HRSA is pleased to announce the release of the Health Center Program Service Area Considerations Request for Information (RFI). HRSA seeks input from the public on service area considerations that may inform HRSA decisions regarding Health Center Program expansion through an existing health center’s addition of new service delivery sites.
These considerations include factors such as:
- Parameters for unmet need;
- Proximity;
- Reasonable boundaries for the service area;
- Consultation with other local providers;
- Demonstrated capacity and performance in existing service area; and
- Ensuring patient input/representation.
The Service Area RFI announcement will begin with a 30-day preview period. Instructions on how external stakeholders may submit feedback are forthcoming. Following the preview period, HRSA will accept public feedback for 60 days and plans to announce those details in a future Primary Health Care Digest newsletter. We look forward to receiving your feedback.
HRSA announces the availability of $200 million in supplemental funding for Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS).
IBHS will increase access to high-quality integrated behavioral health services, including prevention or treatment of mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder. Organizations currently receiving Health Center Program operational grant funding are eligible to apply for up to $145,000.
HRSA will email eligible organizations’ authorizing officials, business officials, and project directors the link to access the application.
Applications are due in EHBs by Monday, May 13, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. ET. HRSA expects to make awards in September.
Did You Know? FY 2019 IBHS and FY 2018 SUD-MH are Different Funding Opportunities!
The fiscal year (FY) 2019 Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) opportunity is in addition to FY 2018 Expanding Access to Quality Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Services (SUD-MH).
Applicant Question of the Week: Can I apply for FY 2019 IBHS funding if I received FY 2018 SUD-MH funding and will receive Year 2 SUD-MH funding?
Answer: Yes! IBHS eligibility and awards are independent of FY 2018 SUD-MH year 1 and year 2 funding.
Don’t miss your chance for additional funding to support integrated behavioral health services. The IBHS technical assistance (TA) web page provides application development and submission resources. Join HRSA for the second of two live question and answer (Q&A) sessions:
Monday, April 29
Noon-1:30 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 888-233-9404
Passcode: 5874407
Be sure to watch the recorded presentation prior to the Q&A Session. Contact the IBHS TA Team with questions.
Oral Health Infrastructure
April 22. HRSA announced the availability of $76 million in one-time supplemental funding for Oral Health Infrastructure (OHI) to support health center infrastructure enhancements. These investments will increase access to new or enhanced high-quality, integrated oral health services, including those provided via telehealth and virtual dentistry. Applications are due in Grants.gov by Monday, April 22 (11:59 p.m. ET) and HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by Tuesday, May 21 (5:00 p.m. ET).
For more information:
If you have questions, contact the OHI TA team
2019 Patient Target EHBs Notification to Health Centers
Beginning this week, HRSA is sending a tailored email from the Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) to each Health Center Program award recipient with a direct link to the patient target in EHBs. The Program Director should review the patient target and take appropriate action in EHBs by Friday, April 19. Email BPHCPatientTargets@hrsa.gov with questions. A recorded walk-through of the EHBs Patient Target Management Module and Patient Target Frequently Asked Questions are available on the Service Area Competition Technical Assistance (TA) website.
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Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS) would like to announce the appointment of Kim Wagenaar as interim Chief Executive Officer. Wagenaar was selected by the Board of Directors on Monday, April 22nd. She replaces Carlos Gomez, who served as founding CEO at WNCCHS for over 25 years. Mr. Gomez, along with co-founders Polly Ross, MD, and Minnie Jones, created what is now the Minnie Jones Health Center, serving low income/uninsured, and underinsured residents of Buncombe County, as well as providing additional specific services to residents of an 18-county service area of western North Carolina. Wagenaar previously served at WNCCHS as Chief Operating Officer, before accepting the position of Chief Executive Officer. She has served in a number of capacities, including former CEO of Cabarrus/Rowan Community Health Centers outside of Charlotte, and has extensive expertise in Community Health Center leadership and management. As a Nurse Practitioner, she also brings a unique clinical perspective, which combined with her leadership and management skills will help WNCCHS expand and diversify services for the underserved in western North Carolina.
