Dear Colleague,
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a crisis to the health center workforce, and the situation has only grown more acute as staff grapple with continuing stress and uncertainty in the age of the Delta variant. As we approach our 2021 Annual Conference, we're highlighting a new post-Conference Regional Training in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 3-4, as well as a free webinar series to help health centers improve their retention and recruitment efforts while forging more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplaces. Learn about these and other opportunities, including a new patient centricity webinar, Suicide Safer Care fact sheet and webinar in honor of Suicide Prevention Month, and more below.
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Early Bird Rates Close in EIGHT Days: Register Now for Our 2021 Conference
There's still time to register at Early Bird rates for our in-person and virtual 2021 Conference, "Mission: Health Equity," in Washington, D.C.. From Oct. 31-Nov. 2, our CME-accredited event will feature 24 in-depth sessions in three engaging Clinical Practice, Workforce, and Policy tracks on practical strategies to improve health equity for underserved minority and intersectional populations. Browse our agenda and register now to join clinicians, administrators, and advocates from across the U.S. at #ACUConf. ACU Members receive a significant discount.
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COVID-19 Safety: Your safety is of paramount importance to us, and ACU is closely monitoring and updating in-person conference attendance with Washington, D.C.'s guidance around travel and face coverings. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions for more details.
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Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Dr. Barbara F. Brandt
ACU is pleased to welcome Dr. Barbara F. Brandt, PhD, EdM, AB, as our next Conference keynote speaker! Founding Director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Brandt is a professor in the UMN College of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems and is a founder and architect of ACU, first located in Lexington, KY. Learn more about her and other speakers and join us at #ACUConf.
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Join Our STAR2 Center's Two-Day Recruitment & Retention Workshop on Nov. 3-4 in Washington, D.C.
Registration is open for an engaging STAR² Center workshop taking place just after our Conference on Nov. 3-4 in Washington, D.C.! Extend your stay for #ACUConf or join us specifically for this exciting "Topics in Retention & Recruitment Planning and Implementation Regional Workshop." The two-day interactive training will jumpstart health centers' retention and recruitment efforts. In full days dedicated to each focus area, health center staff will gain the knowledge needed to create or revamp their CHC’s Retention & Recruitment Plan to ensure long-term sustainability and improve business operations to continue offering mission-driven, patient-centered healthcare for all.
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New Webinar: Patient Centricity: Putting Patients at the Center of Healthcare Delivery & Decision-Making
Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. ET (Rescheduled)
Join ACU and Pfizer for a free webinar on patient-centered care on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 12-1 p.m. ET. Respectful, compassionate care that puts patients first is crucial to improving outcomes and health equity. But what is patient-centricity, and how can we better integrate health equity, health literacy, and other concepts to build a patient-centric approach across the development continuum and healthcare system, including health centers? Register to join Dr. Kevin W. Williams, Chief Medical Officer, Internal Medicine, at Pfizer, as he defines patient centricity, discusses its intersections with health equity, health literacy, and more, and shares patient centricity efforts by the pharmaceutical industry, including specific Pfizer initiatives.
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New Webinar Series: Building Back Better: Utilizing Lessons Learned During COVID-19 for Inclusivity & Retention
Oct. 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. ET
Join ACU's STAR² Center and experts from Ainey Volion Consulting for a webinar series on inclusivity in the workplace for people with physical disabilities, people who are d/Deaf, blind, or visually impaired, and neurodiverse people. With 65% of employees seeking new jobs this autumn, it is more crucial than ever for workplaces to offer not only equitable compensation and flexible workspaces but also inclusive cultures guided by justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Drawing on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, this webinar series will provide participants with information and tools for building an inclusive culture of belonging for everyone, with a focus on individuals with disabilities and neurodiverse people.
