What's New

Compliance Tip: Sliding Fee Discount Program This is the first in a monthly series that will help you maintain continuous compliance. Provide appropriate documentation to meet the Service Area Competition/Renewal of Designation review criteria for the Sliding Fee Discount Program: Element b: Include approved polices and specific details such as required definitions and charge adjustments based on income. Element c: Show the provision of full discounts or nominal charges, and no discounts based upon income. Element e: Ensure fee schedules incorporate the current Federal Poverty Guidelines and include the required attachments. Resources: Compliance Manual: Chapter 9 Health Center Program Compliance FAQs

COVID-19 Survey Availability

We have received a lot of questions related to the timing of the Health Center COVID-19 Survey. It typically opens between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. ET on the first Friday of the month and closes the following Thursday at 11:59 p.m. local time. At the end of the data collection period, the survey becomes inaccessible until the next collection period.

For example, the survey for May data will open between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 7. It will remain open until 11:59 p.m. your local time on Thursday, June 13, then become inaccessible until the July collection period.

We email your health center when the survey is available. The email comes from BPHCAnswers@hrsa.gov with a subject line beginning, "ACTION REQUIRED BY Thursday [date] 11:59 p.m. Local Time..." If you do not receive the email notice but would like to, or if you have questions about the survey, submit a ticket via the BPHC Contact Form (COVID-19 > COVID-19 Surveys).

Less Than Two Weeks to Take the 2024 Grantee Satisfaction Survey Grantees, your voice matters. We are committed to transparency and will share a summary of survey results along with corresponding action plans. Thank you for your continued partnership in our mission to improve health outcomes and achieve health equity. Together, we can make a difference! Project Directors received the survey and reminders by email. Questions or concerns about the survey? Email HRSA Grantee Survey.

Patient-Centered Medical Home Health Equity TA Symposium

Registration is now open for this annual symposium, which we host in partnership with The Joint Commission. Join your peers and experts to hear about and discuss best practices and lessons learned in health equity, quality improvement, and accreditation and recognition. Visit the event website (link is below) to learn more and register.

Tuesday, July 16, and Wednesday, July 17
Noon-4:00 p.m. ET
Symposium website

Lāna’i Community Health Center engages in many outreach activities. Pictured is a gathering on Prince Kūhiō Day, an official state holiday celebrated annually on March 26 to honor Hawaiian history and culture.

Health Center Stories Showcase Telehealth, Street Medicine and More

Check out our Health Center Stories webpage to enjoy these new featured stories:

• Lāna’i Community Health Center in Hawaii provides local care while offering telehealth visits with providers on larger islands. Staff also help to arrange travel for care on other islands when necessary.
  
  
• CommuniCare Health Centers in San Antonio, Texas, launched a prenatal care program for migrants by using funding from HRSA’s Quality Improvement Fund – Maternal Health award.
  
  
• Covenant House Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, deploys street medicine outreach workers to offer HIV prevention and other services in neighborhoods that have many residents who use needles to take illegal drugs.
  
  
• The Family Health Care Clinic in Pearl, Mississippi, piloted a successful program targeting patients who have multiple chronic conditions.
  
  

Have a story to share? Contact us at HealthCenterStories@hrsa.gov.

2024 UDS Manual In last week’s Digest we announced that the 2024 UDS Manual (PDF) is available. Learn more about 2024 UDS reporting at our June 5 webinar (registration page). We will share additional details and guidance on 2024 UDS+ requirements later this summer.

DUE TOMORROW: Photo Gallery for Health Care Risk Management Week HRSA will again host a photo gallery to celebrate Health Care Risk Management Week (June 17-21). The theme is "Prioritizing Safety, Mitigating Risk." TOMORROW (Wednesday, May 29) is the deadline to send us photos that capture your risk management and patient safety professionals! Get details, including how to submit and how the photos may be used, on our website.

Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to CEO Succession Planning

CEO succession planning is an important board role but one that may challenge boards. Visit the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse to see a new resource from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) that defines this planning. It also identifies obstacles to planning and offers solutions.

Value-Based Payment Learning Series

NACHC designed this learning series to meet health centers and their partners wherever they are along the value-based payment readiness continuum, whether that’s in the planning, implementing, or optimizing stage. They designed it for those who directly support related activities: leadership and those who work in financial, clinical, or quality improvement roles. Visit the series page on NACHC’s website for details and registration.

Behavioral Health

Naloxone 2.0 – Evidence-based Distribution Models

Join to learn best practices (including the best venues) for naloxone distribution and identify why needs-based naloxone is necessary to decrease overdose.

Thursday, June 13
1:00-1:30 p.m. ET
Registration page
**0.5 CE available for behavioral health professionals**

SAMHSA HIV-Related NOFOs

SAMHSA released the following Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) that aim to reduce the impact of mental health issues and/or substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV/AIDS.

• Minority AIDS Initiative: Integrated Behavioral Health and HIV Care for Unsheltered Populations Pilot Project
• Minority AIDS Initiative: SUD Prevention and Treatment Pilot Program

Visit SAMHSA’s website for details and application information.

HIV

Ending Stigma through Collaboration and Lifting All to Empowerment

We’re collaborating with the National Minority AIDS Council and others on this webinar developed to help you recognize the signs and impact of stigma in health care. Participants will be provided with practical solutions from HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau-funded project ESCALATE on how to reduce stigma as a health care team.

Tuesday, June 11
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

TODAY: Registration for the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) Meeting

Today is the deadline to email your registration request for next week’s meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Visit HIV.gov for details, including location and agenda.

SAMHSA HIV-Related NOFOs

See the announcement above.

