What's New
COVID-19 Progress Reporting Module Now Open
The second progress report for fiscal year (FY) 2020 Look-Alike Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing (LAL ECT) recipients is due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 13. Visit the LAL ECT technical assistance (TA) webpage or watch the TA webinar* for more details and guidance. *The recording may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. For assistance, contact us.
The third COVID-19 progress report for HRSA-funded health centers is also due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 13. The reporting module is now open in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks. Progress report resources that detail requirements are available on these TA webpages:
View the progress report TA webinar for additional guidance.
HRSA Seeks Health Center Patients to Share Thoughts and Opinions on Health
HRSA seeks English-speaking health center patients to participate in virtual discussions about health. Patient feedback will help HRSA create easy to understand health materials for everyone. We’ll hold 90-minute Zoom sessions in January, March, and May. Participants will receive monetary payment. If you have patients who may be interested, please have them email Heidi Palacios or call (972) 503-3100 x407.
Please respond by Monday, January 11, for the January discussion groups, and by Sunday, February 28, for the March and May groups. Note: Not all who express interest will be able to participate, as we are aiming to speak with individuals representing a variety of backgrounds.
Capital Grant Progress Report TA
HRSA will host a question and answer session for capital grant award recipients for the upcoming January 2021 Semi-Annual Progress Report, which is due on Friday, January 15. The Capital Development Grant webpage also provides additional resources for award recipients on this reporting requirement.
Wednesday, January 6
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 888-790-3290
Passcode: 9101658
Final Rule in Response to Executive Order 13937
HHS recently released a final rule to increase access to affordable insulin and injectable epinephrine for low-income Americans served by health centers. In response to Executive Order 13937, this final rule ensures future health center grants available under section 330(e) of the Public Health Service Act are conditioned upon health centers having established practices to make insulin and/or injectable epinephrine available at or below the discounted price under the 340B Drug Pricing Program. See the related fact sheet.
Release of the Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan: A Roadmap to Elimination
HHS is excited to announce that it will release the Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan for the United States: A Roadmap to Elimination (2021-2025) on Thursday, January 7. The plan provides goal-oriented objectives and strategies that can be implemented by a broad mix of stakeholders at all levels and across many sectors, both public and private, to reverse the rates of viral hepatitis, prevent new infections, improve care and treatment, and ultimately eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat in the United States. Learn more:
Thursday, January 7
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
COVID-19
Vaccine FAQs and Resources
We recently added a Vaccines category to our COVID-19 FAQs webpage, which includes:
- Where can health centers find information about Medicare and Medicaid enrollment and reimbursement related to the administration of COVID-19 vaccines?
- What are some considerations regarding the providers who can administer COVID-19 vaccines?
- What liability protections apply to health center providers when an individual who receives a vaccine has an adverse reaction?
CDC’s new vaccine site has resources for clinicians and patients and answers to common questions. This includes links to the latest Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations and the COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit. The information on the site helps set expectations about how the entire COVID-19 vaccination process will work. We encourage you to check it out and consider bookmarking so you can quickly get the latest information.
|
Health Centered on COVID-19: A Year in Review
In 2020, health centers across the nation took extraordinary efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. We highlighted your stories in this new Health Centered on COVID-19 feature. Here are some highlights:
-
Universal Community Health Center (Los Angeles, CA) conducted on-site, tele-assisted patient physicals using a high-definition camera, otoscope, and stethoscope to ensure safe distancing during service delivery. The tele-assisted visits boosted patient visits by 30-40%.
-
Jericho Road Community Health Center (Buffalo, NY) 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. These isolation units helped to reassure patients of the clinic’s safety and mitigate a drop in patient visits.
-
Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Inc. (Union City, CA) advanced contact tracing efforts through recruitment of bilingual staff. From August through October, they reached 487 cases and 416 contacts. They also provided health education and resources for successful isolation and quarantine to these individuals.
-
CommUnityCare (Austin, TX) set up a medical hotline to handle patient questions about COVID-19. If needed, a nurse would triage the caller, possibly directing them to a testing site. They also established a coronavirus dashboard to publicize their latest testing information.
If you’d like to share how your health center is helping your community address COVID-19 through HRSA funding, please contact us via our Health Center Stories inbox. We may share your story in future issues of the Digest or on HRSA social media.
If sharing a photo, please include names of everyone in the picture and make sure each person featured has signed a HRSA Photo Release Form. NOTE: Picture should include ONLY health center staff—not patients!
THIS WEEK: New Health Center/Look-Alike Survey Questions
As a reminder, we’re adding four questions to the survey you’ll receive this Friday, January 8.
