What's New
HHS Awards More Than $21 Million to Support Health Centers’ COVID-19 Response
Last week, HHS awarded more than $21 million to support health centers’ COVID-19 response efforts. The majority of this investment—$17 million—supports 78 Health Center Program look-alikes (LALs) with funding to expand capacity for COVID-19 testing.
With this funding, LALs will expand the range of testing and testing-related activities to best address the needs of their communities, including the purchase of personal protective equipment; training for staff; outreach, procurement, and administration of tests; laboratory services; notifying identified contacts of infected health center patients of their exposure to COVID-19; and the expansion of walk-up or drive-up testing capabilities.
HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM) will host a Fiscal and Grants Management Orientation webinar for recipients of the Look-Alikes: Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing (LAL ECT) funding. The webinar will highlight key fiscal and grants management requirements with strategies to ensure compliance and properly manage the LAL ECT award.
LAL ECT Fiscal and Grants Management Webinar
Wednesday, July 15
2:30-4:00 p.m. ET
Join the webinar the day of the session
Call-in: 888-566-7701
Passcode: 9747226
Submit questions ahead of time to OFAMFTA@hrsa.gov.
Visit the LAL ECT technical assistance (TA) page to access resources for award recipients.
HRSA also awarded over $4.5 million to support the COVID-19 response of Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs). HCCNs support health centers to improve quality of care and patient safety by using health information technology to reduce costs and improve care coordination. The funding will strengthen health IT support necessary for participating health centers to effectively prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19.
Question and Answer Session for the Supplemental COVID-19 HCCN Funding
We will discuss information about the award, allowable activities, and the process to request carryover. Share any issues or outstanding questions with your HCCN Project Officer in advance.
Wednesday, July 22
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webinar the day of the session
Call-in: 888-324-3491
Passcode: 4973069
Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America
The HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy will host a stakeholder webinar on efforts to implement the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America initiative.
Thursday, July 16
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Register here
The event is a collaboration with federal partners from HRSA, CDC, the Indian Health Service, NIH, SAMHSA, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Learn more about the Administration’s continued commitment to Ending the HIV Epidemic.
- Get updates on major HHS activities to date and plans for implementing the initiative.
- Engage in a question-and-answer session with federal officials.
|
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
Prevention of Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the United States
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices provides the first full update to hepatitis A vaccination recommendations in 14 years and now recommends hepatitis A catch-up vaccination for anyone aged 2-18 years, vaccination for anyone 1 year of age or older with HIV, and other new and updated recommendations.
COVID-19
Encourage Recovered Patients to Donate COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma
HHS is working to develop the vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics needed to defeat COVID-19. One recent development in treatment is the use of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP)—blood donated by recovered COVID-19 patients that contains antibodies for the virus. Prior experience with respiratory viruses and data from around the world suggest that CCP treatment has the potential to lessen the severity of COVID-19 or shorten the length of illness. More than 25,000 patients have received this treatment, and recent data show it is safe for a large, diverse population. Health centers should encourage patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating CCP. Learn more.
HRSA Fiscal and Grants Management Best Practices for Health Centers
BPHC and OFAM recently hosted webinars highlighting key fiscal aspects to provide health centers with strategies to ensure compliance and properly manage all HRSA funding, including COVID-19-related awards (H8C, H8D, and H8E).
The recordings are now available. Note that the presentations in both sessions are identical but their Q&A portions differ.
Session 1: HRSA Fiscal & Grant Reminders COVID-19 TA
Session 2: HRSA Fiscal & Grant Reminders COVID-19 TA
COVID-19 Survey Deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET TODAY
As a reminder, the survey you received on Friday, July 10, 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.
|
Rubber Dam Refresher for COVID-19
The CDC’s Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Dental Settings During the COVID-19 Response states, "If aerosol-generating procedures are necessary for dental care, use four-handed dentistry, high evacuation suction and dental dams to minimize droplet spatter and aerosols.” The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), presents a review of the evidence for using rubber dams and techniques for rubber dam placement and use.
Monday, July 27
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
1.0 CDE is available
Health Center School-Based Dental Programs and COVID-19: A Listening Session
As school districts develop plans for the upcoming school year, the ability of health center school-based dental programs to deliver care is unknown. This listening session will provide a forum for health centers to listen and discuss strategies on resuming school-based dental services and share challenges and barriers.
Monday, August 10
1:30-2:30 p.m. ET
Register here
 |
|
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.
|
NIH Opportunities
Returning to Primary Care: Diabetes Care During a Public Health Crisis
Watch the recording of this recent webinar series from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NTTAP. Speakers discussed application of evidence-based interventions for diabetes that can be quickly implemented in the context of a changing health care environment.
