Quick Finds: Clinical Issues

Advancing Health Center and School Partnerships to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Administration for Adolescents (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This short guide contains strategies, practices and sample resources from health centers, schools and school based health centers to improve adolescent access to covid-19 vaccinations. More Details...

Caring for Yourself While Caring for a Loved One (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This is a resource for health centers to offer to caregivers of older adult patients who may be experiencing isolation or at risk for burnout. This publication communicates to caregivers the importance of taking care of their own physical and emotional health. This resource is intended for older adult patients. Physical copies are available at no cost for health centers. More Details...

Webinar: Laying the Foundation for Lawyers on the Health Center Team Part I: SDOH Needs and Legal Staffing (2020). Resource Type: In-Person Training. Description: As part of our work as an HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership published a toolkit that provides the health center community with information and resources on how to integrate patient-centered lawyers as part of the health care team. Learnings from the toolkit were unpacked in a 5-part webinar series. More Details...

Collaboration Between Medical-Legal Partnerships, FQHCs, and Domestic Violence Programs to Support Patients (2021). Resource Type: In-Person Training. Description: Through this national webinar, the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) and Futures Without Violence (FUTURES) joined forces to share strategies on how MLPs can successfully partner with FQHCs and community-based domestic violence programs to improve health outcomes, decrease isolation, and support health care for survivors. Presenters highlighted how civil legal service providers partner with FQHCs to address the increased needs of individuals affected by IPV/HT during COVID-19. More Details...

Addressing Financial & Legal Problems To Improve the Mental Health of Adults & Children During the Pandemic (2021). Resource Type: In-Person Training. Description: The COVID-19 pandemic’s compounding effects of job loss, isolation, dismantled support systems, grief, and disruptions in care, all resulted in significant financial strain and legal problems that impacted the mental health and well-being of adults and children. In this webinar, subject matter experts in social determinants of health and medical-legal partnership interventions discussed: 1) how financial strains such as high debt, low income and unemployment are associated with suicide attempts and should be considered key factors when assessing mental health interventions; and 2) how legal services delivered alongside social, medical, and behavioral health services can help improve the overall health and well-being of children. The multidisciplinary audience will be prompted to share insights, tools, and COVID-related strategies on how their health centers, legal services organizations, medical-legal partnerships, or other community based organizations have responded to the unique behavioral and mental health needs of adults and children during the pandemic. More Details...

CHATS: Head Injury Identification and Accommodation Tool (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This resource provides a tool for patients to help identify potential head injury, as well as information on services and an advocate guide. More Details...

Food Insecurity: The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The fourth webinar in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health\" fall series focusing on addressing food insecurity as an important public health issue. The content expert for the webinar is Sarah Carroll; Director of the Center for Care Transformation at AVIA. The following organizations served as panelists for the webinar: Jacob Luria, Co-Founder and CEO, Algorex Health; Catherine Macpherson, Vice President Product Strategy & Development, Chief Nutrition Officer, Moms Meals; and Laura Robbins, Co-Founder and COO, Advocatia Solutions. More Details...

Oral Health and Behavioral Health in Patients Experiencing Homelessness (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NNOHA and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council developed this publication to bring awareness to the intersection of oral health and behavioral health concerns or cognitive impairment in people experiencing homelessness. The publication will share the impacts of behavioral health illness on oral health and how behavioral health and dental providers can work together to address this intersection in their practices. More Details...

Protocol for HRSA-supported Community Health Centers to Engage Patients through Universal Education Approaches on Exploitation (E), Human Trafficking (HT), Domestic Violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The protocol purpose is to prevent exploitation, human trafficking, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence by helping patients have healthy relationships and promote their health as workers. The protocol will enable the health center to provide trauma-informed, survivor-centered care; intervention with clinical and case management services; and formalized ways to connect patients with community-based services that provide resources for domestic violence, employment assistance, housing, food, civil legal aid, and other basic needs. More Details...

HITEQ Electronic Patient Engagement Tool Selection Rubric (2021). Resource Type: Other. Description: This Excel-based scoring rubric is intended to be used by health centers to assess electronic patient engagement tools (like automated outreach SMS platforms) to determine which tool is most likely to meet the health center\'s needs. The tool assists health centers in assessing the following areas: Patient communication features Operations features Health IT Integration Attribution and value based care features Patient generated data/ remote patient monitoring features Administration It provides guidance for weighting and scoring and provides calculated final scores for up to 5 tools. Download the Excel-based tool below. More Details...

Weight Management Planning for Older Adults: A Guide for Health Centers (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Physical distancing and loss of social supports during the COVID-19 pandemic may result in situations where vulnerable older adults experience emotional distress and poorer health outcomes. This webinar focused on helping participants understand the importance of early identification of ways to identify and support socially isolated and lonely older adults. More Details...

Isolation & Loneliness: The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The third webinar in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health\" fall series focusing on addressing isolation and loneliness as an important public health issue. The content expert for the webinar is Gretchen Alkema, PhD; Vice President of Policy and Communications, The SCAN Foundation. Presenters for the webinar includes: Andrew Parker, Founder & CEO of Papa; Cindy Jordan, Founder & CEO & Christina Myren; Chief Operating Officer of Pyx Health; and Ashwin Patel, Co-Founder & CEO of InquisitHealth. More Details...

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) & Diabetes Prevention Programs Among Public Housing Residents: Infographic (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This infographic provides examples of the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) contributing to the prevalence of diabetes among public housing residents with corresponding examples of diabetes prevention promising practices provided by Public Housing Primary Care (PHPC) grantees. More Details...

Using AI, Data, and Tech to Move from Screening to Solving for Social Needs: The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The first of five webinars in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health\" fall series focusing on addressing why SDoH matters and innovations in using AI, data, and tech to move from screening to solving for social needs. Panelists for this session include: Dr. Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM; Chief Transformation Officer, Innovaccer, Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN, FNP-c, FAAN, FAANP, Senior Vice President and Clinical Director, Community Health Center, Inc., April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP; Associate Director, Weitzman Institute, Nancy Lopez, PhD, Director & Co-founder, Institute for the Study of “Race” & Social Justice, University of New Mexico, and David Kulick, MPH, Co-founder, Adaptation Health More Details...

Predictive Analytics, Assessing Vulnerability, and Community Referrals: The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health: Predictive Analytics, Assessing Vulnerability & Community Referrals (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The second webinar in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health\" series focusing on predictive analytics, assessing vulnerability, and community referrals. Panelists include Kurt Waltenbaugh; Founder & CEO of Carrot Health, John Showalter; Chief Product Officer at Jvion, Erine Gray; Founder & CEO of Aunt Bertha, and Ruben Amarasingham; Founder & CEO of Pieces Tech. More Details...

Pharmacy Access Office Hours: Part II: Clinical Pharmacy or Advanced Practice Services in a CHC (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this three-part series, experts from El Rio and Holyoke CHCs present on a variety of topics encompassing Clinical Pharmacy or Advanced Practice Services. The second session, on Thursday June 17 covered “What do I have and what is possible” (Who are your current staff and what practice models are available to you). More Details...

Office Hour for Clinical Leaders: New Models of Provider Leadership (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: With provider burnout and turnover as their catalyst, Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center (ANHC) began a journey to create a more distributive and shared CMO leadership model. During this Office Hour, ANHC CEO Tammy Green will talk about this journey to a more sustainable leadership model. She will share highlights, lessons learned, and lessons still being learned. More Details...

The Path Forward: Re-Imagining Primary Care During and Beyond the Pandemic (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: As the nation struggles with the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racism, the moment is upon us to deeply examine and reshape the primary care delivery system for underserved communities. In this webinar, leadership of the Community Health Center, Inc. and its Weitzman Institute will lay out a road map for the new Path Forward. We invite health center and safety net providers, staff, consumer leaders and others to join the conversation and contribute their expertise, perspective and ideas. More Details...

Heat-Related Illness Clinician’s Guide (2021). Resource Type: Other. Description: Agricultural work, which requires performing physically demanding work for long hours in hot and sometimes humid weather, places workers at high risk. This guide provides information to clinicians on the prevention and treatment of heat-related illness. Since workers may not be familiar with all of the symptoms of heat stress, it is important that clinicians discuss heat illness symptoms and prevention with agricultural workers and others who are at risk. More Details...

No Two People Are the Same: Respecting Cultural Diversity when Delivering Healthcare (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar defines health equity disparities and literacy, as well as the cultural competence that affect delivery of services. It focuses on barriers to culture, linguistic competency and cross-cultural communication in framework that allows organizations to plan and develop an equitable environment. REGISTRATION required to view this free webinar. More Details...

Addressing Trauma, Racism, and Bias in Behavioral Health Service Delivery (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar focuses on trauma, racism and bias. It paints a portrait of the current landscape with health disparity data and a discussion of social determinants. It reviews trauma, with a focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their neurobiological impact. Finally, clinical bias is addressed, with a review of challenges and potential solutions. REGISTRATION required to access this free recording. More Details...

NHRA Rural Vaccine Resource Library (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) developed these tools and resources to help you address many of the specific questions and concerns members of your rural community have about the COVID-19 vaccines. This resource library aims to provide resources for rural community leaders, including faith leaders, to use in their COVID-19 Vaccine confidence activities. More Details...

Intimate Partner Violence/Human Trafficking: Building Partnerships Between Community Health Centers And Domestic Violence Advocacy Programs (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar will feature the critical role of domestic violence advocacy programs in supporting patients on intimate partner violence/human trafficking (IPV/HT) and how to build meaningful collaborations including initiating Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and bidirectional warm referrals. More Details...

Integrating Eye Care Services into Primary Care (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Eye disorders and vision loss are among the costliest, yet most preventable, conditions in the United States, costing $168 billion in direct medical costs in 2019. It is estimated a full 96% of vision impairment and loss is avoidable. Without significant planning and intervention, research suggest national expenditures could rise to as much as $717 billion by the year 2050, due in large part to the aging of the U.S. population. More Details...

Increasing Staff Capacity to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence/Human Trafficking During COVID-19 (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar offers a combination of self-care and organizational practice strategies to help prevent provider burn out and bolster staff readiness for implementing CUES, as well as trauma-informed and healing-centered practices. More Details...

Clinical Research in the Health Center Setting: Managing Legal and Compliance Risks (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This Issue Bulletin describes legal and compliance risks that health centers should consider before engaging in research opportunities, including an overview of the federal regulations that protect research participants; the application of federal fraud, waste and abuse laws in research; and the malpractice, insurance and Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) considerations. More Details...

The Path Forward Series Finale (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The final webinar in the Path Forward \"Moving from Screening to Solving for Social Needs\" series wraps up by highlighting all of the webinars in the series, examining the role of community centers in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), and ending with a call of action with presenters Margaret Flinter, PHD, APRN; Senior VP and Clinical Director, CHC, Inc., Trishan Panch, MD, MPH; Co-Founder, Wellframe, Co-Director – Applied AI for Healthcare, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, President Elect – Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association, and Yvette Highsmith-Francis, MBM; Vice President, Eastern Region, CHC, Inc. More Details...

