October 15, 2021
UPCOMING TPCA
TRAININGS & EVENTS
Outreach And Enrollment Annual Training

TPCA and Family Children’s Services are partnering to provide training that will equip healthcare assisters to work effectively with their patients, clients, and communities.
This training is designed for people of all levels of prior UDS experience and covers all aspects of the 2021 UDS Report.
TPCA Names Awards of Excellence Winners at the 2021 Annual Conference!

The Tennessee Primary Care Association recently recognized several community health care leaders with Awards of Excellence. The awards are named for early leaders in the statewide primary care movement and recognize outstanding individual and organizational contributions.


Congratulations to the
2021 Awards of Excellence Recipients!


Dr. Kayla Fields, Dental Director
Dayspring Family Health Center
Logan Beasley Leadership Excellence Award


Dr. Sajeesh Kumar
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Caryl E. Carpenter Excellence
in Community Support Award


Cempa Community Care
Charles E. Darling
Organization of Excellence Award


Dr. Tiffany Lu, Clinical Director
Dayspring Family Health Center 
 Outstanding Practitioner of the Year Award





COVID-19 RESOURCES
COVID-19 Updates

On September 9, 2021, the Biden Administration announced the COVID-19 vaccination will be required for staff within all Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities.

Under CMS, community health centers are considered a “facility” and will need to comply as a condition for participating in the Medicare and Medicaid program. CMS is developing an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period that will be issued in later this month to provide more information.

TPCA is working closely with our federal partners to analyze the situation and provide relevant updates as they become available. 
TPCA COVID-19 Resources Page

TPCA created a COVID-19 Resources page that contains information and tools for health centers and the general public on a variety of COVID-19 related topics including TPCA’s COVID-19 vaccines, updates, human resources & operations, telehealth, and PPE.

TPCA Members may also access the COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for the latest in TN COVID-19 Vaccine distribution as well as timely and relevant resources.
FEDERAL POLICY UPDATES
Infrastructure

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi postponed votes on the $1.2 trillion bi-partisan traditional infrastructure package passed by the Senate, and the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package in response to disagreements among moderate and progressive Democrats. The reconciliation package currently contains $10 billion in infrastructure funding for community health centers and $6.3 billion for primary care workforce programs. Democrats are focusing on how to reduce the cost of the package including for childcare, education, health, and climate change programs.

Contact your Members of Congress to ensure funding for community health centers remains in the package.
 
Federal Budget

Continuing Resolution
On Thursday, September 30, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded, averting a partial government shutdown. The measure will fund the government at current levels through December 3. The continuing resolution included level funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, disaster relief, and funding for Afghan refugees. 

Debt Ceiling
Last week, the Senate passed a bill along party lines to increase the debt ceiling by $480 billion prior to the October 18 deadline. This bill will fund federal borrowing until December 3, when the current continuing resolution is set to expire. The House passed the measure on Tuesday. 
340B

HHS Letters to Drug Manufacturers
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent letters to six drug manufacturers notifying them they would be referred the Office of Inspector General (OIG) regarding restrictions they placed on the shipment of 340B-priced medications to contract pharmacies. In May, HHS sent the same manufacturers letters warning them their actions to restrict the use of contract pharmacies could result in civil monetary penalties if they did not implement plans to resume shipment. OIG will review the case and determine whether to assess penalties.

HRSA ADR Panel to Review Contract Pharmacy Claims
Last week, HRSA announced it has assigned members to the Administrative Dispute Resolution panel to review NACHC’s petitions against Sanofi and AstraZeneca regarding contract pharmacy restrictions. The day following the announcement, Sanofi asked a federal judge to block the petition NACHC brought against them, and a court already granted Eli Lilly an injunction against ADR proceedings.  

PROTECT 340B Act of 2021
Representatives McKinley (R-WV) and Spanberger (D-VA) introduced the PROTECT 340B Act to combat discriminatory reimbursement policies that threaten health centers’ abilities to provide patients with 340B-eligible medications. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the House Republican Chair recently signed onto the PROTECT 340B Act and issued a press release expressing her support for the 340B program. 

