Dear Advocate,

COVID-19 has placed unprecedented strain on patients and providers alike at health centers, and recruiting and retaining a strong workforce and ensuring quality care has never been more vital. As the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved continues preparing for our 2021 Conference, Mission: Health Equity, we're offering a new learning collaborative to help health centers build mental health workforces, small grants to help FQHCs offer new eye health and vision care programs, and more. Read about these learning opportunities and don't forget to submit your Conference workshop or poster abstract by Feb. 26.
Our 2021 Conference Call for Abstracts Closes Friday!
There are only two days left to submit your workshop or poster abstract for our 2021 Conference – Mission: Health Equity. We're seeking practice, policy, workforce, and other abstracts on strategies to improve health equity for the underserved, especially BIPOC and other marginalized populations. Our Conference will unite hundreds of clinicians and leaders from across the U.S.
Learn Mental Health Workforce Recruitment Strategies in Our STAR2 Center's New Learning Collaborative
Recruiting a diverse, mission-driven, and patient-centered mental health workforce at health centers can be difficult. We invite FQHC workforce, human resources, clinical, and c-suite staff to apply to learn practical, real-world strategies to address this in our STAR² Center's new learning collaborative, Recruitment Boot Camp: Mental Health Edition. Apply by March 5 to become one of the 25 health centers to take part.
Don't Miss Our Next PCA & HCCN Workforce Professional Development Webinar
Our STAR² Center's monthly webinar series exploring comprehensive workforce initiatives and plans continues on March 11 at 3-4 p.m. ET. We invite primary care association and health center controlled network staff to register to learn best practices in working with FQHCs to develop comprehensive workforce plans in this robust "train the trainer" series. View recordings to catch up on previous sessions.
Watch Our Recorded Moral Injury Webinar
Did you miss our STAR2 Center's webinar on strategies to address moral injury with trauma expert Matt Bennett? You can now view the recorded presentation and slides from "Understanding Moral Distress, Moral Injury, & Other Dangers of Helping Others!" to learn about these key concepts—and why self-care is quality care.
Apply for Our Eye Health and Vision Care Start-Up Grants by March 12
ACU is partnering with the Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare and the American Optometric Association Foundation to provide small grants of $5,000-$10,000 to federally qualified health centers to assist with start-up costs for eye health and vision care programs. Apply for our grants by March 12 or contact Sabrina Edgington for more information.
Join the ACU Team as Our New Training Specialist
ACU is still seeking applications for our new Training Specialist position! This mission-driven individual will help expand ACU's workforce development initiatives by designing and implementing online and in-person trainings and technical assistance on health center workforce recruitment and retention as part of our STAR2 Center. Apply now or contact Suzanne Speer with any questions.
Nurse Corps LRP Applications Deadline Extended!
The deadline for 2021 Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program (LRP) applications has been extended to Thursday, March 18. This opportunity is open for registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and nurse faculty. In exchange for two-year service commitments, the LRP will help pay recipients' educational loans. Apply now or view an informational webinar.
New Webinars on Care for the Underserved
Our partners are hosting a variety of webinars of interest to clinicians providing care to underserved populations, such as:
February 24 | 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. ET
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
February 25 | 4:30-6 p.m. ET
Boston University School of Public Health
February 25 | 1-2 p.m. ET
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
What We're Reading: Workforce Diversity and Vaccine Hesitancy
Pathways to diversify America's clinical workforce and achieve racial equity in COVID-19 vaccinations have come into the spotlight in recent articles, as do telehealth and health centers' role in the pandemic:
Thank you for the work you do everyday to improve health equity for the underserved. Do you have thoughts on our programs, or is there a way we can better support you in our shared mission? Please contact our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly with feedback.
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