Promoting Vaccine Confidence in Older Adults (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar focused on approaches to building trust through tailored interventions that incorporate community norms and address barriers to vaccine uptake in the older adult patient population. More Details...

The Path Forward on Social Determinants of Health: Environment (Heat) (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The third of five webinars in the Path Forward \"Moving from Screening to Solving for Social Needs\" series focusing on the intersection of health and environment, particularly heat, with presenters Jeremy Hess; Professor, Global Health, Medicine (Emergency Medicine), Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, Dr. Vivek Shandas; Professor, Nohad A. Toulan School or Urban Studies and Planning – Portland State University; Founder and Director – Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab, and Dr. David Hondula; Senior Sustainability Scientist, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation; Associate Professor, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University; Faculty Affiliate, Epidemiology and Data Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health. More Details...

The Path Forward on Social Determinants of Health: Safety: Advancing Community and Personal Safety (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The second of five webinars in the Path Forward \"Moving from Screening to Solving for Social Needs\" series focusing on community and personal safety with presenters Tracy Nordstrom; Placemaker and Principal, Verve, Dr. Mariela Alfonzo; Founder& CEO, State of Place, Frode Kjersem; CEO, bSafe USA. More Details...

The Path Forward on Social Determinants of Health: Housing (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The first of five webinars in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"Moving from Screening to Solving for Social Needs\" series focusing on the intersection of stable housing and health outcomes with presenters Tim Shaw; Associate Director of Policy, Financial Security Program, Aspen Institute, David Rich; Executive Director of Supportive Housing Works, and Jason Shaplen; Chief Strategy and New Ventures Officer, Community Health Center, Inc. More Details...

Communicating Effectively About Vaccines: New Communication Resources for Health Officials (2010). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Communicating effectively with parents about the importance of vaccines is a key issue for the public health community to address. In August 2009, ASTHO commissioned a survey of U.S. parents and guardians to gather information about effective messages and materials for state and territorial health officials to use to better address parental concerns and promote the benefits of vaccines. More Details...

Vaccine Acceptance Among Pregnant Women and Mothers of Young Children: COVID-19 (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: As multiple effective vaccines are developed, their distribution and overall acceptance by the public is crucial to stop the spread of COVID-19. Research conducted by Principal Investigator of the Human Immunomics Initiative, Dr. Julia Wu, in collaboration with Pregistry focused on a crucial population- mothers and their children. Estimates of global vaccine acceptance among pregnant women and mothers of young children are yet unknown. Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women and mothers of children younger than 18-years-old, as well as potential predictors, were assessed through an online survey, administered by Pregistry between October 28 and November 18, 2020. More Details...

Strategies for Youth: COVID-19 Vaccination (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Weitzman Echo special one-time session to discuss Community Health Center Inc.\'s approach on the most reassuring and expedient ways to reach youth and their parents during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. More Details...

Evolving Care Team Models, Strategies to Assess Provider Satisfaction, and Addressing Burnout (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This Project ECHO Webinar was part of a three-part webinars series on provider burnout and satisfaction during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. This session addresses the topic of emerging models of team-based care in the COVID and post COVID environment. This COVID-19 ECHO session is a collaboration with HRSA\'s National Health Center Training and Technical Assistance Partners on Team-Based Care. More Details...

Awareness Campaign Resources: COVID-19 Vaccine: available in Haitian Creole and Spanish (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Migrant Clinicians Network, in partnership with the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) created materials for COVID-19 Vaccine awareness campaigns for Spanish-speaking and Haitian Creole-speaking communities. More Details...

Pharmacy Access Office Hours: Clinical Pharmacy or Advanced Practice Services in a Community Health Center (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This session addresses recent developments in the 340B program, as well as a focused session on clinical pharmacy or practice services. More Details...

Building Clinical Informatics Session 4: Evaluating Usability and Human-Centered Design for Happy Users and Better Performance (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Evaluating usability and implementing human-centered design principles can improve reimbursement, care team satisfaction, data quality, and reduce staff time spent on clinical tasks. This webinar describes how engaging vendor partners in user-centered improvements can improve the vendor-customer relationship and the care team experience. More Details...

Vaccine in Dental Clinics Job Instruction Sheet (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NNOHA has worked with health center dental leaders who are engaged in delivering COVID-19 vaccines to develop this Job Instruction resource for dental providers. More Details...

Health Center Showcase: The National Diabetes Prevention Program (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) is an evidence-based lifestyle change program that aims to prevent diabetes among at-risk adults. In this webinar, health centers from across the country shared their National DPP experiences as showcased in NNCC\'s recent case study. The health centers also provided updates about developments with their programs since the onset of COVID-19. More Details...

Who Wants To Be A Vaccinator: Volunteers, Students, and Other Professionals (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: To meet the demand for knowledge on COVID-19 vaccines, CHCI and its Weitzman Institute is moving back to weekly COVID-19 national webinar sessions! More Details...

Staff Roles, Responsibilities, and Training Throughout the Vaccination Cycle (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: To meet the demand for knowledge on COVID-19 vaccines, CHCI and its Weitzman Institute is moving back to weekly COVID-19 national webinar sessions! More Details...

FTCA Office Hours for Clinical Leaders: April 2021 (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: NACHC, in collaboration with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell (FTLF), will be holding two virtual FTCA Office Hours to answer health center clinical leaders’ specific questions. Topics covered include coverage for COVID-19 related activities, navigating telehealth, coverage for virtual services, issues related to COVID-19 vaccine delivery, deeming of volunteer health professionals, preparing for a virtual site visit, and risk management. More Details...

Vaccine Ambassador Program and Job Description (2021). Resource Type: Template. Description: As communities embark on COVID-19 vaccine campaigns, they are confronting a long history of discrimination and negative interactions with medical services experienced by racial and ethnic minority groups and people experiencing homelessness (PEH), which can contribute to mistrust and vaccine hesitancy. To build vaccine confidence, communities should consider hiring Vaccine Ambassadors to engage PEH and homeless service providers by facilitating two-way communication and disseminating accurate vaccine information. This document describes how. More Details...

Dental Providers Administering the COVID-19 Vaccine (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many states have created emergency orders to allow dentists and dental hygienists to administer vaccinations. This webinar will feature three health centers that are utilizing dental providers to administer vaccines. The health centers will describe their vaccination program models including training, staffing, operations and compliance. More Details...

Benioff Community Health Outreach Worker Model: Considerations for Vaccine Ambassador Programs (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This brief describes the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative's cross-discipline program model that peered medical teams with Community Health and Outreach workers to inform vaccine ambassador programs. More Details...

Increasing Access to COVID-19 Vaccines Among Homeless Populations: Successful Partnerships Series (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar series highlighted successful partnerships between Health Care for the Homeless health centers and local governments around the United States in their efforts to effectively get vaccines to people experiencing homelessness. More Details...

Reducing COVID-19 Vaccine Waste (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Every dose of COVID-19 vaccine is precious and can save lives. In response to concerns about wasted vaccine and to assist in identifying various causes of vaccine waste and potential countermeasures to reduce their occurrence, the Public Health Foundation developed the Process Decision Program Chart for COVID-19 Vaccine Waste. More Details...

COVID-19 Vaccination Training Programs and Reference Materials for Healthcare Professionals (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Some healthcare professionals administering COVID-19 vaccine may have extensive experience with immunization practices, since they routinely administer recommended vaccines in their clinical practice. For others, administering COVID-19 vaccine may be their first clinical experience with vaccination. The CDC compiled a list of immunization training and educational materials, including basic and COVID-19-vaccine-specific information. More Details...

The COVID-19 Pandemic Resources and Information: Spanish and English (2020). Resource Type: Other. Description: We at Migrant Clinicians Network have a priority to support both clinicians and the vulnerable patients they serve. MCN continually develops strategies and resources to support health centers, health departments, community groups, and clinicians as they reach out to communities that are often overlooked and give care to patients who might otherwise have nowhere to go. We remain highly concerned for the vulnerable populations that already encounter numerous barriers to health and to care. More Details...

Leading with Optimism in Challenging Times (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this national webinar you will hear New York Times Best Selling Author, Shawn Achor, talk about his research in positive psychology, Jordan Voigt, president of Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, who will share the story of Genesis Health System, recently featured in Harvard Business Review, and we will explore “what leading with optimism really looks like” in times of significant challenge. More Details...

CDC and FDA Recommendation to Pause Use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine (Talking Points) (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This resource provides talking points concerning the CDC and FDA's recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine after six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot. The recommendation was made in order to prepare the health care system to recognize and treat patients appropriately. More Details...

Maintaining Access to Dental Services During COVID-19 (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental services were deemed non-essential and oral health services stopped. For people experiencing homelessness especially, however, dental services are critical. Over time, Health Care for the Homeless health centers innovated strategies to reopen and sustain access to these crucial services. This paper tracks themes from these innovations and recommends strategies to keep oral health services going during a pandemic. More Details...

Using HRSA Health Center Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to Improve Systems of Care for People Experiencing Homelessness (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: As part of a larger $10 billion dollar investment to expand vaccine access in hardest-hit and high-risk communities, $6 billion dollars is being allocated by HRSA to 1,376 health centers to expand access to care. This funding presents a substantial opportunity to meet immediate needs and also improve systems of care for people experiencing homelessness. Read our issue brief on funding possibilities. More Details...

Antigen Testing in Congregate Shelters: Process Outline and Implementation Playbook (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Ongoing testing is still needed to identify cases and properly treat those with symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID. The CDC has issued Interim Testing Guidance for shelters and encampments to inform practices. Use this Antigen Testing Playbook for step-by-step guidance on implementing a comprehensive testing strategy in congregate shelters. More Details...

A Clinical Resource Guide for Community Care Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The COVID-19 pandemic is requiring a comprehensive infectious disease response. People experiencing homelessness are at a unique disadvantage in adhering to infectious diseases prevention and control directives. In response, many communities have created facilities that provide 24/7 shelter, urgent and medical respite care, and infection prevention and control measures. This guide will focus on the needs of homeless populations requiring a stay at centers because they have tested positive for COVID-19, have been exposed to it, or are thought to be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure. More Details...

COVID-19 Vaccine:  Tips from your Community Health Worker (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: COVID-19 vaccines are a critical tool to help stop the spread of disease and protect our communities. MHP Salud\'s Tips from your Community Health Worker resource for is designed for health workers supporting patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The tips and resources aim to help health centers build vaccine confidence among the migrant and agricultural worker population and their families. More Details...

Bridging Patient Access: Best Practices for Community Health Workers (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: As telehealth services continue to bridge patient access to health services, it is important for health centers to focus on best practices that ensure excellent delivery of care. Thisguideincludeshelpful information about telehealth service delivery, tips for providing good virtual care, and how Community Health Workers(CHWs)can engage in telehealth. More Details...

