Member Spotlight
Foundation Honors Health Center Leaders
in Celebration of National Women's History Month
The Connecting the Dots Foundation honored six women of distinction in 2022 who are "Providing healing and promoting hope." Two are leaders in the health center movement in Mississippi. Dr. Jasmin Chapman, CEO of Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Services, and Dr. Sonja Fuqua, Chief Clinical Officer for the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi were honored earlier this month for their roles in promoting health and hope in the community and "whose lives and experiences have influenced our communities and state." Congratulations!
North Miss. Primary Health Care Scores 100% on OSV
Congratulations to James Nunnally, Executive Director, of NMPHC, Christina Nunnally, DNP, and the North Miss. Primary Health Care team for scoring 100% on its OSV. The site visit was November 16-18, 2021.
Please note: The 2022 Employee Award Nomination information has been sent to CEOs/Executive Directors. Contact us if you didn't receive it.
Programs and Workforce Development Director at CHCAMS Retires
Wayne Miley retired from CHCAMS on March 31, 2022. Mr. Miley joined the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi in June 2015. His career focused on workforce development and health care. Wayne says he plans to take some time off to travel and spend more time with his 97-year-old mother. Congratulations to Wayne!
CHW Spotlight: Patty Patterson, Connecting Communities to Care
Congratulations to Patty Patterson, who recently received recognition for excellence in Community Health Leadership from City of Jackson (Miss.) Ward Three Councilman Kenneth I. Stokes. Ms. Patterson has been a community health worker for a year, officially, but she has a long history of grassroots work in communities. “I have always been in service to the community,” said Ms. Patterson, reflecting on her time doing grassroots outreach as a 7-year-old with a church in Detroit. The work she did as a young person helped people with basic needs, like food and transportation. “We prayed and provided resources,” she said.

What she is seeing in the Jackson neighborhoods where she works as a CHW is there are areas that “lack resources and education.” Ms. Patterson has been working for more than 12 months promoting COVID-19 education. She said last year there was a lot of apathy and lack of education where citizens “didn’t believe COVID was real.” Ms. Patterson said people were more receptive to hearing about COVID-19 vaccination when the death toll rose. Even today, Patty sees herself as an educator and a connector. “I have found my calling.”
On the Hill
President’s FY 2023 Federal Budget Introduced
President Biden introduced his $5.8 trillion budget for FY 2023. While Presidents’ budgets never become law “as is” –- and are often considered “dead on arrival” by Congress -- they still provide valuable insights into an Administration’s priorities. The President’s proposed budget includes:
 
  • Section 330 - Health Center Funding: An additional $155 million (bringing the total 330 funding – both discretionary and mandatory —to $5.7 billion.) While the proposed $155 million increase is less than 3% of current Section 330 funding, the budget states that “The Administration continues to be committed to working with the Congress to advance the President’s goal of doubling the Federal investment in community health centers, which would help reduce health disparities by expanding access to care.”
  • Workforce: $90 million increase in discretionary funding, to bring total funding (both mandatory and discretionary) to $502 million for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), a $250 million increase for a range of programs to expand the Behavioral Health Workforce, and additional $400 million to prevent healthcare worker burnout.
  • 340B: A $7 million increase, for a total of $17.2 million, to “Build on 340B Program Integrity efforts” and support the implementation of the ADR process. The President’s Budget also requested that Congress provide HRSA with more authority to regulate the 340B program. However, this year’s request also contains a veiled reference to the ongoing battles around contract pharmacies, as follows: “Legislative action is necessary to provide the kind of transparency, accountability, and oversight needed to ensure that the intent of the program is met to stretch scarce federal resources for safety net providers and so the safety net has access to discounted drugs for their patients.”(Emphasis added.)

Legislation to Support Healthcare Workers' Mental Health Becomes Law
President Biden recently signed the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act into law. This comprehensive, bipartisan legislation, led by Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07), will prevent suicide and address burnout and mental and behavioral health conditions among healthcare professionals. Named after Dr. Lorna Breen, a New York City emergency room physician who tragically died by suicide after enduring the trauma and burnout of working on the frontlines of the pandemic, the bill seeks to establish training and other mental health resources for medical professionals and increase awareness about mental health concerns among the healthcare workforce. Learn more. 
"Take a Minute for Your Health with Dr. Sonja Fuqua" is the latest video series from CHCAMS to address forming healthier habits to prevent becoming very ill if contracting COVID-19. Find the videos at vaccineplus.me or on the CHCAMS YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe.
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.
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