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WVPCA Weekly Outlook
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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Emergency Management News - WVPCA News - School Based Health Corner - State News - National News - Funding Opportunities |
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Cabin Creek Health Systems Participates
in COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
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Dr. Jessica McColley and Stacy Norris from Riverside High School Clinic, part of Cabin Creek Health Systems, vaccinated over 300 West Virginia's during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic held through Operation Save Our Wisdom. |
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Can vaccinated people still spread COVID-19? Here’s what we know.
Read the entire article from The Salt Lake Tribune here.
All-female team delivers COVID-19 vaccines by snowmobile in harshest of conditions in rural Alaska
Read the entire article from GMA here.
COVID-19 hospitalizations down in West Virginia
Read the entire article from WCHS here.
President Biden to mandate masks on planes. Will it reduce number of in-flight scofflaws?
Read the entire article from USA TODAY here.
HHS freezes rule targeting community health centers' drug discounts
Read the entire article from Modern Healthcare here.
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New Vaccine Registration System Announced |
West Virginia will begin rolling out a new vaccine registration system next week, state officials announced.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, West Virginians 65 years of age and older are advised to visit vaccination.wv.gov to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. Registration also may be done through the same system by phone, at 1-833-734-0965, Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch said.
“The fastest way to register into this system will be online,” Crouch said during Thursday’s state COVID-19 briefing. “The information and the forms that will come up on your computer are very straightforward, very simple to fill out.”
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Executive Order Requiring Mask-Wearing |
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President Joe Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders and memos Wednesday evening, including one that mandates mask-wearing for federal employees and contractors while inside government buildings and on federal lands.
The mandate came in the form of an executive order, which the White House released.
Individual agencies can make case-by-case exceptions to the mask mandate where appropriate, and the EO encourages leadership to consult with employees, contractors, federal unions and others about the new requirements.
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Microplanning for COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery in Health Centers |
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The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has developed a two-page guide that shares “microplanning” steps for health centers to use for COVID-19 vaccination. For more resources to help health centers with vaccination, visit NACHC’s Building the Capacity of Community Health Centers to Respond to COVID-19 webpage. *NACHC is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), but used CDC funding for this resource.
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Intersection of Diabetes Self-Management
and Behavioral Health Interventions Webinar
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Please join the WVPCA for Intersection of Diabetes Self-Management and Behavioral Health Interventions on Thursday, January 28, 2021 presented by Nell Stuart. This webinar will provide participants a greater understanding of diabetes and the progression with the emotional and psychological challenges that patients encounter in their treatment of this chronic disease. Clinicians will understand the disease in order to provide more effective behavioral health therapy including how to incorporate motivational interviewing to improve self-management by the patient.
Our subject matter expert is Nell Stuart, MS, RD, LD, CDE who brings with her extensive knowledge regarding Diabetes Care. Nell earned a Master of Science in Nutrition from Tufts University in 1995 and became a Registered Dietician. She was Acting Chief of Nutrition and Food Service at a VA Medical Center for 4 years before completing her training to become a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) in 1999. She worked as the CDE, Nutrition Coordinator, and Insulin Pump Trainer at St. Mary’s Medical Center, a Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate.
Following this webinar, participants will:
- Describe three (3) diabetes self-management expectations likely to contribute stress for the patient.
- Describe three (3) (or become famliar with) interviewing techniques to decrease anxiety level of the patient.
- Identify the times in the diabetes progression timeline most likely to cause confusion and/or anxiety for the patient and provider.
Target Audience: BH Directors, Therapists, and BH Care Managers.
Registration closes on January 27th at 12:00 PM EST.
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For many families, this time has been much more difficult trying to parent in the midst of this pandemic. Parents have been struggling for months trying to raise a family by finding child care or being the teacher for their child at home while at the same time working to keep their jobs if they weren’t lost. Many new parenting books have several of the same themes, which is how important connection and communication are. Regardless of how old the child is, one major key to children’s social and emotional well-being is delivering warm, open parent-child communication. Preview a list of books that may help you communicate better with your children and build closer relationships, that may enhance their happiness and resilience in life. |
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A last minute update by the Trump administration to practice guidelines for buprenorphine treatment permits a physician with a DEA license to treat up to 30 in-state patients with substance use disorder without a waiver. The change does not apply to PAs and NPs, who must still secure waivers. Since this was only a guidelines change and not a regulatory or law change, it is possible the Biden administration could revoke or revise the guidelines.
