What's New
Schedule Changes for Today with Macrae Webcasts
We have three changes to upcoming Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates webcasts.
- We moved the July 29 session to:
Tuesday, July 27
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: 160 464 1708
- We canceled the August 19 session.
- We moved the September 30 session to 3:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 21.
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Service Area Competition NOFO Released for April 1
Starts HRSA released the FY 2022 Service Area Competition (SAC) NOFO, HRSA-22-005, for service areas with a project period start date of April 1, 2022. Find details for the announced service areas on the Service Area Announcement Table.
This NOFO announces the service areas for:
- April 1 start award recipients that received a 1-year period of performance through a SAC/SAC-Additional Areas in FY 2021.
- April 1 start award recipients that were given a 1-year extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic in FY 2021.
Current award recipients with a project period end date of March 31, 2022 on their most recent H80 Notice of Award must apply to this SAC NOFO to continue serving their current service area.
Applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 7, and in EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 7. TA materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
Health Insurance Marketplace Resources Available
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, HHS announced an extension of the Special Enrollment Period for individuals and families to enroll in health insurance coverage through the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) through Sunday, August 15.
CMS released technical guidance for Marketplace stakeholders. The following resources may also be useful for assisters:
Organizations operating in an FFM state that want to provide enrollment assistance to consumers for plan year 2022 must apply to CMS to become a certified application counselor designated organization (CDO), if they are not already a CDO. Open season for CDO applications ends on Tuesday, August 31. CDOs oversee certified application counselors, who are trained and able to help consumers seeking health coverage options through the Marketplace. Learn more.
COVID-19
Voices from the Field: Farmworker Communities Confronting COVID-19
Farmworker Justice created this video to highlight stories and promising practices to support farmworker communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Spanish (with English subtitles), this video features health centers, farmworkers, farmworker community-based organizations, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start. Farmworker Justice is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
Locate a Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Site
HHS offers several options for providers to help patients who test positive for COVID-19 find a place to get a monocolonal antibody (mAb) infusion:
Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine After Reports of Myocarditis Among Vaccine Recipients
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting recently concluded that continued use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in all recommended age groups will prevent morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 far exceeding the number of cases of myocarditis expected. Providers can share more information about myocarditis risk with patients (see CDC’s website for patient education materials). See the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for more.
 Health centers across the nation have distinguished themselves in responding to the current pandemic. Here’s a recent example:
Stepping Up to Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Hawaiians
Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC) in Waianae, HI, provides affordable, accessible, quality primary health care services to nearly 39,000 patients across 17 delivery sites.
To help increase vaccination rates, WCCHC is taking a hands-on, grassroots approach to reach area residents. They recently offered free COVID-19 vaccination clinics at area schools. To boost vaccine confidence, they encouraged each student to text five friends about getting vaccinated. They also set up an “Instagram photo booth,” encouraging patients to take selfies after getting vaccinated and share them to their personal social media.
The center also approached homeless camps in the area, such as Waianae Small Boat Harbor, to offer on-site vaccinations. Owing to the success of their efforts, about half out of 200 individuals who live at the harbor are vaccinated.
WCCHC is participating in the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. As of last week, they have administered more than 9,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, including 908 doses to those younger than 18. Learn more about their COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
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How is your health center helping your community address COVID-19? Send your story to our Health Center Stories inbox. We are especially interested in hearing about efforts to:
- Promote equity in vaccine distribution and boost vaccine confidence.
- Address behavioral and mental health issues associated with the pandemic.
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.
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These COVID-19 related items ran in previous issues of the Digest.
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Provider Relief Reporting Portal Open Now
The Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Portal is now open. Providers who need to report in Reporting Period 1 have until Thursday, September 30, to submit their information as part of the post-payment reporting process. HHS recently published updated reporting requirements.
Find user guides, Frequently Asked Questions, and a Provider Support Line on the HHS Reporting Requirements and Auditing webpage.
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) offers health centers tips on PRF reporting during an upcoming finance office hour. NACHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Friday, July 30
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Reminder: COVID-19 Survey Frequency Change
The Health Center and Look-Alike COVID-19 Survey, including the addendum for Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants, is now biweekly—meaning that you will receive it every two weeks instead of every week.
You’ll receive your next survey this Friday, July 16. It will ask you to report two weeks of data, covering Saturday, July 3-Friday, July 16. We are working to update the survey questions and the Survey User Guide to reflect these changes. We expect those updates to be completed by no later than Thursday, July 15.
As a reminder, Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants are required to complete this survey, including the addendum.
Behavioral Health
Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health Learning Collaborative
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) invites health centers to examine ways to integrate behavioral health and oral health. The goal is to improve the overall health of health center patients. Participants will use the “User’s Guide for Implementation of Interprofessional Oral Health Core Clinical Competencies” as a framework for implementing behavioral health screenings in the dental clinic. Apply by 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, August 2. NNOHA is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Recording Available for Intersection of Substance Use, HIV, and HCV: What Behavioral Health Providers Need to Know
In this webinar series, experts from the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs and the Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center discuss emerging and important substance use disorder, HIV, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) topics. The recording is now available of the first session, which focused on alcohol, HIV, and HCV. See the sidebar for the remaining sessions in September and October.
Trauma-Informed Self-Care for Outreach Workers / Cuidado Personal Informado Sobre Trauma para Promotores de Salud
Join the National Center for Farmworker Health and Health Outreach Partners to learn how to identify burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma that outreach workers may experience when working with vulnerable populations. This training will be conducted in Spanish with English interpretation. Both host organizations are HRSA-funded NTTAPs.
Thursday, July 15
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
HIV
Recording Available for Intersection of Substance Use, HIV, and HCV: What Behavioral Health Providers Need to Know
See the announcement above.
Workforce
Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health Learning Collaborative
See the announcement above.
Teledentistry Learning Collaborative
NNOHA invites health centers to participate in a virtual learning collaborative on teledentistry. The goal is to increase access to oral health services through synchronous teledentistry by using more efficient practice systems, patient engagement, provider recruitment/retention, and clinical improvements. Apply by 2:59 a.m. this Friday, July 16.
Understanding and Applying Social Determinants of Health Screening Data to Address Barriers to Health
The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Health Outreach Partners, MHP Salud, and National Health Care for the Homeless Council invite health centers to learn strategies to screen special and vulnerable populations for SDOH and build effective practices to begin addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) through outreach and enabling services.
Wednesday, July 21
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here
All host organizations are HRSA-funded NTTAPs.
Oral Health
Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health Learning Collaborative
See the announcement above.
Teledentistry Learning Collaborative
See the announcement above.
Additional Resources
The Importance of Developmental Surveillance and Developmental Screening
Together, developmental surveillance and developmental screening are more likely to identify the 1 in 6 children in the U.S. with a developmental disability than performing either one alone. Early identification, and connection with services and support, can improve outcomes.
CDC has milestone checklists and other resources in many languages to support recommended developmental surveillance. Visit CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. Healthcare Provider webpage to find these and other resources to support developmental surveillance and screening.
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Maternal Health CLAS Webinar featuring Office of Minority Health Toolkit
The newest e-learning program from the HHS Office of Minority Health’s Think Cultural Health focuses on the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Maternal Health Care. This program is for providers and students seeking knowledge and skills related to cultural competency, cultural humility, person-centered care, and combating implicit bias across the continuum of maternal health care. Read more about this session in last week’s Digest.
Monday, July 19
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
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