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WVPCA Weekly Outlook
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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WVPCA News - Outreach and Enrollment News
Emergency Management News - State News - National News
Funding and Financial Opportunities - Training Opportunities
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Keep calm and carry on vaccinating
Read the entire article from WVNews here.
Medicaid enrollees report more overnight hospital stays than uninsured, privately insured
Read the entire article from Modern Healthcare here.
White House announces initiatives to head off surge, and state leaders express concern
Read the entire article from MetroNews here.
Omicron brings COVID-19 vaccine inequity ‘home to roost’
Read the entire article from AP News here.
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Registration Now Open for Preparing for
2022 PCMH Annual Reporting Webinar
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Please join the WVPCA and Karen Taubert of Comagine Health for Preparing for 2022 NCQA PCMH Annual Reporting virtual webinar.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has changed both the requirements and process for annual reporting for 2022. Join us for a step-by-step review of the process and NEW data requirements for 2022 NCQA PCMH Annual reporting.
Please log into Q-PASS prior to the training to confirm your reporting date for 2022.
During the last 30 minutes of the webinar, we will be discussing how centers can utilize AZARA for PCMH reporting.
Following this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Identify data sources to meet the 2022 annual renewal requirements
- Determine the status of current processes with your organization that meet the core requirements
- Plan a timeline to complete the annual renewal by the reporting date
TARGET AUDIENCE:
This event is intended for anyone at your CHC involved in the submission of the Patient-Centered Medical Home application, including nurses, quality staff, etc.
Registration information can be found here.
Registration closes on December 20, 2021 at 5:00 PM ET.
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Marketplace Weekly Enrollment Snapshot |
In week four of the 2022 Open Enrollment Period, approximately 569,000 people selected individual market plans through the 33 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform. During the Open Enrollment Period, to date, approximately 3,004,000 people have selected individual market plans on HealthCare.gov. As in past years, enrollment weeks are measured Sunday through Saturday.
The final number of plan selections associated with enrollment activity during a reporting period may change due to plan modifications or cancellations. In addition, the weekly snapshot only reports new plan selections and active plan renewals and does not report the number of consumers who have paid premiums to effectuate their enrollment.
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Request for Proposals to Address
Food Access for Your SBHC Families
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The School-Based Health Alliance, in partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, will award up to 10-14 School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) $25,000 each to plan, implement, and record the results of programming to address access to healthy foods as part of your school-based health center’s preventative services. Awardees will receive monthly virtual coaching throughout 2022, evaluate and share findings with a network of peers, participate in a national case study toolkit, gain access to subject-matter expertise, and serve as a community leader addressing food insecurities.
Applications due January 7, 2022.
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Spread the Word About Vaccine Boosters |
The United States Department of Health and Human Services has released new resources – posters, flyers, videos, and talking points – to help promote the extra protection from COVID-19 boosters. All vaccinated adults aged 18+ are eligible for a booster. Search by zip code to find nearby locations providing adult and pediatric vaccines and boosters for COVID-19 and the flu at vaccines.gov.
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U.S. Panel Backs First-of-a-Kind COVID-19 Pill |
A panel of U.S. health advisers narrowly backed a closely watched COVID-19 pill from Merck, setting the stage for a likely authorization of the first drug that Americans could take at home to treat the coronavirus.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel voted 13-10 that the antiviral drug's benefits outweigh its risks, including potential birth defects if used during pregnancy. The recommendation came after hours of debate about the drug's modest benefits and potential safety issues. The FDA isn't bound by the panel's recommendation and is expected to make its own decision before year's end. The antiviral is already authorized in the U.K.
The drug, molnupiravir, could provide a much-needed weapon against the virus as colder weather pushes case counts higher and U.S. officials brace for the arrival of the new omicron variant.
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Save the Date for the WV Stimulant Summit |
The 2021 Virtual West Virginia Stimulant Summit is for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinicians, therapists, case managers, peer recovery coaches, and others who work with individuals affected by stimulant use disorders.
The Summit will take place on Thursday, December 16th from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM.
SUMMIT OBJECTIVES:
- Expand knowledge around evidence-based practice (EBP) for stimulant use disorders.
- Increase awareness of lessons learned by subject matter experts as well as strategies they have used to address barriers to EBP for stimulant use disorders.
- Increase clinical knowledge and access to effective treatment options available to individuals with polysubstance use disorders.
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Save the Date for #MATRC2022 |
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National Influenza Vaccination Week |
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Influenza (flu) causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands or tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States—and people of every age, including people in good health, are at risk. So, from December 5-11, 2021, public health and healthcare agencies across the nation are celebrating National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). The observance aims to highlight the importance of continuing flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond.
National Influenza Vaccination Week is a call to all Americans 6 months and older to get their annual flu vaccine if they have not already. Flu remains a significant public health concern, and this week will serve to remind people that there is still time to get a flu vaccine to prevent flu illness and potentially serious complications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a variety of resources and activities to encourage communities to get the flu vaccine if they haven’t yet done so:
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Communication Resources, including print materials, web tools (widgets & banners), images, gifs, and videos.
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Digital Media Toolkit, featuring sample newsletter and social media messages.
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Media Toolkit, providing information, recommended strategies, and resources to engage media and promote seasonal flu vaccination messages.
The WVPCA encourages everyone to use these resources to increase flu vaccination and protect your community.
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HHS Announces Record Health Care Workforce Awards in Rural and Underserved Communities |
Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded the largest field strength in history for its health workforce loan repayment and scholarship programs thanks to a new $1.5 billion investment, including $1 billion in supplemental American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding and other mandatory and annual appropriations. More than 22,700 primary care clinicians now serve in the nation’s underserved tribal, rural and urban communities, including nearly 20,000 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) members, more than 2,500 Nurse Corps nurses, and approximately 250 awardees under a new program, the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees these critical programs. |
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Funding and Financial Opportunities |
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Expanded School Mental Health Grants |
The WV Bureau for Behavioral Health has announced funding availability (AFA) for Expanded School Mental Health (ESMH) Expansion. This grant is used to support evidence-based programs that promote social and emotional well-being, prevention approaches, person-centered interventions and self-directed and/or recovery driven support services in schools. This grant will support planning and development of effective and sustainable school mental health services for students. The ESMH expansion grants will provide funding and technical assistance for school-community partnerships to develop policies, programs, and practices to improve access to high-quality coordinated school mental health services and supports. The deadline is January 5, 2022.
School-Based Health Centers are uniquely positioned to directly provide integrated mental health and primary health care services in a school-based setting. SBHCs are an evidenced based program that supports schools.
The WVPCA has been a part of the State ESMH Committee for over five years and is able to provide support for the application process and/or the implementation of a successful grant application.
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Upcoming Training Opportunities |
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General Introduction
to the UDS Mapper
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This webinar is a general introduction to the UDS Mapper, a mapping and decision-support tool driven primarily from health center patient location data within the Uniform Data System (UDS). 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.
This webinar will go over basic UDS Mapper functionalities and is geared toward first time users or those who need a refresher. The webinar is open to the public and free of charge.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
12:00 PM EST
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COVID-19’s Effect on Access to Care, Telehealth for Underserved Populations
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This webinar explores the use of telehealth and general access to care for underserved populations both before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
Presenters will discuss analysis of 3 unique data sets to examine:
- Is use of telehealth associated with greater access to care before or during the pandemic?
- Is payment parity for telehealth associated with greater use at community health centers before and during the pandemic?
- Did primary care providers leave the workforce in increasing numbers during the pandemic?
Thursday, December 16, 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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