Donyel Barber, Community Centered Health Coordinator with Gaston Family Health Services, received the Grassroots Political Engagement Award at the 2019 Communities Joined in Action Conference. Donyel was nominated by Donna Elliott, Executive Director for HealthNet Gaston, for her community partnership work with the City of Gastonia and the Highland neighborhood. Congratulations to Donyel!
The Seventh Annual Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation Legacy Award Luncheon Honoring Dr. Oveta McIntosh-Vick and Dr. Veronica Ray, Friday May 10, 2019 at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club, Durham, NC. Lincolnchcf.org
NCCHCA’s Awards Program Call for Nominees
Since 2002, NCCHCA’s Awards Program has paid tribute to many outstanding leaders from North Carolina’s community health centers and partners. We invite the staff and board of all member health centers to nominate a candidate for each of these awards: Dr. Evelyn D. Schmidt Outstanding Service Award, Association Service Award, Outstanding Provider Award, Health Center Advocate Award, Policymaker of the Year Award. The selected awardees will be recognized during the 2019 Annual Meeting and Primary Care Conference during the Awards Luncheon on Thursday, June 27, 2019, at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC 28801.
Download the award descriptions and nomination forms from our website. Contact Pat Black at 919-297-0016 or blackp@ncchca.org with any questions.
Call for NCCHCA Board Officer Nominations
The North Carolina Community Health Center Association is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2019-20 Board of Directors. Only representatives of corporate members in good standing are eligible to hold office.
Nomination Deadline: Extended to Tuesday, May 7, 2019, to Nominating Committee Chair Carolyn Allison CarolynAllison@cchc-clt.org and Ben Money moneyb@ncchca.org.
Election Process: The election will be held via electronic polling May 15 – 31, 2019 and the results announced at the Annual Meeting June 26, 2019.
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Ask Local Business & Civic Leaders to Join the Closing the Coverage Gap Campaign
Care4Carolina, a coalition focused on closing the Coverage Gap, just launched a new campaign to engage business and civic leaders in the effort. Please share this letter from Don Flow, CEO of Flow Automotive Companies in Winston-Salem with businesses in your area and ask them to sign on in support of this movement to improve access to health coverage for working adults. For more information, check out the C4C website here.
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Is It Time for Your Re-verification Application?
It's already been five years since the implementation of NCTracks, which means there are many providers who will need to complete re-verification over the next few months. If you haven't received a re-verification notification in your Message Center Inbox yet, you may be seeing it soon. To find your re-verification date, go to the NC Division of Medical Assistance (DMA)'s list of the providers who are due for re-verification in 2018 under 'Recredentialing' on the DMA Provider Enrollment webpage.
Be sure to check your email and NCTracks Provider Portal for reminders on useful resources and tips for completing your application. To learn more, visit the Re-verification/Re-credentialing FAQs page today.
NCTracks Provider Announcement and Newsletters
Join NCTracks’ Email List
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NCDHHS: Free Online Parenting Program Available
“North Carolina families with young children can now take advantage of free online parenting support programs. The Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) offers advice and ideas to help parents create a positive home environment for their children. This resource is now accessible to North Carolina parents through the program’s Triple P Online and Teen Triple P Online courses. The Triple P online roll-out in all 100 counties is the largest of its kind in the country. Free access is available for 25,000 North Carolina parents and caregivers on a first-come, first-served basis.”
NC DHHS Releases Map of AMH Tier Providers by Region
A new map is available on the NC Medicaid website showing how many practices have attested to serve as Advanced Medical Home providers, by tier in each region and how many beneficiaries will be covered by each Tier AMH.
Telemedicine Bill to Allow FQHCs to Bill as Distant Site Providers Introduced at NCGA
This week, Representatives Dobson, Lambeth, and Insko introduced House Bill 884: FQHC Medicaid Reimbursement/Telemedicine/Clinical Pharmacies Practitioner Services, which would allow FQHC providers to bill Medicaid for telemedicine services as a distant site provider for currently Medicaid reimbursable telemedicine services. The bill would also allow FQHC Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners to bill Medicaid for services in the same way that CPPs in other ambulatory settings do.
