UPCOMING TRAINING
& EVENTS
click link(s) for details
|
September 2
TPCA Closed for Labor Day
September 5
September 17
October 2-4
October 10-11
October 22-24
|
Are you attending an event at TPCA?
Click here for a list of nearby hotels!
|
Attention
health centers!
Please send
|
If you would like to be added to the
TPCA Update mailing list, please
click here.
|
Nominate your superstars for a TPCA Award of Excellence! See details below in the "TPCA News" section.
|
This publication is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,830,669, with 15 percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit
HRSA.gov
.
|
|
New Acting HRSA Administrator
(From HRSA)
-- In late July, Dr. George Sigounas was reassigned from his role as HRSA Administrator to an advisor role in the Office of the HHS Secretary.
Tom Engels, who has been serving for the last six months as a Principal Deputy Administrator for HRSA, has been appointed as Acting HRSA Administrator. Engels has worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and was Interim Secretary for Health Services in Wisconsin.
|
HHS, HRSA Award Nearly $400 Million to Combat the Opioid Crisis
(From HRSA)
-- On August 8, HRSA announced nearly $400 million in awards to combat the nation’s opioid crisis, with more than $200 million specifically for health centers nationwide. The investments will enable HRSA-funded community health centers, rural organizations, and academic institutions to establish and expand access to integrated substance use disorder and mental health services. The awards support
HHS's Five-Point Opioid Strategy
, introduced under President Trump in 2017. Read more
here
.
|
UDS Data: Ready? Set. Release!
(From HRSA)
-- The new Uniform Data System (UDS) data are out and show that health centers continue to provide increased access to high quality, value-based, comprehensive primary care for their patients and communities.
See the 2018 Health Center Program national-level grantee data from the UDS
. Health centers treat one in 12 people nationwide, one in every nine children, and are increasingly well-positioned to meet the nation’s most common and pressing health care needs, as well as emerging health priorities.
In 2018:
- 93% of health centers provided mental health counseling and treatment.
- 67% of health centers provided substance use disorder (SUD) services.
- One in six people living with HIV received care from a HRSA-funded health center.
|
Proposed Changes to the Calendar Year 2020 UDS: Comments Due by September 24
(From HRSA)
-- HRSA seeks comments on proposed changes to the 2020 UDS, which Health Center Program awardees and Look-Alikewill be required to report in February 2021. The deadline for comments on the proposed changes is Tuesday, September 24.
|
National Health Center Week
Health centers in Tennessee and across the country celebrated National Health Center Week 2019 from August 4-10. Health centers hosted a variety of events including patient and staff appreciation days, health fairs, back-to-school drives, community breakfasts, and more! We enjoyed seeing all the creative ways Tennessee health centers raised awareness about their unique mission and celebrated their accomplishments during National Health Center Week!
Click here
to see a sample of photos from National Health Center Week events in Tennessee.
|
Visits from Elected Officials
Several members of Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation and their staff members visited health centers during National Health Center Week for health center events and tours, and to engage in discussions about how health centers are meeting the needs of their patients and communities.
Connectus Health
hosted Dorothy Hildabrand, legislative assistant for Senator Marsha Blackburn, while Senator Lamar Alexander visited
Neighborhood Health
.
HOPE Family Health
hosted Congressman John Rose (R-6), while Congressman Phil Roe (R-1) visited both
Rural Medical Services
and
Rural Health Services Consortium
. Thank you to all health centers that hosted elected officials and their staff members at the local, state, and federal level. Visiting health centers is a great way for elected officials to learn more about the health center model and gain an understanding of the critical role health centers play in a changing health care landscape. Please let us know if you have an opportunity to host a legislator or other official at your health center by contacting
emily.waitt@tnpca.org
.
We are encouraged by all of the Congressional interest in health centers as we approach the September 30 deadline for Congress to reauthorize health center funding. Please continue to encourage your Members of Congress to support legislation to provide long-term stable funding for community health centers!
|
On August 8, TPCA board officers Phillip Tatum, Janie McGinley, James Lovett, and Katina Beard joined TPCA for a meeting with the governor’s office and several state agencies to discuss the challenges community health centers face and share how they are improving the health and well-being of their patients and communities. Governor Bill Lee’s office held private stakeholder meetings like this one, as well as public listening sessions, to gather information about Tennessee’s most pressing health care issues, which will guide the governor’s Health Care Modernization Task Force and shape the governor’s health care agenda.
(Pictured above, TPCA Board President Phillip Tatum and President-Elect Katina Beard.)
|
Demand for Community Health Centers Reaches All-Time High
(From NACHC)
-- In the coming year, the nation’s community health centers will serve more people than ever with patient numbers projected to reach 29 million – that’s one in 12 Americans, according to estimates from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The new numbers were released as communities across the country celebrated National Health Center Week 2019 August 4-10.
The growth in numbers of health center patients and integrated services signals a rising demand for affordable and comprehensive preventive and primary care services, especially among veterans and rural residents. Health centers are also addressing public health crises in local communities, such as the opioid use epidemic, natural disasters, and untreated chronic diseases – all at a cost savings to the American taxpayer.
“Health centers are one of the best investments Congress can make,” said Tom Van Coverden, president and CEO of NACHC. “They are on the front lines of almost every major public health problem facing our country and save the health care system $24 billion annually.”