President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 national strategy was released on January 21, a day after taking office. The strategy calls for a much greater federal role in efforts, with community health centers playing a key part.
Recent tele-health research published in the online journal Rural and Remote Health focused on the needs of older West Virginians who have been impacted by COVID-19. This research by faculty at Marshall University and West Virginia University discovered that older West Virginians, especially those 85 and older and living alone, should be prioritized by health care providers for telephonic outreach. These older West Virginians are likely to have multiple chronic health conditions and unmet social needs, as well as experience loneliness, anxiety and depression.
If you come across something worth sharing, please feel free to forward to Joshua Austin, WVPCA Policy and Communications Director.
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Register now for a new MidAtlantic AETC Collaborative Series |
Join the MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center (MAAETC) for a January 2021 Virtual Conference series provided in collaboration with the National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development (NAHEWD), the Opioid Response Network (ORN), the Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center, and the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC).
These four sessions will focus on the intersecting epidemics of HIV, Substance Use Disorder, and hepatitis C. Professionals working in these areas will be able to increase their knowledge.
Please visit each module's registration page for more information:
Session 1: Wednesday, January 6, 2021 11:30am – 2:00pm ET
Ending the HIV Epidemic: Intersection of Treatment, Prevention, & Substance Use Disorder
Led by the West Virginia Regional Partner of the MidAtlantic AETC
Session 2: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 8:45am – 1:00pm ET
Treating Hepatitis C in People with Substance Use Disorder
Led by the Philadelphia Regional Partner of the MidAtlantic AETC
Session 3: Wednesday, January 20, 2021 11:30am – 2:00pm ET
Medication Assisted Treatment Centers, Substance Use Disorder, and HIV
Led by the Johns Hopkins University Regional Partner of the MidAtlantic AETC
Session 4: Wednesday, January 27, 2021 11:30am – 2:00pm ET
Intersection of HIV, Hep C, and Substance Use Disorders:
Challenges and Opportunities of Integration
Led by the Pittsburgh Regional Partner of the MidAtlantic AETC
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Uniform Data System 2020 Reporting Season |
The Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting period for calendar year 2020 has started. All HRSA-funded health centers are required to submit complete and accurate UDS reports by Monday, February 15.
Upon successful submission, they will assign your UDS report to a UDS reviewer who will work with you throughout March to finalize your data submission. They will not allow changes after Wednesday, March 31.
The 2020 UDS Manual and other resources are available on HRSA’s website to help you complete an accurate report. The manual includes an introduction to the UDS, instructions for completing each of the tables, and information on how to submit the UDS through EHBs.
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HP-ET Initiative: Readiness to Train Assessment Tool (RTAT) |
HRSA’s Health Professions Education and Training (HP-ET) Initiative will use the Readiness to Train Assessment Tool (RTAT™) developed by Community Health Center (CHC), Inc., to help health centers assess and improve their readiness to engage in health professions training programs.
The HRSA HP-ET Initiative will enhance health centers’ capabilities to recruit, develop, and retain their workforce by exposing health and allied health professions students, trainees, and residents to education and training programs conducted at health centers.
Every staff person in a health center has the expertise to offer valuable input. Every person is invited to complete an initial set of questions in this survey about the topic of general readiness to engage in health professions training. This is a very important topic as we plan for the future of workforce training. In addition, if you feel you can comment on your health center’s readiness to engage in one or more specific health professions training program(s), we welcome you to continue on and share your opinions on up to three different health professions training programs. For those of you who want to proceed with these sections, we have provided a drop-down list of programs to choose from. You will see that we have included a wide range of programs, from medical assistant or dental assistant training, to NP and PA students, to postgraduate residents and fellows in multiple disciplines—and more.
