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Legislative Session
The 112th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned last week, concluding with the passage of a $52.8B budget for FY22-23. The following health care related priorities were included in the final budget:
- An additional $5M in non-recurring funding for the Health Care Safety Net, bringing total funding for FY22-23 to approximately $29M. TPCA advocated for the $5M budget amendment, led by Senator Jack Johnson and Representative William Lamberth, to support primary care for uninsured adults provided through community health centers and charitable and faith-based clinics.
- $25M in state funding and $50M in federal funding to provide an adult dental benefit to TennCare enrollees
- $12M in non-recurring funding for the Tennessee Department of Health for the first year of a pilot program to support the state’s dental schools and recruit and retain providers
TPCA and community health centers have been advocating for legislation to increase access to care and support post-pandemic transformation. The following bills passed the Tennessee General Assembly and were signed into law by Governor Lee:
Public Chapter 766 removes a sunset date that requires telehealth visits to be reimbursed at parity with in-person visits in the commercial market, ensuring on-going reimbursement. The legislation was enacted as Public Chapter 766, effective April 1, 2022.
Public Chapter 807 requires reimbursement for audio-only medical visits when other means are not available. The legislation was enacted as Public Chapter 807, effective April 8, 2022.
Public Chapter 749 increases direct access to Naloxone for community entities. The legislation was enacted as Public Chapter 749, effective July 1, 2022.
SB2043/HB2565 allows the Department of Health to utilize the remote use of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in 2022. The legislation passed the Senate but has not come up before the House for a vote.
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FY23 Appropriations
President Biden's FY23 budget request included an additional $155M for community health centers, bringing the annual appropriation to $1.839B and total funding to $5.7B.
NACHC and TPCA have been advocating for additional investments in community health centers during the appropriations process. Representatives Harshbarger (R-1), Burchett (R-2), DesJarlais (R-4), Cooper (D-5), Rose (D-6), and Cohen (D-9) all signed on to a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter in the House of Representatives in support of robust community health center funding for FY23.
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TPCA COVID-19 Resources Page
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 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.
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ETSU has been awarded funding through HRSA to improve and strengthen access to school-based health services in communities across the country. Awards will support local partnerships between schools and health centers to provide children and youth the comprehensive physical and mental health care they need.
Read the HHS press release >>>
In addition, take a look at how ETSU's behavioral health program looks to set model for providing care.
Read more from the Johnson City Press >>>
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Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center recently hosted their annual Annual Dr. Matthew Walker, Sr. Legacy Breakfast. With support from the community, MWCHC was able to meet their goal and raise more than $60,000!
Watch the virtual event here >>>
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Neighborhood Health CEO Brian Haile spoke with WPLN about the affects of rising housing costs in Davidson County on access to critical social services.
Read the full story here >>>
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ADDITIONAL NEWS & RESOURCES | | |
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HMA Systems of Care Webinar:
Pain Management - Treating Pain in the New World
Thursday, May 19, 2022
12:00 - 1:00 PM PST
This webinar will provide an overview of changing paradigms in pain management, the common challenges of treating chronic pain, and the impact of pain on physical and mental well-being. In addition, presenters will discuss new updates to treatment guidelines and pain treatment with special populations, such as individuals with Substance Use Disorders.
Learning Objectives
- Describe appropriate assessment and referral pathways for people in pain
- Identify optimal and alternative treatment modalities and considerations for their utilization
- Discuss at least three significant updates to the new CDC guidelines
- Describe considerations for and application of updated concepts to high-risk populations
- List at least three principles of pain management in persons on medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
Register here >>>
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QuizTime Educational Opportunity
with TDH and VUMC CAMHL Department
Tennessee Department of Health, along with the CDC and Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Center for Advanced Mobile Healthcare Learning (CAMHL) department, is offering a unique opportunity to enroll in a novel education program, accessed through your mobile devices, that delivers daily quiz questions about opioids. All courses fulfill the CE Controlled Substances Requirement for State of TN Licensure.
There is no cost to the learner. Once enrolled, the questions come either via email or text message, one question per day, Monday-Friday. The learner can decide what time of day they receive their question. Learners are also eligible to enroll in as many courses as they would like and can receive Continuing Education credits for meeting the success criteria per course.
Learn more about thee TDH and CAMHL educational offerings >>>
Access the QuizTime website to register for the course here >>>
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Grant Funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)
SAMHSA has published two Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) to support a major expansion of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model:
The CCBHC has many similarities to CHC model, including Federal requirements to:
- provide care to all individuals, regardless of ability to pay
- use a sliding fee scale
- be governed by a Board whose members are representative of the individuals being served
In addition, CCBHCs:
- are required to coordinate with area FQHCs
- are reimbursed by Medicaid reimburses based on a PPS
More information on the CCBHC model is available in these program criteria.
CCBHCs have been operating as a Medicaid demonstration for that last several years, and there are now around 430 CCBHCs nationwide. These NOFOs will lead to a major expansion in the number and impact of CCBHCs across the country. SAMHSA plans to make over 150 awards under each opportunity, and each award will be for approximately $1 million annually for a four-year project period.
Applications for both grants are due Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
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HHS Announces $90 Million to Support New Data-Driven Approaches for Health Centers to Identify and Reduce Health Disparities
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the availability of nearly $90 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support new data-driven efforts for HRSA Health Center Program-supported health centers and look-alikes (HRSA-designated health centers) to identify and reduce health disparities.
“Health centers are vital to increasing equitable access to primary health care,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in health centers, and this funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will further enable health centers to utilize data to meet the needs of their community and help reduce gaps in care.”
Applications are due Monday, May 23, 2022.
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Grant Funding for Community-Based Doulas
HRSA is making $4.5 million in grant funding available for hiring, training, certifying, and compensating community-based doulas in areas with high rates of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. This opportunity will increase the total number of Healthy Start doula programs from 25 to approximately 50 nationwide, with an average grant award of $180,000.
Applications are due Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
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Share your news!
We want to help spread the word about what's going on at Tennessee's health centers.
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This publication is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of awards totaling $1,367,898 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, $875,593 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, $297,184 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, and $195,000 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
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