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WVPCA Weekly Outlook
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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WVPCA News - Emergency Management News
Outreach & Enrollment News - State News
National News - Funding & Financial Resources - Training Opportunities
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The FDA orders Juul to pull all of its vaping products from the U.S. market
Read the entire article from NPR here.
DHHR to raise ground ambulance medical transportation services
Read the entire article from WVNews here.
Biden administration announces first-ever funding opportunity for coordinated approaches to address unsheltered homelessness, including resources for rural communities
Read the press release here.
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Smiles from the Heart with Valley Health’s Dental Hypertension Referral Program |
Last summer, a patient at Valley Health’s Westmoreland dental office received the standard vital signs monitoring before their exam, as protocol, including blood pressure monitoring. After noticing an abnormally high reading and retaking the patient’s blood pressure, dental staff alerted the Valley Health medical providers housed in the same facility, additionally an EKG was performed and the patient was sent for emergency medical attention. The impact of this patient’s experience inspired Valley Health’s Advanced Education General Dentistry Resident, Dr. Nickolas Felten, DDS, to create a hypertension referral program within Valley Health.
“The state of West Virginia is ranked second in the nation for hypertension, many of our patients are unaware their blood pressure is so high and go without treatment,” said Dr. Nickolas Felten. “The Valley Health Dental Service Hypertension Referral program has developed a workflow between the dental and medical practices to share medical records and history, exchange notes, and provide the best quality care for every patient.”
Dr. Felten, alongside Dr. Andrea Kelly, DDS Dental Director, Dr. Mathew Weimer, MD, Vice
President of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Daniel Brody, Valley Health Dental Resident Coordinator, Brett Wellman, FNP-C, Associate Vice President of Business Affairs, and Holly Mitchell, MPH WV Community Impact Director, American Heart Association, created the guidelines based on American Heart Association hypertension recommendations. Dental staff
members are trained at each health center and given protocols for blood pressure criteria and
follow up.
“By providing this extra step of care in our communities, we can bridge a gap between dental
and medical services and give this vital screening to patients who may be attending a dental
checkup but haven’t been connected to a primary care provider,” said Dr. Mathew Weimer, MD, Vice President of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer.
Valley Health provides dentistry services at their East Huntington, Fort Gay, Harts, Milton,
Upper Kanawha, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Woodruff & Gonzales locations, with emergency, restorative, and cosmetic services. Valley Health accepts Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance and offer patient discounts for those who financially qualify, including a sliding scale fee based on family income.
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Two Community Health Centers Attend
NACHC Million Hearts® Harvest Meeting
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Beginning in June 2021, three West Virginia Community Health Centers began participating in a yearlong program in partnership with the West Virginia Primary Care Association Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN) and the National Association of Community Health Centers to improve blood pressure control in African Americans.
The health centers, New River Health Association Inc., FamilyCare Health Centers, and Monongahela Valley Association of Health Centers, Inc., have utilized quality improvement methodology and data through AZARA DRVS to implement clinical practice changes to reduce hypertension control disparities and improve overall blood pressure control.
Susan Konya, Director of Nursing, Monongahela Valley Health Centers, Tawyna Larch, Director of Quality, FamilyCare, and Emma White, WVPCA Clinical Quality Improvement Coordinator attended the NACHC Million Hearts® Harvest Meeting held in Bethesda, Maryland on June 16th.
Attendees participated in several peer groups with other participating Health Center Controlled Networks from across the country. NACHC Million Hearts® staff presented the outcomes of year 2021-2022. Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Prevention attended and congratulated all for preventing future heart attacks and strokes in their communities.
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The graphic depicts the improvement in blood pressure control from baseline July 2021 through April 2022. The WVPCA HCCN participating health centers exceeded the BP control in African American Adults goal.
NACHC has invited the WVPCA HCCN to participate and receive funding for year 2022-2023 Improving Blood Pressure Control in African Americans. The upcoming cohort will seek to retain the current participating health centers and recruit additional health centers for participation. If your health center is interested in participating beginning August 2022, please reach out to Emma White at emma.white@wvpca.org.
Congratulations to New River, FamilyCare, and Mon Valley for reducing health disparities in their communities!
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HHS Publishes Guidance to
Help Strengthen Cybersecurity
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The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center published a guidance to help healthcare organizations improve their overall strength, protocols and prevention abilities for cyberattacks.
Six ways to strengthen healthcare's cyber posture, according to the guidance:
- Conduct regular security posture assessments.
- Frequently monitor your networks and software for vulnerabilities.
- Identify which departments own what risk and assign management to those certain responsibilities.
- Monitor any gaps in your security controls.
