What's New
Urgent Need to Increase Respiratory Disease Immunization
CDC issued an urgent health advisory alerting providers about low vaccination rates against flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). These rates and ongoing increases in national and international respiratory disease activity could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain.
Resources to support your health center’s efforts:
- While National Influenza Immunization Week has passed, adapt the messaging to remind patients that vaccines can reduce disease severity.
- The recording and materials from a CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity call on respiratory virus season are still available on the call website.
- CDC and Medscape offer free continuing education (CE) on important and timely topics. They recently announced one on flu vaccination guidelines, including for older adults and those with egg allergy.
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Deadline Reminder: Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Period Progress Report Non-Competing Continuations for June 1 Starts
Budget Period Progress Report (BPR) submissions for Health Center Program award recipients with a June 1 budget period start date are due in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, December 29. TA materials are available on the BPR TA webpage.
Fiscal Year 2024 NTTAP Non-Competing Continuation Progress Report Available in EHBs
HRSA has released the fiscal year (FY) 2024 NTTAPs Non-Competing Continuation (NCC) progress report in EHBs. You must submit your progress report and it must be approved by HRSA to receive funding for the FY 2024 budget period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
Progress report submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, February 5, 2024. Join a Q&A session to ask questions about the instructions:
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Visit the NTTAP TA webpage for resources. You may send questions to the NTTAP Response Team through the BPHC Contact Form (Non-competing Continuation (NCC) Progress Reports (e.g., BPR) > National Training and Technical Assistance Partner).
Policy Tip: Conflict of Interest
When a site visit team assesses compliance with the Health Center Program Compliance Manual Chapter 13: Conflict of Interest, they do not review signed disclosure statements or forms from all health center staff and board members. If a health center identified a real or apparent conflict of interest for any procurement that occurred within the last three years and that was paid in whole or in part by the federal award, the site visit team reviews all related written disclosures. These written disclosures would be completed by employees, officers, board members, and agents of the health center.
To learn more about this topic, and to find answers to other questions, check out the Health Center Program Compliance FAQs.
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Quarterly 340B Program Registration
Quarterly 340B Program site registration is open from January 1 to 16, 2024. 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 23. After that date, the system will close to prepare for the April 1 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.
HRSA’s November Roundup
Last month, HRSA celebrated National Rural Health Day, attended the 2023 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit, joined the HHS Secretary and North Carolina health leaders for a roundtable discussion on child and adolescent behavioral health, announced the top health centers for clinical quality excellence, connected with state and maternal health champions to promote maternal and infant health, and promoted the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Read more November highlights.
Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Antibiotic Use
Join a free program to implement best practices in antibiotic stewardship in telemedicine. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is recruiting for an 18-month program that begins in June 2024. Participants in a similar program saw a 9% decrease in antibiotic prescribing overall and a 15% decrease for acute respiratory infections. Visit the program website to join or sign up for an informational webinar.
Cybersecurity Education on Demand
The HHS 405(d) Program strengthens the health care sector’s posture against cyberthreats. Its Knowledge on Demand site offers free trainings on topics including ransomware and attacks against network-connected medical devices.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
HHS’ program helps keep families safe and healthy through initiatives that assist families with energy costs. It provides federally funded assistance to reduce the costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and minor energy-related home repairs.
Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health Integrated Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention Strategies CoP
Join a CoP to build resilience and strategies for enhancing employee recruitment, engagement, and retention in health center settings. Topics include low-cost and no-cost approaches to improve staff retention, boost morale, and reduce stress and burnout.
CDC’s State Menthol Fact Sheets Now Available
CDC released Menthol Fact Sheets for all states and the District of Columbia. These fact sheets present estimates of smoking and smoking-related behaviors in each state, as well as cessation resources and data about the use of those resources.
Free CE: Alcohol and Other Substance Use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among High School Students
A new, free CE from CDC and Medscape discusses alcohol and other substance use among high school students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hypertension
Million Hearts Learning Lab in 2024
This series will continue in 2024, with the first session next month (the registration page includes other dates).
Using Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring to Improve Maternal Health Equity and Reduce Maternal Mortality
Thursday, January 11, 2024
1:00-1:45 p.m. ET
Registration page
The series focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention and management topics. It is open to clinicians, staff focused on quality improvement, and other interested staff, with a focus on health centers.
**Clinicians may earn 1.0 CME credit per session and up to 5.0 credits for attending the full series through the American Medical Association's (AMA’s) EdHub.** Learn more, including about required prework, on the Learning Lab webpage.
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) co-hosts the series with AMA. NACHC’s funding is through a cooperative agreement with Million Hearts, which CDC and CMS fund.
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Research Supports Use of Culturally Tailored Community-Based Interventions
A new study concludes that the Prime Time Sister Circles program — a culturally tailored community-based intervention — can improve blood pressure management for low-income African American women with hypertension.
Workforce
Behavioral Health Integrated Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention Strategies CoP
See the announcement above.
Incorporating a Cultural Safety Lens into Health Center Practice
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council invites health center staff to join a learning collaborative on the cultural safety model. You’ll develop concrete steps towards training and implementation in your community. Learn more or register by Friday, January 5, 2024.
Ground Work: Racial Justice and Cultural Humility Training for Health Centers
Health centers are on the frontlines of addressing health inequities and providing care to our country’s marginalized communities, including communities of color. NACHC developed an online course to help all staff level-set on the fundamentals of racial identity, privilege, bias, and structural and institutional racism. It provides background and tools to engage in health equity and anti-racism work in your community. This project was not federally funded.
Oral Health
Recording Available: Community Dental Health Coordinators: An Introduction to Oral Health Integration for Health Centers
If you missed it, watch the recording of our recent webinar featuring representatives from the American Dental Association (ADA) and two HRSA-funded health centers. ADA speakers explained the Community Dental Health Coordinators (CDHC) program, and other speakers shared what it’s like having a CDHC on their team.
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