What's New
Deadline Approaching: Present at a Patient-Centered Medical Home Health Equity Technical Assistance Symposium
BPHC will host a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Health Equity Technical Assistance (TA) Symposium on Monday, January 31, and Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Participants will have the opportunity to hear about and discuss best practices and lessons learned from peers and experts in the fields of health equity, quality improvement, and accreditation/recognition.
Health centers, you’re invited to present! See our recent bulletin for details on how to register or to submit an abstract for presentation (due by Friday, December 10).
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Federal Tort Claims Act Health Center Program Site Visit Listening Sessions
The Health Center Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Program encourages HRSA stakeholders who participated in FTCA site visits to attend upcoming listening sessions. We have sent invitations to applicable stakeholders. These sessions will allow deemed health centers, site visit reviewers, and HRSA staff to provide feedback on FTCA site visit tools and resources.
HRSA’s Loan Guarantee Program: An Overview
This webinar will provide an overview of HRSA’s Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program (LGP). Participants will learn about the application process and recent health center projects that have benefitted from the guarantee, as well as Capital Link’s upcoming LGP Learning Collaborative. Capital Link is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
Thursday, December 16
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Recording Available: Public Health Community Appreciation Town Hall
During this Thanksgiving season, the Biden-Harris Administration wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the entire public health community. On Monday, November 22, the White House held a virtual Public Health Community Appreciation Town Hall, featuring HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, the White House COVID-19 Response Team, as well as other public health professionals.
New Diabetes Funding Opportunity
CDC recently released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a cooperative agreement to fund six recipients (up to $900,000 annually) for five years to assess the long-term effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and barriers to enrollment or completion of structured lifestyle interventions as implemented by the National Diabetes Prevention Program. The application deadline is Monday, January 24, 2022.
COVID-19
Booster Messaging Toolkit: We Can Do This
HHS expanded its toolkit for community messaging to include new materials you can use to educate your community about who is eligible for a booster (all adults!) and when they are eligible. HHS expects to make these materials available in Spanish soon.
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Overlay Health Center and COVID-19 Data with New UDS Mapper Tools
New COVID-19 data mapping tools are now available on the Uniform Data System (UDS) Mapper, an online resource that allows users to view maps of health center service sites with the demographic, socioeconomic, and population health characteristics of the surrounding geographic areas. The new tools allow you to overlay COVID-19 data from CDC and the Health Center COVID-19 Survey onto the maps of health center service area data. You can also view prevalence rates of certain underlying conditions that could increase the risk of severe illness and death due to COVID-19, as well as COVID-19 data for specific demographic and socioeconomic groups.
Learn more about how to use these tools:
UDS Mapper Advanced Topic: COVID-19 Tools and Population Health
Thursday, December 16
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Also visit the UDS Mapper to log in or register for a free account. After logging in, select “COVID-19 TOOLS" from the “Tutorials and Resources" menu to access the tools. For new users, introductory tutorials on the basic functions of the UDS Mapper are available under “TUTORIALS" on the same menu.
Pushing Back on the Digital Spread of COVID-19 Misinformation
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) hosts a webinar to discuss best practices for identifying and responding to misinformation and how health centers can use social media to combat misinformation about public health issues, starting with COVID-19 vaccination. NACHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Thursday, December 2
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
 Health centers across the nation have distinguished themselves in responding to the current pandemic. Here is a recent example:
Chicago Health Center Leads Efforts on Pediatric COVID-19 Shots
Esperanza Health Centers has been one of the top pediatric COVID-19 vaccine providers in Chicago, according to the city’s Department of Public Health. They have administered more than 10,000 immunizations to adolescents ages 12-17.
Now that the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is authorized for kids ages 5-11, Esperanza has taken creative approaches to reach younger children. They are texting parents of all eligible children to inform them of how to schedule shots for their kids; conducting educational sessions on pediatric vaccines for parents; and maximizing their use of social media to further spread the word.
As of Monday, November 29, Esperanza had administered nearly 2,600 doses to kids ages 5-11, with approximately 87% going to Latino/Hispanic kids residing on the southwest side of Chicago. About 60% of the kids at their vaccination site are established Esperanza patients.
“It’s so heartwarming to see kids excited to come into our vaccine center knowing that they are doing their part to help protect their families and keep themselves safe,” said Dr. Mark Minier, Esperanza’s medical director of pediatrics and school-based health services. “Kids want to stay in school and they know the vaccine is an important part of that. While there have been some occasional tears, we see a lot more smiles, high-fives, and arm-flexing pics with Band-Aids.”
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Please share stories profiling the diverse ways your health center is addressing COVID-19. We are especially interested in hearing about creative, innovative efforts to:
- Administer pediatric COVID-19 vaccine doses and/or booster shots.