Sexual Health and Older LGBTQIA+ Adults - 2021 (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Sexual health is an integral part of overall health, and this remains so as people age. This publication describes core terms and concepts for sexual orientation and gender identity, addresses common misconceptions about sexuality and aging, and outlines special considerations for the sexual health care of older adults, including a demonstration of how to elicit an affirming sexual history. More Details...

The Invisible Second Patient: Supporting the Family Caregiver (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar . Description: This webinar focused on educating participants about engaging family caregivers as a part of the healthcare team and the value of promoting opportunities for their own self-care. More Details...

The Importance of Social Connection for Older Adults During COVID-19 (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar . Description: Physical distancing and loss of social supports during the COVID-19 pandemic may result in situations where vulnerable older adults experience emotional distress and poorer health outcomes. This webinar focused on helping participants understand the importance of early identification of ways to identify and support socially isolated and lonely older adults. More Details...

Promoting Health Literacy in Older Adults (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar . Description: This webinar focused on applying an individualized approach to clarify and improve communication with older adult patients and support their healthcare engagement. More Details...

Managing Diabetes in Older Adults within a Dental Setting: A Practical Integrated Care Approach (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar . Description: This webinar focused on the benefits of implementing and monitoring blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C testing for older adults in their health center oral health services. More Details...

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Patients (2021). Resource Type: Field-Generated Publication. * Description: This 2021 publication from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center details how the COVID-19 pandemic affects LGBTQIA+ subpopulations. This brief provides strategies and resources to improve the capacity of health centers to meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ patients during the pandemic. More Details...

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Implementation Toolkit (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This is a toolkit for decision-makers and implementers of vaccine clinics. Our goal was to create a “vaccination clinic in a box” that could be replicated in, and tailored to, many types of settings. The guide includes prompts for questions you may need to ask, examples of many types of documents that you may need (and information about where to find more documentation), and lessons-learned from our experience. More Details...

SC Primary Health Care Association COVID Testing and Vaccine Education Video (2021). Resource Type: Video. Description: As of Monday, March 22nd there has been 459,772 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina. This video offers some directions and a few resources as proactive measures. Prominent in this video is a discussion of equity in relationship to the vaccine and vaccine hesitancy among persons of color. Available with sub-titles in Spanish. More Details...

FTCA Office Hours for Clinical Leaders: March 2021 (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: NACHC, in collaboration with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell (FTLF), will be holding two virtual FTCA Office Hours to answer health center clinical leaders’ specific questions. Topics covered include coverage for COVID-19 related activities, navigating telehealth, coverage for virtual services, issues related to COVID-19 vaccine delivery, deeming of volunteer health professionals, preparing for a virtual site visit, and risk management. More Details...

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Media, Web Page, Person to Person, and Target Populations (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Weitzman ECHO COVID-19 combines specific didactic, case-based learning and COVID-19 experiences and expertise in primary care to front line Safety Net healthcare providers across the country during this pandemic. More Details...

America’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan: A Discussion with Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House Vaccinations Coordinator (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This timely discussion with Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House Vaccinations Coordinator, focused on the state of the nation’s vaccination effort against COVID-19. More Details...

Partnering for the COVID Vaccine: Lessons from the Flu-LEAD Project (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, the National Center for Health in Public Housing, and subject matter experts from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development hosted a webinar about leveraging health center and housing authority partnerships for COVID vaccine distribution. More Details...

Infographic: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine FAQ (2021). Resource Type: Other. Description: This infographic is meant to be a client-facing handout providing education and FAQs on the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. While it is designed to be accessible to populations experiencing homelessness, it is applicable to all patients. More Details...

Using SMBP to Diagnose and Manage Hypertension (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Out-of-office BP measurements are recommended to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension. Recent research estimates that up to 30% of patients with non-hypertensive in-office blood pressure readings have elevated blood pressures when measured outside of the office (Masked Hypertension). In addition, up to 35% of people with elevated office blood pressures may have normal blood pressures when measured outside of the office (White-Coat Hypertension). SMBP helps prevent these misclassifications and helps ensure patients are diagnosed more accurately. More Details...

US Blood Pressure Validated Device Listing (2021). Resource Type: Website. Description: Uncontrolled high blood pressure (“BP”) is the leading risk factor for death and disability. The accurate measurement of BP is essential for the diagnosis and management of hypertension. One important aspect of accurate measurement is whether the BP measurement device has been validated for clinical accuracy. This website lists blood pressure measurement devices that have been validated for clinical accuracy as determined through an independent review process. More Details...

Taking Control of My Blood Pressure: Natalia's Story (2018). Resource Type: Video. Description: Natalia, a Community Health Center patient, explains how she has taken control of her blood pressure with the help of self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) at Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center. More Details...

Taking Control of My Blood Pressure: D'Angelo's Story (2018). Resource Type: Video. Description: D’Angelo, a Community Health Center patient, explains how he has taken control of his blood pressure with the help of self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) at Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center. More Details...

SMBP: Evidence-based Protocols for Using it in Clinical Practice (2021). Resource Type: Video. Description: An overview of SMBP, its benefits, and how to use it in a clinical practice. More Details...

SMBP Joint Policy Statement 2020 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured BP monitoring, the measurement of BP by an individual outside of the office at home, is a validated approach for out-of-office BP measurement. Several national and international hypertension guidelines endorse self-measured BP monitoring. Indications include the diagnosis of white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension and the identification of white-coat effect and masked uncontrolled hypertension. Other indications include confirming the diagnosis of resistant hypertension and detecting morning hypertension. More Details...

SMBP Implementation Guide: Implementation Guide for Health Care Delivery Organizations (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This implementation guide is designed to help guide health care delivery organizations to implement SMBP into practice or optimize their existing SMBP processes in a systematic way. It includes change ideas, implementation tips, and tools and resources to set up SMBP successfully based on your goals, environment, and community partners/assets. More Details...

SMBP CPT Coding (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) refers to blood pressure (BP) measurements obtained outside of a physician’s practice, usually at home. When combined with clinical support (e.g., one-on-one counseling, web-based or telephonic support tools, education), SMBP can enhance the quality and accessibility of care for people with high blood pressure and improve blood pressure control. SMBP can be used to assess BP control and to make a diagnosis of hypertension. SMBP allows patients to actively participate in the management of their BP and has been shown to improve adherence to antihypertensive medications. More Details...

Self-Measurement: How Patients and Care Teams are Bringing Blood Pressure to Control (2018). Resource Type: Video. Description: This video showcases several community health centers' work to implement self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) programs in their clinics. The health centers provided blood pressure monitors to their at-risk patients for use at home as part of a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More Details...

Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Action Steps for Clinicians: Action Steps for Clinicians (2014). Resource Type: n.a.. Description: The purpose of this guide is to facilitate the implementation of SMBP plus clinical support in four key areas: Preparing care teams to support SMBP, selecting and incorporating clinical support systems, empowering patients, and encouraging health insurance coverage for SMBP plus additional clinical support. For each area, the guide lists actions that can facilitate the implementation of SMBP plus additional support. Beside each action step, it provides corresponding electronic resources to assist with these actions. It also includes appendices that describe proper SMBP preparation and technique, clinical support interventions that are effective when used with SMBP, the proper way to check a home blood pressure monitor for accuracy, and the burden and cost of hypertension. More Details...

Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Implementation Toolkit (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This toolkit is designed to help organizations implement self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) successfully into their care processes and workflows. SMBP refers to blood pressure measurements taken outside of the clinical setting, usually at home. SMBP helps with both diagnosis and management of hypertension and increases patient participation in their own care. SMBP, when combined with other clinical supports, improves hypertension control. More Details...

How to Use your Home Blood Pressure Monitor (English) (2018). Resource Type: Video. Description: One of the most accurate ways to measure your blood pressure is to do it yourself, outside of the doctor’s office, in a comfortable setting like your home. It’s called self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP). This short video will teach you how to use your home blood pressure monitor so that you can share your readings with your provider and, together with your health care team, make better decisions about your health care. For more information, visit millionhearts.hhs.gov. More Details...

Como Usar Su Monitor de Presión Arterial (2018). Resource Type: Video. Description: Una forma precisa de medir su presión arterial es hacerlo usted mismo fuera del consultorio del doctor, en un ambiente cómodo, como su casa. Se llama automedida de la presión arterial o AMPA, SMBP en inglés. Este corto video le enseñará los pasos que debe seguir para usar su monitor de presión arterial en su hogar para que pueda compartir sus lecturas con su doctor y, junto con su equipo de atención de salud, tomar mejores decisiones sobre su atención medica. More Details...

Are Community Health Center Patients Interested in Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) – And Can They Do It? (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) helps diagnose and manage hypertension from outside the clinic, which has implications for patient empowerment and outcomes, continuity of care, and resilience in care communities catering to vulnerable populations. More Details...

Accelerating Use of SMBP through Clinical-Community Care Models (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP), the regular measurement of blood pressure by a patient outside the clinical setting, plus additional support, is a proven, cost-effective but underutilized strategy to improve hypertension outcomes. To accelerate SMBP use, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the National Association of Community Health Centers, the YMCA of the USA, and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to develop cross-sector care models to offer SMBP to patients with hypertension. More Details...

7-Step SMBP Quick Guide: Helping patients achieve and maintain blood pressure goals (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid increase in the use of telemedicine by many health care organizations, physicians and care teams. Using telemedicine modalities with self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) can help patients with hypertension achieve and maintain blood pressure goals. More Details...

Teledentistry During COVID-19: A promising practice (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This promising practice features Petaluma Health Center in CA. The health center implemented a teledentistry program during the COVID-19 pandemic. This promising practice shares their experience in ensuring continuity of oral health care through teledentistry. More Details...

NACHC COVID-19 Communications Toolkit for Health Center Staff (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This Toolkit is intended to provide health center staff with simple Key Messages (which can be tailored for use with specific populations); Frequently Asked Questions; Sample Social Media posts; and useful template communications materials to create confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage health center staff and the communities they serve to get the vaccine and help protect against COVID-19. More Details...

Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes - 2021 (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This annually updated evidence-based guide provides a comprehensive approach to the prevention, screening, management, and patient health literacy and self-management of diabetes. Sections address special populations that include children, elders, pregnant women, the food insecure, migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, and those with comorbid health conditions. Facilitating behavior change to reduce diabetes risk, complement sections focused on Prediabetes and the delay in progression of diabetes. More Details...

Prediabetes Risk Test (2021). Resource Type: Other. Description: This 8-question risk test can be taken online or on paper and uses an individual’s demographics, family, and medical history to assess their risk of developing diabetes. For those identified as being high-risk, information on the National Diabetes Prevention Program are included to encourage enrollment in a life-style change program to prevent or delay diabetes. More Details...

National Diabetes Statistics Report - 2020 (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This periodically updated report provides national data on the prevalence of diabetes within the United States. Assessed data includes the incidence of prediabetes, risk for diabetes complications, and the coexisting conditions and complications frequently experienced by those diagnosed with diabetes. More Details...

