What's New
Fiscal Year 2020 Health Center Program Look-Alikes: Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing Question and Answer Session HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM) will host a question and answer session for recipients of Look-Alikes: Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing (LAL ECT) funding. This session will provide an opportunity for LALs to receive clarification on key fiscal and grants management requirements, with strategies to ensure compliance and properly manage the LAL ECT award.
Wednesday, August 12 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET Join the webcast the day of the session Call-in: 888-972-9343 Passcode: 2324051
If you have questions to submit ahead of time, send them to OFAMFTA@hrsa.gov. We also encourage you to watch the BPHC/OFAM Fiscal and Grants Management Orientation webinar held last month.
Healthy People 2030 Launch Next week, HHS will unveil the latest edition of Healthy People.
Tuesday, August 18 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET Join the day of the session
Healthy People 2030 is a set of science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving health and well-being in the U.S. Speakers will highlight the new Healthy People 2030 goals and objectives and provide an overview of the development process. Speakers will also discuss Healthy People 2030 data, social determinants of health (SDOH), health equity, and more.
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Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program Overview This pre-recorded webinar provides interested health centers and lenders with an overview of the HRSA Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program, the application process, and available resources.
Deadline Reminder: Service Area Competition Applications for March 1 Starts Service Area Competition (SAC) HRSA-21-004 applications are due in:
- Grants.gov: Monday, August 24, by 11:59 p.m. ET.
- HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks: Thursday, September 24, by 5:00 p.m. ET.
TA materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
Health Center Requests for Carryover of Unobligated Balances In recognition of the impact of COVID-19, HRSA will consider approving carryover of unobligated balances for any Health Center Program (H80) funding originating from more than one prior budget or project period—for example, unobligated balances from fiscal year (FY) 2018 that have already been carried over into FY 2019, and which your health center now needs for FY 2020 in-scope activities.
Note that any carryover funds, regardless of amount, must be used for the original approved purpose(s) of the award. In accordance with 45 CFR Part 75.403-405, you must use federal award funds only for allowable costs that are:
- Consistent with the terms and conditions of the federal award and the Federal Cost Principles (45 CFR Part 75 Subpart E), including any supplemental award requirements (e.g., patient targets, FTE hiring and timelines);
- Allocable to the purposes of the Health Center Program project; and
- Reasonable.
See the Health Center Program Carryover of Unobligated Balances Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for additional information. For specific questions about appropriate use of carryover funds, contact your Grants Management Specialist.
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Diabetes Performance Improvement Virtual Technical Assistance HRSA is offering virtual technical assistance (TA) site visits to assist health centers in developing and/or maximizing diabetes resources, systems, and capacity in order to improve diabetes prevention, monitoring, and treatment. The one-day virtual TA visit must occur in August or September. If you are interested, please contact Debra Bergen.
Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates We post the recordings, slides, and transcripts on our COVID-19 Information for Health Centers and Partners webpage as soon as we’re able.
Save the date for these upcoming Today with Macrae sessions (all at 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET):
Thursday, August 20 Tuesday, September 15 – New date added! Thursday, October 1 – New date! Thursday, October 29
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FY 2020 Primary Care HIV Prevention Tri Annual Progress Reporting: Crosswalk to UDS To support Primary Care HIV Prevention (PCHP)-funded health centers, the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center, a HRSA-funded NTTAP, prepared a crosswalk mapping PCHP tri-annual reporting metrics to UDS measures and/or fields. This tool will assist health centers in leveraging UDS reporting functionality in their electronic health records to inform completion of the tri-annual progress reports to HRSA. The PCHP metrics listed in the first column crosswalk to specific data definitions in the calendar year 2020 UDS, which are specified in the second column, and then further detail is provided in the third column.
Guidance: Sliding Coinsurance for CMS/Medicare Care Management Services The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, shares this publication. It guides health centers on managing CMS/Medicare care management services commensurate with sliding fee policies.
COVID-19
Financial Support for Millions of Health Care Providers Nationwide Many health care providers are experiencing significant financial hardships in the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress provided $175 billion in relief funds to the HHS to deliver financial relief to health care organizations, like health centers. The latest phase of funding is now available through Friday, August 28. Those who bill Medicare, Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care, CHIP, or a dental provider are eligible to apply as long as they haven’t already received 2% of their patient revenue from the fund. Visit HHS' Provider Relief website for more information. We also encourage you to attend a webcast to learn more:
Thursday, August 13 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET Register here
Health Center COVID-19 Testing A new dashboard compiles the data you provide in weekly surveys to deliver a high-level view of total COVID-19 tests conducted and the distribution of positive COVID-19 tests. See a breakdown by race and ethnicity as well.
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COVID-19 Workforce Virtual Toolkit: New Health Equity Page HRSA staff contributed to the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s COVID-19 Workforce Virtual Toolkit. This now includes a Health Equity page that compiles resources on the topic of health equity/health disparities associated with COVID-19.
