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WVPCA Weekly Outlook
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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WVPCA News - Outreach & Enrollment News
Emergency Management News - State News - National News
Funding and Financial Opportunities - Training Opportunities
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West Virginia University researchers develop peer recovery program, touts effectiveness in fight against opioid crisis
Read the entire article from WVNews here.
Three-quarters of ICU beds across country are full
Read the entire article from The Hill here.
MedPAC to take a closer look at Medicare Advantage plans
Read the entire article from Modern Healthcare here.
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Coplin Health Receives Federal Grant to Treat, Prevent Substance Use |
Wirt County Health Service Association, Inc. (d.b.a. Coplin Health Systems) has been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funding, which is a part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), will be used to combat the drug epidemic and expand substance use disorder treatment, prevention and recovery services.
“The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program is a project that has been assisting individuals in recovery for several years in our region. This grant will expand on the current work being done in the region through other RCORP grants,” stated Rob Dudley, Coplin Health Systems CEO. “In addition, it will build on efforts to address the needs of adolescents and help the community improve screening of adolescents to better identify high-risk youth.”
“Coplin Health Systems wants to support the community and its ongoing efforts to assist individuals and families in recovery. This grant is an exciting opportunity to help one of our most vulnerable populations. We will be developing outpatient treatment options for adolescents and transitional age youth, and providing them with wrap-around services,” Dudley added.
With the funding, Coplin Health will develop a program that will address prevention, treatment, and recovery for adolescents (ages 12-18) and transitional aged youth (ages 16-25) with substance use disorder and cooccurring mental disorders.
Due to its proximity to Wood County, Wirt County was previously excluded from rural health grants and ineligible to participate in this program. U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito led efforts to amend the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) codes.
“Coplin Health is very grateful to Senators Manchin and Capito for their efforts to help rural counties like Wirt County qualify for funding opportunities like this one.” exclaimed Dudley.
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The West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA) is sponsoring in collaboration with the national School-Based Health Alliance and the West Virginia Department of Education this learning opportunity.
School-based health center (SBHC) staff and school nurses share a vitally important mission which is to advance the health and well-being of our state’s school-aged children and maximize their potential. While each system has distinct and complementary functions, students win when we work collaboratively to provide effective and efficient health care. When this is done, there is improved quality of health care and academic outcomes for school-aged children and youth.
Please join this cross-system webinar and learn how a shared vision of collaboration can impact students, schools and families. Participants will hear from WV SBHCs and school nurses about how they collaborate.
Through this webinar, you will be able to:
- Identify national resources on how to work across HIPAA/FERPA to meet students’ healthcare needs
- Identify strategies for supporting students across HIPAA/FERPA through individual consent, MOUs, and data sharing agreements
- Discuss examples of best practices related to consents, well care visits, immunizations, and partnerships
TARGET AUDIENCE: School Based Health Center staff and School Nurses.
Registration closes on September 15, 2021 at NOON.
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The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America is a ten-year initiative beginning in FY 2020 to achieve the important goal of reducing new HIV infections to less than 3,000 per year by 2030. As HRSA has noted, community health centers are an integral partner in reducing HIV in the communities they serve.
This week, please join the WVPCA and Jeannette Southerly, from the Mid-Atlantic Aids Education Training Center, as she reviews common challenges and solutions in screening for HIV. This session will include information regarding HIV testing laws in WV and common challenges with consent.
PRESENTER: Jeannette Southerly, BSN, ACRN, Regional Coordinator West Virginia Regional Partner MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center
Following this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Review the CDC’s HIV Testing Recommendations
- Identify changes made to the West Virginia HIV testing laws to be in conformity with the CDC’s recommendations for HIV testing of adults and adolescents in the US
- Discuss perceived challenges regarding HIV testing in West Virginia
See webinar series information here.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives, Pharmacists, Quality Improvement staff, Nurses, Nurse Managers, and Data/HIT staff.
Nursing CE available pending final approval.
This event is intended only for Community Health Center Staff.
Registration closes on September 6, 2021 at 5:00 PM ET.
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Community Health Quality Recognition Badge Program |
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is recognizing Health Center Program awardees and look-alikes that have made notable quality improvement achievements with our new Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges. These badges recognize achievements in access, quality, health equity, and health information technology for the 2020 Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting period.
CHQR badges include badges health centers will be familiar with as well as new ones to recognize contributions to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Unlike the Quality Improvement Awards of the past, CHQRs are not associated with supplemental funding.
