National Health Center Week, an annual celebration to recognize and honor the work of community health centers, will be held from August 7-13! This year’s theme is “Community Health Centers: the Chemistry for Strong Communities.” If your health center is holding a NHCW event, please let TPCA know by emailing emily.waitt@tnpca.org with a short description of the event.

NHCW Events Eligible for a $500 Sponsorship

Health centers can submit their NHCW events to NACHC’s website by June 30th to be considered for a $500 sponsorship. To qualify, the event must meet the following criteria:

• Event must be community-wide (virtual or in-person) during NHCW
• Must use social media to promote the value of CHCs, using #ValueCHCs
• Invite elected officials at the state or federal levels to visit the health center

If you would like assistance reaching out to elected officials and inviting them to your health center, please email emily.waitt@tnpca.org.

Learn more about National Health Center Week >>> 

Cempa Community Care and the Chattanooga CARES Foundation invite community members to join the organization on June 23 for the 12th Annual Dining Out For Life event in support of Cempa’s work to provide HIV services across the Tennessee Valley.

Read more here >>>

Cherokee Health Systems speaks to Axios about how reallocating COVID dollars could widen health disparities.

Read more here >>>

Christ Community Health Services celebrated the grand opening for their pharmacy at their east Jackson location on Tuesday, June 7th.

Learn more here >>>

Neighborhood Health CEO Brian Haile speaks to the Nashville Post about how Nashville’s growth puts pressure on community health clinics.

Read more here >>>

Ocoee Regional Health Corporation participates in Project Access Partnership ensuring uninsured, low-income residents of Bradley County will have access to specialized health care.

Learn more here >>>

CMS Medicaid and CHIP Unwinding Education Series

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a monthly education series on the unwinding of the continuous coverage and enrollment provision. The next call of the series will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. 

Register and learn more here >>> 

NACHC Public Health Emergency Unwinding Readiness for Health Centers

NACHC is holding a webinar on Wednesday, June 29 from 1:00 PM to 2:15 PM ET about preparation for the end of the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE). This webinar will feature national policy experts and community health center outreach and enrollment leaders and staff who will highlight their strategies and efforts to prepare their patients and communities for the end of the PHE.

Speakers will share the unique tools, resources, messaging, partnerships, and other strategies they are deploying to prepare Medicaid enrollees for the end of the PHE.

Learn more and register here >>> 

Grant Funding for Mobile Health Clinics

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) Office of Strategic Initiatives is requesting proposals from community agencies to expand existing Project Rural Recovery services by implementing two additional mobile health clinics, serving the following counties:

• West TN - Lauderdale, Crockett, Haywood, Fayette, Hardeman
• East TN - Fentress, Scott, Campbell, Morgan, Union

These funds will be contracted to two community agencies, one in West Tennessee and one in East Tennessee, to purchase the mobile health units and provide integrated physical health and behavioral health services to people of all ages.

By removing access-related challenges, this mobile, integrated model of care will improve health outcomes for up to ten patients per day per mobile health clinic in these, and surrounding, counties with poor health outcomes and limited access to regular care.

Additional information can be found on the TDMHSAS Funding Opportunities website >>> 

Proposals are due by 5:00 PM Central on July 5, 2022 with an expected start on September 1, 2022.

Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program

HRSA is now accepting applications for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP).

This program provides up to $250,000 to eligible SUD health professionals in exchange for a 6-year, full-time service commitment at a STAR-approved facility. A wide range of provider types are eligible, including pharmacists, RNs, and many types of behavioral health providers. For a clinician to be eligible, their CHC must register and be approved as a STAR-approved facility. (Most CHCs should meet the eligibility criteria).

More information about the loan repayment program is available here >>> 

The deadline for clinician and CHC applications is July 7, 2022 at 7:30 PM Eastern. 

BPHC $1 Million Contest to Expand Access and Improve Links to Social Services

This week, BPHC announced the launch of Building Bridges to Better Health: A Primary Health Care Challenge, a national competition with a total of $1 million in cash prizes. Competitors will be asked to identify innovative, low-cost, scalable solutions to help health centers improve patient access to primary care and strengthen the link between health care and social services. The competition is open to broad public participation, including individuals, groups, health care organizations, and other entities. Phase 1 (concept design) will include initial awards totaling $300,000 for up to 30 winners. 

Visit Challenge.gov for more information >>> 

Phase 1 submissions are due Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central. 

National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center Announces New Pediatric TransECHO

The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center announces the launch of the new Pediatric TransECHO, for health care providers from Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). The Pediatric TransECHO is a national program designed to train health care providers to meet the emerging mental health, gender-affirmation, and primary care needs of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents. The monthly sessions will be a combination of brief didactics sessions and health center-led, case-based learning.

The sessions will be facilitated by a team of experts in gender-affirming pediatric care, with an enhanced curriculum to include:

• Strategies for engaging families in support of TGD children and adolescents
• Information on hormone therapy and pubertal blockers
• Best practices for establishing welcoming and affirming pediatric clinic environments

The Pediatric TransECHO program will launch on July 13th, 2022 and will meet every month on the 2nd Wednesday from 2-4pm EST, 1-3pm CST, 11am-1pm PST until June 14th, 2023.

Health Center teams participating the Pediatric TransECHO will commit to:

• A consistent team of at least 1 medical provider and 1 behavioral health provider who can attend all sessions.
• Submit 2-3 case presentations from your team over the course of the program.
• Send at least 1 representative of your team to an orientation session before program launch.
• Completion of the baseline, mid-program, and final surveys by all members of your team. 

Application link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SH9N5PT

Please note: This program is available free of charge for teams from FQHCs and FQHC Look-alike organizations. 

Do You Perform Cervical Cancer Screenings?

The American Cancer Society is supporting researchers at Boston University in performing a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on cervical cancer screening practices. The information will be used to understand the impacts of COVID-19 so resources can be better directed to get back on track with screening.

The survey is anonymous, takes about 20 minutes to complete, and you will receive a $50 gift certificate for your time.

If you are interested in participating, please click on the link below to complete the survey: https://moffitt.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eX8O0LURues8Xqu

If you have any questions about the survey, please email our American Cancer Society research contact Dr. Rebecca Perkins, at rbperkin@bu.edu

Survey responses are due by June 30, 2022.

Looking for COVID-19 Resources?

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 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.