August 5 - The Biden-Harris Administration announced today that it is providing nearly $90 million to help rural communities combat opioid use disorders (OUD) and other forms of substance use disorders (SUD), and to improve access to maternal and obstetrics care. This funding is being distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Read the release.

July 27 – As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris Administration is providing $121 million to support the work of trusted community-based efforts to increase vaccinations in underserved communities. These awards will go to community-based organizations across the country that are working in their communities to build vaccine confidence, share factual information about vaccines, and answer people's questions about getting vaccinated. This investment is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to support and empower local trusted voices within communities to help encourage vaccination, protect more people, and save lives. This funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and is being distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Read the release.

July 26 – Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is announcing a major effort to strengthen and expand community-based primary care medical and dental residency programs in rural and underserved communities. These investments will support current residents in Teaching Health Centers (THCs), create new community-based primary care residency programs, and expand the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) resident positions at existing and new THCs.

Read the release.

July 22 – the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided nearly $100 million to rural health clinics across the country to support outreach efforts to increase vaccinations in rural communities. The funds will go to more than 1,980 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) who will use these resources to develop and implement additional vaccine confidence and outreach efforts as many communities face the Delta variant and work to get more people vaccinated and protected from COVID-19 in medically underserved rural communities. The funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and is being administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through the Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence (RHCVC) Program.

Read the release.

July 16 – the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the availability of an estimated $103 million in American Rescue Plan funding over a three-year period to reduce burnout and promote mental health among the health workforce. These investments, which take into particular consideration the needs of rural and medically underserved communities, will help health care organizations establish a culture of wellness  among the health and public safety workforce and will support training efforts that build resiliency for those at the beginning of their health careers.

Read the release.

On Wednesday, August 4, our HIV/AIDS Bureau launched the new Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Compass Dashboard. The RWHAP Compass Dashboard is an interactive data tool to visualize the reach and impact of the RWHAP.

The dashboard allows users to view national, state, and metropolitan area-level data. It also allows users to explore RWHAP client characteristics:

• Age
• Housing status
• Race and ethnicity
• Outcomes such as viral suppression and retention in care

Countdown: three days until National Health Center Week. Join us and others across the country in celebrating your dedication over the past year to delivering health care to vulnerable and underserved communities.

We encourage you to follow #ThankyouCHCs and #NHCW21 on social media next week.  

Learn about our Health Center Program.

On Wednesday, August 11, 12:30 p.m. ET, our Office of Regional Operations (ORO) Region 5 will host a webinar on innovative practices to reduce hypertension in a community setting.

The webinar will highlight hypertension management methods used by Greater Family Health as well as how the Cut Hypertension Program worked with barbershops in the Bay Area (CA) to address hypertension.

Register to attend.

Our Office of Regional Operations (ORO) Regions 5, 6, and 7 will host a webinar on Tuesday, August 12, 3 p.m. ET on Racial Equity and Maternal Health.

Presenters from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health will:

• Share data on maternal morbidity and mortality
• Highlight innovative practices to improve black maternal health outcomes
• Discuss the work of the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center

Visit our How We Improve Maternal Health webpage for resources and tools on maternal health.

Join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics on Tuesday, August 17, 1:30 p.m. ET for a deep dive on Healthy People 2030 goal-setting methods and tools.

Register to learn how these resources can help your organization and programs set data-driven targets.

Email Yvonne Walker with any questions.

COVID-19 services are free, including testing, treatment, and vaccination. Anyone can get services, no matter their insurance or immigration status.

The HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program has paid more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccine claims.

View our Patient Fact Sheet.

CFPB has developed a new look up tool that allows renters to find information on rental assistance in their area. The Rental Assistance Finder is designed to help renters and landlords find their local program and apply for assistance.

For more general information about the Emergency Rental Assistance program, visit the unified federal housing assistance portal.

The journal, Pediatrics, recently published a new study by our Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) researchers on CYSHCN and their access to preventive oral health services. 

Using data from our National Survey of Children’s Health, our researchers found that CYSHCN were more likely to receive preventive oral health services compared to non-CYSHCN.  

In an accompanying commentary published by the journal, pediatric dentists not affiliated with the MCHB study state that improving oral health among CYSHCN will also require addressing the behavioral and social determinants of health.

Learn more about “Oral Health Among Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs” or email Dr. Lydie Lebrun-Harris.

Telehealth.HHS.gov has published a best practice guide for providers on direct-to-consumer (DTC) telehealth. Health providers can learn about ways to integrate telehealth into their workflow to meet the needs of their patients and practice, from developing a DTC strategy to telehealth billing.

The National Academy of Medicine Leadership Consortium recently released two additional COVID-19 Sector Assessment detailing lessons learned and compelling needs related to quality, safety, and standards organizations and biomedical research.

NAM commissioned these papers as part of their “Emerging Stronger After COVID-19: Priorities for Health System Transformation Initiative,” to address responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthen and transform health systems. This effort is supported in part by HRSA.

State lawmakers are evaluating telehealth laws and regulations to use virtual care as a cost-effective strategy to provide access to healthcare services. The National Conference of State Legislatures developed a toolkit that provides an overview of state telehealth roles, key legislative actions, and a series of briefs exploring opportunities and challenges related to telehealth policy. HRSA’s National Organizations of State and Local Officials Cooperative Agreement provided support for the toolkit.