Dear Colleague,

Wellness matters: addressing staff wellbeing is vital not only to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, but also to ensuring quality of care. This week, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is spotlighting new resources to help organizations develop trauma-informed leadership, combat compassion fatigue and burnout, and address suicide risk in clinicians and staff. Read about these new webinars, podcast episodes, and more, plus eye health and vision care resources and policy updates, below.
Apply by Next Friday, Dec. 9, for Our Oral Health Workforce Learning Collaborative
Health center teams have just over one week left to apply to participate in a new learning collaborative focusing on developing recruitment and retention plans for the oral health workforce. ACU’s STAR2 Center and the National Network for Oral Health Access invites teams to apply to join this virtual collaborative taking place over six 90-minute monthly sessions beginning in January 2023.
Explore Strategies to Address Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in Our STAR2 Center's New Podcast Season
ACU’s STAR2 Center is excited to release the first episode in the latest season of the STAR2 Center Talks Workforce Success podcast exploring strategies to combat burnout and compassion fatigue in the healthcare workforce. In this new episode, ACU’s Alex Rohlwing interviews Sarah Macrander, Sr. Health Operations Manager at Colorado Community Health Network, on approaches to assessing staff wellness and creating an organizational culture of wellness. Listen to the discussion, review past seasons, and stay tuned for new episodes!
Learn Strategies for Trauma-Informed Leadership in This Afternoon's Webinar
TODAY, Nov. 30: 2-3 p.m. ET
Save your spot in today's webinar featuring an introduction to trauma-informed leadership from ACU’s STAR2 Center and Cindy Manginelli of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC). Explore strategies that staff can use to improve and build their own and others' leadership skills to better serve employees with a history of personal or vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, moral distress, and moral injury.
Don't Miss Our Upcoming Workforce Professional Development Webinar Series
Dec. 15, Jan. 19, Feb. 16, and Mar. 16: 2-3 p.m. ET
Join us on December 15 for the first session in the ACU STAR2 Center's Workforce Professional Development Webinar Series. Attendees will learn from faculty and guest speakers sharing insights from national, regional, and state perspectives on a variety of healthcare workforce topics. This monthly virtual series runs from December 2022 to March 2023 and offers engaging sessions to bolster workforce efforts to support health center recruitment and retention.
In Case You Missed It: View Our Webinar on Organizational Leadership & Resiliency
Learn about a new Organizational Leadership and Resiliency Toolkit in an archived webinar with ACU's STAR2 Center and the NHCHC. This session and the upcoming toolkit focus on strategies to support the health and wellbeing of staff and structural challenges in the healthcare industry. Toolkit co-authors Matt Bennett and April Lewis also shared ways to respond to stress and trauma in the health center workforce.
Mark Your Calendar for ACU's 2023 Conference on July 23-25 in Washington, D.C.
We're excited to see you at ACU's 2023 Conference! Save the date to join us in Washington, D.C., at the Marriott Marquis on July 23-25 as we explore strategies to improve and expand access to care for medically underserved populations. Watch for our call for abstracts and exhibitors and take a look back at our 2022 event to learn what makes #ACUConf so special. Interested in learning more? Contact Program Director Luke Ertle for inquiries related to presenting, and contact Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly for exhibiting or sponsorship questions.
Learn How to Address Suicide Risk in Clinicians & Start Postvention in Next Week's Webinar
Thursday, Dec. 8: 1-2 p.m. ET
Healthcare professionals are significantly more likely to end their lives by suicide than the general population, and these passings can cause a "ripple effect" increasing the vulnerability of others. Join Dr. Virna Little, Chief Clinical Officer at Concert Health, and Sarah Bernes, behavioral health expert, for an upcoming webinar to understand the dynamics of this crisis and learn strategies to help support primary care providers and teams, prevent deaths by suicide, assess readiness, and implement effective postvention.
Don't Forget: ACU Is Offering Eye Health and Vision Services Grants for Health Centers
Applications Due Dec. 31
Is your health center interested in starting or expanding a vision care program? ACU, with the generous support of the Centene Corporation, is still accepting applications for $25,000 grants to help health centers and lookalikes start or expand comprehensive eye health and vision services. In addition to $25,000 in funding, up to five health centers will receive training and technical assistance. Learn about grant requirements and past awardees and apply by Dec. 31.
Learn Next Steps for Offering Vision Services at Your Health Center in Our Archived Webinar
ACU recently partnered with Prevent Blindness and the National Association of Community Health Centers to host a webinar exploring the feasibility of opening optometry services at community health centers. Watch the archived session to learn more about budgeting, best practices for hiring and staffing, and how others have overcome challenges in starting up vision services in their own health centers.
COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Likely to Extend Beyond January 2023
Only recently extended until January 11, 2023, the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration is now likely to continue even further. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides a 60-day notice before the PHE ends if it intends to change any rules, and as it announced no changes by November 11, health centers can expect the PHE to extend beyond January, and stakeholders will likely have to prepare for an April deadline if HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra declares another PHE extension. Read about the extension's implications for Medicaid unwinding and CHCs in our brief update and keep up to date on new developments by joining us as an advocate.
In Case You Missed It: What the U.S. Midterms Could Mean for Healthcare & Health Centers
National Health Service Corps and health center advocates carefully watched the U.S. midterm elections. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate came up for a vote on Nov. 8, and healthcare, too, was on the ballot, as shifting Congressional control will seriously impact the Biden Administration's ability to enact its policy agenda. Find a recap of Congressional developments, what they mean for the National Health Service Corps and health centers, and more in our recent policy analysis.
Welcoming Our Latest Member
We are pleased to have Piedmont Health become ACU's latest organizational member. For almost 50 years, Piedmont Health has provided access to quality healthcare in twelve locations throughout medically underserved areas of central North Carolina. Is your organization committed to health equity? Read about ACU membership and contact us.
HHS Announces $350 Million Funding for Health Centers to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced $350 million in funding for health centers to increase COVID-19 vaccines. This initiative will provide resources directly to health centers throughout the country to increase COVID-19 vaccinations this winter by addressing the unique barriers to access experienced by underserved populations. All HRSA-funded health centers, as well as health center look-alikes that received American Rescue Plan funding, will be eligible.
DUE TOMORROW: Apply for the NHSC's Students to Service Loan Repayment Program
The National Health Service Corps' Students to Service Loan Repayment Program (S2S LRP) is still accepting applications! Open to students in their last year of medical, nursing, or dental school, the program offers up to $120,000 in loan repayment in return for serving for at least three years at an NHSC-approved site in medically underserved areas. Learn more and apply by Dec. 1.
The Latest from ACU's Career Center
Our Career Center is a great resource for job seekers or healthcare organizations looking to hire quality staff to serve under-resourced populations. ACU Members get premier access by logging in to our member portal and using the discount code.

This week, ACU is highlighting an optometrist position at Albany Area Primary Health Care in Georgia. This job includes relocation allowance, loan repayment eligibility, and more. Learn more and apply on ACU’s job board. ACU offers free eye health and vision care job postings for FQHCs and FQHC lookalikes. Contact us for more information.
Funding Opportunities

HRSA
Deadline: Dec. 5, 2022

HRSA
Deadline: Dec. 12, 2022

ACU
Deadline: Dec. 31, 2022

HRSA
Deadline: Jan. 17, 2023
Publications & Resources
Webinars
From the Blog & Podcast
Policy Updates
ACU is here to help: if we can do anything to better support your work to improve care and advocate for patients living in historically marginalized communities, please contact our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly with any feedback. Thank you for all that you do.
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