TPCA is excited to announce two staff promotions!

Cassandra LeBlanc has been promoted to Health Care Access Program Director!

Tiffany Priest has been promoted to Health Care Access Program Manager!

Meet the TPCA team >>>

National Health Center Week 2022

National Health Center Week, an annual celebration to recognize and honor the work of community health centers, will be held from August 7-13!

NHCW is a great time to invite members of the Tennessee General Assembly and Congress out to your center! If you would like assistance reaching out to elected officials and inviting them to your health center, please email emily.waitt@tnpca.org.

If your health center is holding a NHCW event, please let TPCA know by emailing emily.waitt@tnpca.org with a short description of the event. 

Learn more about National Health Center Week >>> 

FY23 Community Health Center Appropriations 

The House Appropriations Committee passed the 12 appropriations bills in June and they are expected to come before the House floor by the end of July. The House included $1.9 billion for community health centers in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, an increase of $198 million from FY22. The funding includes $25 million to expand access to contraceptive care, $100 million for school-based health centers, and $156 million for the National Health Service Corps. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not released its version of the bill yet. Congress must pass appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30 or will have to pass a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded at current levels. 

340B Sign on Letter to HHS

Several members of the Tennessee Congressional Delegation signed on to a bi-partisan letter in the House, urging HHS to take enforcement action against drug manufacturers for restricting shipments of 340B-priced medications to contract pharmacies. Thank you to Congressman Burchett (R-2), Congressman Fleischmann (R-3), Congressman Rose (R-6), and Congressman Cohen (D-9) for signing on to the letter!

Cempa Community Care is working to break down mental health care stigma in minority communities.

Read more here >>>

Love's Arm Welcomes Partnership With Cempa Community Care For Street Outreach

Read more here >>>

Ex-Brentwood Academy star, NBA vet Brandan Wright serves the community as 'Dentist for a Day!' It’s not every day you see a 6-foot-10 dentist. But local residents were able to see exactly that on Wednesday morning at Neighborhood Health as Brandan Wright took part in his second annual Dentist for a Day venture. 

Read more here >>>

Ways to Use Social Media and How to Handle Reviews

The various social media platforms can be powerful tools in both active and passive recruiting for your community health center. Social media also can be used against you, such as in the form of negative online reviews. Social media has become a key component of how your practice is perceived by current and prospective patients, partners and providers.

Learn ways you can harness the potential of social media and how to handle online reviews from Adaptive Medical Partners!

$1 Million Grants for Rural CHCs to Establish New Opioid MAT Sites - 

CHCs Are Explicitly Listed as Eligible to Apply!

HRSA has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity through which it will make approximately 10 awards of up to $1 million per year to establish new access points for medication-assisted treatment in rural areas. The proposed MAT access points must be located in HRSA-designated rural areas and the CHC cannot currently provide MAT as a clinical service. 

Applications are due July 29, 2022.

BPHC $1 Million Contest to Expand Access and Improve Links to Social Services

This week, BPHC announced the launch of Building Bridges to Better Health: A Primary Health Care Challenge, a national competition with a total of $1 million in cash prizes. Competitors will be asked to identify innovative, low-cost, scalable solutions to help health centers improve patient access to primary care and strengthen the link between health care and social services. The competition is open to broad public participation, including individuals, groups, health care organizations, and other entities.

• Phase 1 (concept design) will include initial awards totaling $300,000 for up to 30 winners. 
• Phase 1 submissions are due Tuesday, August 2.  

Visit Challenge.gov for more information >>> 

HHS Medicaid and CHIP Unwinding Education Series

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are hosting a monthly education series on the unwinding of the continuous coverage and enrollment provision. The next call of the series will be held on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

Register here >>> 

COVID-19

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.