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Hello, just a reminder you are receiving this email because you expressed an interest in the West Virginia Primary Care Association. Don't forget to add
paula.beasley@wvpca.org to your
address book, so you don't miss any issues of the WVPCA Weekly Outlook!
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WVPCA Weekly Outlook Newsletter
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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Quick Links: In This Issue.....
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China delayed releasing coronavirus info, frustrating WHO
Read the entire article from
WVNews
here.
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As stay-at-home restrictions are relaxed, healthcare organizations must strategically plan on how and when to reopen.
The American Medical Association (AMA) resource,
COVID-19: A Physician Practice Guide to Reopening
, originally developed for physician practices, can also help health centers prepare to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. R
ecommendations and strategies include compliance with governmental guidance; development of a preopening plan; institution of patient and staff safety measures; a tele-triage program; process to screen patients before in-person visits and limiting non-patient visitors.
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NASA launches production of COVID-19-specific ventilators
NASA
selected
eight manufacturers to produce its new ventilator designed by agency engineers to specifically treat COVID-19 patients.
NASA developed the ventilator, dubbed the Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally, as part of its NASA@Work initiative. The program
encouraged
NASA employees to submit prospective projects in support of COVID-19 medical responses.
VITAL uses one-seventh of the parts of a traditional ventilator and relies on parts already available in supply chains. The FDA
granted
emergency use authorization of the device, which is designed to last for three to four months and provide respiratory support for patients with respiratory failure or insufficiency. VITAL was tested at New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System.
The U.S. companies NASA selected for licenses to make VITAL are:
Vacumed
Stark Industries,
MVent,
iButtonLink,
Evo Design,
DesignPlex Biomedical,
Atron Group, and
Pro-Dex.
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CNN reports that as the number of deaths surpasses the grim milestone of 100,000 and Americans squabble over whether it's necessary or helpful to keep taking protective measures like wearing a face covering, a leading researcher says the data is clear that wearing masks works.
Dr. Chris Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, at the University of Washington, says that wearing masks offers probably 50 percent protection against transmission. Unfortunately, what should be influenced by science and shared strategy is instead being influenced by politics resulting in a divided approach. Dr. Anthony Fauci agrees that "simple" things like wearing masks and washing hands are crucial and that close gatherings of people without masks are "very troubling. ... That's really tempting fate and asking for trouble."
State Coronavirus Czar Doctor Clay Marsh
said masks are like having a vaccine because research shows if 60 percent of residents wear them the R-naught infection spread number can stay around 1 or lower. Marsh said if 80 percent of residents wear masks the rate of spread will be even lower.
"Masks show you care about others," Marsh said
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COVID-19/ NOVEL CORONAVIRUS Pandemic
As you know, information on coronavirus is changing daily. The WVPCA is working with Federal, State, and local health officials in emergency preparedness activities as well as disseminating appropriate and current information to our Community Health Centers. This includes up-to-date resources and policies to ensure the continued health and safety of the communities we serve.
Guidance and resource information can be found on the WVPCA website here and coronavirus.gov.
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WVPCA News
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Michael Brumage, MD, MPH, FACP, FACPM
Medical Director
Cabin Creek Health Systems
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The WVPCA would like to recognize our Chief Medical Officers for their dedication and hard work during the current corona virus pandemic. The CMO Committee has been meeting weekly since late March to share updates, strategies and concerns related to the pandemic. It has been truly inspiring to see the thoughtfulness with which the CMOs are leading their teams.
They seek the most current science to guide clinical decisions, collaborate across organizations, and keep the health and safety of their staff and communities at the forefront of their decisions. We know they have been putting in extra hours in order to make sure operations are being maintained and are safe.
It is a privilege to work with this group of compassionate, devoted professionals. Our hats are off to you! (While our masks and face shields are on!)
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Successful Telehealth Webinars
The WVPCA recently hosted two webinars in collaboration with the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center with guest speaker Kathy Hsu Wibberly, PhD, Director. The first webinar focused on the importance of designing workflows and the considerations that impact workflow in a successful telehealth encounter. The second webinar focused on how to conduct and document a clinical assessment and a physical exam remotely during a telehealth visit. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the impact of processes, workflows and etiquette on both provider and patient experience and satisfaction with telehealth. In addition, Kathy presented some best practices and practice guidelines for providing primary and urgent care using telehealth, including ways to perform and document a physical exam using telehealth.
The
Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center provides technical assistance and other resources to various mid-Atlantic states including WV in order to advance the adoption and utilization of telehealth within the MATRC region; and to work collaboratively with the other federally funded Telehealth Resource Centers to accomplish the same nationally.
If you missed these webinars and would like to access the recordings and/or presentations, please email Paula Beasley at paula.beasley@wvpca.org.
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Please join the WVPCA as we are excited to announce
"PRAPARE SDoH Implementation Webinar Series" in partnership with Yuriko de la Cruz, Social Determinants of Health Manager, National Association of Community Health Centers. We will be hosting two webinars focusing on the social determinants of health, using PRAPARE, and resources from WVPCA and the National PRAPARE Team.
