What's New
Updated Instructions for Form 5B: Service Sites
HRSA has updated its Instructions for Form 5B: Service Sites to provide clearer explanation for how health centers complete or make changes to Form 5B. Use these updated instructions when completing new service site requests or other Form 5B changes. Some updates include:
- Clarification on which submission process in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) a health center will use to update each field on Form 5B: (Formal Change In Scope (CIS), Scope Adjustment CIS, Self-update).
- Simplified directions on recording suites, floors, or buildings on Form 5B.
- Subrecipient language to more closely align with 45 CFR 75.
No changes were made to the Compliance Manual or Site Visit Protocol as a result of these updates. To help facilitate scope accuracy conversations between health centers and their Project Officers, we created the Form 5B Scope Accuracy Worksheet. If you have any questions on scope of project, please contact your Project Officer.
Service Area Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity Released for May 1 Starts
HRSA released fiscal year (FY) 2022 Service Area Competition (SAC) notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) HRSA-22-006 for service areas with a May 1, 2022, project period start date. Find details for the announced service areas on the Service Area Announcement Table.
Budget Period Progress Reports Budgets: Available Funding Increase
Available funding for FY 2022 will be increased for most Health Center Program award recipients due to Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) supplemental funding rolling into base funding. Health centers currently completing their FY 2022 Budget Period Progress Reports (BPR) should revisit the Budget Information: Budget Details form and click the Update button for the most current FY 2022 funding amount to be prepopulated in the form. This updated amount should align with Line 33 Recommended Future Support in your Notice of Award related to IBHS funding. Contact the BPR Response Team with questions.
Deadline Approaching: Optimizing Virtual Care Funding Opportunity
FY 2022 Optimizing Virtual Care (OVC) applications are due in EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 17.
Applicants are experiencing issues with their 2019 UDS data not prepopulating on the Project Overview Form. This issue will be resolved by Friday, August 13. Applicants should revisit the form on or after Friday, August 13, and click “Load UDS Data” to ensure the 2019 UDS data displays correctly.
Visit the OVC technical assistance (TA) webpage for the NOFO, TA webinars, and other resources. Also see the OVC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage.
FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Minor A/R Question and Answer Session
Join HRSA staff for a question and answer session to learn about minor A/R requirements, allowable costs, and other topics related to FY 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Funding for Health Centers (H8F) and Look-Alikes (L2C). Bring your minor A/R questions to this interactive session.
Thursday, August 12
1:00-2:00 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: 161 690 2388 and passcode: 22993166
Health Center Notifications of H8F Submission Approvals
Please be aware that a Notice of Award will not be issued when your H8F initial submission is approved by HRSA. Health centers will receive an email within EHBs from the Grants Management Specialist indicating that HRSA has approved their H8F submission.
ARP Funding for Look-Alikes
Last month, HRSA awarded nearly $144 million in ARP funding to 102 HRSA Health Center Program look-alikes to respond to and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to enhance health care services and infrastructure in communities across the country. Visit the TA webpage or FAQs for resources and answers.
Join the question and answer session for L2C award recipients tomorrow:
Wednesday, August 11
11:00 a.m.-noon ET
Join the day of the session
If you prefer to join by phone: 833-568-8864
When prompted, enter meeting/webinar ID: 161 224 8115 and passcode: 86459703
Staffing Transformation Following Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition
We’ve rescheduled our webinar exploring how Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition at health centers has affected staffing capacity to deliver team-based integrated care. We’ll feature findings from a recent analysis of data from the UDS and the HRSA accreditation and PCMH recognition initiatives to identify changes in health center staffing infrastructure.
Thursday, August 26
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Pharmacy Operations Troubleshooting Guide Topic: Mitigating Manufacturer Actions Impacting 340B Financial Savings to Health Centers
This publication, developed by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), identifies promising practices and actions that health centers can take to mitigate the negative financial consequences of manufacturer actions on health center patients and health center 340B savings. NACHC is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
New Minority Health Social Vulnerability Index
This interactive tool, launched by CDC and the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH), helps public health officials plan their support in communities before, during, and after a public health emergency. With this map, CDC uses county-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other public sources to show percentiles for socioeconomic status, minority status, language, and housing type, among other social variables. The map also includes rates for medical vulnerabilities that are prominent in rural areas such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
Final Days to Sprint to Coverage
The Biden-Harris Administration’s “Summer Sprint to Coverage” campaign aims to get more individuals and families to enroll in health insurance coverage by this Sunday, August 15. Learn more and find resources to help you spread the word.
