CHAD Connection September 21, 2023

Hello, my name is James Craig, and I’m happy to be a guest contributor for this month’s CHAD Newsletter. I recently started working as the South Dakota Policy and Partnership Manager at CHAD and am grateful for the warm welcome. I wanted to take a moment to give a few updates and discuss ongoing concerns with federal funding for health centers and some opportunities to make a difference.

As you may know, health centers rely on federal funding to fulfill their mission of providing high-quality primary and preventive care to all individuals, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Funding for the Health Center Program (more commonly known as the “330 grant”) comes from a combination of discretionary funding, appropriated by Congress each year, and mandatory funding from the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF). Discretionary funding (which represents 30% of federal health center funding) is voted on annually, and the House Appropriations and Senate Appropriations Committees determine the amounts. Mandatory funding (70% of federal health center funding) is based on multi-year grant funding. It is determined by the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees. This funding is set to expire on September 30th if no action is taken, so it is a critical time to share our stories with lawmakers.

Over the years, the actual value of these appropriations has also declined. In this graph, you can see that, when adjusted for inflation, health center funding has decreased since 2015, despite the growing needs we see in communities.

CHAD maintains relationships with members of Congress and has met with congressional staffers about the importance of health center funding. We also encourage health center staff, board members, and patients, along with community partners and others who see the impact of health centers, to share your perspective with lawmakers. We need to act because we are coming up on the end of our five-year funding cycle, or “funding cliff,” from the CHCF. There are a variety of ways to get involved, including:

Join CHAD’s Health Center Advocacy Action Team (HCAAT). This group meets monthly, and you can sign up here. From there, we will keep you informed, provide advocacy tools, and combine forces.
Sign NACHC’s latest Action Alert. Follow @HCAdvocacy on Twitter & Facebook.

For review, the September 30th deadline for Congress to pass a budget is critical for us all. It is a pivotal time for health centers and their allies to advocate, act, and let Congress know the broad impacts that health centers make within our communities. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact me by email at jcraig@communityhealthcare.net.

CHAD is pleased to announce that it has received $1.2 million in funding to continue its statewide Navigator program through the Get Covered Collaborative. The Collaborative includes health centers and nonprofit partners that employ Navigators or provide education and referrals to Navigators.

CHAD and the Get Covered Collaborative continue to deploy a marketing and communications campaign to raise awareness about Medicaid expansion. The campaign has leveraged digital and traditional media, including 17 billboards, 52 television commercials, 7,344 radio ads, and four transit bus placements.

An outreach and enrollment workshop is planned for October 17-19, 2023.

Lexy Eggert, Horizon Health Care Chief Development and Strategy Officer, and Kory Wolden, Family HealthCare Administrative Project Manager attended the Mobile Health Clinics Conference in Pittsburgh, PA in September. CHAD was able to financially support their attendance. They had the opportunity to learn more about Mobile Health Care and hear from experts in health care on the move.

CHAD will be hosting a Mobile Health Summit on October 17. Registration information is included in the upcoming events.

October 11 and November 8, 2023 | 12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Shannon Nielson with Curis Consulting will join the ongoing Care Coordination Peer Group monthly meetings in October and November. We are excited to welcome her back to continue discussing best practices and metrics on evaluating, measuring, and creating a return on investment in your care management program. Register here.

Session 1: Evaluating your Care Management Program from the Patient and Provider Perspective
In the first session of this series, participants will be introduced to key engagement and experience metrics to evaluate their care management program. The presenter will also introduce tools and methodologies to achieve care management goals.

Session 2: Measuring the Impact of Care Management on Your Organization
In the second session, participants will learn how a successful care management program can impact other population health strategies and interventions in their organizations. The presenter will also introduce operational and clinical measures to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the care management program, as well as strategies to meet organizational care management goals.

Each year CHAD and the Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States (CHAMPS) work together to gather valuable information via the Annual Health Center Training & Technical Assistance Needs Assessment. Health center input is essential, and the data gathered by this assessment will allow CHAD and CHAMPS to develop new and innovative training and technical assistance (T/TA) to support health centers this upcoming year. This assessment will be released and distributed in early October to health center leadership and staff.