Broader Telehealth Legislation Introduced Last Week
Last week, members of the NC House of Representatives introduced broader telehealth legislation – House Bill 721: Increase Access to Telehealth Services - which would broaden the types of telehealth services that could be utilized and reimbursed under NC Medicaid, commercial plans, and the State Employees Health Plan. NCCHCA supports this legislation and believes it would address NC FQHC barriers to serve as distant site providers, as well as offer much greater opportunity to use new telehealth modalities to improve access to and quality of care for underserved patients.
Virtual Office Hours
Virtual office hours (VOH) will provide an interactive format for providers to have their questions answered. For the first VOH session, the focus will be on Medicaid provider enrollment and credentialing. A panel of NC Medicaid subject matter experts on this topic will be available to answer questions. For more information, visit: https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/virtual-office-hours
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Title X Final Rule Becomes Effective May 3, 2019
Health Centers should be sure all staff are aware of the new rules affecting health centers receiving Title X funds either directly or as subcontractors. The following rules must be met by May 3rd (see full list from Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell):
- No referring for abortion as a method of family planning. If a pregnant woman asks for an abortion referral, provider tells her the health center does not refer for abortions, but can provide her with a list of PCPs who may refer. The list can include (but not identify) providers that also perform abortions, but the list cannot be exclusively providers that perform abortions.
- No longer required to provide options counseling to pregnant women but permits nondirective counseling
FTLF offers a very comprehensive list of the new requirements here.
2019 UDS Reporting Changes TA
Thursday, May 9
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
HRSA presents a TA webinar that will provide an overview of the changes for the calendar year (CY) 2019 UDS data collection and reporting activities for reports submitted by February 15, 2020. There will also be discussion of possible changes for 2020 UDS and revised clinical measures resulting from continued alignment with electronic specified clinical quality measures. Read a summary of the approved changes in the UDS Changes Program Assistance Letter (PAL).
Join the webcast the day of the session
Call-in: 888-233-9404
Passcode: 6379668
Register here
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State
The latest way to combat the opioid epidemic — student-loan relief
A new program will provide up to $75,000 of student loan relief for health care providers working on substance use disorders. Article features Gaston Family Health Services.
National
Cancer group launches $4.5M campaign to boost Medicaid expansion
The American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm is launching a $4.5 million campaign that aims to break GOP resistance to Medicaid expansion in several states debating whether to join the program.
When Rural Hospitals Close, More Than Health Care Is Lost
If you live in a rural area, there’s a good chance that the nearest hospital is in a precarious financial situation. At least 95 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, according to the University of North Carolina’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research. The problems are complex and multifaceted. Continued out-migration, low health-care reimbursement rates and increasingly complex health needs in rural America are among the factors contributing to a problem with no easy solutions. The majority of the closures have occurred in the Southeast, where most of the states that chose not to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act are clustered. Not only did the states’ decision against expanding Medicaid limit the hospitals’ revenues, but the federal law also imposed additional fiscal burdens, requiring expensive technology upgrades while imposing new payment limits.
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Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Implementation (RCORP-Implementation)
May 6. The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) will be making approximately 75 awards of up to $1 million each to rural communities to enhance service delivery for substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. All domestic public and private entities, nonprofit and for-profit, are eligible to apply and all services must be provided in HRSA-designated rural areas (as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer). The applicant organization must be part of an established network or consortium that includes at least three other separately-owned entities. At least two of these entities must be located in a HRSA-designated rural area. FORHP will hold a 90-minute webinar for applicants on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 from 11:30-1:00 pm ET. A recording will be made available for those who cannot attend. For the webinar dial-in and playback information, please reference page (ii) in the Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. (Click “Preview” on the Package tab, and then “Download Instructions”.) Contact ruralopioidresponse@hrsa.gov with questions.
Opioid Workforce Expansion Program – Professionals and Paraprofessionals
May 7. HRSA is accepting applications for the FY 2019 Opioid Workforce Expansion Program (OWEP) Professionals and Paraprofessionals funding opportunities. Apply on Grants.gov by Tuesday, May 7.
The OWEP for Professionals’ purpose is to build upon existing HRSA investments to enhance community-based experiential training focused on OUD and other SUD for students preparing to become behavioral health professionals. The OWEP for Paraprofessionals funds this same training for peer support specialists and other types of behavioral health-related paraprofessionals. HRSA anticipates awarding $39.3 million for approximately 29 OWEP for Professionals awards and $29.8 million to fund about 33 OWEP for Paraprofessionals awards.