- Have an incident response plan and a discovery recovery plan.
- Create security metrics.
The steps outline the best practices for healthcare organizations to protect against cyberthreats.
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Updates to the Assister Listserv |
Please note that you will now be able to manage your subscriptions to the Assister Listserv yourself! If you would like to subscribe to our listservs, you can now do so by visiting the Subscriber Preferences Page. To access the Subscriber Preferences Page, please log in using your email address, complete the required fields, and select "add subscriptions" at the bottom of the page. There you will be able to select the subscriptions you would like to receive.
To find the Assister related subscriptions, scroll down to the middle of the page, to the heading "CCIIO". Here you can select from the following:
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FFM Assister - Navigator Grantee Updates (for Navigator updates and webinar invitations)
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FFM Assister - Certified Application Counselor (CAC) Updates (for CAC updates and webinar invitations)
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No Surpises Act Dispute Resolution (for information and updates regarding the No Surprises Act)
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.
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COVID -19 Vaccines Now Available for
West Virginians Aged 6 Months to 5 Years
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Deliveries of West Virginia's initial allotment of COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 month to 5 years are expected to be complete by next week, according to James Hoyer.
The final shipments of the state's 17,400-dose order should arrive by Wednesday, said Hoyer, head of the West Virginia Joint Interagency Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccines.
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WV Appalachian Addiction &
Prescription Drug Abuse Conference
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Mark your calendars and plan to participate in the Annual Appalachian Addiction & Prescription Drug Abuse Conference. Last year, there was over 450 attendees representing eleven (11) different disciplines. This conference is being held September 22 – 24, 2022 at the Waterfront Marriott in MORGANTOWN, WV. The schedule of quality speakers is coming together with topics of relevance such as: the prescription drug abuse crisis, suicide prevention & resources, proper prescribing and integrating opioid addiction treatment with MOUD, transformation of the brain, from addiction to recovery, substance induced vs co-occurring disorders with clinical vignettes & trauma therapy and adjuncts-EMDR, acupuncture, polyvagal theory and psychedelics and showcase of West Virginia’s drug diversion courts to just name a few.
The official agenda and registration information will be sent out in the near future. Until then, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marlene Hall, mdhall@wvmphp.org or 304-933-1030.
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June is National Safety Month |
National Safety Month is celebrated in June when people focus on how they can keep their environment safe and free from any danger. The National Safety Council sponsors National Safety Month to spread the word about keeping everyone safe in the workplace — and any place.
This year’s weekly topics range from injury and fall prevention to musculoskeletal disorders.
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ICYMI: 2022 National Health Center Week |
National Health Center Week (NHCW) is the time that we come together to celebrate and honor the work of Community Health Centers. NHCW is observed in the second week of August every year and takes place from August 7 to 13 this year.
NHCW is promoted by the National Association of Community Health Centers which seeks to celebrate the accomplishments within their communities. Moreover, they endeavor to spread awareness about the importance of community health centers. They also look to advocate for emergency and long-term funding for community health centers to ensure the smooth provision of services to everyone for years to come. This year’s NHCW will be from August 7 - August 13, 2022.
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National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is June 27, 2022, a day to emphasize and encourage HIV testing. The theme for 2022 is “HIV Testing is Self-care.” The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” The NHTD messaging will emphasize that HIV testing can be free, easy, fast, and confidential. HIV self-tests can be done when and where an individual chooses.
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Funding and Financial Resources |
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Creating and Maintaining a Culture of Continuous Compliance: Preparing for HRSA’s Operational Site Visit and Beyond |
Register now for the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) 's annual webinar series for health center leaders and staff preparing for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Operational Site Visit (OSV) and building or maintaining continuous compliance!
This unique 3-part webinar series features the perspective of three independent OSV reviewers with years of experience conducting HRSA OSVs, including virtual OSVs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each faculty member – a current fiscal, governance, and clinical reviewer – will provide practical tips and promising practices for ensuring not just a successful OSV but for achieving and maintaining a state of continuous compliance.
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Upcoming Training Opportunities |
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NACHC Offering Revenue Cycle 360° Virtual Workshop |
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is offering Revenue Cycle 360° (Rev Cycle 360°) Virtual Workshop on June 29-30. The early bird registration rate ends June 15. This two-day training is designed to help you identify techniques and tools to improve coding and documentation to drive financial and operational performance and legal compliance.
RevCycle 360° is approved for up to 8.4 CPEs.
Wednesday, June 29-June 30, 2022
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Save the Date:
Health Center
Program Updates
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Join Jim to hear the latest news and updates for Health Centers.
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
3:00 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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