care HIV Prevention (PCHP) grantees regarding the grantee progress report and its submission. We invite all PCHP grantees and Project Officers to attend. The PCHP supplemental funding webpage now includes a pre-recorded webinar and progress report guide. We encourage you to review these resources before the session.
Thursday, July 16
4:00-5:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Call-in: 888-677-5803
Passcode: 1002077
TODAY: HRSA Healthy Grants Web Series
HRSA’s Office of Federal Assistance Management Healthy Grants Web Series will provide presentations on the most requested grants management topics.
Changes in Financial Reporting
1:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the session*
Call-in: 888-324-7101
Passcode: 8459711
*NOTE: Adobe Connect can accommodate 1,500 participants. If you can't log in for the visual portion, you can still listen in.
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Emergencies Happen: What Health Centers Need to Know
Emergencies can impact health centers at any time. Health centers and Primary Care Associations (PCAs) play a critical role in providing services and resources before, during, and after emergency events. During emergencies, PCAs gather critical health center information and report the status of service delivery sites to HRSA. For health centers in impacted areas, we ask that you report site-level status to your PCA as soon as you are able. Project Officers are available if health center staff have questions about program requirements or scope of project.
Please also visit HRSA’s Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Resources for Health Centers website for information about change in scope for temporary sites, 340B program enrollment under emergency declarations, and Federal Tort Claims Act coverage during emergencies.
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PhotoVoice Learning Collaborative Digital Exhibit
In 2017, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP)) established a PhotoVoice Learning Collaborative to address the stigma of homelessness. This three-year project with eight participating health centers included both national and local exhibits to increase awareness and knowledge and provide an opportunity to share local participants’ stories. Learn more and view the digital exhibit (best viewed in Chrome or Firefox).
COVID-19
COVID-19 Survey Deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET TODAY
As a reminder, the survey you received on Friday, July 3, is due by 11:59 p.m. ET today.
We also encourage you to include information about emerging hot spots in your response to question 16: Please identify (by county or other local public health jurisdictions) and discuss significant increases in positive COVID‐19 tests. Questions on how to complete the survey? Check out our User Guide.
As always, we’re grateful to all of the health centers and look-alikes that complete these weekly surveys! The input is invaluable—it allows us to better understand training and TA, funding, and other health center resource needs. Using it, we can track COVID-19’s impact on health center operations, staff, and patients.
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National Practitioner Data Bank Extends Query Fee Waiver
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is extending the query fee waiver for one-time queries, continuous queries, and continuous query renewals retroactive from June 1 through September 30. The NPDB previously offered the waiver through May 31. The waiver supports efforts to mobilize and deploy health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing costs and expediting credentialing, hiring, privileging, and licensing processes.
For updated information about the waiver, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information page on the NPDB website. For TA, contact the NPDB Customer Service Center.
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Many federal organizations, HRSA-funded NTTAPs, and other partners are holding COVID-19-related webinars. Our TA Calendar lists more of them and includes descriptions and registration information.
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Resources
From the National Association of Community Health Centers
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is a HRSA-funded NTTAP. These are some of the resources they have recently made available:
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New Health Center Leadership Video Series Recording:
In the seventh video in the series, Teresa Lovelady, MBA, MSW, President & CEO at HealthCore Clinic, Inc. in Wichita, KS, reminds health center leaders to “always remember your ‘Why,’ our health centers’ history, and why we’re still standing here today.”
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Grants Compliance During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Health Center Boards:
This short article addresses considerations for health center boards related to the accountability required of health centers that have received additional grant funds during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Reimagining Care Series: Ensuring Access to Coverage During a Pandemic and Beyond:
This session will focus on how centers are responding to massive disruptions in health insurance status and health care access caused by unemployment and COVID-related factors.
Thursday, July 9
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
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). Applications submitted before Wednesday, July 15, will be considered for funding in FY 2020. Applications received after that may be held for consideration in FY 2021 and not be eligible for funding until October 2020.
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder During COVID-19 and Beyond: Using the AHRQ Academy Playbook
HRSA's Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA will share promising practices on medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) during COVID-19 and how the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Academy Playbook can support this work.
Thursday, July 16
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Presenters will share:
- Tips and strategies that health centers can use at each stage of implementation.
- Emerging treatment models.
- Technologies and challenges of managing poly-substance use.
- Resources included in the AHRQ Academy Playbook.
- A case study from a health center in Maine (Penobscot Community Health Care).
To register, please create an account on the HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA's website.
Experts Available to Answer Your Questions about Behavioral Health Integrated Care
Does your health center:
- Have a behavioral health provider on staff, but patients have not wholeheartedly embraced their services?
- Worry that patients with behavioral health needs are slipping through the cracks due to service delivery through telehealth?
- Have a primary care team who feels over their heads with the emotional needs of patients?
Submit a Virtual TA request today to receive tailored TA support on these questions and more from the HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA.
Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Innovative Programs Serving People Experiencing Homelessness
Many health center patients that suffer from OUD or other substance use disorders (SUD) also face housing instability or experience homelessness. Health centers, public health departments, harm reduction agencies, and supportive housing agencies are driving innovation to address these issues. The Corporation for Supportive Housing, a HRSA-funded NTTAP, published a brief describing the evolution of three unique model programs that address the needs of this most vulnerable population by offering evidence-based care.
Applications Due 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 OUD. 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
Ending the HIV Epidemic – PCHP Progress Reporting Question & Answer Session
See the announcement above.
Additional Resources
Introduction to Hepatitis B: Testing and Best Practices
Learn about the epidemiology of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), including perinatal HBV and the natural history of HBV. Experts will also discuss the recommended screenings for HBV infection and interpretation of testing results to support early intervention and improved patient outcomes.
Wednesday, July 15
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questions: Information for Patients
The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, a HRSA-funded NTTAP, has recently added four new language translations of its Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questions: Information for Patients pamphlet. The pamphlet is now available in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
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”).
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