June 18, 2021
UPCOMING TPCA
TRAININGS & EVENTS
Avoiding Burnout & Activating Stress Management Strategies 


Led by Dr. Desireè Kelly, Workforce Strategies & Evaluations Manager, TPCA
Grief in the Workplace — When It's Not Business as Usual 


Led by Marcello Scalzo, Community Relationship Manager, Alive Hospice
Taking a Trauma-Informed Approach to Workplace Success in Rural Communities

Led by Elizabeth Guroff, MA, LCMFT, Director, Practice Improvement & Consulting, National Council for Behavioral Health
To learn more information about this program, please contact


The state of Tennessee is facing a chronic disease crisis. 13% of Tennessee's population has diabetes and 39% have hypertension.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and medical professionals have been required to be innovative and creative in their approaches to patient education and engagement. Join us for a virtual summit in July 2021 to discuss chronic disease and COVID-19 from a national and statewide perspective, and the influence of the global pandemic on emergency preparedness.

Instead of returning to “normal,” together, we will explore how we can take the lessons learned during the coronavirus pandemic and walk into the “new normal” of health care.
Thursday, July 15, 2021 | 1 PM Central

This session will explore all the lessons learned of using technology to provide care to patients throughout a global pandemic. It will also cover trends and best practices in patient care using technology, and lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on hypertension and diabetes.

Led by Lisa Harrison, MS, MHS, PA-C,
Health Management Associates

Sponsored by: AristaMD
Thursday, July 22, 2021 | 1 PM Central

Though much of the world was navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, populations with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension remained in need of care. Technology presented an unique opportunity to keep patients engaged and manage their care. This moderated panel will discuss the lessons learned and innovations of providing care through technology.

Led by Elizabeth Wolff, MD, MPA,
Health Management Associates
Thursday, July 29, 2021 | 1 PM Central

The final session of the chronic disease summit will focus on best practices and lessons learned for preparing community health centers for public health emergencies. The speaker will discuss vaccinations, general guidance on preparing for emergencies and how health centers can ready themselves for public health emergencies.

Led by Melissa Corrado, MBA,
Health Management Associates

Sponsored by: CareMessage
COVID-19 RESOURCES
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 TPCA’s 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.
TPCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
On Thursday, June 24th, 15 local restaurants all across Chattanooga will be joining forces with Cempa Community Care to raise money and awareness for HIV programs in the Tennessee Valley through the organization’s annual Dining Out For Life event.
National Health Center Week: August 8-14, 2021
Community health centers, don't forget to submit your events to NACHC
by June 30th to be considered for a $500 sponsorship from NACHC!
FEDERAL POLICY UPDATES
National Health Center Week: August 8-14, 2021

TPCA is excited to join health centers in Tennessee and across the country in celebrating
National Health Center Week from August 8-14! This year, we will be celebrating all of the ways health centers create The Chemistry for Strong Communities.


Submit your event to NACHC 
Community health centers can submit events to NACHC by June 30 and be considered for a $500 sponsorship from NACHC if the following criteria are met:
  • The CHC is planning a community-wide event (virtual or in-person during NHCW)
  • The CHC uses social media to promote the value of CHCs using #ValueCHCs
  • The CHC invites elected officials (state or federal) to visit (virtually or in-person) the health center

Submit your events to TPCA 
If you are hosting National Health Center Week events, please email emily.waitt@tnpca.org with details about the event so we can highlight your events and provide opportunities for TPCA staff to join in your celebrations!
National Day of Action: June 30th

Infrastructure negotiations continue in Congress, with focus shifting to a group of bipartisan senators, who are working on alternative to the Biden administration’s plan.

NACHC is holding a National Day of Action on June 30 to advocate for infrastructure funding for community health centers. The last major investment in capital funding for health centers occurred over a decade ago and health centers need long-term investments to continue to serve additional patients.
Provider Relief Fund

HHS confirmed that community health centers must expend all Provider Relief Fund (PRF) funding by June 30, 2021. The June 30 deadline applies to all PRF funds that health centers received prior to June 30, 2020. Funds that health centers received from HHS after June 30, 2020, have a later deadline.


HHS released the reporting requirements for PRF funds. The deadline for reporting on PRF funds expended by June 30, 2021 has been extended to September 30, 2021.


Provider Relief Fund Webinar
Health centers can join a free webinar on the Provider Relief Fund rules and reporting requirements on Thursday, June 24 at 2 PM (ET).
Federal Torts Claims Act Redeeming Application Deadline

Through the Federal Tort Claims Act, eligible HRSA-supported community health centers may be granted medical malpractice liability protection with the Federal government acting as their primary insurer. To receive coverage, grantees must submit an initial deeming application to HHS, HRSA, and the Bureau of Primary Health Care and meet the requirements to attain deemed status.

Each currently deemed entity must submit a redeeming application for itself by June 25, 2021, to be eligible to be deemed during CY21 without a gap in coverage.
With Adaptive's experienced recruiters and tech-forward data,
AMP’s approach to physician recruiting is unlike any other in the country.

Contact Carly Wilhelm at wilhelm@amp-health.com to learn more about
how AMP can help you with your recruitment needs. Reference TPCA for more details.
WORKFORCE
Talk About It Thursdays

TPCA is holding interactive sessions focused on in workforce topics. Participants have the opportunity to network with like-minded community health center staff, hear strategies and tips about employee retention, recruitment practices, and resilient workplace wellbeing and culture methods.

Did you miss the May and June sessions?

MAY 2021
Hiring Practices in Rural Communities

JUNE 2021
Increasing Retention: Delegation to Empower, not Exhaust


Be on the lookout for new Talk About It Thursdays
in August 2021!
ADDITIONAL NEWS & RESOURCES
Integrating Eye Care Services into Primary Care

NACHC recently worked with the Center for Vision and Population Health/Prevent Blindness to prepare the attached 3-page technical assistance document that provides

  1. a brief overview in the significance of vision loss in the health center population
  2. recommendations for health centers in assessing/planning for integrated eye care services into primary care

To learn more, visit

Or contact Julie Grutzmacher, MSW, MPH, Director of National Collaboration and Engagement at jgrutzmacher@preventblindness.org
Survey Opportunity - Genetic Services Research Study

Erin Beasley, a Genetic Counseling Masters student at Emory University, is recruiting primary care providers in the southeastern US (AL, GA, FL, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN) to participate in a study regarding genetic testing and referrals.

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the survey using the link below. The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. From this survey, 12 interview participants will be selected. Interview participants will complete a single (30-45 minute) virtual interview. Interview participants will receive a $100 gift card as appreciation for their time.

Completed surveys are due by June 18, 2021.


For more information, please contact Erin Beasley at Erin.beasley@emory.edu.
Learn more about partnering with TPCA by contacting Susan Swartz at susan.swartz@tnpca.org!
Share your news!
We want to help spread the word about what's going on at Tennessee's health centers.
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 an award totaling $1,830,669, with 15 percent 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.