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CME Available: Join Our Webinar on Pediatric Suicide Prevention for Primary Care Providers and School-Based Health Centers
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021: 12 p.m. ET
As we honor Suicide Prevention Month, ACU will soon host a CME-accredited webinar on the growing crisis of pediatric suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in U.S. youths aged 10-24, and significant racial disparities exist. However, providers at school-based and other health centers have crucial opportunities to intervene, and ACU has developed a Pediatric Suicide Safer Care toolkit to aid these efforts. Our accompanying webinar with experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and Concert Health will detail the crisis and what evidence-based steps providers can take to identify and intervene with patients at risk for suicide. Register, read the toolkit, or find other SSC resources.
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New Learning Collaborative: Recruitment Boot Camp: Mental Health Edition
ACU's STAR² Center invites health center workforce, HR, clinical, and executive staff to apply for our upcoming Recruitment Boot Camp: Mental Health Staff Edition taking place from October-November. Building on our previous Mental Health Recruitment Boot Camp, this learning collaborative will dive deeper into the special considerations needed to recruit a diverse, mission-driven, and patient-centered mental health workforce. Leveraging our expertise in recruitment and retention, the program will provide real world examples and collaborative learning with experts from the field. Cohort participants will engage with the content, facilitators, and each other through a mix of webinars, discussions, and projects to leave with the foundational knowledge needed to successfully recruit mental health clinicians. Apply now for this free program limited to 25 health centers.
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New Publication: COVID-19: The Need for Increased Awareness Around Risk for Suicide
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the social determinants of health, stressful life events, and mental health symptoms that are each associated with suicide risk, and ACU's latest publication addresses these effects and how our community can take action. The new fact sheet provides an introduction to how COVID-19 has affected social determinants of health and suicide prevention, as well as practical steps that providers and health centers can take to address suicide risk during the pandemic. Read the publication, browse other Suicide Safer Care resources, and stay tuned for an upcoming webinar.
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New Blog Post: Vaccinators, Supporters, and Listeners: Integrating Medical Students in COVID-19 Vaccination Programs
The latest article in ACU's Allying for Equity blog highlights the vital role that medical students can play in COVID-19 vaccination programs through the experiences of Providence Urgent Care Center, a community-based clinic in Washington, D.C. Providence’s testing and vaccination clinic regularly serves hundreds of patients a day: read the article to learn how students from Georgetown University and other institutions have played a crucial role in allowing Providence to boost vaccinations and vaccine trust in their community. Want to share your own perspective with us? Contact us!
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ACU Helps Lead Charge to Improve Health Equity Through Expanded Voter Access
Earlier this year the Biden Administration released an Executive Order on promoting access to voting, recognizing that the right to vote is the foundation of American democracy and that decisive action is needed to ensure access to voting, particularly for people of color who face significant obstacles in exercising their rights. Of particular interest to ACU was that the Order charged the heads of each federal agency to establish and promote opportunities for voter registration and election information. In response, ACU partnered with Vot-ER to meet with key contacts at HRSA and the Administration to offer support and recommendations on steps to fulfill the Order. ACU also joined with Vot-ER and others to submit a memo to HHS listing specific recommendations on how each division and agency could shape its portion of the voter access plan outlined in the Order. Read more.
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Join the ACU Team: Apply for Our Project Coordinator and Specialist Positions
It's not too late to apply to join ACU's mission-driven team: we're seeking a Project Coordinator & Specialist and Assistant Project Coordinator & Specialist. These staff will support our new National Health Service Corps Pipeline Readiness Initiative, creating and implementing educational materials to prepare NHSC members in their placement sites while benefiting those sites by increasing quality of care, care delivery, and retention rates. Learn more and apply or share this opportunity.
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Welcoming Our Latest Members
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Reminder: NHSC Students-to-Service Loan Repayment Applications Are Open, & Physician Assistants Are Now Eligible
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Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month
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As always, ACU is here for you: please let us know if there is anything we can do to better support your work to improve care and advocate for underserved patients. Contact our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly with feedback, and thank you for everything you do.
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