What's New
Introducing Program Specialists to Reflect the Focus of the Office of Health Center Program Monitoring
BPHC’s Office of Health Center Program Monitoring (OHCPM) announces a new identity for the Project Officer, whose title is now Program Specialist. This new title aligns with the role and work these staff will do to support health centers.
Program Specialists are unique to OHCPM. They are responsible for ongoing monitoring of health centers’ compliance with program requirements and applicable grants management requirements through routine engagement and assessments. In addition, they will identify and provide technical assistance (TA) interventions in collaboration with internal and external partners/stakeholders.
The Program Specialists look forward to continued support and partnerships with all our health centers. Please refer to our bulletin of May 24 for whom to contact with your grant-related questions.
Applications Due Next Week: Accelerating Cancer Screening Funding
Fiscal year 2022 Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 15.
Visit the AxCS TA webpage for the notice of funding opportunity, frequently asked questions, and other resources.
Federal Tort Claims Act Program Calendar Year 2023 Deeming Cycle
The calendar year (CY) 2023 Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) health center deeming cycle has started. Applications are due in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, July 8. To get answers while preparing your application, watch a recording of our TA webinar from Monday, May 9, or join our final Office Hour sessions:
Monday, June 27
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
If you prefer to join by phone: 833-568-8864
Webinar ID: 160 237 8877
Equipment Changes Require HRSA Prior Approval
If you are adding new equipment to your H80 or supplemental award project, per 45 CFR 75.308, you must request prior approval from HRSA. This includes increasing the number of equipment items from a previous approval (e.g., adding three vaccine refrigerators instead of one). Submit a budget modification prior approval request within EHBs to ensure all of your equipment purchases are a part of your approved award.
HRSA’s May Roundup
Many of HRSA’s recent efforts bolstered President Biden’s National Mental Health Strategy and underscored a key HRSA priority: addressing the mental health needs of children and families in underserved communities across the country:
- Awarded nearly $25 million to improve and strengthen access to school-based health services;
- Launched a maternal mental health hotline; and
- Urged states to strengthen support for children’s mental health.
Read more May highlights.
Infant Formula Resources and Guidance for Families
HHS has information and resources for families seeking formula during the shortage. These materials are available in multiple languages:
Vaccines for Orthopoxviruses (Smallpox and Monkeypox)
CDC’s ACIP announced their recommendation of a second (alternate) vaccine for certain U.S. persons at risk for occupational exposure to orthopoxviruses. Read more.
Last week, CDC published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on the current monkeypox oubreak.
Comment Now: New HHS Office of Environmental Justice
HHS recently announced a new office created to address environmental injustices and health inequities for people of color and disadvantaged, low-income, marginalized, and indigenous populations. The new office seeks public comments on a draft outline for strategy and implementation.
Certified Application Counselor Designated Organizations Application Open Season
Organizations operating in an Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) state that want to provide enrollment assistance to consumers for plan year 2023 must apply to CMS to become a certified application counselor designated organization (CDO), if they are not already a CDO. Open season for CDO applications ends on Wednesday, August 31. CDOs oversee certified application counselors, who are trained and able to help consumers seeking health coverage options through the Marketplace. Learn more.
For additional questions, contact CMS at CACQuestions@cms.hhs.gov. Please include your organization’s name and address in the body of your email.
HHS Issues Recommendations to Improve Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
HRSA released The Blueprint for Change: A National Framework for a System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs through a special supplement in the journal Pediatrics. This is a national framework to improve care for the nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. who currently have a special health care need. Read the release.
Exploring Policies to Strengthen Rural Health
Read about a Rural Health Roundtable and site visit made by state lawmakers to the Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers’ Tallulah Health Center in Robbinsville, NC. The visit focused on the integration of primary care and behavioral health services and the use of telehealth to expand service access.
COVID-19
Building a Village: Community Linkages for COVID-19 Vaccines and Beyond
Later this month, FDA will consider issuing an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine for young children. Please join HRSA for a special town hall event to identify partnership opportunities and provide a more comprehensive system of services and care for childhood COVID-19 vaccines and beyond. The event will feature panelists from CDC and HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Bureau of Primary Health Care, and Health Systems Bureau.
Thursday, June 9
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here
Pediatric Vaccine Success Stories from the Field
CDC’s Vaccine Confidence and Demand Team and others will discuss vaccine confidence building among parents and others. This webinar is sponsored by the National Community Action Partnership.
Monday, June 13
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here
COVID-19 Response Programs Office Hours
While these sessions are geared toward participants in our COVID-19 Response Programs, any HRSA-supported health center is welcome to attend.
Next week’s session on Tuesday, June 14 will feature a CDC representative discussing important updates about vaccines for young children. This will help your health center be ready if FDA issues an EUA for one or more of these vaccines and if CDC concurs and provides guidance.
