What's New
New Hypertension Funding Submission Assistance Resources Available
Visit the fiscal year (FY) 2021 National Hypertension Control Initiative Supplemental Funding for Health Centers (NHCI-HC) technical assistance (TA) webpage for new submission assistance resources, including updated FAQs. These resources can assist health centers in completing their submissions in HRSA's Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by THIS Friday, December 4, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Use the November 17 email sent to your H80 project directors, business officials, and authorizing officials to access an updated link to the EHBs submission module.
Join HRSA’s World AIDS Day Twitter Thread
We started a Twitter thread today that will continue through Wednesday, December 9. We’re using the hashtag #HRSAHonorsWAD to promote awareness about HIV and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program’s role in ending the HIV epidemic.
@HRSAgov will send four messages threaded together by World AIDS Day. Please consider joining the conversation: comment, like, retweet, or post your own content to our Twitter thread focusing on your health center’s goals/accomplishments!
FY 2020 Ending the HIV Epidemic - Primary Care HIV Prevention Grantee Progress Reporting TA
We invite grantees and Project Officers to join us to review key project requirements for FY 2020 Ending the HIV Epidemic - Primary Care HIV Prevention (PCHP) funding, the progress report components and schedule, and reporting resources. We will also answer grantee questions.
Wednesday, December 2
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 888-950-7567
Passcode: 9902759
The progress report module opens TODAY in EHBs, and is due on Tuesday, December 15.
Uniform Data System 2020 Reporting Webinar Recordings
Recordings of this fall’s Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting TA webinars focused on 2020 UDS are NOW available. The sessions covered a range of important reporting topics—from virtual visits to clinical and financial tables. Visit the UDS Training site to view the recordings and comprehensive training materials.
As a reminder, HRSA collaborates with Primary Care Associations to host UDS TA trainings nationwide. See training dates and contact information for your state or territory.
Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program Toolkit
Capital Link, a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), developed this Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program Toolkit. It provides application tips and tools for preparing a capital project, collecting the materials needed to submit an application, and navigating the application process efficiently.
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COVID-19
Administration of Monoclonal Antibody Treatment: New FAQ and Playbook
The monoclonal antibody therapeutic bamlanivimab is now available through emergency use authorization (EUA) from FDA for non-hospitalized patients with mild or moderate confirmed cases of COVID-19.
We recently added this related FAQ to our COVID-19 FAQs:
- What are considerations for health centers that provide bamlanivimab, a COVID-19 antibody treatment, to their patients?
Operation Warp Speed (OWS) recently released an OWS Therapeutics: Monoclonal Antibody Playbook to support sites interested in administering the COVID-19 treatment under the EUA. It aims to help health care facilities implement monoclonal antibody treatment in an outpatient setting for those with COVID-19. Read the HHS announcement about plans to allocate initial doses.
FAQs
We recently added this question to the coronavirus-related funding FAQs:
- Can a health center request a project period extension for coronavirus-related supplemental funding awards if more time is needed to complete previously approved activities under these awards?
We made a similar addition to the FY 2020 Health Center Program Look-Alikes: Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing (LAL ECT) FAQs:
- Can a Health Center Program look-alike request a project period extension for a LAL ECT funding award if more time is needed to complete previously approved activities under this award?
In addition, COVID-19 Information for Health Centers and Partners includes links to Provider Relief Fund FAQs/resources.
Webinar Recording Available: Provider Recruitment and Retention Training for Health Centers
In October, we held a webinar on staffing-related shortages—a common barrier identified by health centers, especially in light of the pandemic. Speakers from HRSA, HRSA-funded NTTAPs (Community Health Center, Inc., and the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved), and a health center discussed recruitment and retention promising practices and provided resources. Watch the recording if you missed it.
Effective and Innovative Approaches/Best Practices in Health Care in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Request for Information
Through a new Request for Information, HHS seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact of changes adopted by health care systems and providers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many health care systems and clinicians have rapidly reengineered their policies and programs to improve access, safety, quality, outcomes (including mortality and morbidity), cost, and value for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related medical conditions. HHS plans to identify and learn from effective innovative approaches and best practices implemented by non-HHS organizations in order to inform HHS priorities and programs. Respond by Thursday, December 24.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Publishes Ethical Principles for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently published a paper stating that, because initial vaccine supplies will be limited, it will use four ethical principles, along with scientific data and implementation feasibility, to make vaccine allocation recommendations: 1) maximizing benefits and minimizing harms, 2) promoting justice, 3) mitigating health inequalities, and 4) promoting transparency.
