What's New
Health Centers Invited to Participate in National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
We encourage health centers invited to participate in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to take part in this important initiative. The survey collects clinical visit data from physician offices, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and FQHC look-alikes. The results will provide insights on use and provision of ambulatory care services across the nation.
Eligible health centers were selected based on a nationally representative random sample. Selection is complete for 2021. Selection criteria included current electronic health records (EHR) systems use and indication of providing more than dental services.
CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics conducts the survey and will reach out to invited health centers with information on how to participate. Learn more. CDC collaborated with HRSA on the survey instrument for health centers. If your health center responds, your data will be kept confidential and its use limited. Any data made public will be aggregated to maintain confidentiality.
Over $5 Million Awarded to Expand Services at Health Center Program School-Based Service Sites
HHS awarded over $5 million to 27 HRSA-funded health centers to expand services at new or existing Health Center Program service delivery sites located at or on the grounds of a school. HRSA expects to provide summary statements based on the objective review of eligible Health Center Program Service Expansion: School-Based Service Sites (SBSS) applicants in early October. For more information, read our recent bulletin and visit the SBSS technical assistance (TA) page.
Community Health Quality Recognition Program Overview
We recently recognized Health Center Program awardees and look-alikes that have made notable quality improvement achievements with our new Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges. These recognize achievements in access, quality, health equity, and health information technology for the 2020 Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting period. Badge recipient information is available at the national, state, and health center levels on the Health Center UDS Data webpages.
Join an upcoming CHQR program overview:
Thursday, September 16
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
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UPDATED: COVID-19 Vaccine Codes Added to 2021 UDS Manual
We have updated the 2021 UDS Manual to include additional COVID-19 vaccine Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes for Table 6A: Selected Diagnoses and Services Rendered. We have also added clarifying language to Table 6B: Quality of Care Measures to better explain the age limits for the cervical cancer screening and Body Mass Index (BMI) screening and follow-up measure denominators. Visit the UDS Resources webpage for resources to help your health center submit an accurate, timely, and complete UDS report.
As a reminder, our TA webinar series for 2021 UDS reporting is in progress. View the full webinar schedule, including sessions on the clinical tables.
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Quarterly 340B Program Registration
Quarterly 340B Program site registration is open from Friday, October 1, to Friday, October 15. Health centers will be able to register a site that has been verified as implemented and with a site status reflected as “active” in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks Form 5B through Friday, November 26. After that date, the system will close to prepare for the January 1, 2022 start.
Email the 340B Prime Vendor Program or call 888-340-2787 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. ET) to register a new site or ask questions. You will need to provide the following information when calling:
- Health center name.
- Site/clinic name.
- Site IDs for all sites.
- HRSA/BPHC grant number.
- Contact name and email address.
- Authorizing official name and email address.
The authorizing official will receive an email message that the account is unlocked and a registration may be submitted.
The HRSA Strategy to Address Intimate Partner Violence 2017-2020 Summary Report
HRSA's new report shares the diverse activities undertaken during implementation of the HRSA strategy. It also covers key sustainable elements from the strategy and briefly discusses potential implications and next steps. The strategy’s successes reflect that an agency-wide approach is possible, practical, and effective. The completion of all key strategy activities on schedule, the expansion of related efforts not described in the strategy itself, and the sustained focus throughout the COVID-19 pandemic carry valuable lessons for other agency-wide efforts at HRSA and beyond. Contact HRSA’s Office of Women’s Health with feedback.
Deadline Approaching: 2021 Training and TA Needs Assessment
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) invites all health center staff to complete a 20-minute National Training and TA Needs Assessment. This one-time assessment will inform the development of training and TA necessary to support health centers in improving access and advancing quality and impact over the next two to three years. The deadline for responding is Friday, October 1.
NACHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Deadline TODAY: Director of HRSA’s Office of Pharmacy Affairs
HRSA is recruiting a director for its Office of Pharmacy Affairs. This person will be responsible for development and implementation of initiatives that enhance the integrity and reliability of the 340B Program. In order to gather a broad group of candidates, there are two postings. See the announcements for full descriptions or to apply by 11:59 p.m. ET today: Supervisory Pharmacist or Supervisory Public Health Analyst.
Opportunity to Comment on CDC Contraception Guidance Key Questions
CDC is encouraging public comments on revisions to the recommendations and implementation of the contraception guidance: U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use and U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use. See the notice in the Federal Register.
COVID-19
Texting Strategies for COVID-19: Vaccine, Outstanding Gaps in Care, and Social Determinants of Health
CareMessage co-founder and CEO Vineet Singal and NACHC medical director Julia Skapik will share an overview of recommendations for outreach to patients around COVID-19, gaps in care management, and social determinants of health.
Tuesday, September 21
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Addressing the Housing Eviction Crisis
Speakers from NACHC, the National Center for Medical Legal Partnership, the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, and health centers will discuss steps they are taking to support patients and communities respond to the coming eviction crisis as a result of the federal moratorium coming to an end. Additional partners will join to field questions in a 30-minute Q&A after the webinar.
Friday, September 24
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
The National Center for Medical Legal Partnership is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Health Center COVID-19 FAQs
We continue to update our COVID-19 FAQs webpage. We recently added two new questions:
- From an accounting perspective, how should health centers record items such as masks, COVID-19 tests, or COVID-19 vaccines received for free from the federal government? Are they considered a federal grant, or are they a donation?