HRSA opened the application cycle for the 2024 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program.

Final-year students studying to become a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, medical doctor, or dentist can apply for awards of up to $120,000 in exchange for a three-year commitment to providing primary care services at NHSC-approved sites in high-need areas. 

This year, HRSA included an additional $40,000 supplement for medical students and certified nurse midwives who commit to providing OB/GYN services in a maternity care target area (MCTA). Designated MCTAs are areas within an existing health professional shortage areas that are experiencing a significant shortage of maternity health care professionals.

Applications are due Thursday, December 7, 7:30 p.m. ET. Learn more and apply here.

On Tuesday, September 12, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommended using the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines in individuals six months and older as approved/authorized by the FDA. This new recommendation means that everyone six months and older in the United States is recommended to receive the updated Pfizer and Moderna monovalent COVID-19 vaccines, which contain the XBB.1.5 strain. With the new recommendation, the previous bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States.

The interim clinical considerations are in the process of being updated to reflect these changes, and the new recommendations include:

Regardless of previous vaccination, individuals five years of age and older are eligible to receive a single dose of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least two months after the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.
Individuals six months through four years of age who have previously been vaccinated against COVID-19 are eligible to receive one or two doses of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (timing and number of doses to administer depends on the previous COVID-19 vaccine received).
Unvaccinated individuals six months through four years of age are eligible to receive three doses of the updated authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or two doses of the updated authorized Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.

Health centers may continue to order test supplies and therapeutics through HRSA at no cost to distribute to their communities.

In addition to the new COVID-19 vaccine, staying current on the recommended guidelines for known exposure or positive COVID-19 tests is essential to protect yourself and others from becoming ill with COVID-19. This link includes an isolation calculator tool from the CDC to help you determine if you need to isolate or take other steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Resources:

Pfizer: COVID-19 Vaccine Training Webinars led by Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs
Pfizer (6 months – 11 years) Recipient and Caregiver Fact Sheet
Pfizer (6 months – 11 years) Healthcare Professional Fact Sheet
Moderna (6 months – 11 years) Recipient and Caregiver Fact Sheet
Moderna (6 months – 11 years) Healthcare Professional Fact Sheet
Comirnaty (Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) (2023-2024 Formula)
Spikevax (Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) (2023-2024 Formula)

With the fall season here and kids returning to school, it is essential to remain aware of respiratory illnesses, including influenza. According to the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), Flu vaccination has decreased since the pandemic, and the best time to receive a flu vaccine is in September and October.

The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend every child continues to receive recommended vaccinations. Robust and universal vaccine campaigns at schools and education from primary care providers will help in the efforts to vaccinate and be aware of when to test and isolate throughout the school year. Schools, pediatricians, and health departments are the most trusted sources of information about vaccines and testing recommendations for influenza and other illnesses.

The CDC encourages staff and students to stay home when sick. People with symptoms of infectious diseases, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and gastrointestinal infections, should stay home. Protecting yourself and others from all respiratory illnesses this fall is essential. Getting your annual influenza vaccine is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of catching the flu.

Additional Flu Vaccine Resources

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services Community Engagement Unit has launched a series of on-demand health equity trainings. The training series comprises nine courses designed to equip healthcare professionals and providers with evidence-informed knowledge on health equity-related subjects. This initiative aims to provide valuable insight into working with underserved populations, identifying and addressing health inequalities, and delivering culturally appropriate services to individuals from diverse backgrounds. The North Dakota Board of Nursing approved each module for 1.0 continuing education contact hour (CEU). Continuing Medical Education (CME) will be coming after September 15.

The training is appropriate for individuals working in a wide range of occupations, including but not limited to healthcare, allied health professionals, and others who impact people’s health. While it is based on North Dakota needs, it is appropriate for individuals across the United States.

