CHAD Connection - November 21, 2024

As the largest primary care network in the nation, community health centers provide high-quality, accessible, and affordable health care to over 32.5 million people in medically underserved communities. This includes 126,653 South Dakotans and 36,376 North Dakotans. The beauty of the health center movement is our ability to provide community-driven care and respond quickly to emerging local needs while also uniting as a larger network of primary care providers. Together, our voice is powerful and important, and we can play a unique role in elevating the needs of our communities in health policy conversations.

A D V O C A T E F O R H E A L T H C E N T E R S

In the current lame-duck session, we are united with community health centers nationwide in asking Congress to prioritize health center funding now. Both the mandatory Community Health Center Fund (about 70 percent of federal health center funding) and annual discretionary funding (about 30 percent) are set to expire before the end of 2024. Watch for CHAD's upcoming Advocacy Week of Action, which will kick off Monday, December 2, and join us in contacting your members of Congress. Our goal is to get 100 emails to members of Congress that week. When you participate in the advocacy campaign, you'll be entered into a drawing to win treats for your health center staff!

In the new year and post-election, we must effectively tell our impact stories and maintain the long-standing bi-partisan support for community health center funding. There will be significant turnover in the incoming Congress, including the loss of some longtime leaders of the community health center caucus on both sides of the aisle. It is critical that we share the impact and needs of community health centers, who provide care to 1 in 10 individuals nationwide. We’ve laid the groundwork for this in North Dakota and South Dakota, hosting members of Congress and their staff for tours in recent months, and already engaging with North Dakota’s U.S. Representative-elect, Julie Fedorchak.

E N G A G E Y O U R O F F I C I A L S

We also invite you to stay informed and engaged at the state level. In North Dakota, we look forward to working with Governor-elect Armstrong, who was supportive of community health centers during his time in Congress. In South Dakota, there have been considerable changes within the legislature, and it will be important to familiarize incoming elected officials with health centers. In both states, CHAD is sending a congratulatory letter to all newly elected legislators and inviting them to tour and learn more about health centers in their districts.

Stay tuned to hear more about CHAD’s 2025 legislative agendas in North Dakota and South Dakota, and save the dates for our upcoming Health Center Day at the Capitol events on February 10-11 in Pierre, SD, and March 10-11 in Bismarck, ND.

Remember – your voice matters in health policy. To learn more or get involved, contact our policy & partnership managers Kim Kuhlmann (North Dakota) or Liz Schenkel (South Dakota).

North Dakota Health and Human Services is launching a unique opportunity to equip participants with the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to excel in public health leadership roles by providing a mix of live sessions, coaching circles, self-paced learning and insights from subject matter experts.

Click the button below to learn more about who should apply, the overall goal, the time commitment and the steps needed to submit an application.

Your insights are essential! The North Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NDPQC) is committed to improving prenatal and postpartum care in rural clinics and critical access hospitals across North and South Dakota. To do this, we need your expertise. This survey is designed for health care providers like you — OB/GYNs, family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, nurses, etc. — who are on the front lines of maternal and child health care.

Why take this survey?

Your voice matters: Share the challenges, gaps, and opportunities you see in delivering prenatal and postpartum care.

Shape meaningful change: Your input will directly inform initiatives that provide training, resources, and support tailored to rural healthcare settings.

Help improve care for mothers and babies: Together, we can address the unique needs of our communities and enhance the quality of care.

Please take 20 minutes to complete our survey on prenatal and postpartum care in rural clinics and critical access hospitals. Plus, complete the survey, and you’ll be eligible to earn a $50 gift card!

Driving Sustainable Improvement in Health Center BP Control Rates

This session will provide practical guidance and real-world use cases highlighting AMA MAP™ Hypertension program activation across network membership. Attendees will explore the tools and resources available for network leaders to support health center members to effectively manage populations with hypertension. The session will demonstrate how Azara DRVS can be used to track progress and gain actionable insights into effective BP control strategies. By the end of this session, participants will have a toolkit of strategies and resources to support their membership in achieving their BP control goals.

Thursday, November 21

1:00 pm CT / 12:00 pm MT