- What is the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program Online Community and how can health centers get access?
Health Center COVID-19 Survey Due Today
The survey sent on Friday, September 10, is due today. As a reminder, we added questions—in the main survey and in the addendum—relating to additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. Read more in our recent bulletin. As a reminder, our Survey User Guide can help answer questions about the survey.
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These COVID-19 related items ran in previous communications from the Bureau of Primary Health Care.
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HHS Announces the Availability of $25.5 Billion in COVID-19 Provider Funding
HRSA is making $25.5 billion in new funding available for health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications open on Wednesday, September 29. Read our bulletin for more information.
Provider Relief Fund Reporting Grace Period
To support those facing natural disasters and the Delta variant surge, HHS announced a 60-day grace period to help providers come into compliance with their Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting requirements for the first PRF Reporting Time Period. The deadlines to use funds and the Reporting Time Period will not change.
Promotor(a) De Salud Virtual COVID-19 Support Group Conducted in Spanish
MHP Salud is hosting virtual COVID-19 support group calls for Promotores(as) de Salud working at health centers and who speak or provide services in Spanish. These support groups are geared to promote and support discussion of challenges, best practices and strategies, and the well-being of Promotores(as) de Salud in working with their health center’s target population on COVID-19 education and vaccine access. View dates and times and register.
HHS: What Works and What Doesn’t in COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach
HHS provides an overview of lessons learned from vaccine programs and gives several examples of federal and state programs that could serve as models for new strategies.
American Rescue Plan Tax Credit for Paid Leave Due to COVID-19
The American Rescue Plan allows small and midsize employers, and certain governmental employers, to claim refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the cost of providing paid sick and family leave to their employees due to COVID-19, including leave taken by employees to receive or recover from COVID-19 vaccinations. These tax credits are available to eligible employers for wages paid for sick and family leave from Thursday, April 1, 2021, through Thursday, September 30, 2021. Learn more.
Behavioral Health
Commercial Tobacco Cessation for Youth
Join a webinar featuring speakers from the Truth Initiative and the American Academy of Pediatrics. They will share best practices and promising experiences, challenges and successes, and tools/resources. They will also provide peer-to-peer support moving forward. Learn unique challenges for reaching and engaging youth commercial tobacco users with cessation interventions and treatment strategies for youth using social media.
Tuesday, October 19
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Contact Shahrukh Haider with questions and with ideas for future tobacco cessation TA topics.
Working with Family Caregivers to Address Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults with Chronic Illness
This learning collaborative will discuss approaches for supporting caregivers to screen and care for their older adult family members with substance use disorders. Participants will be able to identify appropriate screening strategies for opioid and alcohol misuse in older patients and explain the unique challenges and needs of caregivers for older adults with substance use and other co-occurring disorders. Apply by Thursday, October 7. Hosted by the National Center for Equitable Care for Elders, a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
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. NIDA invites participants to identify specific points during the patient journey where patients encounter the most difficulty, enabling NIDA to focus new research efforts into alleviating those areas of difficulty in patients’ drug addiction treatment journeys. Apply by Wednesday, September 22.
HIV
HIV and Diabetes Mellitus
This fact sheet provides information for health centers to manage co-occurring diabetes and HIV, including information about the metabolic side effects of antiretroviral medications. The resource was created by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Opportunities to Build Your Team’s Expertise
See the announcement below.
Hypertension
Million Hearts® Learning Lab: Cholesterol Management/Optimal Use of Statin Therapy
Kate Kirley, Director of Chronic Disease Prevention at the American Heart Association (AHA), will:
- Explain key highlights from the 2018 American College of Cardiology/AHA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol.
- Define the four statin management groups.
- Describe optimal statin management and follow-up for high-risk patients.
Wednesday, September 15
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Register here
This is the first session of a bi-monthly learning series (co-sponsored by CDC and CMS) focused on cardiovascular disease prevention and management. The series is open to clinicians and quality improvement/other interested staff, with a focus on community health centers.
**Clinicians may earn 1.0 CME credit per session and up to 5.0 credits for attending the full series through the American Medical Association's EdHub.**
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Workforce
Several HRSA-funded NTTAPs present learning collaboratives:
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Opportunities to Build Your Team’s Expertise
Community Health Center, Inc., offers several opportunities for health centers to build their team’s expertise. There are opportunities focused on team-based care, postgraduate nurse practitioner residency and fellowship program, health professions training, and HIV prevention. The goal of each is to effectively move health centers from the planning stage to implementation. There’s a single application for all of the learning collaboratives. Learn more and apply now.
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Working with Family Caregivers to Address Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults with Chronic Illness
See the announcement above.
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Childhood Diabetes Prevention
Hosted by Farmworker Justice, Health Outreach Partners, and School-Based Health Alliance, this opportunity is for community health center primary care and behavioral health providers and outreach staff. The sessions will teach strategies and best practices for identifying and addressing diabetes risks and share experiences with health center peers and experts. Learn more and apply by Wednesday, September 15.
Additional Resources
LGBTQIA+ Youth and Experiences of Human Trafficking: A Healing-Centered Approach
This publication provides a framework for understanding the forces that drive human trafficking among LGBTQIA+ youth, and offers recommendations for providing meaningful, affirming, and non-judgmental care through the application of a healing-centered approach. The resource is published by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center.
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