To increase demand and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, once available, CDC’s Vaccinate with Confidence for COVID-19 Vaccines also presents a strategic framework with recommended tactics.
Guidance on Face Masks, Surgical Masks, and Respirators for COVID-19
The FDA recently published Face Masks, Including Surgical Masks, and Respirators for COVID-19, a comprehensive new webpage with answers to FAQs. Topics covered in this new page include the basics on face masks, surgical masks, and respirators; how to properly use them; and how to report shortages.
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Health Centered on COVID-19
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Health centers across the nation have distinguished themselves in responding to the current pandemic. Here’s a recent example:
Jericho Road Community Health Center (Buffalo, NY) is playing a pivotal role in responding to the pandemic and providing seamless primary health care to its more than 20,000 patients, who are primarily low-income residents. The Western New York communities it serves have seen some of the highest positive test rates in the state. But thanks to HRSA funding, Jericho Road has made noteworthy strides to help protect its patients.
Additionally, Jericho Road increased access to COVID-19 testing by offering community testing days, rapid testing, and door-to-door testing to target hard hit communities. It held more than 30 outdoor community testing days for both patients and other community members; many attended by more than 300 people. It also used HRSA funding to purchase Cepheid machines, giving it the ability to not only swab for COVID-19 onsite at their clinics, but to run the test onsite.When COVID-19 cases started showing up in March, the health center swiftly reconfigured its clinics to have separate well units, for patients not infected by COVID-19, and isolation units, for patients who are positive or potentially positive for COVID-19. Each section has its own entrances and exits as well as separate teams. According to Chief Medical Officer Allana Krolikowski, MD, these isolation units help to reassure patients of the clinic’s safety and mitigate a drop in patient visits.
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Let Us Know about Your Efforts to Respond to COVID-19
Please share how your health center is helping your community address COVID-19 through HRSA funding. Here’s how you can share your successes and innovative efforts:
- Send a brief description of your health center’s COVID-19 response to our Health Center Stories inbox.
- You’re welcome to include a photo of the staff involved. Please include names of everyone in the picture and make sure each person featured in your photo has signed a HRSA Photo Release Form. Include the signed forms in your email. NOTE: Picture should include ONLY health center staff—not patients!
We may share your story in future editions of the Digest or on HRSA social media.
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COVID-19 Health Center Survey – We Want to Hear from You
Please make sure to complete this week’s survey to help us understand your health center’s needs and how we can help. Your continued feedback helps us provide relevant information and resources in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
Last week, 68% of health centers and 49% of Health Center Program look-alikes submitted data through the weekly COVID-19 survey. We challenge you to help beat that this week! The survey you received on Friday, November 27, is due by 11:59 p.m. your local time today. As always, thank you for sharing your invaluable insights!
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Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Join The Joint Commission for an overview of the expansion of telehealth during COVID-19 and discussion of its standards and survey process to evaluate the quality and safety of telehealth services.
Thursday, December 10
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Replays of past educational sessions are accessible on The Joint Commission’s website.
Housing Innovations for Health Centers during COVID-19
Communities nationwide have set up alternative care sites, often in hotels, for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability and who have no safe, stable home in which to quarantine. The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a HRSA-funded NTTAP, invites you to learn more about this practice. Hear from three health centers (from Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Maine) regarding how they are supporting these sites and assisting in the re-housing process for those being served at the sites.
Monday, December 14
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
The Collaborative Care Model: A Proven Approach for Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health Care
Collaborative care programs are a proven approach to integration in which primary care providers, care managers, and psychiatric/behavioral health consultants work together to provide team-based care and monitor patients’ progress. The model provides the platform for a range of targeted behavioral health services such as brief psychosocial treatments; pharmacotherapies for substance use (medication-assisted treatment) and mental disorders; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); and patient education.
Wednesday, December 2
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
JBS International, a HRSA contractor, will host this webinar.
HIV
Join HRSA’s World AIDS Day Twitter Thread
See the announcement above.
Remembering the Why: World AIDS Day 2020
On this World AIDS Day, we acknowledge the resilience of health centers and the impact of their contribution to the Ending the HIV Epidemic—transforming how care is provided to people living with HIV. Between 2016 and 2019, health centers improved their performance on the “HIV linkage to care within 90 days” clinical quality measure from 83% to 87%.
