What's New
Health Center Volunteer Applications Due by Monday, May 9
Due to statutory language, the Health Center Volunteer Health Professionals (VHP) program will sunset on Saturday, October 1. Therefore, VHP applications will no longer be accepted after Monday, May 9. If Congress extends the VHP program, Federal Tort Claims Act staff will provide guidance on how to apply for continued or new VHP coverage.
Please note: This sunset date does NOT apply to regular health center deeming.
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Coming Soon: Accelerating Cancer Screening Funding Opportunity
Next month, HRSA plans to release the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). Currently-funded health centers (H80 award recipients) that have partnerships with National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers will be eligible to apply. Eligible applications must include a memorandum of understanding between the health center and the NCI-Designated Cancer Center, as applicants will need to partner with NCI-Designated Cancer Center-deployed outreach specialists and patient navigators for populations served by health centers.
AxCS award recipients will use the funding to increase equitable access to cancer screening and referral for care and treatment. We will provide updates once the NOFO is published.
Pay Equity Checklist
Developed by the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR2 Center, the Pay Equity Checklist will help health centers to look holistically at their compensation practices and ensure that they are recognizing the quality of the work of their employees rather than other factors that have historically kept marginalized groups from advancement. ACU is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program
Applications are due soon (Tuesday, April 5) for HRSA's Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program. Applicants can request up to $1 million per year for a four-year program, subject to available funding.
COVID-19
HHS Recognizes One-Year Anniversary of Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program to Advance Equity in Pandemic Response
Yesterday, HHS recognized the one-year anniversary of the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. To date, health centers have administered more than 20 million vaccines in underserved communities across the country through the HRSA program and partnerships with states. Read more.
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Important Updates on Uninsured Program and Coverage Assistance Fund
In a bulletin last week, we announced important updates about HRSA’s COVID-19 Uninsured Program and HRSA’s COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund.
COVID-19 Response Programs Office Hours
We have combined the Office Hours for all of our COVID-19 Response Programs (which directly allocate COVID-19 vaccines, testing supplies, therapeutics, and N95 masks to HRSA-supported health centers). While the sessions are geared toward participants, any HRSA-supported health center is welcome to attend to learn about these programs.
We are now using GoToWebinar for these Office Hours. Register one time and you’ll have access to all sessions from now until February 2023. Once registered, you will receive an email with the link to add these to your calendar and will receive reminder emails ahead of individual sessions. You can also submit questions prior to each session.
The next session is TODAY:
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Test to Treat for COVID-19
The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently launched a nationwide Test to Treat initiative. We featured health centers already doing this work in our March 4 Test to Treat webinar; watch the recording, if you missed it.
We’re eager to add Test to Treat stories to our Health Center Stories collection. Is your health center a one-stop for patients to get tested for COVID-19 and, if positive, get treatment? We want to hear from you—whether or not your health center is participating in our COVID-19 Response Programs!
New Health Center Stories Posted Online
Our Health Center Stories webpage highlights the significant strides HRSA-supported health centers have made to promote public health and provide primary care services in underserved areas, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out these new additions:
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COVID-19 Response Efforts: PCC Community Wellness Center (Oak Park, Ill) gave out 3,600 COVID-19 at-home self-tests and 20,000 masks to community partners and at-risk residents thanks to our COVID-19 Response Programs.
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Community Outreach: Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. (Buffalo, NY) worked with WNED PBS to host a televised program – “Friday Night Fight! Knock Out COVID!” – which included live remarks from the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.
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CDC Reports on Children and COVID-19
A recent CDC report confirms the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in children ages 5-15. Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduced the risk of Omicron infection by 31% among children ages 5-11 years and by 59% among ages 12-15 years.
Another report documents the increase in hospitalizations for children ages 0-4 during the Omicron variant predominance. Important strategies to prevent COVID-19 among infants and young children include vaccination of currently eligible populations such as pregnant women, family members, and caregivers of infants and young children.
Supporting H-2A Workers’ Access to Health Care
Speakers will provide an overview of H-2A worker eligibility for health insurance and share strategies and resources to promote health insurance and health care access. They will also discuss access to COVID-19 vaccinations and testing in Mexico and in the U.S.
Wednesday, March 23
Noon-1:30 p.m. ET
Register here
This training will be in Spanish with English interpretation available. This is presented by the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH), a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Deep Dive into the New COVID-19 National Preparedness Plan
Join the National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) and HUD to learn about the White House’s National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, released earlier this month. Topics will include the Test to Treat initiative, the administration’s COVID-19 Surge Response Playbook, updated guidance for employers to ensure safer workplaces, saving lives by solving the oxygen crisis, and making emergency supplies widely available.
Wednesday, March 23
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
NCHPH is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Special and Vulnerable Populations COVID-19 Forum
Join several NTTAPs to hear discussion of how COVID-19 has impacted health centers and the special populations they serve. Suma Nair, PhD, Director of BPHC's Office of Quality Improvement, will provide up-to-date information about assistance for health centers.
