What's New
HRSA Alert About Phishing Emails
HRSA sent an important security alert to HRSA grantees on Saturday, March 23. We amplified that message in a bulletin to grantees yesterday. Please make sure those in your organization who use HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) are aware.
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Look-Alike Initial Designation Application Blackout Period
We are updating the Look-alike Initial Designation (LAL-ID) application instructions and the EHBs application system. We will not accept LAL-ID applications for approximately one month starting Monday, June 24. Applications in progress at that time will be closed, and none of the information will be retained. Note: If you start a LAL-ID application in EHBs after TODAY (Tuesday, March 26) you will have less than 90 days to complete it.
Health Center Stories Showcase Outreach Efforts and Staff Opportunities
Check out our Health Center Stories webpage to enjoy these new featured stories:
- Zufall Health in Dover, New Jersey, gets extraordinary volunteer and financial support from its local community.
- Lamprey Health Care in New Market, New Hampshire, deploys a mobile clinic and lots of persistence to reach the local homeless population.
- The Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center in Kansas City, Missouri, recently became the first health center in the state to offer a nurse practitioner residency program.
Have a story to share? Contact us at HealthCenterStories@hrsa.gov.
Health Center Program Community Feedback
The Health Center Program Community (HCPC) is the online platform for participants in specific BPHC programs to get timely updates, interact with other health centers, and access training and technical assistance (TA) resources. Nearly three years ago, we introduced the HCPC with the launch of the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program Community.
As the HCPC continues to grow, we welcome your feedback and will use it to make improvements that matter to you. Use the HCPC Feedback Form to anonymously tell us about your experience in the HCPC. What could be improved and how? Thank you in advance!
HRSA Funding Supports Syphilis Testing
Did you know that you can use Health Center Program funding or Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding to cover the cost of syphilis testing? For a clinician-focused overview of the current surge in syphilis cases and rates and best practices for screening and treatment:
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Check out the recording of our recent webinar with CDC. We highlighted missed opportunities for prevention.
- Join our STI Awareness Week (April 14-20) webinar, co-hosted with Fenway Health. Speakers will also discuss doxy-PEP — doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) — as an emerging tool in the arsenal against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). They will explore the scientific underpinnings, practical application considerations, and the potential public health impact of integrating doxy-PEP into your syphilis prevention strategies.
Tackling STIs and Syphilis Prevention with Doxy-PEP
Tuesday, April 16
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
2024 National Health Center Capital Needs Assessment
If you didn’t yet complete Capital Link’s assessment of your capital planning and financing needs, consider doing so. Your input is invaluable to the development of capital funding sources that could benefit your health center!
Capital Link will publish the results in a report for TA providers, policymakers, funders, capital sources, and the public. Complete the assessment to be entered into a prize drawing for a free Capital Link data report. Visit the assessment page to learn more.
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Pediatric Mobile Van Services: A Resource Document
Renaye James Healthcare Advisors’ (RJHA) resource document provides the steps for establishing a mobile van service to reach hard-to-reach pediatric patients who need immunizations and other preventive services. It includes legal, compliance, infection prevention and control, staffing ratios, and safety topics. The document also discusses how recent rules from CMS may change the trajectory of reimbursement for pediatric mobile health. Visit RJHA’s site to access the document.
Quarterly 340B Program Registration
Quarterly 340B Program site registration is open from April 1 to 15. 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 Tuesday, May 28. (This is a correction to the date printed in the March 12 Digest.) After May 28, the system will close to prepare for the July 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.
IRS Pilot: Taxpayers May Be Able to File for Free
The IRS is piloting a new option for people with simple tax filing needs. Direct File allows people to file directly with the IRS for free. The pilot is in these states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
Health centers, if you are in a pilot state, help spread the word to taxpayers in your community. They can visit the IRS’ Direct File website to check their eligibility and learn more. The website is available in English and Spanish.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Promoting Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Agricultural Workers
Migratory and seasonal agricultural workers (MSAWs) face unique barriers to accessing colorectal cancer screening, a key preventive measure that can save lives by detecting cancer early when it’s most treatable. MHP Salud’s comprehensive tool answers general questions about colorectal cancer and available screening tools. It provides an evidence-based curriculum that health centers can use to boost screening rates among MSAW populations in their services areas.
MHP Salud also invites health center staff to join their related learning collaborative, “Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening in Agricultural Worker Communities.” You’ll learn about the barriers and the tool mentioned in the previous paragraph. You’ll also learn about the role community health workers can play in boosting screenings. Find out more on the registration page.
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COVID-19
Rising Strong: Community Resilience in the Face of Long COVID
A new podcast episode from Health Outreach Partners’ (HOP) series “The COVID-19 Pandemic and What it Taught Us: Collective Trauma and Moving Forward” features representatives from MHP Salud. They focus on raising awareness of the challenges and impacts of long COVID to promote better health outcomes. Listen to the episode on HOP’s website.
Behavioral Health
Recording Available: Developing Workforce Retention and Resiliency within an Integrated Care Setting
Did you miss our recent webinar on burnout, compassion fatigue, and employee turnover in primary and behavioral health providers? Visit our Behavioral Health TA portal to access the recording and slides.
