Dear Advocate,

As vaccinations continue, an end to the COVID-19 pandemic is gradually coming into focus. To overcome this crisis, however, we must support the frontline providers and staff working to build vaccine confidence and equity. This week the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is offering a new webinar series to support providers in the weeks to come, highlighting strategies to boost vaccine confidence, and more.
Don't Miss Our New Webinar Series: Mitigating Burnout and Maintaining Provider Satisfaction During Vaccination Rollouts
Join our STAR² Center in exploring strategies to mitigate burnout, engage staff, and improve provider satisfaction during mass vaccinations in our new webinar series starting at 12 p.m. ET on March 31. The COVID-19 pandemic forced health centers to rapidly adapt while coping with staffing changes, lack of PPE, and fear of infectiondramatically affecting provider burnout and satisfaction. This new series will examine lessons learned and real strategies to help health centers minimize burnout and maintain provider satisfaction in the months to come.
ACU Program Brings Lifesaving Suicide Prevention Trainings to 1,700 Primary Care Providers and Staff
ACU, in collaboration with Concert Health, recently completed the third year in the largest effort in history to train primary care providers in suicide prevention—the Suicide Safer Care (SSC) program. Made possible by the generous support of the Centene Corporation, the SSC initiative delivered 35 trainings to 1,704 participants in 16 states in 2020 to help address the public health crisis of suicide. Learn more about the program and what its 2020 findings illuminate about the evolving epidemic of suicide in the United States.
Read Our New Blog Post: Increasing Vaccine Confidence: A Physician's Perspective
The latest post in ACU's Allying for Equity blog features a personal perspective from Dr. Jaya Kasaraneni on how providers can improve vaccine confidence to help end the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Health Leadership Development Fellow with Georgetown University's Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Kasaraneni highlights the importance of communication to build confidence in skeptical patients "with honesty and armed with facts." Interested in sharing your own perspective with us? Contact us!
COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar
Thank you to everyone who joined us for yesterday's COVID-19 vaccine confidence with Pfizer! If you missed the webinar, you can still access many of the resources mentioned during the presentation, including:
In Case You Missed It: Learn What a Positive COVID Test Meant for One FQHC Employee in our Podcast
Our latest STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast spotlights the personal impact of contracting COVID-19 in an interview with Jessica Cannon Wilson, Substance Abuse Program Director at Canyonlands Healthcare in Arizona. Part of our second season examining COVID's impact on FQHC workforces, this episode touches on stigma, best practices for staff, and self-care. Listen to the conversation or past episodes in our series.
ACU Mourns Lives Lost in Recent Murders in Atlanta and Stands with the AAPI Community
ACU is deeply saddened by the recent murders in Atlanta of Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue. ACU condemns these tragic killings rooted in hate, racism, and xenophobia, and we stand in solidarity with the AAPI community. Read our full statement and visit Stop AAPI Hate to learn how to report AAPI hate crimes, stay safe when experiencing hate, or offer support as a bystander.
ACU Welcomes Xavier Becerra as New Secretary of Health and Human Services
ACU was pleased to witness the recent confirmation of Xavier Becerra as the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We strongly supported his nomination and are encouraged by the leadership Mr. Becerra can bring to our nation in addressing health equity, ensuring affordable healthcare access and coverage, and ensuring and expanding a robust healthcare workforce.
NHSC & Nurse Corps Scholarship Applications Are Open
HRSA's National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps have now opened their 2021 scholarship applications! This is an excellent opportunity for financial support for students interested in committing to serve in high-need, underserved communities. Nurse Corps applications close May 6, and NHSC applications close on May 11.
New Webinars on Care for the Underserved
Our partners are hosting a variety of webinars of interest to clinicians providing care to underserved populations. A few of these upcoming sessions include:
March 25: 12-1:30 p.m. ET
HRSA Office of Regional Operations (Reg. 1) & New England Rural Health Assoc.
March 26: 1-2 p.m. ET
HRSA & National Training and Technical Assistance Partners
April 27: 2-3 p.m. ET
National Clinician Consultation Center & HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care
What We're Reading: COVID-19 & Structural Racism in Focus in Latest JHCPU Issue
The new issue of ACU's official Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved is online. Tackling the twin crises of COVID-19 and structural racism, this edition offers research on the pandemic's impact on FQHCs, connections between policing and mental health, and more. ACU Members: don't forget to log in through our member portal for free access.
As our community of providers, patients, and advocates works to end the COVID-19 pandemic, ACU remains here to support you in our shared mission. Your guidance is crucial to inform our efforts: please contact our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly with any feedback. Thank you for all that you do to make health equity a reality.
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