TPCA is excited to announce our newest colleague, Dana Henderson! Dana, who most recently served as the Chief Operations Officer at HOPE Family Health in Westmoreland, TN, joins us as our new Quality Manager.

Looking to get in touch with a TPCA staff member? Visit us at at TNPCA.org!

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 TPCA’s 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.

Join the TN Department of Health for a weekly open Q&A webinar hour for health care professionals to ask questions about the Tennessee COVID-19 vaccine allocation and distribution plan and COVID-19 vaccines.

TDH provider calls occur every Friday.

Together, we can accomplish comprehensive care.

Join TPCA for Talk about it Thursday, a space where health centers can come together to talk about workforce topics.

Cempa Community Care applauds the Tennessee Legislature for passing SB1617/HB1398, a bill that, if signed by Governor Bill Lee, would protect patients and community health groups across the state by safeguarding the integrity of the federal government’s 340B Drug Pricing Program.

On Thursday, April 22nd, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center hosted the 2021 Dr. Matthew Walker, Sr. Virtual Legacy Breakfast. This year's event focused on Shifting Gears: Preventing Burnout and Building Resilience in the COVID Pandemic.

The Tennessee General Assembly Adjourned on Wednesday, May 5, concluding the first year of a two-year session.

On May 4, the General Assembly passed Legislation to protect community health centers from discriminatory reimbursement in the 340B drug pricing. The legislation, SB1617/HB1398, sponsored by Senator Shane Reeves and Representative Esther Helton contained a variety of Pharmacy Benefit Manager reforms, including provisions to address discriminatory reimbursement, patient steering, rebate retention, and transparency. 

TPCA was also supporting SB1205/HB1398, sponsored by Senator Richard Briggs, MD and Representative Helton, that’s sole purpose was to address 340B discriminatory reimbursement. The bill was returned to the clerk’s desk, since the more comprehensive bill containing the same language passed. 

Please take time to thank the sponsors of both bills for their efforts to pass this critical legislation.

Last week, Governor Lee signed the $42.6 billion FY 22 budget passed by the General Assembly.

The FY 22 budget includes a total of $24.9 million for the Health Care Safety Net Fund to support care for uninsured adults at Federally Qualified Health Centers and Charitable Care Clinics. The funding consists of $21.9 million in recurring funding and $3 million in non-recurring passed through a budget amendment. Thank you to all of the health center advocates whose efforts helped ensure investment in the Health Care Safety Net.

The FY 22 budget includes two items to expand TennCare coverage for pregnant and postpartum women. Seven million dollars will be dedicated to a pilot program to expand TennCare postpartum coverage from 60 days to one year. The budget also includes funding to provide a dental benefit for pregnant women with TennCare coverage.

Congress is in the midst of the annual appropriations and will determine the amount of discretionary funding for community health centers in FY 22. NACHC, TPCA, and health centers are advocating for $2.2 billion in discretionary funding to support the day-to-day operations of health centers across the country. Several members of the Tennessee Congressional Delegation, including Representatives Harshbarger, Cooper, Cohen, and Rose signed on to a letter in the House supporting strong funding for health centers.

The American Rescue Plan Act provided an additional $800 million over two years for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). The funding will enable the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) to offer National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program providers to health centers whose Health Professional Shortage Area scores are lower than would typically qualify.

There is a limited timeline for the BHW to recruit the class of NHSC.