New Funding Available for Rural Opioid Response
Continuing the work of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), HRSA plans to make approximately 16 awards under RCORP – Impact, which will improve access to integrated, coordinated treatment and recovery services for substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in rural areas. Learn more in a bulletin from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
SAMHSA Funding Opportunities
These opportunities may be of interest to health centers or organizations within the health center network.
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Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness
Cooperative agreement to help implement state-specific assisted outpatient treatment programs working with courts, community partners, and other entities to support community-based treatment for adults with serious mental illness. Visit SAMHSA’s website to learn more.
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Building Communities of Recovery
Use this funding to mobilize and connect a broad array of community-based resources to increase the availability and quality of long-term recovery support for persons with SUD and co-occurring SUD and mental disorders. Visit SAMHSA’s website to learn more.
HIV
DUE THURSDAY: Share Your Input on the Next NIH Strategic Plan for HIV Research
The NIH Office of AIDS Research has issued a Request for Information to inform development of the fiscal year 2026-2030 NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research. Visit their Grants.gov site to give input by Thursday, March 28.
Hypertension
Hypertension Control and Self-Measured Blood Pressure Control Webinars and Recordings
In 2021, HRSA and the HHS Office of Minority Health partnered through the National Hypertension Control Initiative (NHCI) to support health centers in improving blood pressure control among their patients. Now all health centers can benefit from materials developed for this initiative.
View past webinars and core curriculum sessions on the American Heart Association’s NHCI Clinical Core Curriculum Webinars webpage. These resources focus on high blood pressure measurement, management in clinical settings, and self-measured blood pressure monitoring.
New Cholesterol Management Change Package
Million Hearts (CDC), the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), and the American Medical Association collaborated to produce the Cholesterol Management Change Package (PDF). It provides clinicians in outpatient settings with tools and resources for improving cholesterol management.
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Workforce
Supporting Staff through Community Connections, Partnerships, and Resources
Join us for a 30-minute webinar to learn about the importance of building community partnerships and connections in your workplace and their impact on employee engagement and burnout. Gain strategies for identifying and maintaining community connections to support your employees and your health center's mission.
Wednesday, April 17
2:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Registration page
Connect with a Workforce Well-being TA Liaison
We want to help you make the most of the Health Center Workforce Well-being Survey results and the TA we are creating in response. (The results are available in the HRSA Data Warehouse.)
HRSA-supported health centers have the chance to connect with a TA Liaison who will connect you to the TA options that best align with your health center’s workforce well-being goals. Complete this form to express your interest. Your TA Liaison will email you to introduce themselves and invite your preferences for how to proceed.
Visit our Workforce Well-being TA website to learn more. Send questions to WorkforceWell-beingTA@jsi.com.
NTTAP Learning Collaboratives
See the application pages for dates, times, and more information about these opportunities:
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Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening in Agricultural Worker Communities
See the announcement above.
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SDOH Screening for School-Aged Children and Adolescents
The School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) invites health center staff to learn about social determinants of health (SDOH) screening for children and adolescents. Gain insights on the benefits, how to create and implement a sustainable screening practice to advance child and adolescent health, and best practices for SDOH care coordination. Visit the application page to apply by THIS Friday (March 29).
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Unlocking Workforce Potential: Mastering Staff Satisfaction Surveys
Staff satisfaction surveys hold immense potential. The results can foster retention, bolster engagement, and nurture trust, yet their efficacy hinges on the methods of their execution and the diligence of follow-up. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s STAR2 Center invites you to explore these issues and best practices. Visit the application page to apply by Wednesday, April 10.
National Health Service Corps Provides More in 2024
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is now accepting applications for three loan repayment programs (LRP), each with different award amounts and eligibility requirements based on your credentials and discipline.
- NHSC LRP
- NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP
- NHSC Rural Community LRP
Learn what’s new this year, eligibility, and more in a bulletin from the Bureau of Health Workforce.
Additional Resources
Team-Based Approaches for Managing Complex Health Needs
This is the fourth session in the Population Health Management Learning Series — a collaboration among more than a dozen NTTAPs. This session will focus on innovative and collaborative approaches for health centers as they provide comprehensive care to patients living with multiple chronic conditions. Explore shared strategies for enhancing care delivery, patient engagement, and overall health outcomes.
Wednesday, March 27
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
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Connecting the Dots: Data Disaggregation and Health Equity
Speakers will share insights and strategies for organizational initiatives focused on data disaggregation and how to design and implement targeted health and social interventions. They will discuss how disaggregated data plays a crucial role in storytelling for underserved and underrepresented populations. Hosted by the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) and the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH).
Thursday, April 4
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
Health Center Preparedness and Response Forum
A dozen HRSA-funded NTTAPs are collaborating on this four-session forum focused on preparing for and responding to various emergencies. This series is primarily for health centers serving priority populations, such as agricultural workers, individuals experiencing homelessness, public housing residents, and other vulnerable groups, including older adults and Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian patients.
The fourth session will focus on Workforce and Community Supports.
Thursday, April 11
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
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