Military Lessons Drive Covid-19 Vaccine Plan at Philadelphia Health Center (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Retired Major Dr. Robert Heininger was responsible for health policies on his military base in Georgia and is now applying what he learned to operation of five Federally Qualified Health Centers, specifically around administration of COVID-19 vaccines. More Details...

Coping with COVID-19: Trauma-informed Care for Pediatric NICU Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020). Resource Type: Online Self-Paced Learning Modules. Description: This is a FREE online continuing education course that provides 1 credit to nurses, physicians, social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists. All other professions are welcome to take the course, and will receive a Certificate of Completion. More Details...

Coping with COVID-19: Trauma-informed Care for Frontline Maternity Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020). Resource Type: Online Self-Paced Learning Modules. Description: This is a FREE online continuing education course that provides 1 credit to nurses, physicians, social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists. All other professions are welcome to take the course, and will receive a Certificate of Completion. More Details...

Process for Tracking Utilization of COVID-19 Therapeutics (2021). Resource Type: Document. Description: This resource discusses who should report on the use of federally purchased therapeutics, rules governing reporting, and the process of reporting. More Details...

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: Storage and Handling Summary (2021). Resource Type: Document. Description: This resource outlines how to store and handle the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. More Details...

Overview of Direct Order Process for COVID-19 Therapeutics (2021). Resource Type: Document. Description: The United States Government (USG) is responsible for the allocation and distribution of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 as per the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The USG has developed a process for sites to directly order from the distributor, AmerisourceBergen (ABC). More Details...

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: Storage and Handling Summary (2021). Resource Type: Document. Description: This document outlines how to store and handle the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. More Details...

FTCA Office Hour for Clinical Leaders: January 2021 (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: NACHC, in collaboration with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, is continuing to hold a series of Office Hours to answer health center specific COVID-19 FTCA-related questions. Topics discussed include coverage for COVID-19 related activities, navigating telehealth, coverage for virtual services, issues related to COVID-19 vaccine delivery, deeming of volunteer health professionals, preparing for a virtual site visit, and risk management. More Details...

COVID-19 Vaccine Posters and "I Got Vaccinated" Social Media Images (2021). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: To aid your vaccine communication efforts, NACHC has two new resources: Posters: NACHC’s new COVID-19 vaccine posters (in standard printer size) can help health centers positively promote the vaccine. Customizable social media graphics: Encourage staff and providers who have gotten the vaccine to share their experience on their social media channels with NACHC’s \"I got vaccinated against COVID\" social media graphics. More Details...

Common Questions and Concerns — COVID-19 Vaccine (English/Spanish) (2021). Resource Type: Field-Generated Publication. * Description: This document provides answers to common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine from patients, including "What are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?" and "Can the vaccine give me or my family COVID-19?" More Details...

COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Vaccine Planning and Distribution (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Vaccines are a vital, lifesaving tool that prevent illness and death. Vaccines have greatly reduced or eliminated many infectious diseases that once routinely killed or harmed adults and children, particularly those living in poverty. It is essential that households experiencing homelessness have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Many states and counties around the country have prioritized vaccine access both for homeless service providers and individuals experiencing homelessness. More Details...

Consumer Perspectives of the COVID-19 Vaccine: COVID-19 & the HCH Community (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: To better understand how people experiencing homelessness view the COVID-19 vaccine, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council conducted focus groups with steering committee members of its National Consumer Advisory Board and with consumers from local community homeless service programs. This brief is intended to (1) share their direct feedback so those planning vaccination events can better reach priority populations like those experiencing homelessness, and (2) identify actions that should be taken now to maximize the uptake of the vaccine. More Details...

Microplanning for COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This short document outlines the process for COVID-19 vaccine delivery to serve as a planning guide for health centers. The guide addresses the role of the board and the C-Suite in determining the organization's role, then focuses on the core leadership team in four major planning areas: design workflow, data use, education,and engagement. More Details...

Breaking the Cycle of Integenerational Diabetes Webinar: Webinar highlights strategies to address diabetes impacting multi-generational families (2021). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar highlights health center programs that reach into underserved communities to address diabetes care across generations More Details...

A Call for Reinforcements in Diabetes Care: Maximizing the Role of Non-Clinical Staff and Partners Publication: Issue brief and case studies highlightin promising practices for non-clinical staff with links to the community (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Successful diabetes care for vulnerable populations demands a multi-prong approach and support from a range of community resources to address SDOH. This report outlines promising practices utilizing interdisciplinary teams and community resources can support consumers’ self-management and in-turn More Details...

Strategies for Increasing HIV Screening Rates at Your Health Center (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Health centers are always searching for innovative strategies to increase their HIV screening rates. This year, health centers have gotten creative by combining HIV testing with COVID-19 screening, while others are mailing at-home HIV testing kits to patients. Finding strategies to help increase HIV screening at your health center is a lesson in trial and error. We hope our latest blog will give you some ideas on improving your HIV screening rates! More Details...

Federal Activities and Approaches to Advance Social Determinants of Health Data Use and Interoperability in Support of Community Health Centers: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: View this HITEQ Center webinar, where the The Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT present on the current state of federal activities and standards based approaches for collecting, sharing, and using SDoH data with a focus on technical and policy considerations. The presentation describes available standards, tools, and initiatives for health center use and input. More Details...

The HCH Community & COVID-19: Vaccines for Clients and Staff (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: As vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and become available for distribution, questions abound on when they will be available for people experiencing homelessness as well as staff working in community-based programs (such as health centers and homeless shelters). This discussion identified the main challenges to vaccinating the HCH community, the strategies needed to ensure a successful vaccination campaign, and the immediate action steps to consider in order to be prepared. More Details...

Public Housing Primary Care (PHPC) COVID-19 Dashboard (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This dashboard by NCHPH provides the latest COVID-19 statistics in Public Housing Primary Care (PHPC) Health Centers, including race and ethnicity data and additional resources. More Details...

COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit: CDC Vaccine Communications Toolkit (2020). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Ready-made materials to inform healthcare teams and staff. More Details...

Ask Me Anything: Microplanning for Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines, Part 1 (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The first in a series of 30-minute Q&A sessions with the Association of Immunization Managers’ CEO, Claire Hannan. Hannan answers questions and provides guidance on microplanning for both Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations in 2020/2021. More Details...

Supporting Implementation of Smoking Cessation Programs in Public Housing Primary Care Settings: Learning Collaborative (20; Session 2 11). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: During this learning collaborative health center staff learned about different aspects for implementation of smoking cessation programs. More Details...

Diabetes and Seasonal Influenza (Flu) During COVID-19: Protect Yourself! (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This infographic addresses the importance of influenza (flu) prevention among public housing residents with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. More Details...

Culturally Competent Care: Learning Collaborative (20; Session 2 11). Resource Type: Other. Description: This is a learning collaborative series of 4 sessions where Health Center staff learned about standards for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) to their patients. Slides and recordings for all sessions are available here as well as resources to facilitate the implementation of CLAS in health center settings. More Details...

The HCH Community & COVID-19: Vaccines for Patients and Staff (2020). Resource Type: n.a.. Description: As COVID-19 vaccines become available, questions abound on how to immunize patients and staff of health centers that serve people experiencing homelessness. This issue brief outlines unique considerations for this vulnerable population. More Details...

Food Insecurity and Trauma Informed Approaches to BMI and Diabetes Care While Experiencing Homelessness (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This archived webinar describes the importance of trauma-informed care in assessing Body Mass Index in the context of diabetes treatment for patients experiencing homelessness. More Details...

A Brief Case for Safety: Preventing Errors Associated with Vaccine Management (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Developed by ECRI, this brief case study focuses on best practices for vaccine management. It provides a checklist for health centers and free clinics to help prepare for immunization activities and vaccine distribution. More Details...

Emergency Preparedness: Infectious Disease Risk: Risk Communication: Infectious Disease (2019). Resource Type: Archived In-Person Training. Description: Sarah Darcy, Media Relations Manager for South Shore Health System, speaks on risk communication and how it relates to infectious disease. More Details...

Winter is Coming: Flu and COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar described the challenges and strategies of two co-occurring issues: the surge of COVID-19 cases and the flu season. More Details...

Integrating Smoking Cessation Services in Community-Based Primary Care (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: A one-hour webinar that explores best practices for smoking cessation treatment for residents of public housing. More Details...

Implementing Opt-Out HIV Screening in Your Health Center: Understanding Opt-Out HIV Testing (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Getting tested for HIV is a powerful step towards taking control of one’s sexual health. Opt-out HIV testing, sometimes referred to as universal screening, is defined as conducting HIV testing after notifying patients that the test will be conducted and that they may decline or defer testing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opt-out testing is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to remove the stigma associated with HIV testing, foster earlier diagnosis and treatment, reduce transmission risk, and is cost-effective. More Details...

Ending the HIV Epidemic: The Health Center Role: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This presentation will be led by Dr. Tim Long, and will focus on the four pillars of Ending the HIV Epidemic and primary care HIV prevention. This webinar will focus on the clinical aspects of Ending the HIV epidemic, and use of health IT and EHR to support clinical care. More Details...

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking in the Health Center Setting: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The coronavirus pandemic and consequent stay-at-home orders may increase danger for those at risk for or experiencing intimate partner violence and human trafficking (IPV/HT). Due to COVID-19, many health centers have shifted health encounters to virtual platforms, which offer unique opportunities to provide trauma-informed care and connect in new ways with those who may be experiencing abuse. Yet, telehealth and virtual visits also present health centers with new challenges related to privacy, safety and digital health equity. More Details...

This bilingual tool for Community Health Workers can be printed into a pamphlet that participants can use to track their A1C and other biometric data. (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers & Hypertension and Heart Health Interventions: A Resource for Program Managers and Administrators is a resource for Community Health Worker program managers and administrators. It explains how Community Health Worker-led intervention programs can positively impact patients who have hypertension. About 75 million American adults (1 in every 3) have high blood pressure. Although high blood pressure can be easily detected and can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication, almost a third of individuals with hypertension don’t know they have it, and only about half have it under control. Due to their close understanding of and trust from the communities they serve, CHWs can be particularly strong champions for patients with hypertension and/or at risk of heart disease. More Details...

The Role of CHWs in Addressing Hypertension (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers (CHWs) are uniquely qualified to support individuals with hypertension. CHW interventions are known to improve health outcomes among individuals diagnosed with hypertension and support at-risk individuals to prevent the development of the condition. The purpose of this guide is to assist health centers and partners in identifying the roles of CHWs in addressing hypertension. More Details...

The Role of CHWs in Addressing Diabetes (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Worker (CHW) interventions have demonstrated success in improving health outcomes among individuals diagnosed with diabetes. Additionally, CHWs support at-risk individuals to prevent the development of the condition. The purpose of this guide is to assist health centers and partners in identifying the roles of CHWs in addressing diabetes. More Details...