NHSC Scholarship Program
Eligible health profession students can receive payment for tuition, fees, and other educational costs, as well as a living stipend. In exchange, they serve at least two years at NHSC-approved sites in underserved rural, urban, and tribal communities. Applications are due Thursday, May 16. Learn more about the NHSC Scholarship Program.
Nurse Corps Scholarship Program
Eligible nursing students may receive funding for tuition, fees, and other educational costs, as well as a living stipend. In exchange, they will serve at an eligible facility with a critical shortage of nurses upon graduation. Applications are due Tuesday, May 21. Find out more about the Nurse Corps Scholarship Program.
All other funding opportunities are listed on our website, here.
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STAR² CENTER SELF-PACED COURSES
The STAR² Center has added new interactive self-paced online courses to our growing catalogue of resources and training opportunities for health center workforce teams looking to enhance their recruitment and retention efforts. Take some time today to set up your learner account and review our new "Administrative Strategies for Increasing Retention" course. Click here to view a brief overview of how to access and register to complete these courses and be sure to reach out to Mariah Blake with any questions.
Burnout Series 201
The ACU’s STAR2 Center offers a six-part webinar series on one of the most pressing topics facing health centers: provider burnout. It features experts who are on the front lines of this issue discussing topics such as team-based care and the role of provider satisfaction, clinician experience, and the connection between physical space and provider well-being. The weekly series began on Thursday, April 11. Learn more and register for the series now.
Promising Practices in Behavioral Health Workforce Planning
Experts from the University of Michigan, the University at Albany-SUNY, and the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU), a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), will share promising practices and resources focused on behavioral health workforce planning, recruitment, and retention. This webinar will share evidence-based research to improve and design strategic investment in behavioral health workforce planning.
Become a Vital Part of North Carolina’s Safety Net!
Community Health Centers are a unique, growing area of the health care industry. Community Health Centers offer many dynamic career opportunities for dedicated individuals who want to make a difference in their communities. You will also find postings for careers within the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) whose mission is to promote and support patient-governed community health care organizations and the populations they serve. Visit our website to see open positions and to post opportunities.
Community Health Center Inc’s Clinical Workforce Development National Cooperative Agreement encourages you to apply for their Team Based Care Learning Collaborative.
Deadline: May 31, 2019
The Team-Based Care Learning Collaborative is an 8-month participatory learning experience offered by the National Cooperative Agreement (NCA) for Clinical Workforce Development, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and hosted by Community Health Center, Inc.(CHCI) in Middletown, CT. The Collaborative is designed to provide transformational strategies and coaching support to help primary care practices in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) implement an advanced model of team-based care. The Collaborative will provide a series of videoconference learning sessions with 10-12 primary care teams from across the country, as well as in-person quality improvement training, ongoing mentoring for coaches in your organization, technical assistance, and access to web-based tools. Teams will complete an assessment of their current practice using a nationally recognized method to identify opportunities for improvement, and will work between learning sessions to meet their aims.
Applications are open at www.regpacks.com/tbcnca
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The NCCHCA Group Purchasing Organization provides a shared savings model for NC Community Health Centers. NCCHCA members may participate at no cost and can save a significant amount of money on items, such as medical/dental supplies and equipment. Thank you to our current partners: LabCorp, Toshiba Business Solutions, and Community Health Ventures (VIP). Contact Chris Shank for more information.
  
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National Quality Initiative (NQI) pioneers in school health services.
You are invited to form—or join—a team of leaders in children’s health in North Carolina to participate in a 10-month Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) focused on adopting and reporting the standardized performance measures for school-based health centers (SBHCs), making measurable improvements in the health and mental health of students, and working with state-level partners to strengthen policies and programs that support growth of school-based health services. The CoIIN will take place during the 2019-20 school year.
- Who can apply? SBHC providers, administrators, and state-level representatives from the Departments of Health, Education, Title V, Medicaid, Primary Care Organizations, and/or managed care organizations from ANY state or territory can for a team and apply.