Please note this webinar series replaces the previously cancelled April 14th PRAPARE webinar and ALL attendees will need to register for this new event.
Target Audience: Quality Improvement Leadership, Nurses, Medical Assistants, Community Health Workers, Care Managers, Patient Navigators, Care Coordinators, Social Workers and anyone who screens and/or refers SDoH.
Registration information can be found here.
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NCQA (PCMH) Regional Training
July 13-17,2020 - Now Virtual
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-Supported National Committee on Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Region 3 Training is now being offered
VIRTUALLY
!
The West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA), District of Columbia Primary Care Association (DCPCA), and the Mid-Atlantic Community Health Centers (MACHC) and are excited to offer National Committee on Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Training.
Facilitators: Bill Tulloch, Director, Quality Solutions Group, NCQA & Christina Borden, Director, Recognition Program Policy Resources, NCQA
Who Should Attend:
Any person implementing the PCMH model at their clinical practice, pursing PCMH 2017 recognition, and/or PCMH status through annual reporting.
Cost: This training is offered at
NO COST to participants.
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State News
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Health centers in WV awarded federal grants
Health centers across West Virginia will receive $4,071,967 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Senate Appropriations Committee members, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), say the grants are awards through the Health Center Cluster Program, which supports community health centers serving rural, underserved communities.
"Rural health centers are essential to making sure West Virginians have access to quality healthcare," Manchin says. "The COVID-19 pandemic has put our health centers, already operating on shoestring budgets, in a dangerous situation. It is critical we continue to provide them with more support and funding so they can stay afloat during this pandemic."
Individual awards include:
- $1,101,114 - Shenandoah Valley Medical System
- $1,107,151 - Community Care of West Virginia
- $1,863,702 - Valley Health Systems
"Health centers provide such a robust portion of our health services across West Virginia, making this funding vital to our communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff of our health centers have been on the front lines, helping our fellow West Virginians," Capito says.
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Wednesday Webinar Series: June and July
The West Virginia Primary Care Association, the
Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centersand the MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center have created this six-part webinar series for Community Health Centers who have an integral role in Ending the HIV Epidemic. Participants will hear from fellow Community Health Centers and clinic leaders for a strategy-gathering information exchange to learn more about HIV Routine Testing, Implementation of Routine Testing, Importance of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and how to access funding for PrEP. The webinars will be an hour in length and will include Q&A as well as audience interaction via polling. CME, CNE, and CEU are available.
For more information and registration information
click here
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Due to the COVID-19, the 2020 West Virginia Rural Health Conference has been changed to a virtual event. Additional information and registration will be added to their web-page soon.
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Vaccine Super Hero Contest
The WV Immunization Network announces their Vaccine Super-Hero Contest: Fighting Infectious Diseases: Vaccine Heroes At Work. This contest is open to West Virginia students in grades 5 to 12. Judges will select one winner from each of the following age categories: grades 5-8 and grades 9-12.
Create your own comic strip or short graphic novel (4 pages maximum) about a superhero(es) that develops a vaccine and saves lives. Your submission should have a simple story-line that includes your hero's name their life saving adventures.
The comic strip or graphic novel can tell the story of either:
- A historic figure who has developed a vaccine; or
- A future superhero that creates a vaccine to prevent COVID-19.
For full contest details, visit here.
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GKVF Announcing Virtual Trainings
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation is launching a Virtual Nonprofit Capacity Building series to assist partners to work remotely. Below are several of the webinars they will be offering. Registration is required and descriptions of the webinars can be found via the registration links. For more information visit TGKVF's website.
Outputs, Outcomes, and Demographics: An In-depth look at what you are collecting and why presented by CJ Johnson of Midwest Evaluation and Research
June 9th at 2:00pm
Strategies for Writing Grants when your Organization is Understaffed presented by Global Partners President Patrick Patterson
July 9th from 10:30-11:45am
Tech Tools for Nonprofits presented by our own Grants Manager Candace
Krell; these include short, 15-minute tutorials on a variety of tools.
You can find the first one here.
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COVID-19: A Focus on the Impact in Appalachian and Rural Communitites
The American Heart Association is hosting an upcoming webinar to talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on rural and Appalachian areas. This
event is the second in their series and will focus on the economic impacts of the pandemic on rural and Appalachian areas. Participants will hear from the National Rural Health Association, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and a rural Alabama food bank representative will share what is happening in their community.
Find more information and registration information
here.
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National News
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A Call For Change For All Americans
Statement from Tom Van Coverden, President & CEO and Lathran J. Woodard, Board Chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers on the Death of George Floyd
Community Health Centers stand with all Americans condemning the horrific killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. We are distressed, angry and afraid - especially for the men and women of color in the nation who face harm and discrimination simply by going about their daily lives. Because a 17 year-old girl bravely recorded this brutal murder at the hands of the police - no one - not even the most callous or indifferent - can now ignore what has been neglected and shunned aside in America for far too long. Mr. Floyd's death, and the scores of those who have suffered similar fates, sadly are a part of a historical legacy of injustice and racism that pervades and is ingrained in our society.