Badge recipient information is available at the national, state, and health center levels on the Health Center UDS Data webpages. If your health center has received a CHQR badge(s), the information is displayed on your health center’s profile page.
If your health center received a badge(s), you can contact Health Center Program Support to request a high-resolution badge image you can use to share the recognition on your website or in your communications. We expect to email certificates to National Quality Leaders and Health Center Quality Leaders in September.
As a reminder, the Quality Improvement Fund replaced the Quality Improvement Awards. We have shifted to providing health centers with novel funding opportunities and initiatives. The Optimizing Virtual Care funding opportunity is an example. We’re designing these to accelerate innovation and quality improvement in the Health Center Program.
Want to learn more about CHQRs?
Visit the CHQR overview and CHQR FAQ webpages for answers to common questions. You can also join an upcoming CHQR program overview:
Thursday, September 16, 2021 | 1:00PM ET
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Shared Decision-Making Contraception Counseling and Support Training |
The West Virginia Primary Care Association has partnered with the WV Perinatal Partnership and WV FREE to bring a contraception shared decision-making training to health centers.
• Learn to provide shared decision-making counseling for contraception.
• Trainings are appropriate for clinical and non-clinical staff, as using the same reassuring and non-judgmental language is imperative to build rapport and allow the free flow of information.
• Health centers will receive additional free resource materials for use with your patients.
• Participants will learn how to reduce barriers to the full spectrum of contraceptive options.
• Free CEUs for nurses and social workers.
• The training will be offered live via Zoom on September 15 and again on October 27
This training is only available to health centers serving the counties of Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam.
Below you will find the links to the registration, sign-in and pre-survey that are required for CEUs.
Registration link:
Registration link:
Funding for this opportunity is provided by the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.
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Due to the changing nature and spread of COVID-19, in an effort to minimize the potential risk, health and safety of our attendees, we are canceling the West Virginia Primary Care Association Board Retreat scheduled for September 20-21st at Stonewall Resort. Since guidelines and state mandates have not been put in place, out of an abundance of caution for those in attendance, we cannot regulate the safety precautions taken by other guests at the resort.
We will be hosting sessions at later dates during the year for CMOs, Behavioral Health, Quality, and Finance health center staff. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience. If you have overnight reservations at the resort, please call (304) 269-7400 to cancel.
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Continued Enrollment Opportunity for Consumers with Unemployment Compensation |
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides additional savings to help consumers access affordable, quality health coverage options, including expanded opportunities for those who received or are approved to receive unemployment compensation in 2021.
Starting July 1, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added a new function to HealthCare.gov to allow consumers who receive or are approved to receive unemployment compensation for any week beginning during 2021 to access new savings on health insurance coverage, if they qualify.
Until August 15, these consumers could use the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to newly enroll in Marketplace coverage with these additional savings. Now that the 2021 SEP has ended, there are still resources and ways for consumers to take advantage of additional savings. Consumers who don’t already have 2021 coverage, who don’t have another SEP (e.g., loss of coverage), and who attest to receiving or being approved to receive unemployment compensation in 2021 can access an SEP to enroll in 2021 Marketplace coverage and access the additional advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) for which they qualify.
Each week CMS will review HealthCare.gov applications and identify applicants eligible for this SEP. This means that when a consumer initially submits their application, the SEP will not appear in their eligibility results. Instead, they will be notified of their eligibility by email or phone, depending on their communication preference, and access to the SEP will be provided through their account on HealthCare.gov. Consumers may also use a certified enrollment partner to complete the plan selection process once they have been notified by CMS that the SEP has been applied. Additionally, eligible individuals who have a HealthCare.gov account will see a message in their My Account notifying them of their eligibility within one week of submitting their application. Consumers may call the Marketplace Call Center if they have questions.
Information for people who get or were approved to get unemployment compensation, see:
Have questions?
Navigators, please submit inquiries to your CMS project officer.
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NEW! CDO Program Application Window Extended until September 15, 2021 |
Any organization operating in a Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM) state seeking to provide certified application counselor (CAC) enrollment assistance to consumers for Plan Year 2022 must apply to become a CDO and enter into an agreement with CMS.
CMS invites NEW applicant organizations who want to become a CDO for Plan Year 2022 to apply during CMS’s Open Season, extended until September 15, 2021.
CDOs are a vital component of the assister community. In the FFM, CDOs oversee CACs, who are trained and able to help consumers seeking health coverage options through the Marketplace. For an overview of the CAC Program, visit the technical assistance page of Marketplace.cms.gov.