- How many health center staff members have initiated (1st dose received) their COVID-19 immunization series in the last week?
- How many health center staff members have completed (2nd dose received) their COVID-19 immunization series in the last week?
- By race and ethnicity, how many patients have initiated (1st dose received) their COVID-19 immunization series in the last week?
- By race and ethnicity, how many patients have completed (2nd dose received) their COVID-19 immunization series in the last week?
At the same time, we will remove two existing questions about tests for antibody detection (serology).
We are also in the process of updating the survey user guide to be more user-friendly. Beginning in January, you’ll see question numbers and other improvements within the survey. Visit the user guide where you can quickly “jump” to instructions related to a specific question.
Self-Care, Resiliency, and Stress Management for Healthcare Providers
Join the HRSA-funded AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) to learn how providers can optimize coping mechanisms and support services, and explore building resiliency in response to COVID-19.
Monday, January 11
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Register here
Visit AETC’s site for additional webinars (recordings of past and announcements of future sessions).
Increasing Staff Capacity to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence/Human Trafficking during COVID-19
Futures Without Violence’s National Health Network on Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking invites you to a webinar offering a combination of self-care and organizational practice strategies to help prevent provider burnout and bolster staff readiness for implementing CUES (Confidentiality, Universal Education + Empowerment, Support). Speakers will also share information on trauma-informed and healing-centered practices.
Wednesday, January 20
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Futures Without Violence is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health Academy
The HRSA Behavioral Health Integration Technical Assistance Initiative invites health center staff to join a two-day, virtual Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health Academy. This highly interactive event will teach participants about the integrated care clinical model, building team-based care, building a primary care/behavioral health provider panel, financing integrated care, and the use of health information technology and data analytics. Please register for each day separately:
Wednesday, January 13
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Thursday, January 14
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
HIV
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part C Capacity Development Program
HRSA is accepting applications for the FY 2021 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part C Capacity Development Program. NOFO HRSA-21-058 is available in Grants.gov, and applications are due by Friday, February 19. The program aims to strengthen organizational infrastructure to respond to the changing health care landscape and to increase capacity to develop, enhance, or expand access to high quality HIV primary health care services for low income, uninsured, and underserved people with HIV. Interested applicants should join a webinar:
Thursday, January 7
2:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Call-in: 888-810-4794
Passcode: 5350312
Workforce
Self-Care, Resiliency, and Stress Management for Healthcare Providers
See the announcement above.
Several HRSA-funded NTTAPs offer these learning collaborative opportunities:
-
Social Determinants of Health Community Partnerships Learning Collaborative
Health Outreach Partners, Farmworker Justice, and the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH), invite health center staff to join in a 3-year learning collaborative. Participants will join four sessions each year to explore and develop effective strategies for establishing community partnerships that address and provide solutions to address migratory and seasonal agriculture worker (MSAW)-specific social determinants of health (SDOH). In partnership with the Ag Worker Access Campaign Task Force, participants will contribute toward the advancement of the Ag Worker Access Campaign’s goal of increasing access to quality health care for MSAWs and their families by 1) identifying partnership development promising practices that address SDOH and 2) developing resources specific to coalition building that will be broadly disseminated on a national basis. Apply by Wednesday, January 13.
-
Governance Learning Collaborative
NCFH invites consumer board members and key health center leadership staff to join a five-session learning collaborative. Participants will consider how enhancing the delivery of governance training can increase consumer board member engagement, specifically for health centers providing care to MSAWs and their families. You will have access to newly developed training modules designed to support and enhance board roles and responsibilities. Learning sessions will focus on the effective role and responsibilities of board members; access to digital e-learning tools; and development of an ongoing training plan for board members. Apply by Friday, January 15.
Additional Resources
New Cervical Cancer Guidelines for Screening and Management during COVID-19 and Beyond
In observation of Cervical Health Awareness Month, join HRSA's Office of Women's Health and Office of Regional Operations for a webinar. You’ll get practical information to implement new clinical guidelines for cervical cancer screening and management. These guidelines were developed in a large consensus effort that involved several clinical organizations and federal agencies and patient representatives.
Tuesday, January 19
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Presenters will also offer related health center perspectives from the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers include Rebecca Perkins, MD, of Boston Medical Center, and Sue Ghosh, MD, of East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.
This will be the first of our Women's Health Leadership series of talks on innovations in women's health throughout HRSA and HRSA-supported settings.
In case you missed it:
Visit the Primary Health Care Digest archive.
Do you forward the Digest to others?
Encourage them to subscribe.
|
Sign up for eNews
Connect with HRSA
