Dear Colleague,
The spirit of the community health center movement is a kind of magic, and the achievements of CHCs are measurable in the quality, patient-centered, and compassionate care and services that they provide to over 30 million patients each year. It's that mixture of mission and milestones that the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is joining our partners across the U.S. in honoring during National Health Center Week (Aug. 6-12). Thank you for the incredible work you do every day to advance health equity and bring quality care within reach for patients in underserved and historically marginalized communities.
This week's edition of Clinician & Community features a celebration of NHCW, as well as resources to support the CHC workforce that makes our shared work possible, including a new webinar on staff satisfaction surveys, new opportunities for ACU Members to help shape an emerging recognition program and join our committees, a new issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, and more.
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Every Week Is Health Center Week: A Letter from Our Executive Director
Happy National Health Center Week from the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved! When I consider the impact that health centers create every year in the lives of over 30 million patients in underserved communities, every week is National Health Center Week. But the official week and the month of August still represent a crucial time to celebrate the incredible work that you all do caring for your communities and your patients every day.
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Celebrating NHCW: Resources, Toolkits, and More
Join us in celebrating National Health Center Week and honoring the clinicians, providers, staff, administrators, and patients of CHCs. Participate in NHCW on social media by sharing your events and using the hashtags #NHCW23 and #ValueCHCs. Learn more about each focus day, access a media toolkit, and more from NACHC and read the recent White House Proclamation on NHCW. In addition to celebrating each focus day, we especially invite you to honor the CHC workforce during Health Center Staff Appreciation Day on Friday, Aug. 11!
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Watch: Telling the Story of CHCs |
View an excerpt from Jim Macrae's recent address at #ACUConf on the need to tell the story of the magic that happens when CHCs interact with patients.
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Selected NHCW Events from ACU Members
Our network is uniting to celebrate National Health Center Week! A few events from the national registry include:
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Let's Keep Up the Advocacy to #SavetheNHSC During the August Recess
We would like to thank ACU Advocates again for joining us on Capitol Hill last month to speak with legislators and staff about the vital need to preserve the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). ACU is leading the effort to save and strengthen the NHSC and push for its expansion to all underserved communities in the future: and to be successful, we still need your help! ACU is tirelessly advocating, but the bottom line is that the voice of advocates and the healthcare workforce is the most essential part in this process – members of Congress and their staff need to continue hearing from you and visiting your health centers. Learn quick tips for what you can do during the August recess, join us as an advocate, and stay tuned for further updates!
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Read ACU's New JHCPU Column on the Need for NHSC Investment
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Don't Miss Next Week's Office Hours Webinar on Suicide Prevention in Primary Care
Wednesday, Aug. 16: 11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET
Join ACU and the American Association of Teaching Health Centers, for an interactive office hours webinar on Suicide Safer Care. Suicide is a growing public health crisis, but primary care clinicians can take action every day by identifying, assessing, and intervening with patients at risk. How can you or your organization incorporate suicide prevention in primary care? Join national expert Dr. Virna Little for a dedicated Q&A session to learn about sustainability concerns, clinical pathways, preventing suicide in healthcare professionals, and more.
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Learn Best Practices for Measuring Staff Satisfaction in Our Upcoming Webinar
Thursday, Sept. 7: 3-4 p.m. ET
Measuring staff satisfaction is a powerful strategy to help deliver exceptional patient care and ensure your organization's success. Join ACU’s STAR² Center for an interactive webinar exploring the steps for implementing staff satisfaction surveys in your health center. Discover effective survey design, administration, and data analysis techniques and learn promising practices for interpreting survey results and driving positive changes that elevate employee satisfaction and retention.
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Explore Our Updated Recruitment and Retention Data Profile Dashboards
See how your health center compares to others across the U.S. with the latest update to our STAR2 Center's Recruitment and Retention Data Profile Dashboards. This resource can help health centers determine how best to implement changes to improve recruitment and retention. Information on access was emailed to health center CEOs, and PCA and PCO teams can view the dashboards by completing an updated Data Use Agreement. Contact us to receive access for your team members.
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Listen to All Five Seasons of the STAR2 Center Talks Workforce Success Podcast
The ACU STAR² Center's Talks Workforce Success Podcast covers all things workforce in five seasons of conversations with healthcare leaders and staff across the country. Explore ACU's STAR2 Center resource success stories, how to combat burnout and compassion fatigue, insights into employee self-care, COVID's impact on the workforce, and the important role of Chief Workforce Officers. Catch up on any episodes you may have missed and explore our past seasons.
