What's New
2021 Health Center Patient Survey Participation
We encourage health centers that have been invited to participate in the 2021 Health Center Patient Survey (HCPS) to take part. The HCPS provides valuable data on patients' experiences with the care and services they receive at health centers. These data help us understand the needs of health center patients, help identify program improvement and funding opportunities, and support important research and evaluation efforts to advance the Health Center Program.
The HCPS is taking place now through January 2022. See our HCPS webpage for more information and results from the 2014 HCPS. Send inquiries to bphchcps@hrsa.gov.
Fiscal Year 2022 Primary Care Association and National Training and Technical Assistance Partner Non-Competing Continuation Progress Reports
HRSA released non-competing continuation (NCC) progress report instructions for both fiscal year (FY) 2022 Primary Care Association (PCA) and FY 2022 National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP) cooperative agreement award recipients. Organizations will be able to develop their NCC progress reports in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) starting Friday, December 17. Submissions will be due for both PCAs and NTTAPs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
For more information, including the progress report instructions and technical assistance (TA) resources, visit the PCA TA webpage and NTTAP TA webpage.
HRSA will host NCC-specific PCA and NTTAP question and answer sessions:
PCA Q&A Session
Wednesday, December 15
2:00-3:00 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: 160 324 2191
NTTAP Q&A Session
Thursday, December 16
3:00-4:00 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: 160 593 4038
Service Area Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity Released for September 1 Starts
HRSA released FY 2022 Service Area Competition (SAC) notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) HRSA-22-008 for service areas with a September 1, 2022, project period start date. Find details for the announced service areas on the Service Area Announcement Table (SAAT).
This NOFO announces the service areas for:
- September 1 start award recipients that received a 1-year period of performance through a SAC/SAC-Additional Areas (SAC-AA) in FY 2021.
- September 1 start award recipients that were given a 1-year extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic in FY 2021.
Current award recipients with a project period end date of Wednesday, August 31, 2022, on their most recent H80 Notice of Award must apply to this SAC NOFO to continue serving their current service area.
Applications are due in:
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Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, February 7, 2022.
- EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
TA materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
SAC-AA NOFO Released for Lexington, KY and Worcester, MA
HRSA released FY 2022 SAC-AA NOFO HRSA-22-125 for the Lexington, KY and Worcester, MA service areas. Find details for the announced service areas on the SAAT.
Applications are due in:
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Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, February 7, 2022.
- EHBs by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
TA materials are available at the SAC-AA TA webpage.
Quarterly 340B Program Registration
Quarterly 340B Program site registration is open from January 1 to 15, 2022. Health centers will be able to register a site that has been verified as implemented and with a site status reflected as “active” in EHBs Form 5B through Friday, February 25, 2022. After that date, the system will close to prepare for the April 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.
New Podcast from VA Office of Health Equity
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Health Equity champions the advancement of health equity and the reduction of health disparities in veterans. Their new Veterans Health Equity: Leave No Veteran Behind podcast covers topics like social determinants of health (SDOH) and COVID-19 disparities.
COVID-19
Updated Guidance on COVID-19 Booster Shots
On Thursday, December 9, CDC expanded its booster recommendations to encourage adolescents ages 16 and 17 to get their booster if they are at least six months post their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series. This recommendation aligns with and follows FDA's authorization.
The following resources are available to help support your efforts:
HHS is Releasing $9 Billion in Provider Relief Fund Payments to Support Health Care Providers Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
Today, HHS, through HRSA, announced the distribution of approximately $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments to health care providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The average payment being announced today for small providers is $58,000, for medium providers is $289,000, and for large providers is $1.7 million. More than 69,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and eight territories will receive Phase 4 payments. Payments will start to be made later this week.
Health Centers on the Front Lines: The Effort to Vaccinate Kids for COVID-19
This podcast from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) chronicles the health centers that are trying to achieve equity and fairness in their efforts to vaccinate people across the U.S. The latest episode features a speaker from the HRSA-funded School-Based Health Alliance. NACHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
 Health centers across the nation have distinguished themselves in responding to the current pandemic. Here’s a recent example:
Providing Vaccinations in Rural Mississippi
Jefferson Comprehensive Health Center, Inc. (JCHC) has conducted extensive outreach to increase vaccination rates throughout rural Jefferson County, MS. Their efforts included working with Jefferson-Franklin County Correctional Facility, the Adams County Jail, housing authorities, school districts, town squares, local churches, and rural districts. Their work has helped their county, which is predominantly Black, become the most vaccinated in all of Mississippi.
JCHC staff have found building relationships through earning trust to be key to their success. For example, staff call patients when they haven’t seen them in a while. This trust, built over time, has helped JCHC reach more people to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.