Born out of the civil rights and social justice movement of the 1960s, the nation's Community Health Centers serve to this day as advocates for quality care and health equity for all. As community-based health care providers to 30 million people in over 14,000 medically underserved communities across America, we are first-hand witnesses to the direct effect of violence, stress, physical and mental abuse on the health and well-being of our patients - people on the receiving end of racism and discrimination because of the color of their skin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, income level or insurance status.
We as a nation must do more if we are to believe and hold true to the principles of our democracy. And we must do it together. We must usher in real change to protect and improve the lives of all people - from our local policing practices to our judicial and legal systems, to our educational institutions, to our health care systems. Most importantly, we must move forward public policies at local, state and national levels that reflect the true needs and priorities of a country in crisis.
Community Health Centers were created for and by the communities they serve. We are ready to work for real change. We are the catalyst for real change in this country; if not us, then who?
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Year 2021 FTCA Health Center Deeming Applications
Applications for medical malpractice coverage under the FTCA are open in EHBs. We've extended the completion deadline to Monday, July 13.
HRSA guidance for both new applications (deeming) and renewal of existing coverage (redeeming) for health center staff is available in Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2020-02
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NACHC'S "Reimagining Care" Webinar Series
Join NACHC to move beyond "Flattening the COVID-19 Curve" to NACHC's new webinar series, "Reimagining Care." This series will focus on how Health Centers will continue to lead the primary health care industry through flexibility and innovation in a post-COVID world.
The first webinar entitled "Reimagining Care: Reopening Dental Practices" from June r4, 2020 can be found here.
Speakers:
Moderator: Donald L. Weaver, MD, Senior Advisor, Clinical Workforce, NACHC
Isaac Zeckel, DDS, Chief Dental Officer, HealthLinc, Indiana
Stephen Davis, DDS, Chief Dental Officer, Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic, Washington
E. Michele Chambliss, DNP, MS, RN, FAAN, Director, Federal Tort Claims Act Division, HRSA
Guest speakers and panelists will change from webinar to webinar as the topics change and as new issues emerge, but will feature individuals from NACHC, CDC, HRSA / BPHC, community health centers, and/or key experts from the field.
Save the date for webinars on
June 25, July 9, July 23 & August 6 from 1:00 pm - 2 pm EDT.
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- If your health center's PCMH recognition is accurate, no action is needed.
- If it is inaccurate, please submit an update to your PCMH recognition information via the EHBs no later than Sunday, July 5. View instructions for submitting an update, including the acceptable forms of required documentation.
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
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Project ECHO, is hosting a free 16-week webinar series
that provides primary care providers and other members of a multidisciplinary diabetes care team with case-based learning and consultation to empower them to address the needs of patients with diabetes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Webinars are held every Wednesday at 12:00 - 1:15 pm discussing a new topic each week. CME credits are offered for attendance.
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Capital Link, a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), presents a webinar designed to assist health centers planning new or expanded facilities in developing a detailed business plan for their capital project. Drawing on the recently updated publication,
Creating a Business Plan for Community Health Centers
, this session examines each of the key components of a business plan, including financial forecasts, and how health centers can use this important document to help secure financing for their projects.
Thursday, June 11, 2020 |2:00 PM ET
Harm Reduction and Isolation During COVID-19
This webinar is hosted by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a HRSA funded NCA.
Monday, June 15, 2020 | 2:00 PM ET
Register here
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Please save the date for these upcoming sessions:
NEW DATE: Thursday, June 29, 2020
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Access details coming soon
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Financial and Funding Resources
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The HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) will be making approximately 50 awards of $200,000 each to rural communities to enhance capacity to address substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. Over the course of an 18-month period of performance,
grant recipients will conduct a series of planning activities, engage multi-sector consortiums and participate in the RCORP-Planning learning collaborative. Applicant organizations may be located in an urban or rural areas; however, all activities supported by this program must exclusively target HRSA-designated rural areas
(per the
Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
). FORHP recorded an hour-long webinar that is available upon request.
Apply
by Monday, July 13.
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USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants
The USDA Rural Development announced a second application window for funding under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program due to the current public health emergency. This program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Eligible applicants include most entities that provide education or health care through telecommunications. Apply by Monday, July 13.
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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:
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Risk Management Programs & Plans
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Claims and Lawsuits
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Role of the Risk Manager
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Patient Grievances and Complaints
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Communication with Patients
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Credentialing and Privileging
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Communication among Providers, Staff, and Community Partners
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Tracking Systems for Diagnostic Tests, Referrals, and Hospitalizations
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COVID-19 Resources for Health Centers
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ECRI Institute
Federally qualified health centers and free clinics are on the front line in testing and treating patients who may have been exposed to COVID-19. Use these resources to keep your staff and patients safe:
In addition, ECRI's COVID-19 Resource Center includes free resources addressing the provision of clinical care and managing the supply chain. Updated several times per week, highlights include:
Additional guidance is available directly from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), including:
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WVPCA Staff
Debra Boyd | Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
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To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter, click
HERE
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West Virginia Primary Care Association
1700 MacCorkle Ave. Charleston, WV 25314| (304) 346-0032 |
WWW.WVPCA.ORG
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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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