FTCA Deeming Applications Due Soon, Month of Action, and More! HRSA PHC Digest

A Newsletter from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

HRSA BPHC Primary Health Care Digest

June 8, 2021

Deadline

Due This Month: Calendar Year 2022 Federal Tort Claims Act Deeming Applications
Applications for medical malpractice coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) opened Friday, April 23, in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). We’ve extended the completion deadline to Friday, June 25.

The HRSA guidance for both new applications (deeming) and renewal of existing coverage (redeeming) for health center staff is available in Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2021-01. Details about coverage for health center volunteer health professionals are available in PAL 2021-02.

Our website includes information to help you with the application process, including:

  • Four pre-recorded technical assistance (TA) webinars.
  • A tool kit that includes FTCA-approved templates you can use as application submissions and attachments to demonstrate compliance in the risk management and credentialing sections of the application.

We Can Do This

Join the Month of Action to Get People Vaccinated
The White House announced a Month of Action to mobilize an All-of-America sprint to get people vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sunday, July 4. See our bulletin from last week, which includes suggestions on how health centers can help achieve this critical goal.

Resources to help:


Hand

Jump To:  COVID-19  |  Behavioral Health  |  Workforce  |  Additional Resources


American Rescue Plan Funding

Funding for Native Hawaiian Health Care
HRSA announced the availability of $20 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to current Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act award recipients to aid their response to COVID-19. This funding will provide Papa Ola Lokahi and the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems resources to respond to and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, strengthen vaccination efforts, and enhance health care services and infrastructure in their communities.

Applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 1. Visit the ARP Funding for Native Hawaiian Health Care TA webpage for application instructions, deadlines, and other resources.


Funding Opportunity for Health Center Construction and Capital Improvements
Health centers have until Thursday, June 24, to submit their ARP – Health Center Construction and Capital Improvements (C8E) application in EHBs. Visit the C8E TA webpage for award submission guidance, recordings of the question and answer sessions, and other resources. See the C8E FAQs webpage, which we recently updated.

Capital Link, a HRSA-funded National Training and TA Partner (NTTAP), recently hosted webinars to support health centers with their applications.


What's New

Today With Macrae

Next Week: Today with Macrae
Join Jim to hear about BPHC REACH, Operational Site Visits, COVID-19 progress reporting, and more.

Thursday, June 17
**NEW TIME!** 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
If you prefer to join by phone: 833-568-8864
When prompted, enter meeting/webinar ID: 160 817 0845


Service Area Status Webinar Recording Available
The Service Area Status (SAS) webinar recording and presentation slides are now available on our website. The SAS describes the health, social, and economic status of a health center's service area. Share your feedback on SAS through the BPHC Contact Form by choosing “Health Center,” then the “Strategic Initiatives” category, and then the “Service Area Status” sub-category.


2019 Public Charge Final Rule No Longer in Effect
The 2019 Public Charge Final Rule is no longer in effect. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the Department of Homeland Security stopped applying it to all pending applications and petitions on Tuesday, March 9.

The 2019 rule applied to legal immigrants seeking legal permanent residence. It added enrollment in Medicaid, public housing, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as grounds that could lead to public charge inadmissibility.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey noted changes in coverage and service use among immigrant health center patients because of the rule.


Considerations for Planning School-Located Vaccination Clinics
CDC published guidance to provide information for planning and implementing vaccination clinics at schools for any routinely recommended vaccines, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine. The considerations include information on planning, clinic days, legal issues related to minors, and modifiable communications templates.


Telehealth

Turn to Telehealth.HHS.gov to Stay Informed on Telehealth Best Practices and Important Updates
Trying to stay on top of telehealth policy or billing changes during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic? Telehealth.HHS.gov has the latest updates on changes that may affect your practice. The one-stop resource also provides helpful guidance on telehealth legal issues, materials to help you prepare patients for successful virtual visits, and more.


Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence Program Will Fund All That Are Eligible
HRSA recently announced a new funding opportunity. All eligible Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) that submit a complete application will receive funding to increase confidence in vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Apply by Wednesday, June 23, and send questions to RHCVaxConfidence@hrsa.gov. This is one of three new programs to expand RHCs’ COVID-19 response.


COVID-19

Motivational Interviewing for COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
This SAMHSA-funded webinar will teach you to use skills from an evidence-based approach called motivational interviewing to have more successful conversations about COVID-19 vaccines.

Wednesday, June 9
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here


ICYMI


These COVID-19 related items ran in previous issues of the Digest.

Vaccine Administration in Dental Clinics Job Instruction Sheet
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) has worked with health center dental leaders engaged in delivering COVID-19 vaccines to develop this job instruction resource to train dental providers on the new processes for vaccine administration. NNOHA is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.


The First Three Months: COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment
This publication by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) evaluates health centers' challenges with administering the vaccine in the first three months of vaccine deployment. NACHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.


Health Center COVID-19 Weekly Survey
The current survey is due TODAY at 11:59 p.m. your local time.

As part of our continuous improvement efforts, we recently reviewed the survey to reduce the number of questions. Beginning with the survey sent on Friday, June 4, we removed four questions and simplified the answers for the question on the time it takes to receive test results. We did not make any updates to the addendum.


Health Center COVID-19 FAQs
We continue to update our COVID-19 FAQs webpage. Other resources:


Share Your Story

Share Your Story
Send stories of how your health center helping your community address COVID-19 to our Health Center Stories inbox. We are especially interested in hearing about efforts to promote equity in vaccine distribution and boost vaccine confidence. We may share your story in future issues of the Digest, on Today with Macrae webcasts, or via HRSA social media. If sharing a photo, please include a high-resolution image along with the names of everyone in the picture, and make sure each person has signed a HRSA Photo Release Form.


Behavioral Health

STAR LRP

New Loan Repayment Program Expands Eligible Substance Use Disorder Disciplines, Facility Types
HRSA’s new Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program expands access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment by adding several new disciplines. These include bachelor’s-level SUD counselors, behavioral health paraprofessionals, and clinical support staff. The program also broadens the clinical best practice of a warm handoff while recognizing the effectiveness of integrated SUD treatment teams. Eligible health professionals can receive up to $250,000 in exchange for a six-year, full-time service commitment at a variety of added SUD facility types. Apply by 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 22. Eligible sites may also apply to become approved for the program.


Mapping Patient Journeys in Drug Addiction Treatment Challenge
NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) invites health centers (organizations, teams, or individuals) to participate in a new challenge that has cash prizes totaling $100,000. The goal is to create actionable patient journey maps that might further the understanding of the obstacles that patients face in getting treatment for drug addiction.


Quick Guide for Supporting the Behavioral Health of Sexual Minority Men
Although many sexual minority men maintain healthy behaviors, research has shown that as a population, they are at greater risk for SUD and mental health problems. The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center’s quick guide overviews the risks, the contextual factors driving those risks, and potential interventions to mitigate the root causes. The center is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.


Workforce

New Loan Repayment Program Expands Eligible Substance Use Disorder Disciplines, Facility Types
See the announcement above.


Newly Updated: NNOHA Workforce Manual
This updated chapter of the NNOHA Operations Manual provides helpful tools and resources for tackling issues related to workforce in health center dental programs, including recruitment and retention strategies, academic partnerships, and staffing ratios.


Faculty Loan Repayment Program Supports Diverse Health Professional Educators
If you’re a faculty member at an approved health professions school, have a health professions degree or certificate, and come from a disadvantaged background, you may be eligible for HRSA’s Faculty Loan Repayment Program. The program awards participants up to $40,000 to pay off their qualifying educational loans in exchange for two years of teaching service. Participants also receive a tax liability benefit equal to 39% of the loan repayment amount. Check your eligibility today and apply by Thursday, July 1.