The 9 module sessions include: 1.) Healthy Equity, 2.) Bias, 3.) Effective Communication, 4.) Person-first and Inclusive Language, 5.) Supporting the American Indian Population, 6.) LGBTQ2S+ Population, 7.) Working with New American, Foreign-born, and Immigrant Communities, 8.) Persons Living with Disabilities and the Aging Population, and 9.) National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services.

These trainings are available on ND Train. To create an account, follow these steps. The course ID is 6690.

HRSA Recognizes Great Plains Health Data Network Members for Community Health Achievements

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently recognized Health Center Program awardees and look-alikes (LALs) that have made notable quality improvement achievements in the areas of access, quality, health equity, health information technology, and COVID-19 public health emergency response for the most recent UDS reporting period. These achievements were based on the 2022 Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting period.

HRSA provided Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges in 14 different areas. A full description of the badges can be found here. GPHDN members received seven different CHQR badges in the following areas:

Access Enhancer: four health centers;
Addressing Social Risk Factors to Health: six health centers;
Advancing HIT: seven health centers;
Health Center Quality Leader – Silver: one health center;
Health Center Quality Leader – Bronze: one health center;
Health Disparities Reducer: three health centers; and,
Patient Centered Medical Home: seven health centers.

The CHQR Dashboard, provides an easy way to view CHQR badges health centers have achieved, as well as CHQR performance comparisons with other health centers and states. Dashboard users can also generate a list of health centers by CHQR badge type, and view state- and national-level summaries. Congratulations to all the GPHDN members who achieved CHQR badges this year!

Utilizing the PVP: Best Practices for Streamlining Point of Care Delivery
Thursday, September 28
1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT
Register here

Huddles are a fundamental pillar of team-based care, driving care gap closure, greater efficiency, improved patient health outcomes, and staff satisfaction. Join us to learn how the DRVS Patient Visit Planning report supports the huddle process and how to set your practice up for success when incorporating the PVP into your workflows and operations. Hear from Azara customer Health Partners of Western Ohio about how they have operationalized the PVP and continuously track its efficacy in improving measure performance and patient care.

Beyond the Basics – Billing and Coding Excellence - October 12, November 9, and December 14 | 3:00 pm CT
Join CHAD and Community Link Consulting for a billing and coding training series that goes Beyond the Basics. Billing and coding departments have an incredibly important role in ensuring the financial success of health centers. In this three-part training series, attendees will tackle three difficult and important issues, including staffing for revenue cycle success, revenue opportunities and insurance credentialing. Learn more and register here.

2023 NWRPCA/CHAMPS Conference – October 21-24, 2023|Seattle, WA US
For over two and a half decades, CHAMPS and NWRPCA have partnered to offer the health centers of Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) and Region X (AK, ID, OR, and WA) great speakers, excellent educational sessions, numerous networking opportunities, exhibits by industry experts, and more designed to meet the needs of Region 18 (Regions VIII and X) Community Health Center staff and boards.

Continuing Education credit hours are offered for physicians, nurses, accountants, human resources professionals, social workers, and board members. The NWRPCA/CHAMPS Fall Conference is the favorite conference of many due to its robust blend of learning and networking and its size. Learn more and register here.

Come to the Table |Tuesday, November 14, 2023 |11:00 am MT
The Root Cause Coalition is proud to be working with the USDA to achieve the goal of ending hunger in the United States by 2030, as set forth by President Biden. Building on the momentum of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, this virtual event is an opportunity to hear from leaders in the field who will share their expertise and experiences in addressing nutrition security and health equity in the UDSA’s Mountain Plains Region (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri).
Register here.

Recruitment Bootcamp: Mental Health Staff Edition |October 18 and 25, November 1 and 8 |1:00 – 2:15 pm ET.
Join the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) for our upcoming Recruitment Boot Camp: Mental Health Staff Edition (Fall 2023). Building on the success of the previous boot camps, ACU’s STAR² Center team will provide a focused look at the most pertinent topics affecting the successful recruitment and retention of mental health providers.

Please complete the application by the close of business on October 11. Participants will be notified about their conditional acceptance on October 13.