What's New
Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program Update
The HRSA Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) facilitates access to capital funding and reduces financing costs for health centers by guaranteeing up to 80 percent of a loan. With interest at an all-time high, HRSA is working to streamline and reintroduce the program to eligible health centers. Earlier this year, we issued the first loan guarantee since the release of the LGP Instructions in early 2020. Grace Community Health Center (Corbin, KY) recently converted an old bowling alley into a state-of-the-art women’s health care facility. With the approval of a HRSA loan guarantee, Grace Community Health Center secured favorable financing terms for the new service site with double the exam rooms, improved workspaces, and increased staff capacity. They anticipate serving an additional 2,000 patients because of the project. Visit the LGP webpage for information and resources.
Guidance for Health Centers to Promote Flu Vaccinations
In a recent bulletin, we shared some important reminders and resources for health centers to keep in mind to encourage your patients to get flu vaccinations. For example, the CDC Health Care Provider Fight Flu Toolkit provides tools, including fact sheets and slides, to facilitate productive conversations with patients.
Additionally, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, interviewed a diverse group of health center leaders to discuss the urgent need for expansive flu vaccine coverage in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out their report.
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Schedule of UDS TA Webinars for 2020 Reporting
To support timely, accurate, and complete UDS reporting, we are holding TA webinars this fall. These will help you prepare for UDS reports due on February 15, 2021. Sessions cover a range of topics, including:
- General UDS reporting.
- Reporting in-person and virtual visits.
- Clinical table reporting with a focus on special topics.
- Financial and operational table reporting and comparisons.
- A review of changes for UDS 2020 reporting.
There are two sessions this/next week. Please see the training schedule and register in advance to receive materials.
FORHP Funding Opportunities
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Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program: HRSA has released the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program (HRSA-21-027). HRSA plans to award 60 grants to rural communities as part of this funding opportunity. Read more.
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Rural Health Network Development Planning: HRSA released the NOFO for the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program (HRSA-21-021). HRSA plans to award 20 grants to rural communities as part of this funding opportunity. Read more.
COVID-19
Recent CMS Releases Related to Telehealth and COVID-19
CMS released a preliminary report providing Medicaid and CHIP data on telehealth use during the COVID-19 public health emergency through June 30. It provides a snapshot of services delivered via telehealth to Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries between March and June across various states and age groups, noting the significant increase in telehealth services compared to the same period last year.
CMS also released a supplement to its State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit to help states navigate telehealth service delivery and reimbursement. The supplement’s updated FAQs include resources states may consider for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), specifically financing flexibilities in response to the pandemic. Visit CMS' COVID-19 page for additional resources.
TODAY! 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.
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Join the webinar
Call-in: 888-323-9689
Passcode: 7945934
Promising Health Center Practices during COVID-19
NACHC 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.
COVID-19 Learning Series
NACHC is also offering a three-session learning series on COVID-19. Each webinar will dive into different challenges and explore opportunities around business contingency planning and data fundamentals while sharing lessons learned, models, and workflows from health centers who mobilized early during the first phase of COVID-19. Register for the series. Sessions take place from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET on these dates:
Leaning in to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Wednesday, October 28
Securing Your Path Forward
Wednesday, November 18
Looking Over the Horizon
Wednesday, December 16
NIH COVID-19 Communities Responding Together
With the assistance of new resources from NIH’s Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities, community leaders and health centers can help play a vital role in connecting their communities with important, accurate information about public health and clinical research.
Use CEAL Alliance resources – including infographics, videos, fact sheets, and news – to talk with your communities about COVID-19, the vaccines being developed, and the importance of being included in research studies.
COVID-19 Health Center Survey – We Want to Hear from You
Last week, 71% of health centers and 54% 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 23, is due by 11:59 p.m. your local time today.
As mentioned in a bulletin last Friday, we added two new questions about flu vaccinations.
- Is your health center experiencing challenges obtaining an adequate supply of flu vaccine doses?
- By race and ethnicity, how many flu vaccinations did your health center administer since August 1, 2020?