Organizations operating in a Federally-Facilitated Marketplace 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.
OMH Request for Information: Best Practices for Advancing Cultural Competency, Language Access, and Sensitivity toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
OMH seeks input from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and AAPI-serving organizations to help develop best practices for advancing cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity toward AAPIs in the federal government's COVID-19 response. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals or proposal abstracts. View the request for information and provide feedback by 11:59 p.m. ET next Tuesday, August 17.
COVID-19
Health Centers on the Front Lines
A new podcast from NACHC chronicles the health centers that are trying to achieve equity and fairness in the historic race to vaccinate people across the nation. Every episode focuses on a different health center and the work to make sure that anyone, anywhere, can get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Advancing Health Center and School Partnerships to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Administration for Adolescents
NACHC and the School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) recently released a short TA document that provides practical strategies and sample resources for advancing health center and school system partnerships, including tips on maximizing “summer break” and preparing for “back to school” opportunities. SBHA is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Reminder: Provider Relief Fund Reporting
Provider Relief Fund (PRF) recipients who received funds prior to June 30, 2020, have through Thursday, September 30, to complete their reporting requirements in the PRF Reporting Portal. HRSA has a number of resources available on the Reporting and Auditing webpage to help PRF recipients comply with reporting. The page includes links to recent TA webcasts: Introduction to Reporting, General Q&A (July 14), and Lost Revenues (July 20).
We Can Do This Live with Tenoch Huerta and Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable
HHS’ We Can Do This educational campaign recently hosted a discussion on the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines with Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities director, Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable. Watch the recording.
Community Health Centers Telehealth Promising Practices Case Studies
A collection of case studies developed by NACHC highlights 10 community health centers' promising practices and lessons learned in adoption or expansion of telehealth delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More Minority Patients Getting Vaccinated at Community Health Centers, Say Federal Officials
Read this Washington Post article discussing new health center data and health centers’ role in helping to vaccinate and test individuals in predominantly underserved communities against COVID-19.
Health centers across the nation have distinguished themselves in responding to the current pandemic. Here’s a recent example:
Staff Rise to the Challenge to Address COVID-19
OneWorld Community Health Centers’ (Omaha, NE) staff have stepped up to the front line to address COVID-19 through testing, administering vaccinations, and providing thorough follow-up care for their patients. As one staff member shares, “In terms of [public health], I have done more in this pandemic than I have done in my entire career.”
In response to COVID-19, OneWorld hired new teams for triage, lab notification, and screening. These COVID-19 service teams provide two weeks of follow-up care for patients who test positive, including help with food and housing.
To increase vaccinations, OneWorld has a promotora/Community Health Worker team that includes a Spanish-language translator. They hit the streets in late July with vaccines in a special cooler so they could administer shots on the spot.
Participating in the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program has greatly strengthened the impact of OneWorld’s outreach efforts. As of early August, OneWorld had administered almost 40,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Chief Executive Officer Andrea Skolkin shares that “having access to order vaccines has helped turn the tidal wave of disparity.” Read more about OneWorld’s door-to-door vaccine effort.
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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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National Immunization Awareness Month
It’s National Immunization Awareness Month
National Immunization Awareness Month is an annual observance that emphasizes the importance of routine immunizations. HRSA is again conducting a #WellChildWednesdays social media campaign. Weekly messages address adolescent and young adult care, nutrition, safety, and mental health as topics for parents to discuss with pediatric providers. We’re also encouraging adolescent vaccination against COVID-19.
Consider amplifying these messages to encourage families to maintain well-child visits and immunizations. Messages will appear on Twitter and Facebook with the handle @HRSAgov and #WellChildWednesdays.
