Member Spotlight
SEMRHI Provider Featured in Televised Story on Primary Care Through Telehealth
Dr. Cierra Green of the Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative's NR Burger School and Community Clinic spoke with reporter J aclyn Coleman from WHPM/FOX23 in Hattiesburg about telehealth services. The report featured educational information for viewers, calling telehealth visits "virtual house calls." To view the story, click here .
CHC Leader Laid to Rest
Health Center leader Robert Funches died Friday, May 15, 2020, at his home. He was 71 years old. Mr. Funches was the charter Chief Financial Officer at Central Mississippi Health Services in Jackson. Mr. Funches was a skilled grant writer and helped the organization become a Federally Qualified Health Center grantee. In 2017, he was presented with the CHCAMS Chief Financial Officer Award. He worked alongside Dr. Robert Smith for more than 20 years.

"Robert would use his talents to help not only “the least of these,” but to further improve the minority middle class in this city and state," said Dr. Smith. "He lent his talents to develop businesses and corporations. I know a number of people, corporations for profit and non-profit, and people in a number of walks of life, such as legal, political, and human and civil rights activists, that Funches played an important role in their careers."

"CMHS and a number of businesses and groups that he lent his talents to makes Jackson and the State of Mississippi a better place to live and work...we feel, the loss of his untimely death," said Dr. Smith.

Mr. Funches is survived by his wife of 35 years, Luci Funches; children--Robin Funches Williams, Christopher Funches, Robert Scott, Audrey Scott, Tamalita Funches, Shavonte' Bennett, and LaTrista Funches; four surviving sisters; six granddaughters; three grandsons; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

On behalf of the board, CEO, and staff at the Community Health Center Association, we offer our sincerest condolences to the Funches family during this difficult time.
Drive-Thru Testing Events at CHCs Continue During May
CHCs were on the road in the community - or a clinic parking lot- providing drive-thru COVID-19 testing during May. Drive-thru testing offers convenience for the patient and a new way to engage and educate community members about the clinics that make up the largest primary health care system in Mississippi.

Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative provided COVID-19 drive-thru testing in Seminary (photo top left) and Hattiesburg (photo to right). 

Outreach Health Services staff pose in front of the mobile unit.
ACCESS Family Health Services created an animation for social media to promote its drive-thru testing.

Delta Health Center reported 3,709 COVID-19 tests given between 4/16/2020 and 5/21/2020. More testing is planned next week in Ruleville, Leland, Metcalfe, and Indianola.
Registration Coming
June 1, 2020
This first-ever virtual conference promises to engage and enlighten participants. Stay tuned for more details.
Long-term Funding for Health Centers at Risk
The long-term funding bill for Community Health Centers has not passed. Please tell your members of Congress to pass long-term funding in the next Stimulus Bill for Community Health Centers to stabilize this essential network of health care providers.
 
Dental Operations Reopening Guidance from CDC
As you resume dental operations, please note that CDC has updated guidelines for dental settings, which can be found  here .
Key Highlights:
  • Recommendations for resuming non-emergency dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • New information regarding facility and equipment considerations, sterilization and disinfection, and considerations for the use of test-based strategies to inform patient care.
  • Expanded recommendations for dental care to both patients with COVID-19 and patients without COVID-19.
 Information specific to the state of Mississippi for dental operations can be found  her e.

As the state continues to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, the Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) will extend its coverage of enhanced telehealth services through June 30, 2020.

DOM’s Emergency Telehealth Policy was originally effective through May 31, 2020.

