What's New
National Health Center Program Performance Evaluation
Learn about recent Health Center Program research findings on health care access, equity, quality, and cost. Researchers will discuss how health centers have responded to emerging health priorities to better serve their communities.
Thursday, September 15
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
New Study: The Relative Contribution of Social Determinants of Health among HRSA-Funded Health Centers
An improved understanding of which social determinants of health (SDOH) most strongly influence patients’ health outcomes can help health centers identify effective interventions and better target their resources. Researchers found that health care access and use had the largest relative contribution to patients’ self-reported fair or poor health and diagnoses of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and depression or anxiety. The study findings have implications for how health centers may better meet the needs of their patient populations’ specific health conditions.
To read the published article, and other articles about quality care delivered by health centers, visit BPHC’s Health Center Library.
Patient-Centered Medical Home Office Hours – Health Center Coaching Pilot
HRSA is piloting a Health Center Coaching program to assist health centers in gaining Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition. Participating health centers have access to short-term TA from National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) experts focused on initiating the PCMH recognition process. This pilot is open to only a limited number of health centers and only to health centers that do not currently have PCMH recognition or ambulatory health care accreditation.
Learn more and get your questions answered during NCQA office hours.
Thursday, September 8
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
Monkeypox Updates
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HRSA Monkeypox Vaccine Distribution Initiative
HRSA has received an allotment of the JYNNEOS vaccine for monkeypox for rapid distribution to Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) recipients. This includes organizations dually funded through the Health Center Program and RWHAP Part C. HRSA was identified as a distribution point due to the health care services we support for individuals living with HIV and uninsured and underinsured patients seen in dually-funded RWHAP and Health Center Program organizations.
To expedite the dispensing of the JYNNEOS vaccine, HRSA will provide the vaccine to RWHAP Part C dually-funded Health Center Program providers that care for a significant number of men who have sex with men and transgender persons. The identified providers already have access to the Health Partner Ordering Portal, which will aid in quickly getting the vaccine to clients.
The HRSA Monkeypox Vaccine Distribution Initiative webpage includes additional information and links to Frequently Asked Questions and other resources. HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau shared more information yesterday in a bulletin.
- CDC continues to share updates on these sites:
Manufacturer Restrictions on Contract Pharmacies
This brief explains the impact of certain drug manufacturer restrictions on contract pharmacies and outlines potential steps that health centers may take in response. This was produced by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
New National Tool Measures Health Impacts of Environmental Burdens
CDC and its Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in partnership with HHS’ Office of Environmental Justice, recently announced the release of the Environmental Justice Index. It builds off existing environmental justice indexes to provide a single environmental justice score for local communities across the U.S. Public health officials can use it to identify and map areas most at risk for the health impacts of environmental burden.
COVID-19
TODAY: Learn about the New Boosters at COVID-19 Response Program Office Hours
Our August 17 bulletin announced that bivalent boosters are available for pre-orders. Today’s office hours will share product information and administration details for these boosters. There will also be new resources on long COVID. Though some information may be geared toward COVID-19 Response Program participants, these sessions are open to all HRSA-supported health centers.
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.
CDC Recommends Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine for Adolescents
On Monday, August 22, CDC recommended the use of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12-17 for primary series vaccination. See the CDC statement. This recommendation is in line with FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization of the vaccine for this age group.
A limited supply of Novavax is available for Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants. Participating health centers can make a one-time order of one package (100 doses) per health center site.
See these CDC resources for more information:
HHS Resources on Paxlovid
Paxlovid is an oral antiviral drug that should be initiated to eligible individuals as soon as possible after diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days of symptom onset. HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has a Paxlovid website with resources and FAQs (scroll down for those) to answer providers’ questions. These include an information sheet on eligibility and effectiveness (PDF).
National Minority Donor Awareness Month
August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month! More than 100,000 people are currently on the national transplant waiting list, with more than 60% representing racial and ethnic minorities. Although 2021 saw a record-breaking 40,000+ transplants, involving more than 18,000 racial and ethnic minorities receiving the gift of life, the gap remains staggeringly high. On average, 20 people die every day waiting for a transplant.
We invite health centers to join HRSA in:
- Amplifying the need for more organ, eye, and tissue donors within minority communities.
- Educating potential organ donors and encouraging donor registration.