Additional Resources

Webinar Series: Introduction to Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring
HRSA will host a two-part webinar series on self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP). In Part 1, speakers from HRSA, CDC’s Million Hearts® initiative, and NACHC will highlight key resources for health centers to use and reference as they prepare to implement SMBP. In Part 2, HRSA-funded health centers will share their experiences planning for and implementing SMBP, including challenges and best practices learned along the way.

SMBP 101: Best Practices for Implementing SMBP
Friday, June 11
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

SMBP 102: Challenges and Lessons Learned Implementing SMBP (Stories from the Field)
Thursday, June 24
12:30-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

If you’ve missed other recent webinars on SMBP, check out the recordings:


In case you missed it:
Visit the Primary Health Care Digest archive.

Do you forward the Digest to others?
Encourage them to subscribe.

Training & Technical Assistance

Mouse

Visit the training calendar to learn details about or register for events.

Through June 15

Introduction to the UDS Mapper
Tuesday, June 8
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Domestic Violence and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Farmworkers
Hosted by Futures Without Violence and Farmworker Justice, both HRSA-funded NTTAPs
Tuesday, June 8
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Motivational Interviewing for COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Hosted by the SAMHSA-funded Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
Wednesday, June 9
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Vaccine Equity in Action: Public Health and Primary Care Connection: Tribal Population Highlight
Wednesday, June 9
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here

Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Forum Meeting
Hosted by CDC and NACHC (using CDC funding)
Thursday, June 10
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Telehealth Office Hours: Teledentistry for Health Centers
Hosted by NACHC and NNOHA, both HRSA-funded NTTAPs
Thursday, June 10
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Building Partnerships with State Monitor Advocates to Increase Access to Care for Ag Worker Families
Hosted by the National Center for Farmworker Health and NACHC, both HRSA-funded NTTAPs
Thursday, June 10
3:30-5:00 p.m. ET
Register here (set up a free account for webinar access)

SMBP 101: Best Practices for Implementing SMBP
Friday, June 11
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Telehealth and PrEP/HIV Care Outcomes
Hosted by NACHC, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Friday, June 11
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

**NEW DATE!** National FQHC Telehealth Training and TA Partners Roundtable
Hosted by the HRSA-funded National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers and NACHC, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Friday, June 11
1:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here


Upcoming

Eviction Crisis Virtual Town Hall: Eliminating the Existential Threat to our Recovery
Hosted by The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Wednesday, June 16
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Telehealth Operations and Quality: Ask Anything
Hosted by the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality Center, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Wednesday, June 16
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Serving Military Veterans in Health Centers: Exploring Unexpected Partners and Resources
Hosted by NACHC, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Thursday, June 17
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here

**NEW TIME!** Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates
Thursday, June 17
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
If you prefer to join by phone: 833-568-8864
When prompted, enter meeting/webinar ID: 160 817 0845

MHP Salud: COVID-19 and CHWs Virtual Technical Assistance
Hosted by MHP Salud, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Thursday, June 17
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Get access information

Maternal Health Webinar Series: Substance Use Disorder and Pregnancy
Tuesday, June 22
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here

UDS Mapper Advanced Topic: Data Resources in the UDS Mapper
Wednesday, June 23
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

HRSA Virtual Job Fair
Wednesday, June 23
7:00-10:15 p.m. ET
Employer pre-registration
Job seeker registration

Waived Testing in Your Organization: What You Need to Know
Hosted by The Joint Commission
Thursday, June 24
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here (for the “Key” field, enter: TJCEd)

SMBP 102: Challenges and Lessons Learned Implementing SMBP (Stories from the Field)
Thursday, June 24
12:30-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Capital Project Financing Sources for Rural Health Centers
Hosted by Capital Link, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Thursday, June 24
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Webinars are hosted by HRSA unless otherwise noted.