- When do I apply? The Alliance will be accepting applications from April 1 through May 31, 2019.
- What does it make possible for you? Participating in the CoIIN will give you an opportunity to create or strengthen relationships in North Carolina between you and other state leaders such as department of health, Title V, Medicaid, and other state-level partners; and an opportunity to develop and improve policies and programs that promote quality, sustainability, and growth of school-based health services.
CLICK HERE to learn more and apply. QUESTIONS: Please contact Paula Fields (pfields@sbh4all.org).
Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Convening
May 2-3
Goldsboro, NC
This convening is designed for nonprofit and faith-based organizations who are interested in learning creative ways to develop programming around healthy eating, active living or who want to enhance programming they are already doing. They provide spots for agency representatives as space permits. Anyone who’s interested can learn more at the event Facebook page at www.facebook.com/resourcefulcommunities.
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
Request for Workshop Proposals
Deadline: May 13, 2019
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership is accepting workshop proposals for their upcoming Summit, scheduled for September 19-20, 2019 in National Harbor, MD. Individuals do not need to work with a medical-legal partnership in order to present a workshop at the Summit. Preference will be given to proposals that take a layered approach and include a broad range of perspectives. Preference will also be given to proposals that include consumer presenters. Full tuition and travel scholarships are available for consumers who present workshops. Learn more about submitting a workshop proposal.
Registration Open: Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) University
May 15-16, 2019
Asheville, NC
Hosted by the North Carolina Community Health Center Association and presented by the Health Resources and Service Administration, the Federal Tort Claims Act University (FTCAU) is an innovative training offered to members of the health center community. FTCAU provides a great opportunity for seasoned quality and risk management professionals and new professionals to learn from experts, leaders, and government officials about FTCA, healthcare quality and risk management, and related subjects. Over the course of two days, attendees will participate in interactive presentations and exercises that are specially geared toward health center grantees.
Who should attend?
- Quality Improvement Coordinators
- Risk Managers
- Board Members
NACHC presents: Two-Day Leadership &Networking Intensive
May 15-16, 2019
Westin Washington National Harbor
171 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, Maryland
Early Bird Registration Fee: $795 if registration received by May 1, 2019
Regular Registration Fee: $895 if registration received after May 1, 2019
Register here.
HRSA's Virtual Job Fair
May 22, 2019
6:45 to 10:15 PM ET
Visit the Virtual Job Fair website to learn more.
Save the Dates: Oral Health and Primary Care Integration for People Living with HIV
HRSA will host a two-part webinar series on oral health and primary care integration to support people living with HIV. The strategies we will cover are designed for all HRSA recipients serving people living with HIV regardless of whether the organizations deliver oral health care directly, refer out for all services, or are somewhere in between. We’ll share registration information when it becomes available.
- Assessing Risk and Providing Basic Services at Primary Care Settings
Thursday, May 23
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
- Connecting Clients to Oral Health Services
Thursday, June 6
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit
June 11-12. 2019
McKimmon Center at NC State University
Raleigh, NC
Summit website and registration.
Save the Date: 2019 NCCHCA Primary Care Conference
June 26-28, 2019
Renaissance Asheville Hotel
31 Woodfin Street
Asheville, NC 28801
Registration Opening Soon.
10th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference
July 15th - 18th
Anaheim, CA
Click Here for more information
Save the Date: 2019 East Coast Migrant Stream Forum
October 9-11 | Carolina, Puerto Rico
The East Coast Migrant Stream Forum convenes over 200 health professionals, researchers, advocates, and students from 20+ states and Puerto Rico for three days of professional development and networking opportunities. The conference is organized into five major disciplines – clinical, outreach/lay health/community health workers, policy, programmatic/administrative, and research – and focuses on increasing access to care and reducing health disparities among vulnerable populations with an emphasis on migrant and seasonal agricultural workers.
Request for proposals, hotel information, sponsorship opportunities, training stipend application, and more coming soon!
Please save the date for the
Fourth Annual John W. Hatch FaithHealth Lecture
December 3, 2019
Shaw University—Raleigh, North Carolina
Find More Conference and Training Opportunities on the NCCHCA Calendar
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