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WVPCA Weekly Outlook
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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WVPCA News - Outreach and Enrollment News
Emergency Management News - State News - National News -
Funding and Financial Opportunities - Training Opportunities
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Congressional delegation requests more monoclonal antibody doses
Read the entire article from MetroNews here.
Pfizer seeks FDA authorization of Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11
Read the entire article from CNN here.
More than 120,000 US kids had caregivers die during pandemic
Read the entire article from APNews here.
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Webinar Series: 2021 UDS Virtual Training – SAVE THE DATE |
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The Uniform Data System (UDS) virtual training will be made up of two live 3-hour training sessions, each with a 15-minute break and and one live 30-minute Q&A session. The training sessions will be held in the morning, on the following days: Tuesday, November 16th, and Thursday, November 18th. The Q&A session will follow the training held on Thursday, November 18th. The UDS Training is aimed at those who are responsible for gathering and reporting the data elements included in the UDS Report, as well as management and clinical staff who need to understand the definitions and concepts used, and those who use the data in their program management and quality improvement activities.
Registration information coming soon.
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Shared Decision-Making Contraception Counseling and Support Training |
The West Virginia Primary Care Association has partnered with the WV Perinatal Partnership and WV FREE to bring a contraception shared decision-making training to health centers.
• Learn to provide shared decision-making counseling for contraception.
• Trainings are appropriate for clinical and non-clinical staff, as using the same reassuring and non-judgmental language is imperative to build rapport and allow the free flow of information.
• Health centers will receive additional free resource materials for use with your patients.
• Participants will learn how to reduce barriers to the full spectrum of contraceptive options.
• Free CEUs for nurses and social workers.
• The training will be offered live via Zoom on October 27
This training is only available to health centers serving the counties of Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam.
Below you will find the links to the registration, sign-in and pre-survey that are required for CEUs.
Registration link:
Funding for this opportunity is provided by the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.
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Annual Health Insurance Meeting |
The annual health insurance meeting will be offered during two virtual meetings. The first upcoming meeting will be on October 19th from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. The second meeting will be on October 21st from 10:00 a.m. - Noon. Both meetings will cover the same information. |
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2022 Open Enrollment Period
Scheduled Maintenance Windows
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Consistent with the last several years, based on requests from agents and brokers and assisters, CMS communicates the maximum downtime windows for scheduled maintenance activities for HealthCare.gov for the upcoming open enrollment period. This is designed to help agents and brokers and assisters schedule appointments with consumers. |
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CDC Guidance on COVID-19 Booster Shots |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations: people age 65 and older; people at high-risk for severe COVID-19 and people who work in a high-risk job. Individuals in these groups who previously received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for a booster starting at least six months after their second shot. See the CDC statement. This recommendation follows FDA's authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be administered as a booster for certain populations. FDA’s authorization applies only to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, as does CDC’s recommendation.
The following resources are available to help health centers understand what this means and assess readiness:
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Attorney General Issues Opinion Distinguishing Legal Roles of Local Health Boards, Officers |
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey issued an opinion distinguishing the unique legal authorities of local health officers and boards of health.
Local prosecutors Catie Wilkes Delligatti and Daniel M. James, of Berkeley and Morgan counties, respectively, had questioned the legal effect of two letters from a local health officer, according to a release from Morrisey's office.
Morrisey concluded state law does not empower local health officers to promulgate rules or orders on their own. Such action must come from the local board of health.
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Lung Cancer Screening Leadership Forum |
Join colleagues in Ohio and West Virginia for a virtual learning session focusing on Lung Cancer Disease Burden, Prevention and Early Detection, COVID-19 screening challenges and solutions. The American Cancer Society will be hosting this Lung Cancer Forum on November 4, 2021 starting at 9AM ET. CE credits are available.
This program is presented in collaboration by the American Cancer Society, with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Summa Health and supported by the Ohio Partners for Cancer Control and Mountains of Hope.
Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 9:00AM ET
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COVID-19 Vaccination for People
Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding
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The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership and West Virginia Immunization Network are pleased to co-host this webinar for healthcare providers and public health professionals in West Virginia on COVID-19 vaccination for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding on Friday, October 29, 2021 starting at Noon.
Pregnant people with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalized, be admitted to the intensive care unit, require mechanical ventilation, and die from the illness than their non-pregnant peers. Severe COVID-19 during pregnancy also may put the infant at risk for complications, such as preterm birth.
In August 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) both updated their recommendations and now strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant and lactating individuals.
This webinar will describe the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant and lactating people and the role of vaccination in preventing severe disease and death in these individuals.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Describe the impact that COVID-19 pandemic has on pregnant and lactating women.