Guest speakers from the National Council for Mental Health and Wellbeing and the National Latino Behavioral Health Association will discuss how to address the COVID-19-related challenges to the mental health of underserved populations.
Friday, March 25
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
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Behavioral Health
Billing and Coding Best Practices to Sustain Integrated Behavioral Health Services
Join a presentation on integrated behavioral health documentation, billing, and coding to support financial sustainability, as well as an overview of a billing and coding decision tree for behavioral health consultant services. The presentation will include interactive activities providing clinical encounter examples to determine corresponding Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and diagnoses.
Wednesday, April 6
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here
**1.0 CE available**
SAMHSA HIV-Related NOFOs
SAMHSA released the following NOFOs that aim to reduce the impact of mental health issues and/or substance use disorder and HIV/AIDS.
SAMHSA’s 988 Partner Toolkit
On Saturday, July 16, the phone number 988 will be active on all devices as the way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. SAMHSA’s new 988 website includes a partner toolkit providing key messages, FAQs, and more information about what 988 is and how it will work.
Comment Now: CDC’s Draft Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids
CDC is updating the 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. The draft updated guideline is available for public comment in the Federal Register by Monday, April 11. See CDC’s website for information about the update process.
HIV
Partner Services Interventions Increase HIV Testing and Are Cost-effective
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends partner services interventions to increase HIV testing. Systematic review evidence shows interventions are effective at identifying and testing sexual and needle-sharing partners of persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection, which improves health for population groups disproportionately affected by HIV. Economic evidence indicates partner services interventions to increase HIV testing are cost-effective.
SAMHSA HIV-Related NOFOs
See the announcement above.
Workforce
HRSA-funded NTTAPs present learning collaboratives:
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Recruitment Boot Camp
Join ACU’s STAR2 Center to explore how to execute a successful recruitment campaign and develop a comprehensive workforce plan. Participants will receive guidance, tools, and templates to update their recruitment processes and lay the groundwork for additional workforce planning. Apply by close of business on Friday, April 1.
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Improving Rural Health Equity
Rural-dwelling older adults, including former agricultural workers and their families, often experience health disparities. This National Center for Equitable Care for Elders (NCECE) and Migrant Clinicians Network joint opportunity will provide strategies to enable patients in rural areas to successfully age in community by identifying and addressing their social determinants of health (SDOH) needs. Apply by Friday, April 1.
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Addressing SDOH for Older Adults Through Community-Based Palliative Care
Learn about care management for older adults with a serious illness and the importance of identifying gaps in non-clinical services and support for those patients and their caregivers. Participants will have access to a one-year membership to the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s full library of online training courses at no charge, including free continuing education credit. Presented by NCECE. Apply by Tuesday, April 5.
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Strategies to Empower Asian American Patients with Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes
The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations invites health center staff to gain in-depth knowledge about empowering Asian American patients through strategies that effectively address diabetes disparities in the Asian American community. Participants will share challenges and promising practices. Apply by 5:00 p.m. your local time on Tuesday, April 19.
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Engaging and Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth and Their Families in a Clinical Setting
This opportunity from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center invites health centers to learn about welcoming and affirming clinic environments and how to engage families in supporting their transgender and gender diverse children to improve health outcomes. Gain strategies for successfully responding to various family and patient needs and priorities. Apply now.
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Addressing COVID-19’s Impact on Health Centers’ Finance and Operations and Response Planning for Future COVID-19 Outbreaks and Other Emergencies
NCHPH will guide participants through the challenges and solutions for addressing the financial and operational impacts of COVID-19 on health centers serving residents of public housing and other underserved communities, with an emphasis on applied response planning for future emergencies. Register now.
Additional Resources
Healing-Centered Approaches to Addressing Adolescent Relationship Abuse and Trafficking
This webinar, co-hosted by the School-Based Health Alliance and Health Partners on IPV and Exploitation*, will offer strategies for talking about relationship abuse and trafficking with adolescent patients in school-based health settings. Presenters will also share ideas for collaborating with community resources and partnering with youth to prevent violence and promote healthy relationships.
Tuesday, March 29
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
*Both are HRSA-funded NTTAPs.
The Role of Family Caregivers in Older Adult Nutrition
Many older adults rely on family or informal caregivers to help manage their health conditions and activities of daily living, including meal choices and preparation.
Speakers at this webinar will share approaches to working with caregivers to address barriers to healthy eating and provide nutrition education that meets the diverse needs of older adults. Presented by NCECE and NCHPH.
Wednesday, March 30
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
Improving the Health of Public Housing Residents through Intentional Health Center and Housing Authority Partnerships
In collaboration with the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC), NCHPH’s webinar will highlight the health center and housing authority partnerships that have led to improved health for public housing residents. Speakers will describe promising practices on improving health education and outreach, access to care, and distribution of COVID-19 related supplies. The webinar will feature speakers from North End Waterfront Health Center (NEW Health) and the Boston Housing Authority.
Thursday, April 7
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
NNCC and NCHPH are both HRSA-funded NTTAPs.
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