Telehealth for Supportive Housing Providers - CSH Three Part Telehealth Series: Guidance for Providers looking to adapt and are considering Billing for themselves (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: In the COVID19 environment technology can be used as a complement to face-to-face services, and also as a service on its own. Technology options can be especially useful for people with depression or suffering from distress, and when there are difficulties in physically meeting with tenants. More Details...

Nurses on the Front Line: Models for 2020 Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document outlines key components for planning the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as models and lessons learned for the 2020 flu vaccine. More Details...

NNOHA Teledentistry Workflow (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: A sample generic workflow provides an example of how oral health care can be delivered through teledentistry. More Details...

Know Your A1C Tool / Conozca Su A1C (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: One of the most commonly reported positive health outcomes in Community Health Worker-led diabetes interventions is the improvement/stabilization of A1C levels reported in patients. The hemoglobin A1C test is a marker widely used to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes and to monitor diabetes control in patients. More Details...

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Cost Calculator (2020). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: NNCC’s HCV Cost Calculator is an interactive tool designed to evaluate the costs and benefits of Standard vs Enhanced HCV Care. The HCV Cost Calculator uses a numerical value-based model of health center staff training, screening, and treatment regimen to estimate the cost-benefit comparison and return on investment (ROI) to the health center. More Details...

Hepatitis Awareness Month: Providing Care for Patients During COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar explored resources available to providers that treat patients seeking viral hepatitis services during the COVID-19 pandemic More Details...

Diabetes, Heart Disease, and LGBTQIA+ Populations (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Dr. Alex Gonzalez of Fenway Health  and Katherine Overton of the American Heart Association discuss diabetes and heart disease in LGBTQIA+ populations. More Details...

Care for LGBTQIA+ People of Color (2020) (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this talk from the 2020 Advancing Excellence in Sexual and Gender Minority Health conference, Dr. Darrell Wheeler identifies challenges and solutions for supporting the health of LGBTQIA+ people of color. More Details...

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Innovative Programs Serving People Experiencing Homelessness: Health center case studies for the Opioid Crisis. (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Health centers are increasingly seeing individuals who are suffering from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and other Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), and many of these individuals are also faced with housing instability or are experiencing homelessness. Innovation is being driven at the ground level by providers including health centers, public health departments, harm reduction agencies and supportive housing agencies that are all concerned with the impact of OUD and other SUDs on the health of the people they serve. Essential in any innovative care model are the services needed to ensure people experiencing homelessness have access to evidence-based care, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). More Details...

Health Centers' Experienced and Anticipated COVID-19 Testing Challenges (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This report documents health centers’ experienced and anticipated challenges with COVID-19 testing. This report discusses the findings from NACHC’s open call for information on this topic and has testimonials from health center staff on their experiences. More Details...

Health Centers' Challenges with COVID-19 Testing (2020). Resource Type: Infographic. Description: This infographic illustrates high-level findings from the aforementioned report, which has additional testimonials from health center staff on their challenges with testing for COVID-19. More Details...

Flu Vaccine Guidance during COVID-19 for providers serving people without homes (2020). Resource Type: Infographic. Description: People experiencing homelessness are uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 and the Flu and may face additional barriers to receiving vaccinations. A flu vaccine this season can also help reduce the burden on our healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This infographic describes these key considerations. More Details...

Flu LEAD (Linkages to End Access Disparities) Initiative 2020 Information: A Pilot Project to Increase Influenza Vaccination Coverage among HUD-Assisted Residents (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This NCHPH informational page provides an overview, and resources about the Flu LEAD pilot project directed by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase influenza vaccination coverage among residents of Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). More Details...

Promising Health Center Practices During COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document provides a compendium of promising practices for health centers during COVID-19. This robust collection of field examples speaks to the breadth and depth of change and transformation carried out by health centers and their partners as they continued serving their communities in the midst of a pandemic response. More Details...

Influenza Vaccine Readiness in an Era of COVID-19: Reflections from Community Health Center Leaders (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document contains interviews conducted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) with a diverse group of health center leaders to ascertain issues being considered in light of the urgent need for expansive influenza vaccine overage in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic. More Details...