- Describe the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant and breastfeeding people.
- Describe the ongoing MOMI-VAX investigation that is under way.
Featured Presenter: Richard H. Beigi, MD, MSc., President, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
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2021 WV Addiction Conference Announced |
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2021 National Training and Technical
Assistance Needs Assessment Closing Soon
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The 2021 Health Center Training & Technical Assistance Needs Assessment portal is now open, and your feedback is being requested. Please see the below information as provided by National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
About the National Needs Assessment: The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (HRSA/BPHC) has requested a national health center training needs assessment. This one-time assessment will inform the development of training and technical assistance (T/TA) necessary to support health centers improve access to primary health care as well as to advance quality and impact over the next two-three years.
All health center staff are invited to take the 20-minute assessment using the link here.
Objectives: This Needs Assessment will:
- Minimize response burden by reducing the number of needs assessments deployed to health centers.
- Improve ease in response through a streamlined questionnaire.
- Identify priority training topics for BPHC, NTTAP, PCA and HCCN attention.
Who: All health center staff! Your input will influence future T/TA offered by BPHC’s training entities, like PCAs, HCCNs and NTTAPs.
How: The assessment will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Access the assessment via an easy on-line portal on the NACHC website. If you’re experiencing technical difficulties accessing the hyperlink above, please use the link below to access the assessment:
https://www.nachc.org/trainings-and-conferences/health-center-needs-assessment/
Timeframe EXTENDED UNTIL OCTOBER 8.
Your health center’s response is critical! Thank you for your participation!
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HHS Kills Trump-era 340B Rule
Targeting Community Health Clinics
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The Health Resources and Services Administration has formally rescinded a proposed rule targeting community health clinics participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. The regulation, which President Donald Trump's administration proposed last year, would have required community health centers to pass on the 340B discounts they get for insulin and Epi-Pens directly to patients.
HRSA is pulling the regulation because of the "excessive administrative costs and burdens that implementation would have imposed on health centers," the agency wrote in a notice published in the Federal Register.
The rule would have required health centers to create new practices to determine what patients were eligible to receive insulin or Epi-Pens at reduced prices. If the policy were to take effect, it would have "resulted in reduced resources available to support critical services to health center patients," HRSA wrote.
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FQHC Telehealth Best Practices
Project ECHO Mini Series Sep-Oct 2021
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We are pleased to share with you the upcoming Project ECHO Mini-Series: “FQHC Telehealth Best Practices: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic,” hosted by the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC). This four-part series runs September 28 - October 19, 2021. Check out this flyer for sessions descriptions. You won’t want to miss it! Spread the word!
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Quarterly 340B Program Registration Open |
Quarterly 340B Program site registration is now open until Friday, October 15, 2021. CHCs can register a site that has been verified as implemented and with a site status reflected as “active” in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks Form 5B through Friday, November 26, 2021. Email the 340B Prime Vendor Program or call 888-340-2787 (M-F, 9a.m.-6p.m. ET) to register a new site or ask questions.
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NHSC Loan Repayment Program Open for Applications: Physician Assistants Now Eligible |
The 2022 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle is now open. This year, individuals can apply if they are a physician assistant (PA) student in the final year of school. Additionally, individuals can apply for awards of up to $120,000 if they are a final year student studying to become a Nurse Practitioner (NP), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), Medical doctor (MD/DO) or Dentist (DDS/DMD). In exchange, an individual must commit to three years of providing primary care services at NHSC-approved sites in high-need underserved areas. The application deadline is Thursday, November 4, 7:30 pm.
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Funding and Financial Opportunities |
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New COVID-19 Provider
Funding Application Portal Open
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Health care providers can apply for $25.5 billion in provider relief funds. The package includes $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) resources for those who serve rural patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). It also includes $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 for a broad range of providers experiencing changes in operating revenues and expenses.
Application Due Date: Tuesday, October 26, 11:59 p.m. ET.
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Upcoming Training Opportunities |
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Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates
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Join Jim to hear about BPHC REACH, funding, progress reporting and more.
Thursday, October 21, 2021
3:00 PM ET
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Addressing Tobacco Dependency to Reduce COVID-19 Risks and Complications Webinar Series |
Smoking is a major risk factor for most respiratory related infections. Studies show that current smokers have been more likely to access various forms of smoking cessation assistance during the coronavirus pandemic.
This offers an opportunity to offer smoking cessation services, referrals, and in-house psychological and pharmacological interventions. These two webinars will provide examples of cessation plans and resources that can be shared with patients trying to stop smoking.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
1:00 PM 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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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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