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In the survey that opens this Friday, October 30, we’ll change the timeframe for that second flu question. We’ll ask only for the number of flu vaccinations administered within the previous week.
Check out our User Guide if you have questions.
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FAQs
We continually update our COVID-19 FAQs webpage. Other resources:
Finance Office Hours for Health Centers: Strategies for Managing COVID-19
NACHC and its partners have joined forces to provide timely information and resources to support health centers through this challenging time. Topics will address real-time challenges based on health center input and feedback.
Wednesday, November 18
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Additional date: Wednesday, December 16. Submit questions in advance to trainings@nachc.org.
Physical Activity & Diabetes Prevention in the COVID-19 Landscape
Individuals experiencing homelessness or unstable housing often do not have access to safe locations for physical activity. COVID-19 exacerbates the challenges—making public facilities, parks, and venues of activity even less accessible. Join the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, to explore approaches to fostering physical activity for improving physical health of individuals unstably housed. Housing providers and health centers who serve this population will benefit from this conversation.
Wednesday, November 11
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
An Introduction to TA Services that Promote Behavioral Health Integration
Please join HRSA and our contractor, JBS International, for a webinar introducing the variety of TA services available to health centers to support the integration of behavioral health and substance use disorder services in primary care. In this time of increasing need for behavioral health care, we provide TA assistance that is timely and unique to the needs of your health center. Integration topic areas include medication-assisted treatment (MAT); pain management; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services; COVID-19; tele-behavioral health services; depression screening; social determinants of health; and workforce recruitment and retention.
Wednesday, November 4
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
HIV
Improving PrEP Access through Monitoring and Engagement
In support of Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE), HRSA is collaborating with health center experts in the field to discuss how to improve access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) through monitoring and patient engagement. Speakers will address real-time challenges and solutions that health centers face daily as they integrate HIV care and testing into primary care settings.
Thursday, November 12
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Topics will include:
- Training providers to interact with patients, including taking a sexual history.
- How the clinic has maintained patient engagement during COVID-19.
- Overcoming barriers with getting patients on PrEP.
- Patient education and support when prescribing PrEP.
- Monitoring medication adherence.
EHE Jurisdictional Directory
The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, a HRSA-funded partner, created a new EHE Jurisdictional Directory. It provides a list of local and state points of contact for EHE efforts and can facilitate community participation on local engagement activities; EHE websites, EHE jurisdictional plans, and social media accounts for EHE Phase 1 jurisdictions. More points of contact will be included as they become available. |
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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, Primary Care Associations, and Health Center Controlled Networks. The goal is to increase foundational knowledge of effective strategies to prevent, treat, and manage diabetes among special and vulnerable populations.
Today’s session is about how to increase patient technology and digital health literacy, teaching participants to:
- Understand telehealth and the different forms of service delivery.
- Identify barriers to technology and digital literacy for diabetes-related interventions.
- Use strategies and tools to address barriers in implementing diabetes-related interventions.
See a schedule and register for sessions.
Physical Activity & Diabetes Prevention in the COVID-19 Landscape
See the announcement above.
Workforce
Comprehensive Care Learning Collaborative
Community Health Center, Inc., a HRSA-funded NTTAP, presents a new four-month participatory learning experience. It will provide health centers that are beginning or restarting their move to high performance, team-based comprehensive primary care with knowledge about the basic principles and best practices of care and the strategies to plan for implementation. Apply by Monday, November 16.
TODAY: 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.
New Funding Opportunity to Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce
See the announcement above.
Telehealth
Recent CMS Releases Related to Telehealth and COVID-19
See the announcement above.
Final Week: 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.
Additional Resources
80% in Every Community Conference
The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) invites health center staff to register for the inaugural 80% in Every Community Conference. This no-cost, virtual conference will take place November 16-17 and will feature presentations by nationally known experts, thought leaders, and decision makers on colorectal cancer screening policy and delivery. The goal is to further catalyze efforts to reach 80% in Every Community—this is NCCRT’s campaign to increase screening rates to 80% or higher in communities across the nation. Learn more or register.
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