Once survey results are compiled, the WVPCA can help you develop a targeted strategic workforce plan that will include health professions trainings and pipeline programs that can meet the needs of your community, as well as offering T/TA to help you achieve your workforce goals.
Please contact Shannon Parker, WVPCA Director of Health Center Operations at Shannon.parker@wvpca.org should you have any questions or concerns.
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Upcoming Training Opportunities |
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Treating Long COVID: Clinician Experience with Post-Acute COVID-19 Care
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Patients and clinicians across the nation are reporting long-term effects of COVID-19, commonly referred to as “long COVID.” During this CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call, presenters will share their firsthand experiences with treating long COVID, focusing on the pulmonary, neurologic, and psychological aspects. They will also describe their experiences with establishing clinics that provide care for patients with these long-term effects.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
CE Credit Available
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2021 Billing, Coding, Documentation & Quality Webinar Series |
NACHC’s Billing, Coding, Documentation & Quality Webinar Series offers health center clinical providers, revenue cycle, coding, and billing staff guidance on clinical documentation, professional coding, and medical billing processes. Participants will learn the essentials of clinical documentation, professional coding, and medical billing processes to minimize errors and denials.
You will receive an overview of quality and accurate reporting for FQHC’s, an explanation of frequently used key terms and concepts, and more. At the end of the training you will gain access to resources for continued learning and growth.
Register Today to Learn Coding Strategies for Your Health Center
and Earn 1 CEU per Webinar
January 26 | 2-3:30 PM ET
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Diagnosing HPV-Related Cancers, Screening Guidelines Development, and Improving Screening Measures |
Hear experts discuss the role of primary care providers and dentists in diagnosing human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer, including via telehealth; an overview of the development of American Cancer Society’s updated cervical cancer screening guidelines; and the steps one health center is taking to improve their screening measures during this unusual year.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
3:30-4:30 PM ET
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Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Behavioral Health Patients and Staff |
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced behavioral health programs to alter many of the traditional tools of behavioral healthcare delivery at a time when such services within community health centers are in high demand.
As we hope and plan for a post-pandemic future, these key values and strategies must be at the core of our efforts: The patient is at the center, the integrated primary and behavioral health workforce is the foundation of our system, and the way forward must incorporate a serious appreciation of the resources required to rebuild and enhance these systems to support patients.
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM ET
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SAVE THE DATE
Today with MACRAE
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The HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care will provide health center program updates in “Today with Macrae”.
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Access details coming soon
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NACHC, in collaboration with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell (FTLF), will be holding three virtual FTCA Office Hours to answer health center clinical leaders’ specific questions.
Topics covered include coverage for COVID-19 related activities, navigating telehealth, coverage for virtual services, issues related to COVID-19 vaccine delivery, deeming of volunteer health professionals, preparing for a virtual site visit, and risk management. Follow-ups will include a FAQ and links to additional resources.
The most up-to-date FTCA FAQ is available here; go to “FTCA Requirements.”
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Funding and Financial Opportunities |
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Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program |
The Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program (ISTP) program will integrate mental health and substance use treatment services in primary care settings. Grantees will train practicing professionals to provide addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services in underserved communities. Practicing professionals include the following disciplines: nurse practitioners, physician assistants, health service psychologists, and social workers. Approximately $6.5 million will be available in FY 2021 to fund two grantees. The application deadline is Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
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Apply Now to Participate in Rural FQHCs Learning Collaborative |
Capital Link and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) are launching a new Learning Collaborative for health centers serving rural communities to explore community needs, growth planning, and financing options. Through a series of four 60-minute interactive webinars conducted between February and April 2021, the collaborative will address challenges and opportunities FQHCs face in communities experiencing hospital distress and closure; examine the impact of telehealth on care delivery; and address financial capacity, sustainability, facility planning, and financing options for FQHCs seeking to expand their impact in rural America.
There is no fee for participants as this Learning Collaborative is funded by HRSA through its cooperative agreements with Capital Link and NACHC. We recommend each organization enroll at least two appropriate team members. The deadline to apply is Friday, January 22, 2021.
To learn more about this Learning Collaborative, visit our website.