Guide to Improving Care Processes and Outcomes in Health Centers: An approach to quality improvement (2016). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The quality improvement QI approach outlined in this Guide can be used to augment current QI approaches used in your health center, or can serve as a placeholder QI methodology when there isn’t already a robust QI process in place. It provides a framework and tools for documenting, analyzing, sharing and improving key workflows and information flows that drive performance on high-stakes care performance measures, and related improvement imperatives. This webpage provides strategies and tools that health centers and their partners can use to enhance care processes and outcomes targeted for improvement, such as hypertension and diabetes control, preventive care, and many others.   This webpage provides strategies and tools that health centers and their partners can use to enhance care processes and outcomes targeted for improvement, such as hypertension and diabetes control, preventive care, and many others. For authorship and acknowledgement for this Guide, see the bottom of this guide. The quality improvement QI approach outlined in this Guide can be used to augment current QI approaches used in your health center, or can serve as a placeholder QI methodology when there isn’t already a robust QI process in place. The approach provides a framework and tools for documenting, analyzing, sharing and improving key workflows and information flows that drive performance on high-stakes care performance measures, and related improvement imperatives.  The diagram to the left illustrates the data-driven, health IT-enabled continuous quality improvement approach that this Guide supports.  For an overview of the information contained herein access this recorded webinar and companion materials including transcript and slides for reference.     Background to Guide Guide Context and Approach This section includes guidance on leveraging Health IT to improve quality and clinical performance including data validation tools, Clinical Decision Support Quality Improvement worksheets, and change packages for recommended approaches related to various quality of care measures. Read More...   The diagram below illustrates the Guide’s focus on helping health centers adapt to the intensifying performance improvement imperatives they face pyramid tip. The Guide does this by providing strategies and tools to help analyze and improve critical workflows and information flows layers beneath the pyramid tip. For an introduction to the Guide that was presented as part of a webinar, see here the pertinent discussion is between these times/markers on the recording: 43:46-58:44     Audience The strategies and tools in this Guide are designed for quality, clinical and other health center staff, and health center partners that support quality improvement efforts. Read More... Everyone in a health center has a stake in successful quality improvement, and many different staff roles might be the first to encounter this Guide. For initial review, roles including QI/clinical/data/operations team members or leads are likely most appropriate. To drive substantial improvements, these tools and strategies should then be shared and used more widely with pertinent health center team members responsible for the organization’s clinical, operational and other activities key to successful QI. A QI team is typically the driving force behind the cross-stakeholder work outlined in this Guide. For more on building QI teams, see here.   Various organizations that support or depend on information from QI efforts within health centers can also become better QI partners by understanding and applying the strategies and tools in this Guide. These partners include:   Support organizations such as HCCNs, PCAs, payers and others   Organizations that supply health centers with technology that play a critical QI role, such as EHR and population health software vendors    Why Using this Guide is Important for Health Centers Quality improvement has traditionally been a core health center activity as health centers try to continually maximize value and efficiency. Dramatic healthcare payment reforms, increasingly tying payment to QI efforts and results, make effective QI a business imperative for all provider organizations. Wherever your organization is on the QI journey – from beginning through highly sophisticated – this Guide uses tools such as the CDS/QI Worksheets -- see under 'Document/ Analyze Flows; Identify Improvements' and strategies such as the CDS 5 Rights Framework that can enhance your QI efforts and results. Read More... Payment reforms seek to transform healthcare to achieve 3 key goals often referred to as the ‘Triple Aim’ or ‘Three-part Aim’:   Better care for individuals   Better health for populations   Lower cost   Key stakeholders assert that to achieve these goals, it’s important to also improve work life for clinicians and staff. Adding this dimension to the 3 goals above is referred to as the ‘Quadruple Aim.’ This shift to value-based payment is driven by both the public and private sector, and directly affects FQHC financial health. For example, the Merit-based Incentive Payment System is transforming Medicare by tying provider payments to performance on quality measures, clinical performance improvement activities, costs, and use of health IT. Medicaid and private payers are also driving transformation through increasing use of value and/or risk-based contracts that require successful QI.   Many health centers already use robust QI approaches such as those outlined in this quality improvement primer as part of UDS measure reporting and improvement efforts. Many likewise leverage powerful health IT capabilities such as population health management tools including disease/condition registries; EHR tools to enhance ordering, documentation and data review; and SMS texting with patients in this QI work. The drivers noted above, however, require increasingly sophisticated and effective approaches to health IT-enabled Quality Improvement health IT/QI. Other closely related terms include eCQI used by ONC and CMS and CDS-enabled QI CDS/QI, so those are terms referenced in some materials in this Guide as well.   The framework, strategies, and tools in this Guide can help your organization enhance its health IT/QI approach and results. In addition to the benefits this delivers in addressing payment drivers noted above, it can also improve staff satisfaction by streamlining care workflows, improve health center business strength by avoiding duplicated efforts and decreasing costs, and improve patient satisfaction by meeting their care needs more efficiently and effectively. How to Use this Guide The next main section of this resource, Health IT-Enabled QI Guide Details provides a step-by-step approach and tools for analyzing and enhancing care processes targeted for outcome improvement. The steps are outlined in the pathway under the first heading in that section, Approach to health IT-enabled QI. Read More... The Essential CDS/QI Worksheet is a core resource for analyzing and improving target-focused care. A preliminary workflow analysis and enhancement brainstorming exercise can be accomplished in as little as an hour by one or more health center staff reviewing the tutorial and using this worksheet. More comprehensive QI projects addressing all the steps in the pathway typically take up to a year or longer. In any case, the QI work should be a collaborative process involving all stakeholders within the health center, and ideally key partners as well such as the HCCN or PCA working with the health center, and their EHR and population health software vendors. Scanning these evidence-based strategies and tools will give health centers and their partners a sense for whether/how they can augment your current QI work. Users can then apply these approaches and resources with their team to the depth that would be most valuable and feasible given available time and resources. For a “quick win” exercise to identify potential high-yield, target-focused care process improvement opportunities, see this presentation Health IT Enabled QI: A Guide to Improvement. For additional ideas on introductory QI exercises, see the brief slide set, Five Minutes of Quality Improvement: Tackling Small QI Tasks. Contact the HITEQ Center for support on implementing the QI approach in this Guide.   Strategies and tools from this Guide in action:   CDS Learning Session ‘Quick Win’ Exercise: Sixteen community health centers in New Orleans conducted a valuable ‘Quick Win’ exercise using an earlier version of the Essential CDS/QI worksheet see here for further details about this exercise and results. In this activity, small teams from each health center e.g., a clinician and administrator were given a 20-minute overview of several key health IT/QI concepts and tools outlined in this Guide the broad CDS definition, CDS 5 Rights framework, and an earlier version of the CDS/QI Worksheet, each of which is explained later in this guide.   Immediately following, for just 20 minutes, each team independently used an enlarged version of the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet on a flip chart to document key workflows and information flows for their improvement target e.g., lipid or diabetes control. During this time, they also brainstormed refinements to one or more of the CDS 5 Rights “who, what, when, where, how” dimensions.   During the report-out following this brainstorming, health centers noted excitement about trying these enhancements to improve care processes and outcomes related to their target.   Using the Guide for Yearlong, Target Focused QI: Other QI projects have used the strategies and tools outlined in this Guide in yearlong, target focused QI efforts and have realized benefits for quality improvement and care processes, and increasingly in outcomes. In many cases these efforts involved collaboration with HCCNs and/or HIE/EHR/population management software vendors. These initiatives include:   A network of health centers in CA working on blood pressure control. The lead health center in this project, Petaluma Health Center, is a 2015 Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champion. View project report slides.   Improving blood pressure and diabetes in control in Trenton, NJ that included a health center among the participants. View project report slides .   Health centers in several states working on hypertension diagnosis and management several of which are achieving aggressive blood pressure improvement targets. Link to project overview.   Health IT-Enabled QI Guide Details Approach to Health IT-enabled QI The outline depicted in the figure below provides a step-by-step approach to analyzing and enhancing care processes targeted for outcome improvement. The sections below provide guidance and tools on addressing each of these steps. Read More...   Check/ Reinforce Foundations Successful health IT/QI efforts require a firm foundation of people, process, and technology elements. Read More... Cultivate a shared commitment within your team to improving care delivery and results, including fully leveraging health IT capabilities. Successful QI efforts deliver a ‘win-win-win’ for patients and their care teams, as well as broader organizational goals. This infographic and report examines characteristics of health centers that have achieved high clinical, financial and operational performance.     Ensure that key foundations for successful QI efforts are in place. For example, leadership and team support; stable well-utilized health IT systems such as EHR, population management software; bandwidth and capacity for the QI work; and shared understanding about QI goals and processes.  For some specific resources around ensuring key foundations, see here for Motivating Factors for Engaging in Health IT-enabled QI, and Engaging the Data Creators.  Also, see here for A Buyer’s Guide to Business Intelligence Tools.  Here is a tool to assess analytics capability in health centers, that also provides insights into the nuance of working with data and building a data-driven culture. A brief video introduction to using this tool is here.   Ensure access to and validate data that will underpin the QI efforts. For example, ensure that EHR and/or population management software can deliver needed data and reports, and produce the same values for targeted performance measures and related data as manual review/calculation. See here for questions to consider to help determine if you are fully utilizing your EHR capabilities for population management, and if additional tools are needed. This checklist can help with data validation and interpretation a webinar that includes an introduction to this checklist is here, and the pertinent discussion is between these times/markers on the recording: 8:15- 43:45. See here for a basic auditing tool Excel Template for data reports, and a case study on data validation.   Identify and address barriers to collaboration on effective process improvement such as stakeholder conflicts or conflicting goals among all concerned, including providers, care delivery and quality staff, partners e.g., health IT vendors, and patients.   Layer the approach and tools outlined below onto your general QI methodology, as well as any current target-focused QI activities. If no QI framework is in place, consider using the approach outlined in this Guide as a starting point, and build that out further through options such as those provided in the primer, Continuous Quality Improvement CQI Strategies to Optimize your Practice. Understand Health IT-enabled QI Everyone participating in the QI work should have a shared understanding of key definitions e.g., CDS, frameworks e.g., CDS 5 Rights, strategies e.g., the QI process outlined under the Implement and Evaluate Changes heading., tools e.g., Essential CDS/QI Worksheet, and key QI project success factors.   Read More... ‘Clinical Decision Support’ CDS is a key underpinning for the QI approach outlined in this Guide, but its meaning here might be different than what you have in mind especially if ‘alert’ figures prominently in your definition. In this Guide, CDS is defined as a process for improving health-related decisions and actions with pertinent knowledge and patient information to enhance health and care delivery. Under this definition, CDS is about supporting care decisions and actions, ideally in a manner that makes the appropriate decisions and actions the easy ones to execute. That is, facilitating workflow not interrupting it – as alerts often do. There are many different ways to provide this support e.g., CDS intervention types. See the CMS CDS tipsheet page for more details, including example CDS intervention types e.g., order sets, focused patient data summaries, documentation templates.   The CDS 5 Rights framework is a best practice QI approach recommended by CMS in the tipsheet above to support decisions and actions that drive performance targeted for improvement. It asserts that optimizing care processes and outcomes requires getting the right information to the right people in the right formats through the right channels at the right times see figure below. The tools and approaches outlined in this Guide help organizations implement this framework and enhance the contributions, experience and results for those involved in care delivery.   The Essential CDS/QI Worksheet see excerpt images below is a core health IT/ QI tool best used for initial efforts to map care processes and reveal potential enhancements. That is, to document and analyze target-focused information flows and workflows, and to brainstorm improvement opportunities see figure with excerpts from this worksheet below. The tutorial that follows provides guidance and examples on how the worksheet can be used. to streamline and enhance care processes. The Enhanced CDS/QI Worksheet,  pointed to below under the bullet titled 'For a deeper dive into health IT/ QI Foundations', is a more robust but more complicated tool for those already skilled in using the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet View the Tutorial on how to use the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet   See a completed Outpatient Essential CDS/QI Worksheet Example that uses this tool to illustrate the workflows and information flows that produced very high levels of blood pressure control in a small practice: Ellsworth Hypertension QI Case Study Note: this example used an earlier version of the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet that did not contain the ‘Foundational Activities’ section. This case study was originally developed for ONC and is also posted on here on healthit.gov. Attend to key QI project success factors:   Focus on People, Process, and Technology in that order, recognizing that engaging everyone involved is critical for success.     Focus on ‘the most important things’ when selecting improvement targets, opportunities to enhance care processes for the target, and activities to ensure successful implementation of those process changes.     QI activities involve a chain of stakeholders including health center QI leads, clinicians and staff, and ultimately patients. As the QI project unfolds and each of these groups is touched by the effort, seek to escalate engagement, insights, and momentum toward goals. For a deeper dive into health IT/QI foundations, consider these resources:   Tasks and Key Lessons from each chapter in “Improving Outcomes with Clinical Decision Support, and Implementer’s Guide, 2nd Edition.” These bulleted lists provide detailed guidance on successful CDS-enabled QI programs and interventions.   Enhanced CDS/QI Worksheet: Similar in concept to Essential version, but with additional space to document/review optimal care activities for the target, and the individual CDS 5 Rights dimensions for the current state. Consider using only after you are comfortable with the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet version Note: this example used an earlier version of the Enhanced CDS/QI Worksheet that did not contain the 'Foundational Activities' section.   View the Tutorial on how to use this Enhanced Worksheet [download the PDF and run locally for best results].   See a completed Outpatient Example: CHC Inc. hypertension QI case study   White papers and guides on HIT-CDS/QI:   Qualis Health: Integrating Clinical Decision Support Tools into Ambulatory Care Workflows for Improved Outcomes and Patient Safety   AHRQ: Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care   ONC: How-To Guides for Clinical Decision Support CDS Implementation Select Targets; Initiate QI Project   Successful QI efforts typically require significant time, energy and resources, so it is important to choose targets where the return will warrant the investment. This requires a clear and accurate understanding of baseline performance on the target.   Read More... Consider targets associated with business imperatives, such as UDS reporting especially for conditions where the health center is under-performing, and value-based payment initiatives from the private sector and CMS e.g., the Quality Payment Program which is radically overhauling Medicare payments to clinicians, and related value/risk-based payment models for Medicaid. Seek QI synergies with pertinent health center initiatives such as PCMH recognition and HRSA Health Center Quality Improvement Grant Awards.   Examine local performance gaps and improvement opportunities when reviewing payment drivers noted above and selecting targets. See the figure below from the HIMSS guidebook on improving outcomes for examples of local factors to consider in selecting targets for quality improvement intervention. Image Reference: Osheroff JA, Teich JM, Levick D, et. al. Improving Outcomes with Clinical Decision Support: An Implementer’s Guide, 2nd ed. Chicago: HIMSS. 2012.   Measure and understand your baseline performance on your targets. The CMS/ONC eCQI Resource Center has information about quality measure specifications for providers. The Checklist for Analyzing Performance Measure Data has detailed information about validating and interpreting these data. Document/Analyze Flows; Identify Improvements   A helpful QI adage is that “systems are perfectly designed to produce the results they deliver.” This truism highlights the importance of understanding current care processes that are driving sub-optimal performance on the targeted measure e.g., diabetes control, preventive care, use of expensive tests so they can be refined to deliver better results. The CDS/QI worksheet supports this analysis through a structured, broadly applicable framework for documenting, analyzing, sharing and improving target-focused care activities. Read More... Use the CDS/QI worksheet to help examine patient-specific and population management information flows and workflows, as well as foundational activities such as EHR configuration, policies, staff training, etc., that are producing sub-optimal performance on the target. For example, if the QI target is hypertension control, consider the current status of staff competency and training on measuring blood pressure appropriately foundational activities; registry use to identify and recall patients with poorly controlled blood pressure population management activities; and optimizing pre-visit huddles, order set use, and patient engagement/care plan adherence tools patient-specific supports.   Walk through the care process with special attention to the patient experience and document results in the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet.   Engage all care team members in the workflow/information flow and improvement analysis– including the patient, if possible.   If you are comfortable with the Essential CDS/QI Worksheet, consider using the Enhanced CDS/QI Worksheet instead of, or in addition to, the Essential Worksheet for a deeper dive into the ‘optimal state’ and the details of each CDS 5 Rights dimension.   Analyze this current state “what is?” to identify opportunities to improve target-focused information flow, workflow and results; i.e., to better address the CDS 5 Rights for the target. Document these potential enhancements in the CDS/QI Worksheet. Review the tutorial for the worksheet you are using i.e., essential vs. enhanced for guidance. For example, consider enhancements such as:   documentation templates, and related workflows for completing them, that make it easier to identify patient barriers to adherence with the care plan foundational activity;   text messages and/or personal calls to patients to decrease no-show rates patient-specific support, and   performance dashboards and related conversations to share target measure results with teams and clinicians as a springboard for brainstorming strategies to accelerate improvement population management activities.   Review evidence-based best care practices for the target “what should be”   Consider available best practice ‘change packages’ for the target:   For hypertension management, the CDC Hypertension Control Change Package presents change concepts, change ideas, and proven tools that outline ‘what should be’ best practices in categories that correspond to the categories on the CDS/QI Worksheets i.e., Foundation Activities, Population Management, and Patient-specific Supports and its subcomponents.   For detecting hypertension that may be ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ in health centers and diagnosing hypertension so it can be managed appropriately to reduce heart attacks and strokes, see this similarly-structured “HIPS” change package.   For improving colorectal cancer screen rates as called for in the national "80% by 2018" campaign, see this similarly-structured change package   Examine other case examples and best practices for successful target-focused care strategies e.g., QI case studies published by ONC, and other resources:   Case examples on hypertension control:   Ellsworth Medical Clinic hypertension QI case study: narrative discussion and details presented in an earlier version of the Essential CDS/ QI Worksheet.   CHC, Inc.2 hypertension QI case study: narrative discussion and details presented in an earlier version of the Enhanced CDS/QI Worksheet. This study was originally developed for ONC and is also posted here on healthit.gov.   EHR Innovations for HTN Challenge results   Colorectal cancer screening recommendations for community health centers from the Oregon Primary Care Association and the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Roundtable    Case example on tobacco use screening and smoking cessation support at Miramont Family Medicine. This case study was originally developed for ONC and is also posted here on healthit.gov   Define potential workflow and information flow enhancements for the target “what could be here?” by combining ‘top down’ approaches i.e., starting from ‘what should be?’ best practices and ‘bottom up’ approaches i.e., improvement opportunities that emerge from the “what is?” analysis with stakeholders.   Prioritize identified enhancements to implement: Identify several enhancements that are most likely to deliver the greatest benefit in the shortest time with the least effort for initial implementation that is, use the “low hanging fruit” approach – see prioritization tools such as this Prioritization Matrix. Give special attention to changes that could yield strong benefits across multiple targets, or that appear especially promising for strengthening critical workflows and information flows e.g., related to patient engagement, registry use to identify and close care gaps, pre-visit planning, and efficiently executing evidence-based care plans. Implement & Evaluate Changes Implementing enhanced care processes requires that people e.g., health center clinicians, other staff, and patients do things differently. Formal change management approaches can help ensure that these changes are successful and that they produce desired results.   Read More... Use a QI methodology e.g., PDSA cycles to engage frontline staff and other key stakeholders in care processes and results to design, implement and evaluate the prioritized changes. Be sure to do this work with all the stakeholders and not to them i.e., seek and act on team members’ and patients’ input and feedback throughout the process. Be ready to modify patient care and quality improvement activities, CDS intervention details across any of the CDS 5 Rights dimensions, and other parameters if needed as improvement cycles unfold. Monitor implementation activities with structured tools that help you document and manage who’s doing what when, as well as the results. Sample monitoring tools:   Worksheets from Chapter 8: Putting Interventions into Action and Chapter 9: Measuring Results and Continuously Refining the Program in “Improving Outcomes with Clinical Decision Support: An Implementer’s Guide. Second Edition” provided with permission from HIMSS   IHI PDSA Worksheet: http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Tools/PlanDoStudyActWorksheet.aspx   Validate and analyze performance measure data to make sure that the results are accurate, and that the team understands what they mean and what to do about them. This checklist can support this process. Harvest/Spread Results Ongoing attention to performance on key targets beyond ‘focused QI projects’ is generally warranted e.g. because performance may backslide for various reasons. In addition, there is a growing list of targets on which improvement is imperative. It is therefore important to ‘harvest’ learning, strategies and tools from each project that can be applied in an ongoing way to the target, and spread to other targets. The CDS/QI Worksheet’s structure can facilitate such cross fertilization among QI targets.   Read More... As the scheduled initiative concludes, review the QI project with stakeholders to better understand what worked well, what could have been done better, and what useful tools were created.   Apply this learning and these results to strengthen ongoing ‘maintenance’ efforts on the current target and other target-focused QI initiatives.   Transition target-related QI efforts from ‘project-focused’ to ‘this is how we do business.’ Build in ability to detect the need for, and implement, tweaks to target-related processes when required because of changes to people/processes/technology.   Incorporate proactively the insights and results from each QI project into subsequent QI initiatives. Although a particular target-focused QI project may be time-limited, the QI and clinical teams should remain alert for ways to continually improve care across all targets. For example, learning from a QI project might indicate opportunities to more broadly modify clinical and quality work and roles, as well as health IT configurations with this latter triggering feedback to developers about broadly needed enhancements.   Contact the HITEQ Center if you are interested in sharing results further with your peers, and opportunities for health IT/QI peer learning.   Acknowledgements Origins and Ongoing Refinement of this Guide: The content in this resource is drawn from and builds on widely used CDS/QI tools and strategies that have evolved over the past decade. The HITEQ Center plans to continue refining this Guide based on input from users like you, so please consider sharing your feedback through the comment form. Read More... The content in this Guide is an adapted and expanded version of care process improvement guidance posted here on healthit.gov. That original material was developed by Jerome Osheroff, MD, TMIT Consulting, LLC in collaboration with ONC and Deloitte, and this version on HITEQ was also developed by Osheroff/TMIT in collaboration with JSI and others.   Guide Reviewers Individuals below each provided helpful feedback on an earlier draft of this guide; those marked with * provided particularly detailed feedback that led to substantial enhancements: Sheila Allen, MPH; Chief Compliance and Quality Officer, HealthNet, Inc. *Daren Anderson, MD; Director of the Weitzman Institute and VP/Chief Quality Officer of Community Health Center, Inc Sasha East, MD; Internal Medicine Resident, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Renu George, MD; Internal Medicine Resident, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital *Meg Meador, MPH, C-PHI;  NACHC Director of Clinical Integration and Education *Jillian Maccini, MBA; Consultant, JSI Laura Methvin, MD; Internal Medicine Resident, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Alan Mitchell; Program Director, Performance Improvement, Primary Care Development Corporation PCDC * Nivedita Mohanty, MD; Director of Evidence-based Practice, Alliance of Chicago Rick Reifenberg MD, FAAP, FACP, Associate Medical Director, HealthNet Inc.   Refinements to material on this page to enhance its use and usefulness are planned based on user feedback HITEQinfo@jsi.com.   Recommended citation for this Guide: Osheroff, Jerome A. "Improving Care Processes and Outcomes in Health Centers. HRSA Health Information Technology, Evaluation and Quality Center. JSI. 9 Sept. 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016 More Details...

