What's New
Guidance for Health Centers to Promote Flu Vaccination
In a bulletin last week, we shared some important reminders and resources for health centers to keep in mind to encourage your patients to get flu vaccinations.
For example, your health center can use social media messages and graphics from the CDC Digital Media Toolkit: 2020-21 Flu Season. The toolkit also includes a vaccine finder, print-ready materials, and other resources about the importance of flu vaccinations.
The CDC and Medscape are hosting a free continuing education credit activity that updates clinicians on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2020-21 season. This activity is intended for health care personnel involved in influenza vaccination. The training activity is available from Medscape (free registration is required).
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, interviewed a diverse group of health center leaders to ascertain issues being considered in light of the urgent need for expansive flu vaccine coverage in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out their report.
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HRSA Releases 2019-2020 Report on Health Equity: Special Feature on Housing and Health Inequalities
HRSA’s Office of Health Equity recently released the “HRSA 2019-2020 Health Equity Report: Special Feature on Housing and Health Inequalities.” It indicates substantial progress has been made nationally for all Americans in vital indicators including life expectancy, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and influenza and pneumonia, while health inequities between population groups and geographic areas persist.
Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates
Save the date for these upcoming Today with Macrae sessions (both at 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET):
Thursday, October 29
Tuesday, December 1
We’ll share access details soon.
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Uniform Data System Reporting: Opportunities for Health Center Staff Training
HRSA collaborates with Primary Care Associations (PCAs) to host Uniform Data System (UDS) TA trainings nationwide. The TA program, which will be virtual this year, provides in-depth training for participants on preparing their 2020 UDS report. These trainings are for individuals responsible for gathering and reporting health center data through UDS, health center management and clinical staff who need to understand the definitions and concepts used, and those who use UDS data for program management and quality improvement activities. See training dates and contact information for your state or territory.
Visit the UDS Training website for more UDS TA materials. Don’t forget additional nationwide trainings like the one this week:
Reporting UDS Financial and Operational Tables
Thursday, October 22
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Register here
COVID-19
Promising Health Center Practices during COVID-19
NACHC has compiled over six dozen entries received this summer in response to a Call for Best/Promising Practices Developed or Adapted During COVID-19. This robust collection of field examples speaks to the breadth and depth of change and transformation carried out by health centers and their partners as they continue serving their communities in the midst of a pandemic response.
Next Week: Provider Recruitment and Retention Training for Health Centers
Staffing-related shortages are a common barrier identified by health centers—especially in light of the pandemic. Join a session featuring HRSA, HRSA-funded NTTAPs (Community Health Center, Inc., and the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved), and a health center. Speakers will discuss recruitment and retention promising practices and provide resources.
Tuesday, October 27
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Join the webinar the day of the session
Call-in: 888-323-9689
Passcode: 7945934
New Phase of Provider Relief Fund Open for Applications
Safety net providers are encouraged to apply for the latest round of Provider Relief Fund (PRF) support. Applications will be considered regardless of whether your organization was previously eligible for, applied for, received, accepted, or rejected prior PRF payments. For this newest phase, funding will be allocated to providers based on assessed financial losses and changes in operating expenses caused by COVID-19. Apply here through Friday, November 6.
COVID-19 Health Center Survey – We Want to Hear from You
Last week, 67% of health centers and 57% of Health Center Program look-alikes submitted data through the weekly COVID-19 survey. Let’s beat that this week! The survey you received on Friday, October 16, is due by 11:59 p.m. your local time today.
As mentioned in a bulletin last Friday, we updated the PPE question. Check out our User Guide if you have questions.
FAQs
We continually update our COVID-19 FAQs webpage. Other resources:
Telehealth for Formerly Homeless and Vulnerable Populations in Supportive Housing Fact Sheets
Social distancing protocols have elevated use of telehealth, which can be challenging for formerly homeless and vulnerable populations in supportive housing. The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, created fact sheets to support health centers and supportive housing providers working in partnership to provide health and case management services through telehealth.
Managing Heart Disease During COVID-19
Are there patients in your health center with questions about managing their heart health during the COVID-19 pandemic? CDC’s Million Hearts® and CDC Foundation have worked with key partners to produce two CDC-approved public service announcements to spotlight the importance of heart health during COVID-19. Share these with patients to answer their questions.
