What's New
Tour the Scope of Project Webpage
In November, HRSA rolled out a newly designed Scope of Project webpage. HRSA released a short video to help orient you to the new layout and content.
Health Center Activities and Innovations - ARP (H8F) Funding
Join HRSA to hear from three health centers about how they are using ARP funding to confront and overcome challenges related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination. We’ll feature speakers from East Harlem Council for Human Services, Inc. (New York, NY), Fairfield Community Health Center (Lancaster, OH), and Oak Orchard Health (Brockport, NY).
Wednesday, January 19
1:30-3:00 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: 161 586 3466
Patient-Centered Medical Home Health Equity Technical Assistance Symposium
Join the upcoming event 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. More than 20 health center representatives, HRSA Associate Administrator Jim Macrae, and Director of HRSA’s Office of Health Equity Michelle Allender are among the speakers.
Monday, January 31,
and Tuesday, February 1
11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here with key, PCMH2022
2021 Uniform Data System Reports Due Tuesday, February 15
Calendar year 2021 Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting is now underway. All Health Center Program awardees and look-alikes are required to submit complete and accurate UDS reports by Tuesday, February 15. No changes can be made to UDS report data after Thursday, March 31.
Visit the UDS Resources webpage for the 2021 UDS Manual and other helpful resources.
For additional assistance:
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UDS Support Line: Provides assistance with UDS measures and requirements. Call 866-837-4357 (866-UDS-HELP) or email udshelp330@bphcdata.net.
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HRSA’s EHBs assistance: Helps with completing and submitting UDS Reports via the EHBs. Call Health Center Program Support at 877-464-4772 (Option 1) or send inquiries via the BPHC Contact Form. Choose the requestor type (current award recipient, current look-alike) and question type (health center).
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Voter Registration and Health Centers
In response to Executive Order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting,” HRSA developed the Voter Registration and Health Centers webpage. It provides health centers with information on voter registration activities and health centers, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
While Health Center Program grant funding generally cannot be used to support voter registration efforts, health centers may participate in voter registration activities outside their scope of project, so long as the health center’s efforts in carrying out their Health Center Program project are not impaired. Voter registration assistance must be a nonpartisan activity and health centers must not imply in any way that the availability of services or benefits is dependent upon a decision to register or not register to vote. Health centers may consult with their own legal counsel concerning state and local laws as well as restrictions on other funding that health centers may receive.
No Surprises Act: New Requirements Effective Saturday, January 1
Visit CMS’ website for information about the new requirements related to surprise medical bills. It includes provider and consumer resources. Anyone can call the No Surprises Help Desk to ask questions or file complaints at 1-800-985-3059.
Note: See the sidebar for a webinar on Thursday, January 20, about providing good faith estimates for health center dental programs.
HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge
HHS’ Office on Women’s Health seeks innovative strategies to improve postpartum care for Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. The emphasis will be on follow-up care for diabetes, postpartum depression and/or postpartum anxiety, hypertension, and substance use disorders. Total cash prize is $1.8 million. Apply by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 31.
COVID-19
Special Omicron Webinar
Join HUD and the National Center for Health in Public Housing, a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), to discuss the Omicron variant. Learn about the latest HHS guidance (including on boosters and additional doses), tests (PCR, rapid, and at-home), quarantine and isolation, and preventing a "flurona twindemic."
Wednesday, January 19
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
HRSA COVID-19 Testing Supply Program Updates
Through the HRSA COVID-19 Testing Supply Program, health centers can order free, FDA-authorized COVID-19 at-home self-tests (Quidel QuickVue® At-Home OTC COVID-19 Tests) for distribution at no cost to their patients and communities. New health centers are encouraged to onboard into the program. For information on how to join, see a bulletin we sent earlier this month.
HRSA will begin accepting new orders through the program starting on Wednesday, January 19, and continuing through 11:59 p.m. your local time on Tuesday, January 25. If there are additional ordering limits, these will be provided via the Health Partner Order Portal (HPoP), the Health Center COVID-19 Online Community, and through our usual TA channels.
For program participation tips and an opportunity to ask live questions, join our next HRSA COVID-19 Testing Supply Program Office Hour for Health Centers. This session is open to all health centers but is geared towards program participants.
Thursday, January 20
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: 160 785 3410
For important updates and information, including testing resources, ordering details, and ordering caps, program participants should regularly check-in to the Health Center COVID-19 Online Community.
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Share Your Story
For participating health centers, please let us know how your health center is distributing tests received through the HRSA COVID-19 Testing Supply Program. We’d like to know how your participation has positively impacted your patients and recipients.
Send your story to our Health Center Stories inbox. 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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Lessons from the Fields: Farmworker Communities Confronting COVID-19
Farmworker Justice’s report shares promising practices from health centers and farmworker-serving organizations to support farmworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report expands on stories shared in their 2021 documentary, “Voices from the Fields.” Farmworker Justice is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
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Boosting the Message on Boosters
CDC has recently expanded booster availability. Check out CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots website for the latest.
