What's New
Quality Improvement Awards Reminders
Last week, HHS announced over $117 million in Quality Improvement Awards (QIA) to 1,318 health centers across all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Visit the QIA webpage to learn more about fiscal year (FY) 2020 award categories and criteria. Here are some reminders and updates about the awards:
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FY 2020 QIA TA Webinar
Join us for a webinar to learn more about the overview and impact of QIA, and the FY 2020 QIA categories, criteria, payout, badges, and terms of award:
Thursday, September 3
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webinar the day of the session
Call-in: 888-469-1066
Passcode: 8944659
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Certificates and Badges
The Health Center Program Awardee Data pages display the QIA badges that a health center has received. Additionally, HRSA gives special recognition to National Quality Leaders and Health Center Quality Leaders for their quality improvement accomplishments by providing award recipients with certificates and web badges that health centers may use as promotional materials.
This year, the certificates and badges for National Quality Leaders and Health Center Quality Leaders were delivered to award recipients electronically through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). Yesterday, we sent an email through EHBs with certificate(s) and badge(s) attached.
- This email came from ‘HRSA GEMS’: oitgems@hrsa.gov.
- It went to the Project Director registered in EHBs.
- Project Directors, please check your spam or junk folders and add the email to your safe sender list.
- Contact either your Project Officer or Health Center Program Support for questions about certificates or badges.
Integrated Behavioral Health Services Year 2 Awards
HRSA awarded Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) year 2 funding with the FY 2020 QIA through a single Notice of Award (NoA). Here’s how you can determine how much funding you may have received for each award:
- Visit the FY 2020 QIA awards page to see if you received QIA funding and, if so, how much you received.
- Subtract your QIA amount from the total amount awarded in the NoA (as noted in box 12e) to determine your IBHS second year of funding amount.
If you have any questions related to your funding, please contact your assigned Project Officer or Grants Management Specialist. Additionally, please be certain to review all terms included on the NoA to understand the specific requirements and expectations for the FY 2020 QIA and IBHS funding.
Webinar Recording Available: Advancing Health Center Excellence
The Advancing Health Center Excellence Framework aims to help HRSA and health centers advance health center maturity and innovation in key domain areas that align with HRSA’s mission and the mission of the Health Center Program. Last week, we held a webinar to get health centers’ feedback on these domains. If you missed it, we will soon post the recording and slides on the Health Center Program Strategic Initiatives webpage.
Natural Disaster Reporting
HRSA has asked Primary Care Associations (PCAs) to take the lead in gathering critical health center information and reporting impact data back to us on the operational status of delivery sites. For health centers in areas impacted by natural disasters, we ask that you report site-level operational status to your PCA.
Visit the HRSA Health Center Program Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Resources website for important guidance documents and resources to help health centers, including information on change in scope for temporary sites, 340B Program enrollment under emergency declarations, and FTCA coverage in emergency events, including volunteer health professionals.
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Deadline Reminders: Service Area Competition Applications
- Service Area Competition (SAC) HRSA-21-002 applications (for January 1 starts) are due in EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET Monday, September 14.
- SAC HRSA-21-003 (for February 1 starts) applications are due in EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 16.
- SAC HRSA-21-005 (for April 1 starts) applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, September 14, and in EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 15.
TA materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule Open for Public Comment
CMS recently released the calendar year 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule. Comments are due on the proposed rule by Monday, October 5. CMS seeks public input on telehealth services that should be permanently added to the telehealth list beyond the public health emergency. Submit a comment.
HRSA Healthy Grants Web Series
HRSA’s Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM) Healthy Grants Web Series will provide presentations on the most requested grants management topics.
When to Call the HRSA Call Center, Plus an EHB Systems Overview for Grantees | Using data.HRSA.gov | Advanced Financial Management Requirements
TODAY
1:00-4:00 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.
You can see the full schedule of webinars, webinar recordings, and more details on the Healthy Grants Web Series webpage.
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COVID-19
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials
NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) formed the COVID-19 Prevention Network to respond to the global pandemic. They are now enlisting volunteers to participate in clinical trials. Health centers can encourage participation by talking with patients and pointing them to reliable information about clinical trials.
The COVID-19 Prevention Network’s website includes:
Please share these resources with your patients and encourage them to consider joining a nearby trial.
Did You Complete Your Survey? Complete It Today to Help Us Help You
Did you know that your survey responses help inform the ongoing federal response to COVID-19? That’s right, your invaluable input allows us to track COVID-19’s impact on health center operations, staff, and patients to better understand and respond to your needs, as well as TA and training.
Last week, 70% of health centers and 55% of health center look-alikes submitted data through the weekly COVID-19 survey. Please help us boost that percentage this week by completing your survey today!
The survey you received on Friday, August 28, is due by 11:59 p.m. ET today. Questions on how to complete the survey? Check out our User Guide. As always, thank you to all of the health centers and look-alikes that complete these weekly surveys!
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FAQs
We continually update our COVID-19 FAQs webpage. Other resources:
HIV
Ending the HIV Epidemic: USPSTF HIV Recommendations and PrEP Resources for Health Centers
Learn about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF’s) Final Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Recommendations and PrEP implementation guidelines, as well as resources from The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, a HRSA-funded NTTAP. Experts will share the latest guidelines and recommendations for HIV screening and PrEP prescribing practices for HIV-negative patients that may be at risk for contracting HIV.
Thursday, September 17
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Workforce
New Disciplines, Same Program: 2021 National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program
HRSA has opened this year’s 2021 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle with new disciplines. Final-year nurse practitioner and certified nurse-midwife students are now also eligible. These students, along with current medical and dental students in their final year of school, can apply for awards of up to $120,000 in exchange for a three-year commitment to provide primary care services at NHSC-approved sites. Review the 2021 NHSC S2S LRP Application and Program Guidance for more information on how to apply by the deadline: 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 5.
Deadline Approaching: 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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Telehealth
Teledentistry Learning Collaborative
The National Network for Oral Health Access, a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), invites health centers to participate in a virtual learning collaborative on teledentistry. The goal is to increase access to oral health services through synchronous teledentistry by using more efficient practice systems, patient engagement, provider recruitment/retention, and clinical improvements. Apply by noon on Friday, September 18.
Additional Resources
Centering Health Equity in Health and Housing Partnerships in Times of Crisis and Beyond
This new publication from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a HRSA-funded NTTAP:
- Provides background on factors that drive racial and ethnic inequities in health and housing, which become even more apparent in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Explores the approach of centering equity—prioritizing an explicit focus on eliminating inequities experienced by Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, and people from other marginalized groups—and its importance, especially in times of crisis.
- Provides recommendations on how health and housing system partners can center racial equity in their work together to advance health equity.
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