Please direct any questions about this learning collaborative to Tony Skapinsky, Project Consultant.
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Fiscal Year 2021 Ending the HIV Epidemic - Primary Care HIV Prevention Funding Now Available |
HRSA released the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Ending the HIV Epidemic - Primary Care HIV Prevention (PCHP) Notice of Funding Opportunity (HRSA-21-092). HRSA will invest approximately $83 million in health centers located in the 57 geographic locations identified by Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, with the goal of increasing the number of health centers in the geographic locations that are focused on HIV prevention.
FY 2021 PCHP will support expanding HIV prevention services that decrease the risk of HIV transmission, focusing on supporting access to and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Health centers with service delivery sites in the geographic locations that did not receive FY 2020 PCHP funding will be eligible to apply. Technical assistance (TA) resources are available on the PCHP TA webpage.
FY 2021 PCHP applications are due in:
• Grants.gov: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 (11:59 p.m. ET).
• HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks: Monday, March 1, 2021 (5:00 p.m. ET).
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Community Health Center Resources |
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Jackson Kelly attorneys provide limited consultation to all members of the WVPCA at no charge, as part of the WVPCA contract. There is no limit to the number of calls which any member may make. All inquiries within the scope of professional competence of firm attorneys will be addressed. Inquiries which require expertise not available through the firm will be promptly identified and, when requested, Jackson Kelly will assist in referring the matter to accounting firms, insurance agents, or others as circumstances warrant.
All inquiries, responses and consultation services provided by the firm lawyers will be provided without additional charge beyond the retainer amount, except for matters which require formal opinions, representation of record in litigation, transactional work, e.g. the purchase or sale of real property, or matters which require continued representation, research or consultation beyond a single inquiry or document review.
Justin M. Harrison is a labor & employment lawyer with Jackson Kelly PLLC. He is available for consultation through a special retainer relationship with the WVPCA. Justin can be reached at 304.340.1358 and via email at justin.harrison@jacksonkelly.com.
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New Online: Dental Risk Management Toolkit |
Dental practitioners have relied on their own skills and knowledge to protect patients from risks and prevent harm associated with everyday dental treatment.
However, while in its early stages, the addition of formal patient safety approaches in dental practice has supplied another approach to improving care delivery.
Patient safety, including a culture of safety and safe and reliable processes, should supplement risk management in dental settings.
The Dental Toolkit, now available on the Clinical Risk Management Program website, includes resources to help risk and safety leaders protect patients and employees, ensure compliance with federal and state laws, and implement and foster a culture of safety in dental settings.
Key resources include:
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Pandemic Operational Recovery Guide |
Operational disruptions to ambulatory care during and after a pandemic are significant. These disruptions may change many aspects of care delivery in ways that impact providers, staff, and patients alike.
Care may be temporarily limited or delivered in nontraditional ways, and recovery of operations may represent a "new normal."
The handbook contains links to tools as well as links to additional resources for a more comprehensive discussion of individual topics. Readers can refer to descriptive "Strategy" headings in each section, and consult the recommendations, tools, and resources that follow for more detailed information. Although some tools and resources focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, they can be adapted to respond to other public health emergencies.
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Risk Management Manual for Health Centers Now Available! |
The Risk Management Manual for Health Centers is now available on the ECRI Institute Clinical Risk Management Program website! Designed to support a proactive approach to risk management at health centers and free clinics, the Manual provides background, tips, and how-tos in a manageable format.
Specific areas that are covered include:
Risk Management Programs & Plans
Claims and Lawsuits
Role of the Risk Manager
Patient Grievances and Complaints
Communication with Patients
Credentialing and Privileging
Communication among Providers, Staff, and Community Partners
Tracking Systems for Diagnostic Tests, Referrals, and Hospitalizations
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Debra Boyd | Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
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To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter: |
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1700 MacCorkle Avenue, SE
Charleston, WV 25314
Phone: 304.346.0032
Toll Free: 1.877.WVA HLTH
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This project is/was supported partially/fully by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U58CS06834 State and Regional Primary Care Associations. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. |
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