- Support equity in vaccine distribution and boost vaccine confidence.
Send your story to our Health Center Stories inbox and you may see your story featured in this newsletter, 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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The following COVID-19 related item ran in previous communications from the Bureau of Primary Health Care.
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New Toolkit for Countering Health Misinformation
Health center providers have likely encountered patients who were reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to false, inaccurate, or misleading information. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation can help to ensure that people across the country have access to science-based public health guidance as the country continues to confront the pandemic. The toolkit is interactive and collaborative, using simple language and examples to help patients understand and identify misinformation and disinformation.
Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force: Final Report and Recommendations
Established by executive order in January 2021, the Health Equity Task Force recently released its Final Report and Recommendations and Proposed Implementation Plan and Accountability Framework. The final report presents four suggested outcomes as the Task Force’s vision for change, five proposed priority actions to spur this change, and 55 final recommendations.
Community Partnerships to Promote the Equitable Distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine Part I: Outreach and Educational Efforts
Health Outreach Partners invites you to part one of a two-part webinar series highlighting community partnerships created during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Speakers will focus on partnerships that helped enable/improve outreach and educational efforts specifically around the COVID-19 vaccine, with a special emphasis on interventions targeting special and vulnerable populations. Health Outreach Partners is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Tuesday, December 7
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Register here
HIV
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HRSA to Commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1
Please join our 2021 World AIDS Day Virtual Event tomorrow. We will highlight stories from people with lived experience through storytelling and artistic expression.
Wednesday, December 1
11:00 a.m.-noon ET
Register here
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Workforce
New Funding Opportunity for Nurse Faculty Loan Program
HRSA recently released a funding opportunity (HRSA-22-047) for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, which provides funding to accredited schools of nursing to establish and operate a student loan fund and provide loans to students enrolled in advanced education nursing degree programs who are committed to becoming nurse faculty. In exchange for completion of up to four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing, the program authorizes cancellation of up to 85% of the original student loan amount (plus interest thereon). HRSA anticipates awarding approximately $26.5 million to up to 80 grantees. Apply at Grants.gov by Thursday, January 13, 2022.
Join a TA webinar about the application and requirements:
Thursday, December 16
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
New Funding Opportunity for Dentistry Training
HRSA recently released a funding opportunity (HRSA-22-045) for accredited schools of dentistry or dental hygiene, hospitals, and other entities to carry out a dentistry training program. HRSA anticipates awarding approximately $4.5 million to 15 grantees. Apply at Grants.gov by Monday, February, 7, 2022.
Join a TA webinar about the application and requirements:
Tuesday, December 14
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
2021-2022 PCA and HCCN Workforce Professional Development Series
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR2 Center invites staff from Primary Care Associations (PCAs) and Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) to participate in an upcoming workforce professional development series. The series aims to bolster workforce efforts internally at PCAs and HCCNs, and to help these organizations provide a robust support system for recruitment and retention at health centers. Topics include workforce action plans, using data in workforce planning, employee satisfaction and wellness, and more. ACU is a HRSA-funded NTTAP. See dates and times and register here.
Call for Podcast Interviewees to Discuss Employee Self-Care
ACU’s STAR2 Center is looking for health center clinicians, leadership, and staff interested in participating in a 20 to 30-minute interview for a podcast series focusing on the need for organizationally-supported employee self-care. If you are interested in discussing how you engage in self-care and how your organization supports self-care, please fill out the application.
These HRSA-funded NTTAPs present learning collaboratives:
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Streamlining Information Technology Infrastructure for a Successful Telehealth Program
The Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center presents a four-part learning collaborative on information technology infrastructure for a successful telehealth program. Topics will include: assessing technology and identifying best practices for streamlining telehealth workflows; aligning telehealth technology with financial sustainability; telehealth technology vendor considerations; and operationalizing telehealth technology strategies. Register here.
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Virtual Grand Rounds: Ethical Documentation of Social History in the Time of Data Sharing
The HITEQ Center, Migrant Clinicians Network, the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, and Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation present a four-part learning collaborative on ethical documentation of social history in the time of data sharing. Participants will examine case examples that explore the ethical considerations of electronic health record documentation of sensitive patient information. Learn more and apply.
Oral Health
New Funding Opportunity for Dentistry Training
See the announcement above.
Telehealth
Streamlining Information Technology Infrastructure for a Successful Telehealth Program Learning Collaborative
See the announcement above.
Additional Resources
Healthy Eating Toolkit for Health Professionals
Just in time for the holidays, the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has developed a healthy eating toolkit for health professionals. Use the materials to start a conversation and share key messages with patients on healthy food and beverage choices.
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