Hypertension

New Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package Visit the Million Hearts website to download their Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package. This quality improvement guide is full of tools and resources gathered from and tailored for clinical teams caring for pregnant and postpartum women in outpatient settings. Share it with your colleagues and networks. Select at least one change idea to implement and collaborate with others to expand the reach of this important work.

Hypertension Control Champion Health Center Spotlight: Valley Professionals Community Health Centers

Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champion (and HRSA-funded health center) Valley Professionals Community Health Center has expanded their best practices to achieve a blood pressure control rate of 80% or higher in seven of their nine sites. Their patient-focused approach has been a winning strategy to expand high-quality heart health care to those who might otherwise not receive it. Read their success story on the Million Hearts website.

Workforce

Diversifying the Health Center Workforce: Elevating Cultural Humility & Equitable Care Webinar Series

With a spotlight on intersectionality, this webinar series emphasizes the significance of acknowledging and honoring individuals' multiple identities. Learn strategies that can help you create a future where every individual receives equitable and inclusive care. See the registration page for dates, times, and more. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR² Center, Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN), and the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center host this series.

Cervical Cancer ECHO Learning Series for Safety-Net Settings in U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands

HRSA’s Office of Women’s Health invites providers to participate in this virtual, collaborative learning series. It will empower safety-net settings of care in U.S.-affiliated Pacific Island to improve cervical cancer prevention, screening, and management. Apply via the application page by Friday, June 7. Contact CERVNet@norc.org for more details.

Additional Resources

Preventing and Addressing Sexual Violence Against People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

HHS’ Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and ACF issued an informational memo about sexual violence against persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The letter, available on ACL’s website, raises awareness of the disparities that can put people with these disabilities at greater risk for sexual assault. It provides guidance and resources that help advocates and others recognize sexual violence and improve services for survivors.

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Training Calendar

Visit our online calendar for details on these and all scheduled events.

Through June 4

Engaging Communities: The Crucial Role of Outreach in Rebuilding Public Health Trust
Hosted by Health Outreach Partners
Tuesday, May 28
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Health Center Workforce Well-being Survey Dashboards Webinar
Tuesday, May 28
2:30-4:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Integrating MOUD into Your Rural Health Centers
Wednesday, May 29
1:00-2:15 p.m. ET
Registration page
**1.0 CE available for behavioral health professionals**

Diversifying the Health Center Workforce: Elevating Cultural Humility & Equitable Care Webinar Series
Hosted by ACU’s STAR² Center, MCN, and the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
Sessions take place from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Series registration page

Part 1: Wednesday, May 29

Part 2: Wednesday, June 5

Medical-Legal Partnerships in Electronic Medical Records, the Next Frontier: One System’s Success
Hosted by the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP)
Thursday, May 30
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Registration page

Today with Macrae: Q&A
Thursday, May 30
3:00-4:15 p.m. ET
Join the day of the session
Join by phone: 833-568-8864
Webinar ID: 160 624 7911

Aging, Substance Use, and Cognitive Health
Hosted by the HRSA-funded National Clinician Consultation Center
Thursday, May 30
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Optimizing Nursing to Advance Health Equity in Primary Care
Hosted by the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
Thursday, May 30
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

HITEQ on the Horizon Series: What is the Future of AI in Health Centers? Roundtable
Hosted by the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center
Tuesday, June 4
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

The Impact of Menopause on Women: Considerations for Health Care and the Workplace
Tuesday, June 4
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Establishing a Meaningful Quality Improvement Program
Hosted by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care
Tuesday, June 4
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page (free account registration required)

Upcoming

2024 UDS Changes
Wednesday, June 5
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Registration page

Naloxone 1.0 – Get to Know Naloxone
Thursday, June 6
1:00-1:30 p.m. ET
Registration page
**0.5 CE available for behavioral health professionals**

Crafting Effective Trainings to Strengthen the Health Center Medical-Legal Partnership Workforce
Hosted by NCMLP
Thursday, June 6
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Registration page

Value-Based Payment Learning Series
Hosted by NACHC
Session 1: Planning for Volume-Based to Value-Based Payment
Thursday, June 6
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Series registration page

Overcoming Common Challenges in Action Planning
Thursday, June 6
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: Population Health Strategies to Improve Quality of Care and Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
Hosted by the National Center for Farmworker Health
Thursday, June 6
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Strategies to Improve Early Recognition of Pregnancy Associated Cardiomyopathy
Hosted by NACHC
Thursday, June 6
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Ending Stigma through Collaboration and Lifting All to Empowerment
Tuesday, June 11
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

HITEQ Highlights: Integrating Patient Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Within Office-Based Hypertension Management
Hosted by the HITEQ Center
Tuesday, June 11
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Post-Partum Connections and Education
Hosted by Renaye James Healthcare Advisors
Wednesday, June 12
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Meeting the Needs: Aging Patients Facing Long-term Homelessness
Hosted by the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH)
Wednesday, June 12
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
Registration page

Retention Planning: Build It and They Will Stay
Hosted by the ACU’s STAR² Center
Wednesday, June 12
4:00-5:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Naloxone 2.0 – Evidence-based Distribution Models
Thursday, June 13
1:00-1:30 p.m. ET
Registration page
**0.5 CE available for behavioral health professionals**

Million Hearts Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Forum
Co-hosted by NACHC and CDC (with CDC funding)
Thursday, June 13
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Supporting Transitions from Medical Respite Care: Roles for Providers and Community Partners
Hosted by CSH
Monday, June 17
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Emergency Management Process Webinar
Tuesday, June 18
1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Access emails coming soon

Health Center 2030: Five Critical Skills for Leading the Digital Transformation
Hosted by NACHC
Tuesday, June 18
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Quality Improvement Fund Optimizing Virtual Care Innovation Forum
Tuesday, June 25
12:30-5:00 p.m. ET
Registration page

Webinars are hosted by HRSA unless otherwise noted.