COVID-19: A Framework for Health and Housing Partnership
During the Pandemic Community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., shelter-in-place, quarantine, and testing) and management of strained resources have elevated the need and value of effective partnerships to address the needs of vulnerable populations. This brief from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a HRSA-funded NTTAP, highlights strategies for health centers and housing and community service providers in partnering to address a range of health and housing needs both during and after the COVID-19 crisis subsides.
The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s Playbook on Colorectal Cancer Screening during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This new resource from the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable provides an action-oriented playbook for health centers to address colorectal cancer screening efforts appropriately, safely, and equally for all communities throughout the pandemic. It provides snapshot statistics on COVID-19’s impact on screening, new messages for colorectal cancer screening efforts, and aligning statements for health centers role in reducing mortality, morbidity, and ensuring health equity.
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.
Are We There Yet? Achieving Behavioral Health Integration
Strengthen your health center’s integration of behavioral health services by attending this webinar.
Thursday, July 30
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Subject matter experts will:
- Describe models and elements of effective behavioral health integration.
- Outline steps to become more fully integrated.
- Explain methods to measure the impact of integration.
- Identify strategies that can be used to adapt behavioral health integration to telehealth.
To register, please create an account on the HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA's website.
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.
HIV
Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America
See the announcement above.
Ending the HIV Epidemic – PCHP Progress Reporting Question & Answer Session
See the announcement above.
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 MAT program, or an opioid treatment program. Applications are due Tuesday, July 21. Learn more about the NHSC new site application.
|
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
Attaining and Maintaining Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition
Join HRSA and the National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to learn about the benefits of attaining and maintaining Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition. You’ll see a new video featuring Piedmont Health (a HRSA-funded health center in Chapel Hill, NC) and receive an introduction to NCQA’s new PCMH Recognition Toolkit.
Wednesday, July 29
2:30-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Following the video and toolkit premiere, colleagues and peers will have an opportunity to share perspectives about the value of PCMH recognition, especially during the current pandemic, and you’ll be able to ask questions.
Structural Competency: A Framework to Analyze and Address Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities
Watch a recording of this webinar from Health Outreach Partners, a HRSA-funded NTTAP, for an introduction to the Structural Competency framework and key concepts like structural violence and racism and structural interventions. It can help you strengthen your ability to discern how structures impact the health of patients and communities.
Clinician’s Guide to EPA’s Worker Protection Standard
The EPA’s Worker Protection Standard (WPS) protects agricultural workers from the health risks associated with pesticides. Farmworker’s Justice and the Migrant Clinicians Network—both HRSA-funded NTTAPs—share a clinician’s guide to the WPS. It includes basic protections, reporting and monitoring requirements, and important considerations for migrant health clinicians.
New Fact Sheet Highlights Impact on Health Center Staff and Boards
NACHC’s training and TA program continues to be a trusted resource to health centers. Read this fact sheet to learn how NACHC’s work with federal, state and local partners supports the Health Center Program.
Key Considerations for Developing Core Competencies for Health Center Enabling Services Staff: A Guide for Health Centers
This new guide from NACHC briefly introduces enabling services and the different types of enabling service staff that may be in health centers. It also presents information on enabling services core competencies, including a list of key steps to develop these competencies, best practices, recommendations, and links to additional resources.
Top 10 Reasons to Choose PCMH Recognition
The NCQA and HRSA want you to know why PCMH recognition may be right for your health center. We’ll feature the top 10 reasons over the next few weeks. Here are reasons 8-10:
- The PCMH model can help reduce costs for health centers that are accountable for tracking items such as inpatient costs and ER visits. PCMH can help prevent expensive and avoidable hospitalizations, ER visits and complications—especially for patients with complex chronic conditions.
- To ensure practices sustain their PCMH transformation, recognition programs use regular reporting processes to show that health centers continue to meet PCMH criteria. Centers already track many of the metrics required for renewal for other aspects of quality reporting required by HRSA.
- The medical home concept was introduced in 1967 as a model of care using evidence-based guidelines and best practices. Although other PCMH recognition programs have been established since, the NCQA PCMH Recognition program was the first PCMH-based evaluation program in the country. NCQA provides the necessary resources and assistance to guide health centers through recognition and beyond.
Learn more on the NCQA PCMH website.
In case you missed it:
Visit the Primary Health Care Digest archive.
Do you forward the Digest to others?
Encourage them to subscribe.
|
Sign up for eNews
Connect with HRSA