Million Hearts Factsheet (2015). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This factsheet provides and overview of the Million Hearts Campaign's efforts to improve health of patients through concerted quality improvement (QI) efforts. More Details...

Improving Identification and Diagnosis of Hypertensive Patients Hiding in Plain Sight (HIPS) in Health Centers (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Hypertension is the most prevalent chronic condition diagnosed among patients served in the safety net in; the United States; however, many safety-net patients with hypertension are not formally diagnosed and may remain untreated and at increased risk for cardiovascular events. Identifying undiagnosed hypertension using algorithmic logic programmed into clinical decision support (CDS) approaches is a promising practice but has not been broadly tested in the safety-net setting. More Details...

Identifying Hypertensive Patients Hiding in Plain Sight (HIPS) Change Package (2016). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document is a compilation of change ideas that health center teams employed along with associated tools and resources that emerged thru work with the Million Hearts project. More Details...

Information for Patients About Dental Amalgam Fillings (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Page of FDA website where the FDA recommends patients in some risk factor groups discuss restoration options with their dentist, regarding amalgam fillings that contain mercury. More Details...

Who Are the Undiagnosed? Disparities in Hypertension Diagnoses in Vulnerable Populations (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This study builds upon a project that developed clinical criteria to identify undiagnosed hypertension patients “hiding in plain sight” (HIPS) by examining patient characteristics to understand whether there are disparities in hypertension diagnosis. More Details...

Accelerating Use of Self‑measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Through Clinical‑Community Care Models (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The project aimed to increase the use of Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) through the coordinated action of health department leaders, community organizations and clinical providers. More Details...

Influenza Vaccination Technical Assistance Materials for Health Centers Curated by the Flu LEAD (Linkages to End Access Disparities) Team (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The following HRSA document contains technical assistance resources that may be helpful to health centers and other Health Center Program stakeholders interested in supporting clinical and community efforts to increase seasonal influenza vaccination rates. More Details...

Oral Health Value-Based Care: The Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Story (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NACHC collaborated with the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement to produce this white paper examining the role of FQHCs as facilitators of oral health value-based care. It also outlines various ways that FQHCs are positioned to respond effectively to the COVID-19 epidemic. More Details...

Social Determinants of Health for Public Housing Residents: Access to Healthy Food (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Using data and maps created by National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) and other national data sources, this publication is one in a series that identifies the prevalence of social factors and population health indicators that affect public housing residents. It is intended for non-clinical health center staff, decision makers, and public housing stakeholders. More Details...

GUIDANCE Sliding Coinsurance for CMS/Medicare Care Management Services (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: While health centers are required to impose Medicare coinsurance for CMS/Medicare care management services, the coinsurance may be “slid” commensurate with the sliding fee discount program (SFDP) policy of the health center. Federal anti-kickback statutes and beneficiary inducement prohibitions include exceptions allowing health centers to discount coinsurance for patients who are eligible for the health center’s sliding fee discount program without violating Medicare rules. More Details...

Bridging the Digital Divide: Using Technology to Improve Access to Health Care for Public Housing Residents (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The purpose of this report is to outline the digital needs and challenges of public housing residents, the risks and benefits of using technology to improve patient care, and recommendations on how to prepare health centers and patients to optimize digital tools, improve access to care, and enhance efforts through partnerships to bridge the digital divide. More Details...

Delivering Telelegal Services During COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: n.a.. Description: This town hall featured teams from Los Angeles, Montana, and Alaska who have experience delivering remote medical-legal partnership services in urban, rural, and frontier settings More Details...

Advance Care Planning During COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This town hall conversation explores the legal, policy, operational, and capacity issues related to advance care planning. More Details...

Testing for COVID-19 in Homeless Shelters & Encampments: Discussing CDC’s New Health Department Guidance & NHCHC’s Newest Issue Brief (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: As capacity for COVID-19 testing grows in most communities, high-risk settings such as homeless shelters and encampments are increasingly being prioritized for universal testing events. New CDC guidance for health departments outlines factors that local and state agencies can use to further inform specific policies being developed for these venues. A new National HCH Council issue brief provides lessons learned and testing strategies that HCHs in five cities have found to work successfully when conducting universal testing. This webinar summarized these new resources and hosted active discussion. More Details...

Reimagining Care (7/8/2020): Ensuring Access to Coverage During a Pandemic and Beyond (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how health centers deliver care. Health centers have also changed the way they provide a diverse range of non-medical enabling services that address patient barriers to care and social determinant of health. More Details...

Partnership Opportunities for Health Centers, EnVision Centers, and Public Housing Agencies (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The recent COVID-19 crisis his highlighted the magnitude of health inequities faced by public housing residents and the need for a coordinated approach in providing health prevention and treatment, as well as the basic goods and services needed to survive, e.g., food, medicine and shelter. More Details...

Secondary Traumatic Stress Identification, Mitigation and Improving Work Satisfaction for Health Center Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Webinar hosted by NCHPH. Recording slides and handouts available. More Details...

Clinician's Guide to the EPA's Worker Protection Standard (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The EPA’s Worker Protection Standard (WPS) protects agricultural workers from the health risks associated with pesticides. This guide, jointly developed by Farmworker Justice and Migrant Clinicians Network, provides information to clinicians about the WPS, including basic protections, reporting and monitoring requirements, and important considerations for migrant health clinicians. More Details...

