CHAD Connection August 17, 2023

Thank you to all who helped celebrate National Health Center Week! In keeping with this year’s theme (Road Trippin’: Health Centers – the Road to Better Health), CHAD staff hit the road and visited many health center sites across the Dakotas. We aimed to celebrate phenomenal health center staff and to raise statewide awareness about health centers. The variety of staff events, patient appreciation events, and TV appearances made the week's events even more memorable.

Check out our full gallery of photos from NHCW 2023 on our website. Love the T-shirts we’re wearing? You can still order them through the CHAD store!

CHAD is pleased to welcome Heather Tienter-Musacchia as Improvement Coach. In this new role, Heather will provide internal support for process improvement activities and assist health centers with effectively using data.

Before this role, Heather worked as an improvement advisor at Sanford Health and focused on quality improvement in women’s and children’s health, clinic quality metrics, and reducing hospital-wide readmissions.
She graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Heather is completing her MBA in Healthcare Management at Minnesota State University Moorhead. She lives in West Fargo with her husband and their two dogs.

Are you passionate about the impact of health centers? Consider joining CHAD’s Health Center Advocacy Action Team. This temporary group will meet monthly from September – December and will focus on protecting (and growing) federal health center funding. Participants will learn basic advocacy skills and information on state-level policy priorities. The time commitment will be small, but the impact could be significant. Learn more and sign up here. Your response is appreciated by Friday, August 18, though health center staff can sign up continuously.

For the 2023-2024 respiratory season, the COVID-19 vaccine will transition to the commercial market. This means vaccines will not be available through previously used routes throughout the pandemic. Federally qualified health centers will partner with state and local immunization programs to provide free vaccines to uninsured and underinsured adults.

In support of the HHS Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments, and in coordination with CDC’s Bridge Access Program, HRSA will provide more than $81 million in one-time Bridge funding to active Expanding COVID-19 Vaccination (ECV/H8G) award recipients. These funds will help health centers continue providing essential COVID-19-related services (including support for equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and testing) to patients and residents of their community, including those who are uninsured or underinsured.

HRSA plans to make awards using a formula-based supplement to the current H8G awards by Friday, September 1, 2023. These health centers will have 30 days to submit information about their planned activities and costs related to this funding. HRSA will host a TA webinar soon after the release of funds. The ECV TA webpage will be updated with the webinar details and Bridge funding guidance when the awards are released. Please submit questions using the BPHC Contact Form (COVID-19 Funding > ECV).

HRSA-supported health centers are encouraged to attend the extended COVID-19 Office Hour sessions, which take place every other Tuesday from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET. If needed, visit the registration page to register again for the sessions.

New monovalent COVID vaccines will target the XBB.1.5 strain currently circulating in the United States this fall. Novavax, Moderna, and Pfizer are all anticipated to have the new XBB.1.5 vaccine. Once these vaccines become available, all current COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be authorized for use in the United States.

Managers and supervisors have witnessed a dramatically changing workforce in health care in the past several years. Many of these changes created new challenges to people management that require a new mindset and approach to building engaged teams.

This uniquely designed, one-day workshop was created by FutureSYNC in partnership with CHAD in response to needs expressed in an HR and leadership focus group to help answer the needs of managers and supervisors in community health center organizations today. This highly interactive event is designed to encourage personal growth, peer-to-peer learning, and idea sharing. Participants will explore the dynamics of current management challenges, such as building trust within teams, holding people accountable, aligning teams to goals and achieving outcomes, and improving communication across teams and locations.

This workshop is intended for healthcare people managers at every level. Sessions are available in Sioux Falls (August 22), Pierre (August 24), Fargo (September 12), and Bismarck (September 13). Register here.

CHAD seeks an individual with strong attention to detail who is self-motivated and will work collaboratively to serve as our Navigator Project Manager.

Our Navigator Project Manager will oversee and support the work of the Get Covered SD Collaborative, a consortium of partners that provides health insurance enrollment services (Navigators) across South Dakota through a CMS cooperative agreement. This position will supervise program staff, oversee sub-recipients to ensure the attainment of program goals and provide strategic insight, effective communication, and leadership to the Get Covered Collaborative.

This is a full-time remote position with a physical location in South Dakota. Learn more here and apply today!

As we approach National Community Health Worker Awareness Week, it is essential to recognize the vital role that these frontline workers play in our communities. They work to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities. They provide education and support on various health topics, including chronic disease management, nutrition, and mental health.

One of the most significant contributions of Community Health Workers is their ability to connect with individuals in their communities. They are trusted community members who understand the unique needs and challenges of the people they serve. This understanding allows them to provide tailored support and education, which can significantly impact health outcomes.

This week, we want to acknowledge and honor the tireless work of CHWs across the Dakotas. We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of CHWs and their impact on our communities’ health and well-being. Let us celebrate and recognize the incredible work of CHWs during Community Health Worker Awareness Week! Learn more about who is a community health worker from the Community Health Workers Collaborative of South Dakota.

Exact Sciences is excited to share the Request for Proposal of the Fall 2023 Funding Opportunities for CRC Screening Uptake Strategies- “FOCUS” Program. The linked Request for Proposal outlines all the details necessary to determine eligibility and criteria for applying. Funding ranges from $25,000 - $75,000 for awardees.

Applications for RFP FOCUS will be accepted from July 12, 2023 – September 7, 2023, at 11:59 PM CDT.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
PROPOSAL FORM- fillable PDF (Must Download to Complete)
APPLICATION PORTAL

Should you have any additional questions you may email Meg Fischer mfischer@exactsciences.com.