IMPORTANT: This notification applies only to organizations operating in an FFM state, that do not currently have an active CMS-CDO agreement with CMS, who wish to become a CDO for Plan Year 2022. Organizations with an active CMS-CDO agreement should disregard this message. If you are unsure if your organization has an active CMS-CDO agreement with CMS, please contact us at CACQuestions@CMS.hhs.gov.
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Emergency Preparedness Information Session with CMS |
Is your emergency preparedness plan solid and up to date? Have you tested it lately? Emergencies can come in many forms—a virus, wildfire, extreme heat, earthquake, floods. Are you preparing for the kind of care patients will need in these kinds of emergencies? As we experience more natural disasters and crises, let’s be best prepared to meet patient needs regardless of the emergency. Bring your lunch and join HRSA and the CMS Rural Health Clinic/Federally Qualified Health Center Office when we explore health center emergency preparedness planning in compliance with federal, state, and local emergency preparedness requirements.
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 11:30AM ET
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Upcoming Webinar Series on Influenza Season |
The West Virginia Immunization Network (WIN) will be hosting an upcoming webinar series on 2021-2021 Influenza season. The first webinar, Webinar 1: Will Influenza be Back? A Global Update and Strategies for Avoiding the Twindemic will be Thursday, September 9, 20201 at 12:ooPM. The second webinar, Webinar 2: The 2021-2022 Influenza Season in West Virginia: A Focus on Respiratory Disease Prevention will be on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 1:00 PM.
The COVID-19 pandemic added an unexpected complexity that drastically altered the last flu season, but also provided lessons for responding to unusual public health circumstances. The first of these two upcoming influenza webinars will explore global and national influenza trends and preparations for the upcoming flu season. The second webinar will provide detailed WV-specific information about influenza prevention, control, and surveillance.
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Applications Open!
2022 Be Active WV Grant Program
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The Center for ActiveWV, at WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, through a partnership with WV Health Promotion and Chronic Disease, is funding projects statewide to increase physical activity. These one-time grants range from $1000-$5000.
Successful grant applications will propose a plan to improve the health of communities in West Virginia through increased opportunities for physical activity in the following areas:
- Increase physical activity opportunities for children throughout the school day and beyond
- Increase and/or improve pedestrian and bike infrastructure within West Virginia
- Implement programming and/or create opportunities for physical activity through clinical practice and community outreach.
Projects should include changes or improvements to policies, systems, or environments, address health equity, and have a plan for sustainability. Additionally, assuming that there will be continued restrictions and impacts due to COVID-19, projects must be feasible and include a plan to successfully complete the project with current restrictions and plans for possible shutdowns.
Upon completing this pre-application survey, the Project Coordinator will contact you to discuss your project and grant guidelines. A link for the full application will be provided after the initial conversation. The full application will be available on August 16, 2021 and closes on October 1, 2021, at 11:59 pm.
Please consider applying yourself or sharing this email with a friend or colleague. For more information contact the Project Coordinator, Rachel Byrne, at rbyrne2@mail.wvu.edu.
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USDA Modernizes the Thrifty Food Plan, Updates SNAP Benefits |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, used to calculate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. As a result, the average SNAP benefit – excluding additional funds provided as part of pandemic relief – will increase for Fiscal Year 2022 beginning on October 1, 2021.
As directed by Congress in the 2018 Farm Bill – and with the expressed support of President Biden’s January 22 Executive Order – USDA conducted a data-driven review of the Thrifty Food Plan. The resulting cost adjustment is the first time the purchasing power of the plan has changed since it was first introduced in 1975, reflecting notable shifts in the food marketplace and consumers’ circumstances over the past 45 years.
“A modernized Thrifty Food Plan is more than a commitment to good nutrition – it’s an investment in our nation’s health, economy, and security,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Ensuring low-income families have access to a healthy diet helps prevent disease, supports children in the classroom, reduces health care costs, and more. And the additional money families will spend on groceries helps grow the food economy, creating thousands of new jobs along the way.”
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2021 National Training and Technical
Assistance Needs Assessment Available Now
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The 2021 Health Center Training & Technical Assistance Needs Assessment portal is now open, and your feedback is being requested. Please see the below information as provided by National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
About the National Needs Assessment: The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (HRSA/BPHC) has requested a national health center training needs assessment. This one-time assessment will inform the development of training and technical assistance (T/TA) necessary to support health centers improve access to primary health care as well as to advance quality and impact over the next two-three years.
