It’s National Health Center Week, 2020 UDS Data, and More! HRSA PHC Digest

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

HRSA BPHC Primary Health Care Digest

August 10, 2021

Health Center Week Video

Dear Colleagues,

Happy National Health Center Week! If you haven’t yet, see the White House proclamation or yesterday’s statement by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

This week we celebrate you—your incredible, life-changing work to deliver health care to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations. The pandemic has challenged you to do more of that work in more creative ways, often at a challenging and non-stop pace. You’ve all stepped up to these challenges, making a tremendous difference in the lives of your patients and communities.

Please take a moment to watch our thank you video. Several public health leaders—whom I’m sure you’ll recognize—join me to celebrate your amazing work. We’re so grateful to be your partner in improving the health of people all across our nation! Have a great week!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Jim Macrae
HRSA Associate Administrator
Bureau of Primary Health Care


TODAY! The Critical Role of Monoclonal Antibodies as the COVID-19 Pandemic Continues
Learn how monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutics can help prevent serious illness from COVID-19. This webinar will feature Michael R. Anderson, MD, a Senior Advisor to HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Read more about the webinar and Dr. Anderson in our bulletin from last week.

4:00-5:00 p.m. ET
Join the session
If you prefer to join by phone: 833-568-8864
When prompted, enter meeting/webinar ID: 160 055 0780 and passcode: 828587

We know that this webinar conflicts with our 2020 UDS data trends webinar. We will record and share the recording. However, we strongly encourage providers who have questions about COVID-19 treatments to attend this webinar so they can participate in the Q&A portion.


UDS Logo

Now Available: 2020 Uniform Data System Data
2020 Uniform Data System (UDS) data on health center patient demographics, services provided, clinical indicators, utilization rates, costs, and revenues is now available on the Health Center Program Data and Reporting webpages at data.hrsa.gov. Access health center data profiles and comparisons (nationally and by state and territory), data on special populations, and more for calendar year 2020, as well as the previous four reporting years.

TODAY: Please join our 2020 UDS data trends webinar this afternoon to learn more about the 2020 data:

3:30-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here


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Jump To:  COVID-19  |  National Immunization Awareness Month  |  Behavioral Health  |  HIV  | 
                Hypertension  |  Oral Health  |  Telehealth  |  Additional Resources


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 Centered On

Health centers across the nation have distinguished themselves in responding to the current pandemic. Here’s a recent example:

OneWorld Community Health Centers

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.


Share Your Story

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.


National Immunization Awareness Month

Well Child Wednesdays

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.


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 App

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.


Hypertension

Heart Health Office Hours

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


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.


Editor's note

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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Training & Technical Assistance

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

Through August 17

2020 Uniform Data System Trends
Tuesday, August 10
3:30-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here

The Critical Role of Monoclonal Antibodies as the COVID-19 Pandemic Continues
Tuesday, August 10
4:00-5:00 p.m. ET
Join the session
If you prefer to join by phone: 833-568-8864
When prompted, enter meeting/webinar ID: 160 055 0780 and passcode: 828587

FY 2021 Health Center Program Look-Alikes American Rescue Plan Q&A Session
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

FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Minor A/R Question and Answer 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

Maternal Health Webinar Series: Focus on Racial Equity
Thursday, August 12
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Closing the Loop on the Referral: How a Health Center Medical-Legal Partnership Cracked the Code to Facilitate Electronic Data-Sharing between Partners
Hosted by the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Friday, August 13
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here


Upcoming

“Learn the Signs. Act Early.” in Health Center Settings
Hosted by CDC
Wednesday, August 18
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here

How Health Centers Can Support Asian/Asian American Students Returning to School During COVID-19
Hosted by AAPCHO, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Thursday, August 19
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Community Health Worker Virtual TA on Emerging Issues Affecting Latino and Migratory and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Communities
Hosted by MHP Salud, a HRSA-funded NTTAP
Thursday, August 19 (and the third Thursday of every other month through June 2022)
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here

UDS Mapper Advanced Topics: New Features in the UDS Mapper
Friday, August 20
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Intersection of Substance Use, HIV, and HCV Office Hour: Come Meet the National Clinician Consultation Center
Co-hosted with the NCCC
Wednesday, August 25
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Staffing Transformation Following PCMH Recognition
Thursday, August 26
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Community Health Worker Role in Advocating for Change in Ag Worker Communities
Hosted by the National Center for Farmworker Health and Farmworker Justice, both HRSA-funded NTTAPs
Thursday, August 26
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Register here

Quarterly Heart Health Office Hours: 2020 Heart Health UDS Findings
Thursday, August 26
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Telebehavioral Health Virtual Forum on Clinical Decision-Making
Tuesday, August 31
Noon-6:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Intersection of Substance Use, HIV, and HCV: What Behavioral Health Providers Need to Know

Part 2: Opioids, HIV, and HCV
Wednesday, September 8
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Register here

Part 3: Stimulants, HIV, and HCV
Wednesday, October 13
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Register here

Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Forum Meeting
Hosted by CDC and NACHC (using CDC funding)
Thursday, September 9
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Better Assess Your Community Using the UDS Mapper
Friday, September 10
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Emergency Preparedness Information Session with CMS
Wednesday, September 15
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here

UDS Mapper Special Topics: Using the UDS Mapper to Explore Measures of Social Need
Monday, September 20
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here

Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates
Tuesday, September 21
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Access details coming soon

Webinars are hosted by HRSA unless otherwise noted.