HHS’ We Can Do This site offers materials that you can use to encourage your community to get boosted—including new additions tailored to adolescents! This includes social media posts, print materials, and more.
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TODAY: Leveraging the Power of Social Media Influencers to Combat COVID-19 Misinformation among Parents of Unvaccinated Youth
Learn about social media influencer culture and how your health center can build its capacity to successfully engage with local or “micro” social media influencers in disseminating health information to parents in your communities. Though the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is a HRSA-funded NTTAP, this webinar is funded by CDC.
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Legal Lessons Learned from the Pandemic for Health Center Boards
This resource developed by NACHC highlights legally-focused governance lessons learned during the pandemic. It also details considerations for assuring and maintaining a reasonable level of flexibility in a health center’s bylaws and key board-approved policies.
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Cervical Cancer Prevention throughout the Lifespan
HRSA will host a webinar to discuss cervical cancer screening challenges and successes experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers will address the impact of the pandemic and how we can recover and sustain screening rates moving forward. Experts in the field will discuss the benefits and limitations of screening modalities, human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) protection and safety, and best practice guidelines. Join us to get your questions answered.
Thursday, January 27
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: 161 522 6175
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HIV
Knocking Out HIV/AIDS and Chronic Disease with a Jolt to the Heart
HRSA’s webinar will highlight the history of HIV, the impact of cardiovascular disease in people with HIV, and best practices to identify, prevent, and manage cardiovascular disease in people with HIV.
Speakers will include Dr. Paul E. Sax, Clinical Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Renslow Sherer, Professor of Medicine in Infectious Disease at the University of Chicago.
Thursday, January 27
1:00-2:15 p.m. ET
Register here
Workforce
Health Center Clinicians, Now is the Time to Apply for a Loan Repayment Award
The National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps programs are now accepting applications for loan repayment awards. With $1 billion in additional funding through ARP, HRSA is prepared to make a record number of awards. But with only a few weeks to go in the application cycles, we are well below our target for applications. Read more in the bulletin we sent last week.
HRSA-funded NTTAPs present learning collaboratives:
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HRSA Loan Guarantee Program: Capital Link invites health centers that anticipate conducting a capital project in the next one to three years and are considering the HRSA Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) to join a four-part series covering all aspects of submitting an LGP application. Apply by Friday, January 21.
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Sustaining and Increasing Access to Care in Rural Communities: Capital Link and NACHC will explore community needs, growth planning, and financing options for health centers serving rural communities. Learn more or apply by Wednesday, January 26.
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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 social determinants of health (SDOH), particularly for agricultural workers and LGBTQIA+ people. Learn how to use screening tools that incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection. Presented by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP), and Farmworker Justice. Apply today.
All-Hazards Emergency Preparedness and Response Competencies for Health Center Staff – Paid* Focus Groups
Health centers must prepare so that their patients can continue to receive quality care in any emergency or disaster. Eligible health centers are invited to join a paid* focus group to provide your insights as a health center staff member (across disciplines and skill levels) regarding the training you and your colleagues need to be properly prepared. Feedback collected will be used to define the essential competencies for preparing health center staff via an all-hazards emergency preparedness approach. Register for a 90-minute focus group by Friday, January 21.
*While the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC) is a HRSA-funded NTTAP, the $50 gift card is provided by NNCC directly and is not supported by the HRSA U30 award.
Additional Resources
Health Care Considerations for Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Indigenous Communities
This publication by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center will guide health centers in providing affirming care and services for Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ AI/AN people. Readers will explore key concepts, terminology, and the effects of historical trauma. Discover best and promising practices for care that incorporate Indigenous holistic models of wellness and focus on resilience and protective factors, including links to resources for further exploration of these topics.
Climate Health and Equity
HRSA presents a webinar to raise awareness of the intersection of climate, health, and equity issues. Speakers from George Mason University will focus on the how climate dynamics are affecting temperatures, and the measurable impacts on human health. They will discuss circumstances that increase vulnerability (e.g., age, prior medical conditions, or previous environmental injustice) and the importance of equitable climate solutions.
Monday January 24
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Focus Groups for Consumers and Providers: Healthy Cooking & Diabetes
Diabetes continues to be a priority health concern for many individuals experiencing homelessness and their providers. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) is holding focus groups to learn more about what would be helpful to include in a cookbook that could be used by people with diabetes, and how this cookbook could be presented in a way that is useable by consumers.
The first focus group is for providers:
Thursday, February 17
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here
NHCHC hopes that health centers can recruit patients to participate in one of these two (identical) consumer focus groups.
Tuesday, February 22
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Wednesday February 23
5:00-6:00 p.m. ET
Register here
NHCHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
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