To read policy FAQs, click here .
HRSA publishes RFI Seeking Input on HPSA Scoring Criteria
On May 21, 2020, HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce released a Request for Information on “considerations that may inform HRSA’s future decisions regarding changes that could be made to HPSA scoring criteria.” HRSA is interested in stakeholder input regarding “possible additions or alternative approaches to HPSA scoring” that would be permissible given current statutes and regulations. Comments will be accepted through September 18, 2020.
Please save the date for this upcoming session:
Thursday, June 4
1-2 p.m. CST
Call-in: 888-390-1271
Passcode: 1040434
*NOTE: This link will be accessible only to the first 1,500 participant s. If you cannot log in for the visual portion, please still call in!
Survey Deadline Reminder
According to HRSA, 1,028 (78%) health centers and 51 (59%) look-alikes completed last week’s survey. A reminder that the deadline is today, Tuesday, May 26th at 10:59 p.m. CST to complete the survey.
CHCAMS Training Opportunities
2020 Mississippi Documentation, Coding & Billing Bootcamp (Virtual)
Tuesday & Wednesday, June 2-3, 2020
9 a.m. - noon
noon - 1 p.m. (Lunch)
1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

This 2-day VIRTUAL LIVE bootcamp focuses on clinical documentation, coding, and billing for Community & Rural Health Clinics (FQHCs & RHCs) and allows attendees who choose to use their webcam to have smooth and natural live Q&A sessions with the instructor!

CEUs - 11 CEUs Approved by ArchProCoding & AAPC
CMEs - 11 CME Credits for MD, DO, NP, PA, RN

Early Bird Special Expires Today!
Thursday, May 28, 2020
noon - 1 p.m. CST
Addressing the Challenges of HIV Primary Care in the Deep South
Presenter:
Christopher Roby, PhD
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Community Health Center Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS)

Upon completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:
1. Identify the stigma associated with HIV in the Deep South
2. Identify barriers and challenges to expanding the HIV workforce
3. Describe the cultural barrier to care for PLWHA
4. Explain why medical distrust exists within healthcare systems

Wednesday, June 3, 2020
10 - 11 a.m. CST
CHCAMS' Quality Improvement Workgroup -  Reducing Cervical Cancer Disparities
Presenter:
Shimeka Chretien-Bass
Senior Manager for the American Cancer Society
No registration required. 

Friday, June 12, 2020
noon - 1 p.m. CST
Developing Strategic Partnerships to Optimize Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Presenter: 
Daniel Edney, M.D., FACP
Addiction Medicine Specialist

CHCAMS in collaboration with State Targeted Response Technical Assistance
(STR-TA), known as the Opioid Response Network, will host a Lunch & Learn Webinar to discuss the development of partnerships with other providers to expand access to substance use disorder treatment. The expected outcome is for participants to identify at least one collaborative model for consideration in SUD treatment.
More Training Opportunities
Thursday, May 28, 2020
no  on CST
Managing Multiple Health Center Funding Streams
Presented by Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP 
Register here .
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 
11 a.m. CST
Dental Staff and Patient Safety
Operating a dental program in the “new normal” requires us to rethink everything and redesign systems and operations to increase staff and patient safety. Universal precautions have been a way of life for health care providers for decades, but our new enemy travels in the air, elevating the risks of providing dental care. This session will provide an overview of the unique challenges of dental operations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and offer strategies to make your dental program as safe and effective as possible now and for the future. 1 CDE
Register here .
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
1 p.m. CST
CDC COCA (Clinician Outreach and Community Activity)
This call/webinar is to summarize and discuss the new guidance for dental health care personnel and other interested parties. More details to come.
Friday, June 26, 2020
8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST
Creating Access and Optimizing Care: Virtual LGBTQ Health Disparities Conference
Presented by University of Mississippi Center for LGBTQ Health, Mississippi AIDS Education and Training Center in collaboration with the National LGBT Health Education Center
Join us for our third year as we continue to address the health disparities impacting persons who identify as LGBTQ. The goal of this conference is to provide an opportunity for health care professionals to gain information on how to provide treatment while creating environments that are culturally responsive to persons who are LGBTQ.
Register  here .
News To Use
Funding Opportunities
New Grant Opportunity
Building Capacity to Implement Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Start for Improved Care Engagement in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program – Evaluation and Technical Assistance Provider. Find the announcement here .
Grants with ongoing deadlines can be found here .
The recording of the HRSA grant writing webinar “Creating a Competitive Grant Proposal” is available here .
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