Dear Colleague,
This week, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is celebrating the achievements of our tireless advocates in securing unprecedented investment in the National Health Service Corps and other programs vital to health equity. We're also exploring strategies to support the health center workforce through organizational approaches to help address suicide risk in healthcare professionals, as well as best practices to improve patient care in upcoming webinars on patient-centered care, self-care, and more. Learn about our new organizational suicide prevention webinar and fact sheet, ongoing Conference Encore webinar series, PCA/HCCN Workforce Professional Development Series, and more below.
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In Case You Missed It: Historic NHSC Funding, A Major Victory for Advocates in the Build Back Better Act, and More
2021 has been a monumental year, and ACU is grateful to have to led a tireless network of advocates in achieving historic investments in health equity, from Vice President Harris's recent announcement of unprecedented funding for the National Health Service Corps and other key programs to the inclusion of $2 billion in NHSC funds in the evolving Build Back Better Act. While more remains to be done, we are deeply grateful for your efforts. Learn about our impact in our policy update from our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly.
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Upcoming Webinar: The Impact of Community Engagement to Diversify Clinical Trials
Monday, Dec. 13: 1-2 p.m. ET
Join ACU and Pfizer for a webinar on the importance of community engagement in diversifying clinical trials and improving health equity on Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. ET. By ensuring diversity in clinical trials, we can develop safer, more effective vaccines and medicines for patients of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Yet barriers to clinical trial diversity, such as lack of access, medical mistrust, and other factors present challenges to this initiative. This webinar will explore this issue and best practices for engaging our communities to diversify representation in clinical trials.
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New Webinar: Caring for the Healers Pt. II: Preventing Suicide in Providers and Staff
Thursday, Dec. 16: 1-2 p.m. ET
Healthcare team members are significantly more likely to die by suicide than the general population, and an estimated 300 physicians die by suicide in the U.S. each year. COVID-19 has exacerbated the stress and burnout already felt by many healthcare professionals, but many do not seek treatment for fear of stigma. This webinar provides Suicide Safer Care techniques to help support healthcare teams through organizational approaches to address suicide risk and prevent deaths by suicide among employees. Join us to learn about the issue and how organizations can implement effective suicide prevention and postvention strategies during and beyond the pandemic.
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Archived Webinar: COVID-19 & Suicide Prevention: Unique Considerations and the Need for Increased Awareness
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Continuing Tomorrow: Join Us for Free, CME-Accredited Webinars in Our ACU Conference Encore Series
If you missed our 2021 Conference or attended but missed the opening workshops, ACU invites you to join us for a series of webinars in December that were featured as workshops in our Conference. Learn about burnout and resiliency, workforce development, and patient-centered care in our Conference Encore webinar series featuring:
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Thursday, December 2nd: 1 p.m. ET: Why Should I Trust You? Meeting the Challenges of Health Equity and Patient-Centered Care
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Wednesday, December 15th: 2 p.m. ET: Filling the Workforce Gap: Providing Staff Opportunity while Enhancing Operations
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Thursday, December 16th: 1 p.m. ET: The Connection Between Self-care, Leadership, and Patient Outcomes
Don't miss these exciting sessions: register now for these free webinars, each of which is approved for 1 AAFP Elective CME credit.
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Join Our STAR² Center's PCA & HCCN Workforce Professional Development Series
ACU's STAR² Center invites workforce staff from primary care associations and health center controlled networks to participate in its upcoming workforce professional development series. Workforce experts will share insights from the national, regional, and state levels with the learning cohort in this semi-monthly webinar series from December 2021 to June 2022. Through this series, our STAR² Center aims to bolster workforce efforts internally at PCAs and HCCNs and help these teams provide robust support for recruitment and retention at their health centers. Topics covered during this year’s series will include workforce action plans, using data in workforce planning, employee satisfaction and wellness, and more!
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New Fact Sheet Explores Organizational Approaches to Suicide Prevention in Providers and Healthcare Team Members
Whether physicians, NP/PAs, nurses, or otherwise, healthcare team members are more likely to die by suicide than the general population. ACU's latest publication examines the scope of this issue and provides organizational approaches to support primary care providers and team members while reducing suicide risk. This fact sheet provides an overview of suicide risk in healthcare team members, as well as Suicide Safer Care strategies for managerial training to address suicide risk, approaches to creating cultures of wellness, and postvention strategies to support survivors of deaths by suicide. Read the publication, join us for the accompanying webinar, or browse other SSC resources.
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Call for Podcast Interviewees: Share Your Self-Care Story
Our STAR² Center is looking for health center clinicians, leaders, and staff interested in participating in a 20 to 30-minute interview for a podcast series focusing on the need for organizationally supported employee self-care. Tell your story about how you engage in self-care and how your organization supports it: fill out this form to indicate your interest. Thank you for your interest and the work you do to serve underserved populations, as well as the work you do to care for yourself and staff in trying times.
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In Case You Missed It: Applications for the NHSC's Loan Repayment Programs Are Open
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has opened applications for its Loan Repayment Program (LRP), Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP, and Rural Community LRP. Providing up to $100,000 in loan repayment assistance in return for serving 2-3 years at facilities in health professional shortage areas, these programs are an excellent opportunity for physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other health professionals to pay off their student loans while improving the health of underserved communities. Learn more and apply by Dec. 16.
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Don't Forget: There's Still Time to Apply for the NHSC Students to Service's LRP and $100 Million in State LRP Funds from HHS |
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ACU is here for you: if we can do anything to better support your work to improve care and advocate for patients who are underserved, please contact our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly with any feedback. Thank you for all that you do.
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