From 2017 to 2018, health centers served:
- 2 million more patients
- More than 200,000 more uninsured patients, for a total of 6.4 million
- More than 400,000 more Medicaid patients, for a total of 13.7 million
- Nearly 30,000 more veterans, for a total of 385,000
- More than 50,000 more homeless patients, for a total of 1.4 million
- 72,000 more patients diagnosed with substance use disorders, such as opioid use disorder, for a total of 558,000
- Nearly 30,000 more patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, or a 46% increase from 2017.
|
Don't Wait -- Submit a CAC Designated Organization Application Now!
(From CMS)
-- This is a reminder to take action before the September 16, 2019, application deadline to ensure your organization’s participation in the Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO) Program administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Note: You do not need to apply if:
- Your organization completed the CDO refresh process last year and received a new CDO identification number.
- You operate in a state-based Marketplace (SBM) or state-based Marketplace using the Federal Platform (SBM-FP). SBMs and SBM-FPs are not part of the FFM CAC refresh and their CDOs are not being asked to apply because SBM and SBM-FP states run their own CAC programs, which are not operated by CMS.
Only organizations that submit an online CDO application, are given final approval, and receive a welcome packet email and CDO ID from CMS are permitted to certify staff or volunteers as federally certified application counselors (CACs) to provide enrollment assistance services.
For more information about the CDO program and “how-to” webinars that walk through the new CDO application,
click here
.
If you have any questions about the CDO program, email CACQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.
|
NCQA PCMH Training in October
The Tennessee Primary Care Association, South Carolina Primary Health Care Association, and the North Carolina Community Health Centers Association, with support from HRSA, will host the National Committee for Quality Assurance's
"Introduction to Patient Centered Medical Home" and "Advanced Patient Centered Medical Home" training programs
on October 22-24. The programs will be offered at the very reduced rate of $185 per person (compared to the normal registration rates of $2,300). Health center staff who attend the training will be eligible to register for the PCMH Certified Content Expert Exam.
Introduction to the Patient-Centered Medical Home
October 22-23
Advanced Patient-Centered Medical Home Concepts
October 24
The training will take place in Asheville, N.C.
Click here
to register and for hotel information.
|
Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program Funding Opportunity
(From HRSA)
-- HRSA is accepting applications for the FY 2020 Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program.
Apply by Friday, August 30
. The THCGME Program provides funding to support the training of residents in a new or expanded primary care residency training program in rural and underserved communities.
|
Health Centers in
the
News
|
Register Now for the TPCA 2019 Annual Conference
TPCA's 2019 Annual Conference will once again provide health center leaders and staff the opportunity to participate in educational workshops, network with peers, and discuss products and services with exhibitors. The conference will take place October 2-4, at the Embassy Suites Murfreesboro.
|
Nominations Open for TPCA Awards of Excellence
Is there someone on your staff or in your community who needs to be recognized for contributing to your health center's success? Nominate him or her for a
TPCA Award of Excellence
. The nomination deadline for the awards listed below is close-of-business on
Friday, September 6
.
Each year, TPCA honors health center staff, board members, and community supporters for their exceptional gifts of time, effort, and dedication to the community health movement. Awards in the following categories will be presented at the 2019 Annual Leadership Conference Awards of Excellence Luncheon on Thursday, October 3:
- Caryl E. Carpenter Excellence in Community Support Award
- Charles E. Darling Organization of Excellence Award
- Logan Beasley Leadership Excellence Award
- Outstanding Practitioner of the Year
|
Call for Proposals: Cross Sector Innovation Initiative
(From PHNCI)
-- The Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI) and the Center for Sharing Public Health Services (CSPHS), with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), are jointly leading the
Cross-Sector Innovation Initiative (CSII)
to examine the unique role of public health in fostering work across multiple sectors addressing social determinants of health and health equity. The initiative recently released a
call for proposals
seeking collaborations aimed at aligning and supporting partnerships among public health, healthcare, and social services sectors. Proposals will be submitted in a two-phase process and must be submitted through the
RWJF online system
.
Up to 10 grantees will be selected to receive awards of up to $150,000 each for projects that will last between 18 and 24 months, starting in early 2020. Eligible applicants must be part of established collaborations, although it is anticipated that selected collaborations will have reached different levels of maturity. The collaborations must include, at a minimum, partners from multiple organizations representing public health, healthcare, and social services. Applicants may be governmental or non-profit organizations from the public health, healthcare, or social services sectors, and one or more health departments must have a leading or prominent role in the collaboration.
All grantees will participate in a learning community designed to promote peer-to-peer exchange and foster knowledge transfer throughout the project period. While the CFP does not specify topics or categories of work, grantees will be required to work collaboratively to address at least one root cause or social determinant of health, based on an identified community need or priority, that will lead to improvements in population health.
Submission deadline:
September 5, at 3 p.m.
(Eastern)
|
PARTNER-SPONSORED EDUCATION & TRAINING
|
HIV and Oral Health: An Update and Refocus
Hosted by The National Network for Oral Health Access, a HRSA-funded NCA
Tuesday, August 20
1-2 p.m. (Eastern)
**1.0 CDE available**
|
|