Sessions are from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET. Register one time and you’ll have access to all Office Hour sessions from now until February 2023.
COVID-19 Lookback/Forward: Health and Public Housing Listening Session
The National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) welcomes health center and Public Housing Agency (PHA) management and staff to join senior leaders from HRSA and HUD and share your experiences, thoughts, and reflections on the pandemic response. Speakers include BPHC Associate Administrator Jim Macrae and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Housing Investments at HUD Bob Mulderig.
Wednesday, June 22
1:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
NCHPH is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
Recording Available: HRSA and White House Test to Treat Webinar
Thank you to the health centers that participated and everyone who attended last week’s discussion on the role of HRSA and HRSA-supported organizations in reducing COVID-19’s impact on communities nationwide. Speakers from the White House and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response also joined to emphasize the importance of Test to Treat as a strategy to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
If you missed it, watch the recording. The presentation slides include resources shared during the session.
Final Deadline Approaching: HRSA Health Center COVID-19 N95 Mask Program
The final ordering deadline for the HRSA Health Center COVID-19 N95 Mask Program is Monday, June 20.
We encourage health centers to work with their community partners (including community and faith-based organizations, HUD-assisted housing, and aging and disability networks) to order and distribute masks to meet community needs. We increased ordering caps to support larger orders and allow for health centers with available space to order masks to store for upcoming months.
Thank you to health centers and community partners for your support and participation in getting masks into the communities you serve.
Please note: Health centers that have placed at least one order through the HRSA Health Center COVID-19 N95 Mask Program should continue reporting their distribution in the biweekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey until that inventory is exhausted.
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LGBTQ Pride Month
June is a time to recognize both the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals as well as the community’s struggles against discrimination and injustice. Last week, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and other HHS leaders released statements about this important occasion.
We encourage health centers to check out these TA resources and opportunities to increase their support for LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace and in the communities they serve:
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LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Town Hall: Promising Practices from NY, TX, and CA
HRSA’s webinar will include opening remarks from HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson and will feature panelists from the Fenway Institute and HRSA-funded health centers, as well as a Q&A session.
Tuesday, June 21
3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Register here
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Building Inclusive and Welcoming Medical Homes for LGBTQ+ Health Care
Join a HRSA webinar on LGBTQ+ health and how to create an inclusive, affirming, and welcoming environment in health centers. We’ll feature the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, a HRSA-funded NTTAP. This will be the first of a four-part webinar series on LGBTQ+ health.
Wednesday, June 22
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Register here
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Affirming Organizational and Human Resource Policies for an LGBTQIA+ Workforce
This guide, developed by the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, presents strategies and considerations in driving organizational change for LGBTQIA+ inclusion and equity in health care.
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Behavioral Health
Barriers & Best Practices to HIV Prevention and Treatment for People Who Use Drugs
The HRSA-funded National Clinician Consultation Center (NCCC) is partnering with HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau and BPHC on a clinician-focused webinar.
Learn how NCCC supports clinicians who are implementing or optimizing HIV prevention and treatment strategies for persons who use drugs. This includes clinicians using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), substance use disorder treatment, and other harm reduction practices. Speakers will use real cases to illustrate key interventions and share ideas on overcoming clinical, informational, and cultural challenges in building capacity.
Tuesday, June 7
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Register here
**1.0 CE available**
HIV
Participate in HRSA’s HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day Twitter Thread
In honor of HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (Sunday, June 5), HRSA invites you to participate in a HRSA-initiated Twitter thread, #HRSAHonorsHIVSurvivors, through Thursday, June 9. We’re promoting advancements in HIV care and treatment and HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, honoring the lives of people with HIV, and supporting people with lived experience in sharing their stories.
Consider participating by interacting with our posts and posting your own content under the hashtag that relates to your organization’s goals, accomplishments, and experiences.
Barriers & Best Practices to HIV Prevention and Treatment for People Who Use Drugs
See the announcement above.
Workforce
Health Professional Faculty Loan Repayment Program Open
Health centers, are any of your providers teaching the next generation of providers? If so, they may be eligible for the Faculty Loan Repayment Program. The program supports the recruitment and retention of health professions faculty from disadvantaged backgrounds. Applications are accepted, with full-time or part-time options available, by 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 30.
Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee Looks to Tackle Staffing Challenges
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee recently held their bi-annual meeting to discuss VA rural workforce recruitment and retention. HRSA speakers joined others to share strategies to address challenges rural areas face in recruiting and retaining medical professionals. Read more in the VA’s Rural Connection.
Oral Health
Video: Live, Synchronous Teledentistry Visit
This video, developed by the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), depicts a condensed, live, synchronous teledentistry visit. It demonstrates how teledentistry can be used for preventive oral health visits. NNOHA is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
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