Member Spotlight
COVID-19 Education Grant Project Deploys
135 CHWs in Communities in Three States
(photo, left...CHCAMS CEO Terrence Shirley and Arkansas PCA project director Barbara Hager. Mr. Shirley delivered computers to Arkansas and Louisiana PCAs for the project for the CHWs to use in collecting data and managing the project.)

The Community Health Center Association of Mississippi has received a $10.9 million grant to bolster the Community Health Workforce in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. This grant is a partnership between the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi, Community Health Centers of Arkansas, and the Louisiana PCA. The grant is funded by the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA), under its HRSA-21-136 “Community‐Based Workforce to Increase COVID‐19 Vaccinations in Underserved Communities” grant. The purpose of the program is to establish, expand, and sustain a public health workforce to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19.  
 
 
Due to workforce issues in health care during the pandemic, this innovative project has recruited and trained individuals from various communities as Community Health Workers (CHW). Aaron E. Henry Family Health Services Center is the training partner for this project. These CHWs are people in communities working to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and promote vaccination while addressing myths and misconceptions that prevent people from taking the COVID-19 vaccination.
 
CHWs and participating Federally Qualified Health Centers in each state will conduct activities, such as face-to-face outreach and directly with community members to educate them about the vaccine. Assisting individuals in making a vaccine appointment, providing resources to find convenient vaccine locations, and assisting individuals with transportation or other needs to get to a vaccination site are all a part of the grassroots work being done in the three states and led by CHCAMS.
 
"This public health workforce initiative will provide additional boots on the ground to address the needs of community members to get trusted and credible information regarding COVID-19 from people in their communities they trust and most importantly they can relate to. The added benefit is that this will reduce the strain on an already stretched health care system in local communities by employing 45 CHWs in each state,” said Dr. Christopher Roby, COO of CHCAMS and grant manager.
 
If you would like more information about this project please contact the Project Director Chetonya Perkins via email at cperkins@chcams.org or the program coordinator Shelby Greer at sgreer@chcams.org. While this project is slated to end on October 31, 2022, the knowledge and skills infused into the community regarding COVID-19 and vaccinations will remain.
 
Remember it’s Your Choice, Your Shot, Your Health.
Annual 340B Providers 'Recertification' Deadline Monday, February 28, 2022
All 340B providers are required to “recertify” for 340B each year, and CHCs (both grantees and look-alikes) generally do this in February. This process involves: reviewing all information on the HRSA’s Office of Pharmacy Affair’s Information System (OPAIS) for each clinical site and contract pharmacy; attesting that all information is accurate and up-to-date; and also attesting that the CHC complies with all 340B rules. CHCs who do not complete this task by the deadline (Monday 2/28 this year) will immediately become ineligible to participate in 340B for at least 4 months. 
  • The deadline for recertification is TODAY, Monday, Feb. 28 at 11:59 PM Eastern.  
  • Any sites that are not recertified by that time will immediately become ineligible to participate in 340B for at least 4 months
  • CHCs must individually certify each clinical site and also review all contract pharmacy arrangements. If a CHC has closed a site that is on the attached list, they should delete the site from OPAIS. 
‌
Stories from CHWs Requested
If you are a CHW or have one employed in your health center, we would like to get some stories from the field. Please send to kcleveland@chcams.org. Stories are due on the 2nd Friday of the month.
On the Hill
CR Passed to Extend Government Funding
to March 11 
The U.S. House last week passed a continuing resolution (CR), which would fund the government through March 11, 2022. Yesterday, the Senate approved the bill, just short of the current CR's Feb. 18, 2022 expiration, giving top House and Senate appropriators time to come to an agreement on an omnibus bill. The appropriators have frequently met to come to a deal on topline numbers needed to draft an omnibus appropriations bill. They are reportedly near a compromise, but the new CR gives them the time they need to finalize negotiations.
CDC Updates Guidance on Timing for Pfizer and Moderna Primary Series
This week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added considerations for an 8-week interval between the first and second doses of a primary mRNA vaccine schedule for some patients.
 
An 8-week interval may be optimal for some people ages 12 years and older, especially for males ages 12 to 39 years. A shorter interval (3 weeks for Pfizer-BioNTech; 4 weeks for Moderna) between the first and second doses remains the recommended interval for: people who are moderate to severely immunocompromised; adults ages 65 years and older; and others who need rapid protection due to increased concern about community transmission or risk of severe disease.
 
The webpage contains more details. It also links to Guidance for COVID-19 vaccination for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised (and require a 3-dose primary series). 
HRSA Makes Changes to Health Center COVID-19 Survey
Beginning with the Health Center COVID-19 Survey you received Feb. 24, HRSA will add new options for questions 7b and 8b. These questions ask where health centers distributed N95 masks and test kits received through HRSA’s COVID-19 Response Programs. Here are the new options:
  • Provided to migratory/seasonal agricultural workers directly or through partnerships with community organizations serving these individuals
  • Provided to individuals with limited English proficiency directly or through partnerships with community organizations serving these individuals
  • Provided to older adults and/or individuals with disabilities directly or through partnerships with community organizations serving these individuals
  • Provided to school-age children and/or their families directly or through partnerships with schools
  • Provided to individuals living in HUD-assisted housing and/or individuals experiencing homelessness directly or through partnerships with local housing authorities
Check out the Vaccines Plus Program page for information promoting CHC clinics. See videos of health center providers.
COVID-19 Clearinghouse 2022 and Archives Now Accessible through Linktr.ee. Access it at https://linktr.ee/CHCAMS

For those who missed the live discussions, recordings of the meetings and other information are now available at the CHCAMS COVID-19 Clearinghouse.
Indoor mask use no longer necessary across most of U.S, CDC Says. See news article below.
News To Use
Connect with us