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Management of Alcohol Use Disorder
The HRSA-funded National Clinician Consultation Center presents an interactive webinar for health center clinicians. Unhealthy alcohol use remains a growing public health issue in the U.S., contributing significantly to the global burden of disease and posing challenges to the everyday practice of primary care. In this webinar, speakers will define the spectrum of unhealthy alcohol use and compare therapeutic approaches, focusing on pharmacological treatment options. They will also provide strategies for managing withdrawal, an especially important issue during COVID-19. Participants will be able to more confidently assess and care for patients with unhealthy alcohol use.
Thursday, October 22
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Bridging the Gap: Behavioral Health and Oral Health in Public Housing
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) will join the National Center for Health in Public Housing (both HRSA-funded NTTAPs) to host a webinar to review behavioral health data and resources from a recent survey of residents of public housing. Speakers will highlight how a health center dental program located in public housing integrates behavioral health screenings and referrals into oral health care. 1.0 Continuing Dental Education (CDE) credit will be offered.
Monday, November 9
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
App Helps People with Serious Mental Illness Develop Crisis Plan
SAMHSA recently released a new mobile app, "My Mental Health Crisis Plan," which allows individuals who have serious mental illness (SMI) to create a plan to guide their treatment during a mental health crisis. The app was developed through SMI Adviser, a project funded by SAMHSA and administered by the American Psychiatric Association.
Diabetes
Diabetes in Special & Vulnerable Populations: A National Learning Series
To continue the national conversation around diabetes and health centers, 14 NTTAPs are collaborating on a four-part national learning series to engage health centers, PCAs, and Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs). The goal is to increase foundational knowledge of effective strategies to prevent, treat, and manage diabetes among special and vulnerable populations.
This will be a deep dive on topics related to team-based care, patient health literacy, and community engagement to address diabetes in the context of COVID-19.
Based on HRSA recommendations, ongoing conversations will focus on health centers and incorporate how NTTAPs, PCAs, and HCCNs support diabetes quality improvement around specific topic areas and emerging issues (i.e. COVID-19, health equity, social determinants of health, telehealth, clinical guidelines, reimbursement, etc.)
The series kicks off TODAY. See a schedule and register for sessions.
Workforce
Provider Recruitment and Retention Training for Health Centers: Addressing Issues with Staffing, Recruiting, and Retention in the Face of a Pandemic
See the announcement above.
Oral Health
Bridging the Gap: Behavioral Health and Oral Health in Public Housing
See the announcement above.
Telehealth
Telehealth for Formerly Homeless and Vulnerable Populations in Supportive Housing Fact Sheets
See the announcement above.
Additional Resources
New Medical-Legal Partnership Toolkit
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, recently published a new toolkit: "Bringing Lawyers onto the Health Center Care Team to Promote Patient and Community Health." It provides the health center community with information and resources to start, strengthen, and sustain a medical-legal partnership (MLP).
NCMLP will host a five-part webinar series to unpack the learnings from the toolkit. The toolkit and webinars will help health centers:
- Have the important conversations to plan for an MLP’s long-term success.
- Understand the specifics on developing screening, referral, and service delivery workflows for an MLP.
- Look at how integrating legal services can support health center workforce development.
- Move upstream to address social determinants of health (SDOH).
NACHC Training and Technical Assistance Fact Sheet
This newly updated fact sheet provides information on how NACHC's work plan, federal, state and national partnerships, and training and resource delivery strategically align with the health center mission.
Health and Housing Focus Groups
Join a focus group and help design user-friendly and accessible tools for CSH’s Health and Housing Partnership Guide. CSH focuses on building strong health center partnerships with housing and community resources. Its Training Center team is holding focus groups to help update their Health and Housing Partnership Guide. They want to gather feedback and input from health centers and PCAs to help determine how we can promote understanding of the content for easy and effective learning on health and housing partnerships. The focus groups will take place in November. The TA and Training sidebar in this Digest includes details and registration links.
Motivating Healthy Habits in Older Adults Learning Collaborative
Healthy lifestyle habits related to diet and exercise play an important role in preventing and managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, but older adults may face unique barriers to adopting or modifying these habits. The National Center for Equitable Care for Elders, a HRSA-funded NTTAP, presents a learning collaborative focusing on the importance of identifying age-appropriate motivations for behavior change and setting realistic goals. Apply by Tuesday, November 10.
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