All health center staff are invited to take the 20-minute assessment using the link here.
Objectives: This Needs Assessment will:
- Minimize response burden by reducing the number of needs assessments deployed to health centers.
- Improve ease in response through a streamlined questionnaire.
- Identify priority training topics for BPHC, NTTAP, PCA and HCCN attention.
Who: All health center staff! Your input will influence future T/TA offered by BPHC’s training entities, like PCAs, HCCNs and NTTAPs.
How: The assessment will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Access the assessment via an easy on-line portal on the NACHC website. If you’re experiencing technical difficulties accessing the hyperlink above, please use the link below to access the assessment:
https://www.nachc.org/trainings-and-conferences/health-center-needs-assessment/
Timeframe: August 12 – October 1, 2021.
Your health center’s response is critical! Thank you for your participation!
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Funding and Financial Opportunities |
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Resources for Provider Relief Fund Reporting
Need to be Submitted by September 30
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Upcoming Training Opportunities |
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Schedule Changes for Today with Macrae Webcasts
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HRSA has made changes to upcoming Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates webcasts.
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The Sept. 30 session is moved to Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 3:00 PM.
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Better Assess Your Community Using the UDS Mapper Webinar |
The UDS Mapper is a collaboration between the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and is part of the HealthLandscape online mapping platform.
Attend this session to learn how to leverage the UDS Mapper tool to further understand the communities and populations served by the Health Center Program.
The webinar is geared toward users who are familiar with the UDS Mapper.
The webinar is open to the public and free of charge.
Friday, September 10, 2021
2:00 PM ET
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Vaccines and Safe Infection Practices for Community Health Centers |
Join the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care to learn how its accreditation standards apply to your vaccination programs and to review the CDC vaccination toolkit. The presenter will discuss how COVID-19 can impact other vaccination timelines and reflect on flu rates in 2020.
Thursday, September 9, 2021
2:00 PM ET
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Addressing Tobacco Dependency to Reduce COVID-19 Risks and Complications Webinar Series |
Smoking is a major risk factor for most respiratory related infections. The early evidence in this area found that compared with non-smokers, smokers are more likely to develop serious COVID-19 disease. Recent studies also show that current smokers have been more likely to access various forms of smoking cessation assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This offers an opportunity for Health Centers to offer smoking cessation services, referrals, and in-house psychological and pharmacological interventions. These two webinars will provide examples of cessation plans and resources that can be shared with patients trying to stop smoking.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
1:00 PM ET
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Community Health Center Resources |
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Jackson Kelly attorneys provide limited consultation to all members of the WVPCA at no charge, as part of the WVPCA contract. There is no limit to the number of calls which any member may make. All inquiries within the scope of professional competence of firm attorneys will be addressed. Inquiries which require expertise not available through the firm will be promptly identified and, when requested, Jackson Kelly will assist in referring the matter to accounting firms, insurance agents, or others as circumstances warrant.
All inquiries, responses and consultation services provided by the firm lawyers will be provided without additional charge beyond the retainer amount, except for matters which require formal opinions, representation of record in litigation, transactional work, e.g. the purchase or sale of real property, or matters which require continued representation, research or consultation beyond a single inquiry or document review.
Justin M. Harrison is a labor & employment lawyer with Jackson Kelly PLLC. He is available for consultation through a special retainer relationship with the WVPCA. Justin can be reached at 304.340.1358 and via email at justin.harrison@jacksonkelly.com.
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Risk Management Manual for Health Centers Now Available! |
The Risk Management Manual for Health Centers is now available on the ECRI Institute Clinical Risk Management Program website! Designed to support a proactive approach to risk management at health centers and free clinics, the Manual provides background, tips, and how-tos in a manageable format.
Specific areas that are covered include:
Risk Management Programs & Plans
Claims and Lawsuits
Role of the Risk Manager
Patient Grievances and Complaints
Communication with Patients
Credentialing and Privileging
Communication among Providers, Staff, and Community Partners
Tracking Systems for Diagnostic Tests, Referrals, and Hospitalizations
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Debra Boyd | Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
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To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter: |
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1700 MacCorkle Avenue, SE
Charleston, WV 25314
Phone: 304.346.0032
Toll Free: 1.877.WVA HLTH
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This project is/was supported partially/fully by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U58CS06834 State and Regional Primary Care Associations. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. |
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