Check out our English and Spanish Organ Donation Playlists on HRSATube. Use the #NMDAM hashtag in your National Minority Donor Awareness Month social media messages.
Behavioral Health
HEAL Research Funding Opportunity for Health Centers
NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse has released a research funding opportunity announcement that may interest health centers: HEAL Initiative: Research Studies to Develop and Implement Interventions to Prevent Opioid Misuse in Community Health Centers. This will support interdisciplinary teams to research the development, adaptation, and/or implementation of interventions to prevent misuse of opioids and other substances. It aims to fund research developed through strong partnerships between researchers and health center leaders.
Learn more at an upcoming webinar for potential applicants:
Tuesday, September 6
3:30-4:30 p.m. ET
Registration page
Workforce
Supporting Staff Mental Health through Compensation Equity and Inclusive Benefits
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR2 Center’s new fact sheet (PDF) provides health center leadership with a better understanding of the mental health struggles their workforce may face. It also identifies strategies related to compensation equity and inclusive benefits to address these challenges. ACU is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Call for Podcast Interviewees
ACU’s STAR2 Center is looking for health centers and Primary Care Associations interested in participating in a 20- to 30-minute interview for the STAR2 Center Talks Workforce Success podcast series. The series focuses on the importance of employee and organizational well-being to address burnout and compassion fatigue. Tell the story of how your organization approaches and supports staff well-being! If interested, please contact Michelle Fernández Gabilondo.
Several HRSA-funded NTTAPs present learning collaboratives:
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Implementing & Responding to Staff Satisfaction Surveys
Health center teams are invited to gain an understanding of, and learn action steps for, how best to conduct and follow up on staff satisfaction surveys. Visit the information page on ACU’s STAR2 Center website and apply by Thursday, September 8.
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Increase Access to Care (IAC) Core
The National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) invites health centers to share challenges, successes, and promising practices for increasing access to care for agricultural workers. Participants will develop an outreach-focused Migrant Health Action Plan. Guest speakers, tools, and resources will help health centers better reach the agricultural worker community and achieve their increase access goals. Visit the registration page for details.
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Recruitment Boot Camp: Mental Health Staff Edition
Building on the success and content of past boot camps, this opportunity will dive deeper into the special considerations needed to recruit a diverse, mission-driven, and patient-centered mental health workforce. The ACU’s STAR2 Center invites health center workforce, human resources, clinical, and C-Suite staff to apply. Submit the application form by Thursday, August 25.
Telehealth
Telehealth and Broadband Funding and Resources
This webinar is part of HRSA’s Telehealth Learning Webinar Series. The series’ goal is to highlight successful projects/best practices as well as resources to promote and further the use of telehealth technologies for health care delivery, education, and health information services.
Tuesday, August 30
2:00-3:15 p.m. ET
Registration page
Additional Resources
Diabetes in Special and Vulnerable Populations: Compendium of Resources
The Special and Vulnerable Populations Diabetes Task Force (14 NTTAPs) held a learning collaborative last winter on the diabetes continuum of care. A new webpage presents key resources, lessons learned, and effective strategies from the sessions.
The Benefits of Shared Data and Health and Housing Partnerships
These resources can expand health center staff’s understanding of how health and housing partnerships can benefit health center patients.
- These case studies show how these partnerships and the use of shared data can stop the cycle of patients through homeless systems, jails, emergency rooms, and behavioral health systems:
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Advancing Health Equity through Health and Housing Partnership: Watch this recorded webinar to learn about structural factors that contribute to racial inequities in both the health and homeless systems. Speakers address how connections between the two systems can reduce health disparities.
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Health and Housing Partnerships to Support Aging Patients: Watch this recorded webinar for an overview of best practices. Learn essential types of partnerships and community housing models that can support these efforts.
The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) shares these resources. CSH is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
Non-Clinical Approaches to Diabetes Prevention: Lessons Learned from Health Centers and Community Partners
In a new publication (PDF), CSH compiles lessons learned from health centers and other community-based partners implementing new strategies for diabetes prevention. These emerged from CSH’s learning collaboratives in 2021-22. Participants were all health, housing, and homeless services providers. The publication will be useful for community-based providers initiating new prevention strategies or seeking to improve their existing efforts.
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