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Help Your CHC Drive Health Equity While Boosting Sustainability with Value-Based Care
Earlier this year, ACU began a national partnership with On Belay Health Solutions (On Belay) to support providers to reconnect with their mission, save health centers vital revenue, and drive health equity for underserved communities through value-based care. Learn how the initiative can help your CHC adopt value-based care to increase resources and improve your ability to address health inequities, watch our webinar on navigating the transition, and learn about the exclusive assistance available to ACU Members.
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Further Workforce Resources
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Join Our Task Force to Help Develop a Recognition Program for Specialists in Care for Underserved Communities
Are you interested in shaping a new recognition program that will honor the unique knowledge possessed by those working to improve the health of historically marginalized communities? ACU invites you to nominate yourself to join a short-term task force to participate in 4-5 meetings over the following 3-6 months. Task force members will help build a program of distinction to recognize expertise in care for the underserved. Learn more and submit your nomination.
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Nominate Yourself For Our Program Committee and Help Guide ACU's Work
ACU is seeking new members to join our Program Committee, which helps shape and inform our programming, including our annual conferences. Nominate yourself by sharing some details about your experience and how it would be an asset to the Committee. You must be an ACU Member to submit your nomination. Read our Committee Charter to learn more or contact us for more information. Nominations are due Friday, Sept. 1.
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Explore the Latest Issue of ACU's Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
The August edition of ACU's official Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved explores the influence of policy, mental health, human trafficking, maternal outcomes, and more in health equity for underserved communities. In addition to a column on the need to preserve the NHSC, this issue features original research on data and telehealth for trafficked individuals, social connectivity among vulnerable veterans during the pandemic, and much more. ACU Members can log in to our member portal for free access to this and all JHCPU issues.
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New AOF Caring for Communities Grant Applications Open August 14
Providing healthcare to historically marginalized communities is critical to advancing health equity in the U.S. To further this aim, the American Osteopathic Foundation will be awarding $10,000 grants to qualified health centers over 12-36 months to address access and other gaps in care. Awardees must have a DO directly involved in the operation and evaluation of the program, and the project must serve a significant number of patients in need. Read the Request for Proposal and learn more. Once open, applications are due Oct. 16.
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Don't Miss the National AHEC Organization's Free "Learning Lupus" Webinar
Friday, August 25: 12-1 p.m. ET
Join the National AHEC Organization and partners for a free webinar, "The Diagnosis and Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus." Dr. Catherine Lee, a rheumatologist from Kaiser Permanente and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, will share how to identify signs and symptoms of lupus and what to do if lupus is suspected. Learn more about this CE- and CME-accredited event and save your spot.
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Join Us in Celebrating Civic Health Month at Vot-ER's Civic Health Conference on August 25
During August, ACU is celebrating Civic Health Month and how fostering better civic health can lead to better overall health in communities. Join our partner Vot-ER's free, virtual Civic Health Conference on Aug. 25 to learn more about healthcare-based civic engagement, provider-led efforts, and more. ACU also offers helpful resources on why fostering patient civic engagement is a clinician imperative, as well as shareable infographics and archived webinars to help providers promote voting in underserved communities. You can also take your initiatives to the next level with Vot-ER's social media toolkit, voter registration badges, and more.
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New from ACU's Career Center: Chief Medical Officer at Pueblo CHC in Pueblo, CO, and More
Our Career Center is an excellent resource for job seekers or organizations seeking to hire quality staff to serve medically under-resourced populations. ACU Members get premier access by logging in to our member portal and using the discount code. This week, ACU is excited to highlight a Chief Medical Officer position with our member Pueblo Community Health Center in Pueblo, CO, as well as:
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Psychiatrist: Jordan Valley Community Health Center (Springfield, MO)
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OB/GYN: Jordan Valley Community Health Center (Springfield, MO)
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Chief Medical Officer: Katy Trail Community Health (Sedalia, MO)
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Don't forget: ACU offers free vision care job posts for FQHCs and lookalikes. Learn more.
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Webinars & Collaboratives |
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Upcoming Webinars:
Archived Webinars:
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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.
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