Member Spotlight
CHCAMS Board President Dr. Geroldean Dyse passed away on Monday, January 17, 2022. Dr. Dyse's 41 years of dedicated service at Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative began as a nurse and eventually led to her appointment as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2011. Dr. Dyse was awarded Executive Director of the Year in 2020 by CHCAMS and served as board president since 2020. Dr. Dyse is remembered for her grace, leadership, and dedication to providing care to the citizens of southeast Mississippi.

In honor of the beloved CEO, Southeast Miss. Rural Health Initiative held a 'Last Pass at Admin' parade at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 22, 2022, prior to a private graveside service.

Humble servant, may she rest in peace.
Senior Executive Assistant Vera Walker married Dr. Earnest Ward on December 31, 2021 at a small ceremony with family at her home church in Byrum, Miss. Congratulations and best wishes, Dr. and Mrs. Ward.
Dr. and Mrs. Earnest Ward, 12-31-2021
CHW Receives Award from CDC
Congratulations to Community Health Worker Mattie Clark at G.A. Carmichael Family Health Center for receiving the Community Impact Award from the Div. of Heart Disease and Stroke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the email announcing the achievement, Dr. Letitia Presley-Cantrell said the award was bestowed on Ms. Clark "for demonstrating outstanding success in promoting health and engaging in the fight to improve heart health in your community."

She went on to write "The work you do as a Clinical Community Health Worker at the G. A. Carmichael Family Health Center is of the utmost importance, and I just wanted to say thank you. We appreciate all that you do."
Oral History Project on Community Health Centers in Mississippi
CHCAMS received grant funding from the Mississippi Humanities Council to begin a project of collecting oral histories from those at Mississippi's community health centers. This initial phase of the project aims to capture 21 hours of interviews from each health center. The audio interviews will be transcribed. At this time, CHCAMS is exploring which institution will house the recordings that would be made available to those doing research. For more information, contact krodenmeyer@chcams.org
Photo Above - CHCAMS CEO Terrence Shirley is interviewed by folklorist Larry Morrisey for the Knots of the Safety Net oral history project about Mississippi CHCs. Photo to right - Jill Bishop, CEO of East Central MS Health Care participated in an interview. The project is funded by the Miss. Humanities Council.
Photo from Delta Health Center Featured on
Front Page of The New York Times
A photo taken at Delta Health Center's Searcy clinic was published on January 10, 2022 in The New York Times. Pictured is nurse Mia Collins who is administering a vaccine to a DHC patient. The photo was taken by professional photographer and Delta resident Rory Doyle.
Stories from CHWs Requested
If you are a CHW or have one employed in your health center, we would like to get some stories from the field. Please send to kcleveland@chcams.org. Stories are due on the 2nd Friday of the month.
Today with Macrae, Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at 1 p.m. CST
On the Hill
No Progress on BBB Act as Battle to Pass Voting Rights Reforms Extended Another Week and Negotiators Meet on Government Funding 
As negotiations on the Build Back Better Act remained stalled, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) canceled this week's recess to continue to focus on voting rights legislation. However, as Senators Joe Manchin's (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema's (D-AZ) opposition to changes to the filibuster has not waivered, voting rights reform cannot pass. Last week, top appropriators met to discuss government funding as the February 18, 2022 deadline to pass another continuing resolution or an omnibus appropriations bill approaches. While lawmakers are negotiating an omnibus appropriations bill, including supplemental funding to address the ongoing pandemic, a short-term continuing resolution would give Congress more time to work on the legislation. 
Most Children and All Teens Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines
CDC recommends that everyone ages five and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19. Visit this link for more information.
Check out the Vaccines Plus Program page for information promoting CHC clinics. See videos of health center providers.
COVID-19 Clearinghouse 2022 and archives now accessible through Linktr.ee. Access it https://linktr.ee/CHCAMS

For those who missed the live discussions, recordings of the meetings and other information are now available at the CHCAMS COVID-19 Clearinghouse.
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