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can lead to hospitalization and even death. With RSV season just around the corner (it typically starts during the fall and peaks in the winter), a product is finally available to prevent RSV and associated hospitalizations in young children and older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), annually in the United States, 58,000-80,000 children younger than five years are hospitalized due to RSV infection. The CDC also estimates that 60,000 – 160,000 older adults are hospitalized with RSV, and 6,000 – 10,000 deaths occur yearly in the U.S.

Vaccines now provide an opportunity to help protect young children and older adults from RSV illness at a time when multiple respiratory infections are likely to circulate.

Here is what to know about the new recommendations and approvals:

Young children: On August 3, 2023, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the recommendation for infants aged less than eight months born during or entering their first RSV season to receive one dose of Beyfortus (nirsevimab) and children aged 8 through 19 months who are at increased risk and entering their second season. Due to the high number of Native American and Alaska Native children hospitalized for RSV each year, they are considered high-risk and recommended to receive a dose in their first and second RSV seasons. Nirsevimab is a monoclonal antibody with activity against RSV. One dose of nirsevimab, administered as a single intramuscular injection before or during RSV season, may protect for up to 5 months or the duration of the RSV season. The private market cost for the RSV immunization nirsevimab is $495. ACIP recommended having nirsevimab available on the Vaccines for Children Program, and state health departments are actively planning to work with healthcare providers to implement this new product.

Older Adults: On June 21, 2023, the ACIP voted to recommend that adults 60 years and older receive a single dose of an RSV vaccine, using shared clinical decision-making. Both GSK (vaccine name: Arexvy) and Pfizer (vaccine name: Abrysvo) are approved for use in older adults. According to an article from Katelyn Jetalina, the vaccine efficacy ranges from 82% for Arexvy and 86% for Abrysvo. These vaccines are currently available to order through the manufacturers and are covered by private insurance and Medicare Part D plans. Currently, the RSV vaccines for adults are unavailable on the 317 program for uninsured adults.

Providers should also talk to their patients about what other vaccines they need this fall to help prevent respiratory infections. For more information, see these additional resources:

Back to Basics: DRVS Admin
Calling all DRVS Super Users and Administrators! In this webinar, we will provide an overview of all the key admin functionalities that can support you in creating cohorts & registries, managing provider & location groups, establishing targets, setting shared filters, and configuring email subscriptions. Learn how to take DRVS to the next level by tailoring the functionality to support your practice's unique goals, priorities, and structures.

Thursday, August 17
1:00pm CT/12:00 pm MT
Register here

Diving into Data: Advanced Filtering Techniques in DRVS
Learn about advanced filtering capabilities and how to manipulate reports in DRVS for specific, actionable data to help inform conversations around improvement with your practice staff. This webinar will teach users how to masterfully apply filters in DRVS for more nuanced reporting, as well as how to use and interpret existing reports in creative ways to make the most of your data. Join us and make a splash with your data in DRVS!

Tuesday, August 22
1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT
Register here

DRVS 201: Mastering the Dashboard
Are you ready to take your DRVS expertise from 101 to 201 and dive head first into Dashboards? Custom dashboards are one of the most complex tools in DRVS, yet they deliver a wealth of potential related to tracking, evaluation, and communication. Join us for a dashboard deep dive as Azara experts walk through how to create an effective and visually compelling dashboard to tell your organization’s story. We welcome participants to ask any questions you have on dashboards in your registration.

Thursday, August 24
1:00 pm CT/ 12:00 pm MT
Register here

Medicaid & CHIP Renewal Webinars for Special Populations – August 17th and August 24th
Join the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Renewals webinars focused on special populations. This webinar series will provide partners with strategies to reach out to diverse communities and audiences to share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals. Each webinar will also include a “train-the-trainer” presentation, during which CMS will walk through a set of downloadable slides that partners can use to educate others in their communities about Medicaid and CHIP renewals. Register here.

Thursday, August 17th: Reaching Aging and Disability Populations
Thursday, August 24th: Reaching Rural Populations

Indigenous Behavioral Health Series: Crisis Intervention
This series, hosted by the National American Indian and Alaska Native ATTC, will review common crisis situations, an overview of crisis intervention guidelines and strategies, and describe clinical responses to common behavioral health emergencies and crises in clinical practice. Join the series to gain skills in handling crisis events.

The series is designed for substance use treatment and prevention services providers, peer support specialists, and those working in primary care settings, social services, schools, and mental health settings.
Sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm CT.

Tuesday, August 29th: Conceptual Issues of Behavioral Emergencies and Behavioral Crises
Tuesday, September 12th: Clinical Response to Trauma
Tuesday, September 19th: Case-Illustrations
Tuesday, September 26th: Reflections Upon Important Crisis Intervention Topics - Q&A

Mailed FIT Program Training (On-Demand)
The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors has developed a Mailed Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Online Course which is a self-paced training that helps you design and implement a successful mailed FIT outreach program. If you are part of a health system, State Health Department, or health plan or are an employer, this course is for you. The self-paced course includes training videos, inspiring testimonial videos, a companion workbook, and useful resources.
Access the FIT Online Course at https://chronicdisease.org/page/mailed-fit/

SUD 101 Core Curriculum (On-Demand)
The Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) provides free, on-demand education and training opportunities to address treatment on the management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorder. The SUD 101 Core Curriculum provides a foundation of the current research, resources and support needed to increase healthcare professionals’ capabilities to treat their patients across the continuum of care. Many of these trainings can help providers meet the DEA’s new 8-hour training requirement for DEA license renewal.
Access the free trainings at https://pcssnow.org/.