The 2021 National Health Center week was August 8-14. During that week, Mississippi's health centers held activities in the clinics and in the community to raise awareness and to give back to the citizens and patients. Activities included holding press conferences, working with local governments to write proclamations, hosting Back to School events and supply give aways, and holding provider and staff appreciation events, Mississippi CHCs continue to show up to honor the communities they serve.

Photo, top left; Jefferson Comprehensive Health Center provides lunches to patients; (photo, top right) Dr. Geroldean Dyse is interviewed by a reporter from Hattiesburg TV station WDAM; (top middle) North Miss. Primary Health Care made a video to express appreciate for the staff. It can be viewed here; (photo, right) Aaron E. Henry Community Health Center Services held a Dr. Johnnie Cummings appreciation day to thank him for 30 years of service; Mallory Community Health Center held a Back to School event with a community partner; and Outreach Health Services has a 5K event planned. These and other activities celebrated NHCW in Mississippi.

Dr. Rachael Butler, a pharmacist at Coastal Family Health Center, was recently recognized by Lighthouse Business and Professional Women's Association as a Woman of Achievement in the Medical category. Congratulations!

After months of negotiations, this week the Senate passed the bipartisan traditional infrastructure bill, H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act. The bill, which provides more than $550 billion in new infrastructure spending, now moves to the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is expected to wait to advance the bipartisan infrastructure bill and partisan budget resolution at the same time.

Before starting their August recess last week, the Senate passed the $3.5 trillion partisan budget resolution, providing a framework for Senate committees to write reconciliation legislative language to enact policy priorities. The House will return from their recess early on August 23, 2021, to vote on the budget resolution. Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) is expected to wait to hold a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the partisan reconciliation bill has passed the Senate. While funding for health center capital, and funding for workforce programs (Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education and the National Health Service Corps) were mentioned in the Senate HELP Committee resolution summary, negotiations and health care priorities are in flux as Senate moderates look to reduce the top-line number of the reconciliation bill. The reconciliation bill will be finalized in the coming weeks, so it is NOW OR NEVER to advocate to ensure our $10 billion health center capital funding request is included.

HRSA released the FY 2022 Service Area Competition (SAC) NOFO, HRSA-22-005, for service areas with a project period start date of April 1, 2022. Find details for the announced service areas on the Service Area Announcement Table. This NOFO announces the service areas for April 1 start award recipients that received a 1-year period of performance through a SAC/SAC-Additional Areas in FY 2021 and April 1 start award recipients that were given a 1-year extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic in FY 2021. Current award recipients with a project period end date of March 31, 2022 on their most recent H80 Notice of Award must apply to this SAC NOFO to continue serving their current service area. Applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 7 and in EHBs by 5:00 pm on Thursday, Oct. 7. Technical assistance materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.

Click here to request access.

For those who missed the live discussions, recordings of the meetings are now available at the CHCAMS COVID-19 Clearinghouse.

Subscribe here.

Please send your Health Fair, Back to School, or other community outreach events to Kathryn Rodenmeyer . They will be posted on vaccineplus.me.

CHCs are invited to upload open position announcements to CHCAMS' recruitment partner website ReEmployedllc.com . This recruiter will send qualified applicants back to your health center for review and assist in follow-up with potential candidates.