Please consider reaching out to your Members of Congress and asking them to support H.R. the PROTECT 340B Act of 2021.


Need a refresher on 340B? Check out the TPCA Policy Blog!

TPCA Health Center Needs Assessment

TPCA Members we need your help!


Your voluntary and anonymous response will assist TPCA in determining gaps and needs in training and technical assistance.

Please take 10 minutes to complete the assessment today!
TPCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Memphis Health Center aims to use its new mobile health clinic to travel through ZIP codes that are flagged by the Shelby County Health Department for having the lowest COVID-19 testing numbers and highest positive test rates.

The mobile health clinic will provide coronavirus testing and vaccinations, as well as primary care, health screenings, other immunizations and dental sealants. 

For a third consecutive year, Mountain People’s Health Councils has been recognized among the top health care centers in the United States.
Brian Haile, the CEO of Neighborhood Health in Nashville, said the pandemic paved the way for his clinics to better serve hard-to-reach communities, including some in the Hispanic community as they tried to make both information for and the actual COVID vaccine more accessible.
ADDITIONAL NEWS & RESOURCES
Expanded Child Tax Credit

The United States Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is spreading the word about signing up American families with children for the expanded Child Tax Credit. In Tennessee, it is estimated that there are over 52,000 children who may be eligible to be claimed for this expanded financial support. 

The numbers: 
  • $3,600 per child under 6 years old ($300/month)
  • $3,000 per child 6-17 years old ($250/month)
  • ALL working families will get the full credit if they earn less than $150,000 for a couple or less than $112,500 for a family with a single parent (also called Head of Household)

This initiative is targeting families who did not file taxes in 2019 and 2020, often due to having income below the level required to file taxes. Families can go online to www.getctc.org and fill a form that usually takes less than 15-20 minutes to complete. If they sign up by November 15, 2021, they will get these credits immediately (retroactively and monthly through December 2021). After January 2022, credits will be sent as a lump sum after filing 2022 taxes. This website also allows those who are eligible for a stimulus check, but have not yet received one, to claim that support.   


Please disseminate this information widely within your programs, as well as with your partners. For any further questions, please contact https://www.getctc.org.
Join the Program, Promote Immunizations

TruMed is currently piloting a 15-month NO COST ACCUVAX in an effort to help achieve a global goal to increase adult immunization rates.

AccuVax, vaccine management system, will be provided for NO cost for providers who want to improve adult immunization. The AccuVax system is the emerging standard for vaccine storage and management and the goal of this pilot is to prove that the use of the system can improve standard operating procedures, increase administrations and help drive vaccine confidence.

During this time, TruMed will service and maintain the system at no cost. TruMed will train and assist your staff on the proper use of the system and how its built-in workflows can save time and money. There is no requirement to use any certain number of doses of vaccine nor a requirement for where you purchase them. All we ask is that you agree to stock at least one of the adult vaccines only made by Merck (Pneumovax 23 or Gardasil 9). If you currently utilize a GPO program for the purchase of vaccines you can continue to do so! Please contact Jessica Fill or Cindi Landers if you feel any of your clinics would find this useful to further explore.

Jessica@AccuVax.com; cell 216-272-0126
Or Cinid@accuVax.com; cell 256-394-6321




TruMed is a TPCA Group Purchasing Partner
TCWD Community Incentive Grant Program

The TCWD Team is excited to share information about their Community Incentive Grant Program!

They have made some changes like the combination of the community incentive and dental incentive application process, an increase in the maximum amount of the grant award from $35,000 to $50,000 and the addition of general surgery as an approved specialty along with the availability of some new tools to help you recruit and retain clinicians for your clinics.

Stay tuned for more information on a webinar regarding updated incentive programs!
TPCA Staff Spotlight Award

Have you received exceptional support from a member of the TPCA staff?

Please take the opportunity to nominate a TPCA staff member for the Spotlight Award and share your story of what they did for your community health center!
Share your news!
We want to help spread the word about what's going on at Tennessee's health centers.
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.