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Behavioral Health
Tele-Behavioral Health Virtual Forum on Clinical Decision Making
HRSA’s Office of Regional Operations Region 10 (Seattle) is holding a virtual forum on clinical decision-making for tele-behavioral health services in rural and underserved areas. This virtual forum will cover tele-behavioral health frameworks, how health centers can expand capacity through the use of telehealth, and best practices and strategies to develop and implement effective telehealth systems.
Tuesday, August 31
Noon-6:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Sessions include:
- HRSA telehealth update
- Telehealth resources in the age of COVID-19
- Best practices in tele-behavioral health management
- Telehealth administrative considerations
Intersection of Substance Use, HIV, and HCV Office Hour: Come Meet the National Clinician Consultation Center
Bring all your questions for this interactive office hour session HRSA is co-hosting with the National Clinician Consultation Center (NCCC). The NCCC is HRSA-funded to provide free, confidential, one-on-one teleconsultation to health care providers related to the prevention and management of substance use disorders, HIV, and hepatitis C virus (HCV). During this office hour session, clinician consultants from the NCCC will:
- Describe how they provide timely clinical decision support to providers across the U.S.
- Discuss insights and best practices for providing care to people living with HIV/HCV and substance use disorders.
Submit questions ahead of time during registration or during the live session.
Wednesday, August 25
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Updated TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
SAMHSA recently published an updated version of Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder. It reviews the use of the three FDA-approved medications used to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)—methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine—and other strategies and services needed to support recovery for people with OUD.
HIV
HIV Care Tool App: New Resources Added
HRSA's AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) National Coordinating Resource Center recently launched the HIV Care Tools App. Leading HIV experts select and develop the content. This app:
- Provides the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment recommendations and key point-of-care information for health care providers.
- Includes quick guides for HIV prevention, testing, and treatment, validated screening tools for co-morbid conditions, and common clinical calculators used in HIV management.
- Links directly to the AETC’s NCCC for real-time clinical support.
- Lists AETC Program contact information for questions about free localized education and training services and TA.
Recently, the app added a new Quick Guide for screening HCV in people with HIV, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 screening tool, and Child-Turcotte-Pugh calculator for classification of liver disease.
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Hypertension
Quarterly Heart Health Office Hours: 2020 Heart Health UDS Findings
Our quarterly Heart Health Office Hours is a web-based learning series highlighting evidence-based interventions to improve patients' heart health.
August's session will feature a summary of the 2020 heart health UDS measures, trends over the years, and evidence based strategies to improve Heart Health in patients. HRSA representatives will be available to answer your questions about the 2020 UDS findings.
Thursday, August 26
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
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Oral Health
Integrating Diabetes and Oral Health Learning Collaborative
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) invites health centers to participate in a virtual learning collaborative on integrating diabetes and oral health. The goal is to improve outcomes for people with diabetes by increasing the number of dual users of medical and dental services. Apply by 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 27. NNOHA is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Telehealth
Telehealth Optimization Quick Guide for Health Centers
This updated resource guide from NACHC is intended to support health centers that want to advance telehealth or virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic response and operational recovery.
Tele-Behavioral Health Virtual Forum on Clinical Decision Making
See the announcement above.
Additional Resources
Healthy Starts, Healthy Hearts: Understanding and Addressing Adolescent Relationship Abuse
SBHA is excited to share this new resource, designed to help health centers collaborate with schools and community organizations to promote healthy relationships and better serve adolescents impacted by relationship abuse. Visit SBHA’s website to download the resource.
Recording Available: Maternal Health CLAS Webinar featuring OMH Toolkit
The newest e-learning program from the OMH’s Think Cultural Health focuses on the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Maternal Health Care. Watch the webinar recording. 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 the session in a recent Digest.
Considerations for Health Center Boards: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Governance Self-Paced Module
NACHC developed this short introductory module intended as a resource for health center boards starting to explore or reevaluate diversity, equity, and inclusion in health center governance.
Dear Health Centers,
We also hope you have a great National Health Center Week! We do our best to get you the information you need in this newsletter each week. We know you’re doing the same for your patients: answering their questions, sharing important updates, and helping them understand what they can do to protect and improve their own health and the health of their families.
You inspire and amaze us, and make it our honor to do this work. Enjoy your week!
Best,
Primary Health Care Digest Editors
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