Beginning this year, a new UDS measure captures the number of new patients started on PrEP. We also reduced the linkage to care clinical quality measure from 90 days to 30 days to increase the rate of patient retention, decrease the number of patients lost to follow-up, and further decrease the rate of new HIV cases.
Access resources to help your health center keep up this great work!
TODAY! Live with Leadership - World AIDS Day Edition
The HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) will host a special Live with Leadership - World AIDS Day Edition conversation to learn directly from key HHS and community leaders about new and ongoing work to further the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America initiative.
TODAY
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the session
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The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS Council Meeting This Week
The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS will hold its 69th full Council meeting virtually on Wednesday, December 2, and Thursday, December 3, from 1:00-5:00 p.m. ET each day. Council members will each participate from home, community members offering public comment will join remotely, and stakeholders can view the meeting via livestream.
Diabetes
Train the Trainer: Teaching Non-Clinical and Housing Case Management Staff to Understand Diabetes Prevention and Provide Diabetes Prevention
Support CSH invites health centers serving people experiencing homelessness to join a learning collaborative that begins in January 2021. Participants will explore promising practices for diabetes prevention and self-management outside of the clinic setting. They will also receive training on what non-clinical staff and housing case managers require to support continued diabetes prevention care and management. Topics addressed will include nutrition, exercise, and medication management. Learn more and apply by midnight local time on Thursday, December 31.
Workforce
Several HRSA-funded NTTAPs invite health centers to apply for upcoming learning collaboratives:
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Healing Centered Engagement for Patients Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence Learning Collaborative
Futures Without Violence’s National Health Network on Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking offers a learning collaborative to bolster health center staff’s capacity to identify and address intimate partner violence and human trafficking. Topics will include universal education, empowerment and support (the CUES approach), and offering warm referrals to community-based domestic violence programs for safety planning and other well-being support in the time of COVID-19. Apply by 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 9.
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Oral Health Workforce Learning Collaborative
This learning collaborative from The National Network for Oral Health Access and the Association for Clinicians of the Underserved’s STAR2 Center will focus on developing an oral health workforce recruitment and retention plan. At the end of the six-month learning collaborative, which commences in January 2021, the project team should be able to produce and share a clear outline for their recruitment and retention plan for oral health team members. Apply by 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, December 11.
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Comprehensive Care Learning Collaborative
Community Health Center, Inc., offers a four-month participatory learning experience for health centers that are beginning or restarting their move to high performance team-based comprehensive primary care. It will assist staff who are developing their clinical care teams to provide access to integrated comprehensive primary health care (e.g., primary, medical, oral, mental, substance use disorder, vision, enabling services). Participants will gain knowledge about the basic principles and best practices of care and the strategies to plan for implementation. Apply by Friday, December 11.
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Capital Expansion for Health and Housing Partnerships Learning Collaborative
Are you exploring capital expansion for your health center? Are you working with community partners to address housing needs? Join a learning collaborative from CSH to understand how to leverage your capital project to meet broader community housing needs. This learning series is for health centers interested in expanding their health services in collaboration with housing partners to strengthen engagement in social determinants of health (SDOH) and advance efforts to build a community's safety net infrastructure. Learn more at a webinar on Thursday, January 14, 2021. Apply by Friday, January 22, 2021.
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SDOH Screening Learning Collaborative
Farmworker Justice, Health Outreach Partners, Migrant Clinicians Network, MHP Salud, and the National Center for Farmworker Health present a multidisciplinary learning collaborative designed for staff of community and migrant health centers. The purpose is to increase the number of health centers that screen for SDOH affecting migratory and seasonal agricultural workers. Health center staff recommended to participate include clinical supervisors and coordinators, medical assistants, patient navigators, community health workers, and front office workers. This learning collaborative takes place in 2021. Learn more or register here.
Additional Resources
Deadline Extended: Women’s Hypertension Innovator Award Competition
Through the HHS Hypertension Innovator Award Competition, HHS seeks innovative ways to ensure women with hypertension during pregnancy and/or postpartum receive appropriate monitoring and follow-up. The competition is offering $3,325,000 in cash prizes. The initial submission deadline is extended to Wednesday, January 6, 2021.
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