JCHC’s mobile medical units have also greatly contributed to their efforts, allowing staff the opportunity to provide care out in the community. As of Wednesday, December 8, JCHC has given 7,535 COVID-19 vaccines to 4,865 people living in Jefferson and surrounding counties; 3,380 vaccines were given remotely through JCHC’s mobile units, and 583 vaccines were given to children or adolescents.
Learn more about JCHC’s work.
Behavioral Health
SAMHSA Announces Unprecedented $30 Million Harm Reduction Grant Funding Opportunity to Help Address the Nation’s Substance Use and Overdose Epidemic
SAMHSA is now accepting applications for the first-ever SAMHSA Harm Reduction grant program, and expects to issue $30 million in grant awards. This funding, authorized by the American Rescue Plan, will help increase access to a range of community harm reduction services and support harm reduction service providers as they work to help prevent overdose deaths and reduce health risks often associated with drug use. Read more.
HIV
Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
CDC recently updated clinical practice guidelines for using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in HIV prevention. See what's new. Scroll to “What are the guidelines for prescribing PrEP?” to access the clinical providers’ supplement.
Hypertension
Hypertension 101: Let’s Get Hypertension Under Control!
It is more critical than ever for Community Health Workers (CHWs) and health center staff to help their patients reengage in hypertension prevention/control efforts. This two-hour training will strengthen CHWs’ coaching skills and knowledge in hypertension and cholesterol management and empower CHWs to help their communities address, prevent, and/or reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension complications. Presented by the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH), a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Tuesday, December 14
2:30-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here
New Recommendation: Team-Based Care as a Way to Improve Blood Pressure Control
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends team-based care to improve blood pressure control. A systematic review of evidence from 54 studies shows team-based care increases the proportion of patients with controlled blood pressure and reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A separate review of economic evidence from 27 studies indicates team-based care is also cost-effective. Learn more and access relevant resources.
Workforce
CDC Seeking Public Input on Work-Related Stress for Health Workers
CDC seeks information on best and promising practices for the positive mental health and well-being of health workers. The feedback will be used to inform interventions under development by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Discover Learning Collaboratives on the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse
Looking for small group learning opportunities with other health centers around the country? HRSA-funded NTTAPs design and implement learning collaboratives. These opportunities allow health center peers to come together to study and apply operations, leadership, and quality improvement methodology to focused topic areas. Use this new portal to learn about almost 100 collaboratives. Watch this video to learn about the new feature.
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Here are several learning collaboratives from HRSA-funded NTTAPs:
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Implementing and Responding to Staff Satisfaction Surveys
Many organizations are already conducting staff satisfaction surveys, but others could use support to get started or improve their process. Health center teams are invited to gain an understanding of, as well as action steps for, how best to conduct and follow up on staff satisfaction surveys. Apply by Friday, January 7, 2022. Presented by the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR2 Center.
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Strategic Workforce Planning for Health Professions-Education and Training Retention and Recruitment
Health centers will develop a strategic workforce plan focusing on health professions-education and training (HP-ET) strategies to enhance capabilities to recruit, develop, and retain their provider workforce. Apply by Friday, January 14, 2022. Presented by the ACU’s STAR2 Center.
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SDOH Community Partnerships
Explore and develop effective strategies for building and re-establishing partnerships that support and provide solutions to address SDOH. Presented by Farmworker Justice, Health Outreach Partners, and NCFH. Apply by midnight your local time on Friday, January 7, 2022.
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Rights, Equity, and Health: The Legal Needs of Agricultural Workers and LGBTQIA+ People
Develop strategies for screening and documenting legal issues related to SDOH, particularly for agricultural workers and LGBTQIA+ people. Learn how to use screening tools that incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection. Collaborate with peers and expert facilitators to implement best practices for screening, identifying, and referring patients with legal needs. Apply today. Presented by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP), and Farmworker Justice.
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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.
Additional Resources
An Innovative Approach to Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening
Join this webinar to hear about an innovative collaboration between a health center, a non-profit organization, and a radio station to increase colorectal cancer screening rates.
Wednesday, December 15
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Medical-Legal Partnership in Health Centers Webinar Series
NCMLP is offering four 90-minute webinars designed to help health centers start, strengthen, and sustain a medical-legal partnership (MLP) to address the social and legal needs of patients. This series is based on NCMLP’s Toolkit, “Bringing lawyers onto the health center care team to promote patient & community health.”
In the first session, speakers will help health center and MLP staff better understand how to implement and fund a successful MLP model.
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Register here
NCMLP is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
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