Rural Health Care Surge Readiness Clearinghouse Rural health care facilities face unique challenges in the fight against COVID-19. Developed by the Rural Surge Readiness Team, COVID-19 Healthcare Resilience Working Group, the Rural Health Surge Readiness web portal provides essential resources, tools, and trainings for rural health care systems preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 surge. The material spans a wide range of health care settings appropriate for executives, managers, and providers, and covers topics including behavioral health, operations, and telehealth.
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FAQs We continually update our COVID-19 FAQs webpage. Other resources:
COVID-19 Survey Deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET TODAY The survey you received on Friday, August 7, is due by 11:59 p.m. ET today. 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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COVID-19: Community Health Center Finance Toolkit NACHC has compiled guidance in critical areas in order for community health center leaders to guide their teams through difficult times and prepare them to come out stronger on the other side. Topics include cash flow planning, CARES Act guidance, and remote work best practices. This article on CARES Act funding may also be of interest.
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Call for Applications: Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health Learning Collaborative The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, seeks interested health centers to participate in a virtual learning collaborative on integrating behavioral health and oral health. The goal is to improve the overall health of health center patients by using the “User’s Guide for Implementation of Interprofessional Oral Health Core Clinical Competencies” as a framework for implementing behavioral health screenings in the dental clinic. Apply by 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 14.
HIV
New Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Chapter CDC’s Prevention Research Synthesis (PRS) project identifies evidence-based interventions and best practices for HIV prevention. They recently added a new chapter on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the PRS Compendium, which includes best practices for improving PrEP use and persistence. For additional information, contact PRS.
Diabetes
Diabetes Performance Improvement Virtual TA See announcement above.
NACHC Diabetes Scan Results A year ago, NACHC’s Quality Center conducted an environmental scan of diabetes efforts among Primary Care Associations (PCA) and Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN) nationally. Read the results.
Workforce
Your Input Needed! HRSA recently published two Requests for Information (RFI). We will collect feedback on the areas of consideration outlined in the RFIs, as well as more general feedback or suggestions, through Friday, September 18.
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Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Scoring Criteria RFI:
HRSA seeks public input and feedback to inform policy considerations related to changes to HPSA scoring criteria and on possible additions or alternative approaches to HPSA scoring, as well as to solicit additional ideas and suggestions.
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Maternity Care Health Professional Target Area Criteria RFI:
HRSA seeks public input and feedback to inform policy considerations related to the establishment of criteria for Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas and to solicit additional ideas and suggestions related to the RFI’s topic areas.
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Health Leadership Webinar Series NACHC presents a four-part webinar series that provides the essential skills and tools needed to be an effective leader and not just “the boss.” Learn how to motivate employees and how to manage relationships. Learn the keys to effective communication, become a listening leader, and how to develop a culture ripe for curiosity and innovation. Find out dates and times or learn how to register.
Oral Health
Dental Leadership Burnout After Five Months of COVID-19: A Safe Space to Share and Support As health center dental programs re-open, dental leadership faces a new set of stressors, including increased financial pressure from administration, provider and staff concerns about safety, patient concerns about returning to dental care, as well as family and community expectations. This webinar by NNOHA will be a combined listening session incorporating a behavioral health specialist to provide support to health center providers and leaders. 1.0 continuing dental education credit will be provided.
Monday, August 24 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET Register here
Call for Applications: Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health Learning Collaborative See announcement above.
Additional Resources
Adopting a Population Health Strategy to Reduce Heart Disease Risk Join HRSA for an interactive presentation and discussion with Sam Cykert, M.D., of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chief of the Program on Health and Clinical Informatics and Director of the AHRQ-funded Heart Health NOW initiative of North Carolina. Dr. Cykert will share how to reduce cardiovascular disease risk morbidity and mortality by:
- Stratifying patients by risk.
- Setting up rapid engagement and re-engagement systems to address treatment and lifestyle.
- Adopting a system of dissemination and implementation, where small practices can thrive in our value-based environment.
- Advancing the promise of primary care and quantitatively proving its value.
He will also share data and information about COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease.
Wednesday, August 12 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET Register here
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Social Determinants and Health Status: A Data for Decision-Making Speaker Series Webinar Join HRSA for a webinar focused on better understanding SDOH and their impact on the health status of patients served by health centers. Many existing SDOH models are anchored around place-based constructs. Learn how we’re incorporating a population-based model and assessing the social determinants contributing most to patient health.
Tuesday, August 25 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET Register here
Webinar Recording: Introduction to Hepatitis B: Testing and Best Practices Missed our recent webinar? Watch the recording. Learn about the epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV), including perinatal HBV and the natural history of HBV. Experts discussed the recommended screenings for HBV infection and interpretation of testing results to support early intervention and improved patient outcomes.
Undiagnosed Hypertension Are there patients in your health center with undiagnosed hypertension, hiding in plain sight? Hypertension lacks visible symptoms, so patients may not know that they have it.
- Of the 75 million Americans who have hypertension, almost half do not have the condition under control.
- About 11 million of them don’t know their blood pressure is too high and are not receiving treatment to control it.
CDC’s Million Hearts® initiative recommends four steps to help your health center identify these patients. Watch a video and see the steps.
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