Building Resilience in the Midst of a Pandemic: What Health Care Workers and Leaders Can Do During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: A lot of energy has been devoted to the critical need for PPE, the lack of respirators, tests, and the pressure on health centers to help “flatten the curve.” This crisis has left little time to address the impact of workplace and personal stressors on providers and other staff as they try to balance the fear of contracting the virus while carrying a heavy, complex workload. This webinar provided tips and recommendations for leadership, health center staff working at clinical sites on how to create a healthy environment and cope with anxiety, depression and other behavioral disorders caused by COVID-19. More Details...

The HCH Community & COVID-19: Strategies for Proactive Universal Testing (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This issue brief complements the most recent CDC guidance on testing among populations experiencing homelessness and provides public health authorities, emergency response systems, HCH health centers, and other community providers with feedback about these experiences. It also offers lessons learned and strategies for conducting successful universal testing events among homeless populations. More Details...

TelePrEP for Health Centers: Telehealth Resources and Innovations for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), June 2020 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has long been recognized as an effective treatment in the effort to end the HIV epidemic. Prescribing PrEP should be considered as part comprehensive prevention plan that includes a discussion about adherence to PrEP, condom use, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other risk reduction methods. This HITEQ brief presents an overview of how health centers can utilize telehealth for PrEP access, or TelePrEP, for comprehensive care, and includes innovations and resources that health centers can utilize to extend these services to their patient populations. More Details...

Returning to Primary Care: Diabetes Care During a Public Health Crisis (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The current public health crises have shown how critical it is for health centers to transform care delivery, especially for the vulnerable and safety-net population. Health centers provide care to individuals disproportionally at risk for, and affected by, diabetes. In this three-part webinar series, NACHC's Quality Center provided applications of evidence-based interventions for diabetes that can be readily and quickly implemented in the context of a changing healthcare environment. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Shared Care Planning Optimization Using the EHR (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The HITEQ Center, in collaboration with the National Council for Behavioral Health, hosted a webinar on Shared Care Planning Optimization Using the EHR. The webinar provided an overview on the importance of shared care planning and how we can better optimize the electronic health record to make it the most successful and inclusive of the team. Components of shared care planning and different tools that will help with the creation and accessibility of shared care plans were discussed. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Hear from your Peers: Using the EHR for Routine HIV Screening (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The HITEQ Center, in collaboration with BC3 Technologies, LLC, hosted this webinar that explored key concepts and best practices in utilizing an electronic health record in routine HIV Screening. This webinar sought to motivate and educate the clinical team on how the electronic health record can be used as a tool in the workflow of a primary practice. Aspects of clinical decision support, reminders, and alerts were covered with an emphasis on best practices, challenges, solutions, and lessons learned. More Details...

Health Information Technology support for HIV Screening and Prevention Services: Environmental scan for Ending the HIV Epidemic (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: In the 2019-2020 contract year, as part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative HITEQ conducted an environmental scan to determine the role of EHRs and health IT in health center capacity and ability to expand HIV screening and prevention. HITEQ reviewed existing data and existing literature, and conducted 15 interviews with health centers and health center partners. The results are structured as a SWOT analysis, outlining strengths and weaknesses internal to health center health IT systems as well as opportunities and threats, factors that are external to health centers. More Details...

Informational Guide for Public Housing Residents During COVID-19 – Know the Basics of Seeking Care: Know the Basics of Seeking Care (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This infographic provides general information on how public housing residents can seek care for COVID-19, testing services provided by health centers near public housing agencies and how the Public Charge rule does not apply for these services. More Details...

MSAW/Housing Playbook and Risk Mitigation: Samples from Family Health La Clinica, Wisconsin (2020). Resource Type: Template. Description: Three documents from Family Health La Clinica, shared by the Wisconsin PCA. Resources include a Playbook, Risk Mitigation Strategy, and Housing & Workplace Best Practices. More Details...

Informational Guide for Public Housing Residents — COVID-19: Know the Basics (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This infographic provides general information on COVID-19. More Details...

Understanding Your Federal Funding Streams and Appropriate Stewardship (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar explores fundamental ways to manage and maximize the impact of federal funds from multiple funding streams for COVID-19. More Details...

PrEP at Home (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this webinar, Dr. Ken Mayer and Julian Dormitzer, NP, address telePrEP and the PrEP at home model for LGBTQIA+ patients. The webinar covers the basics of starting and monitoring PrEP with an at-home start, and also address specific needs and concerns for sexual and gender minority people around PrEP and telePrEP. There is also a focus on PrEP at home in the time of COVID-19. More Details...

PrEP and Informatics (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this webinar experts from Fenway Health and HITEQ discuss using data, electronic health records, and informatics to make informed decisions regarding PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV prevention. The webinar covers both clinical data usage and administrative staff support in using data and informatics for optimizing PrEP in health centers. More Details...

Pharmacy and Finance for PrEP (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this webinar Dr. Rupa Patel discusses pharmacy and financing considerations for initiating and managing PrEP. Dr. Patel, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of the PrEP for HIV Program at the Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis, will explore these topics and provide guidance for health centers providing PrEP to their patients. More Details...

HIV Prevention/PrEP at Health Centers: An Overview and Current Best Practices (2019). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Dr. Kevin Ard and Dr. Jennifer Reske-Nielsen discuss HIV and PrEP in primary care and sexual health clinic settings, and the current state of HIV research and treatment in the United States. More Details...

Behavioral Health Care for Transgender and Gender-diverse People (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this webinar, Dr. Alex Keuroghlian discusses behavioral health care for transgender and gender-diverse people at health centers. This session will contextualize mental health inequities across diagnostic categories within a gender minority stress framework, propose culturally responsive tailoring of evidence-based clinical practices, and offer strategies for building inclusive, affirming, and trauma-informed environments within health centers in order to optimize behavioral health outcomes. More Details...

Payment and Delivery Reform: Medicaid in the Time of COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NACHC hosted a 3-part virtual peer learning opportunity on “Medicaid in the Time of COVID-19” as a year-end wrap-up to the 2019 Payment and Delivery Reform Summit. More Details...

Snapshot: FQHCs and Oral Health (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: n.a. More Details...

Supporting Aging in Place Programs: The Role of Community Health Workers (2019). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar reviewed the common health needs of older adults as they age in place, and explained the value of implementing Community Health Worker-led Aging in Place programs. More Details...

Sexual Health and Wellness for LGBTQIA+ Older Adults (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This two-part webinar series explored the importance of discussing safe sexual practices with LGBTQIA+ older adults and explained the value of connecting at-risk individuals to HIV prevention methods like PrEP. More Details...

Improving Diabetes Care Quality in Rural Communities (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar explores the role of telehealth delivery to overcome geographic and financial barriers to providing diabetes monitoring and patient lifestyle education. More Details...

Homelessness & COVID-19 Webinar Archives (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In the peak of the emergency response to COVID-19 cases among people experiencing homelessness, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council held semiweekly webinars/forums on the most pressing issues facing health centers in April and May. View all recordings of this series now. More Details...

Health Center Strategies for Diabetes Screening and Prevention for Children, Adults and the Elderly (2018). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar explores diabetes prevention and care strategies across the lifespan. More Details...

Diabetes Continuum of Care: Understanding Health Literacy to Improve Diabetes Outcomes (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In session 2 of the four-part National Learning Series, we explored the importance of health literacy for successful self-management of chronic conditions; described the impact of low health literacy has on diabetes prevention and outcomes among patients from special and vulnerable populations; and developed practical strategies to communicate health information and help patients build health literacy skills over time. More Details...

The Health Center Program and Increasing Access to Comprehensive Care Through the Use of Telehealth: An Update During COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This fact sheet discusses how health centers are expanding their use of telehealth during COVID-19. More Details...

COVID-19 & FTCA Office Hours #3 (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: NACHC, in collaboration with BPHC’s FTCA Division and Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell (FTLF), is holding a series of Office Hour to answer health center specific COVID-19 FTCA-related questions. Priority topics being covered are telehealth, provider coverage, volunteer providers, particularized determination, deeming applications, and other emerging issues related to available protection from the FTCA Program. Participants are able to pre-submit their burning questions. All questions not addressed will be answered during the following Office Hour. The most up-to-date FAQ is available at HRSA Health Center Program Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions, go to “FTCA Requirements.” This is the third in the four-part series. More Details...

Telehealth.HHS.gov website (2020). Resource Type: Other. Description: The Telehealth.HHS.gov website provides information about the latest federal efforts to support and promote telehealth services. It was built by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). More Details...

Telehealth Workflows (2020). Resource Type: Other. Description: Suggested diagramed workflows for any organization managing patient caseloads via telemedicine. More Details...

Healing Hands: Harm Reduction (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This edition of Healing Hands from the Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network explores how harm reduction principles apply to various clinical settings and explains why the philosophy is so critically important. More Details...

Data Dashboard – COVID-19: Health Care for the Homeless Comparative Data (2020). Resource Type: Other. Description: This new COVID-19 Data Dashboard features comparative data on testing results, testing capacity, clinic closures, telehealth visits, and virus disparity by race and ethnicity from health centers, health centers with only 330(h) funding, and all health centers with 330(h) funding. More national health center data is available on HRSA's website. New health center COVID-19 data is collected weekly, and we will continue to update these figures as new data emerges. More Details...

Triage & Tele-Health Support Plan for Isolation Units: Strategies for engaging clients for telehealth in COVID19 environment (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This step-by-step support plan is applicable to Supportive Housing Providers, Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), Health Centers, and Case Management services across the country in the early stages for addressing infectious disease. The support plan includes Triage Interview Questions and Immediate Intervention Steps for front line staff. More Details...

Navigating Emergency Food Resources in Times of Crisis & Beyond: Three Step Approach to Understanding food resources in your community (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This brief is intended to help supportive and affordable housing and health and human service partners understand and more effectively assess resident and client access to emergency food. This navigation is especially important during unforeseen disruptions to local economies such as natural disasters, public health emergencies, or civic unrest. More Details...

Lessons Learned in Diabetes Care for Homeless Populations: Best practices from peer collaborative of health centers and supportive housing providers (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication summarizes key barriers and promising practices in the field identified by collaborative participants related to diabetes care for individuals experiencing homelessness or formerly homeless in supportive housing. More Details...

Enhancing Social Connectedness in times of Physical Distance: Highlight promising practices for keeping connected with clients (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The current need for physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 means that many people may become more isolated. Here are suggestions for how to encourage social connectedness while practicing physical distancing and following critically important CDC guidance regarding how to not spread the virus. More Details...

Care Coordination: Planning for COVID-19 Hospitalizations: Strategies for partners pre- and post - COVID 19 Hospitalizations (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This document summarizes care team roles and key recommendations for COVID-19 protocols specific to supportive housing residents whose symptoms are severe enough to require hospitalization. More Details...

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Innovative State Responses: Companion paper to Opioid Crisis webinar series highlights strategies states and local providers have developed to service the hardest hit populations (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The recent increase in federal funding to address the opioid crisis presents health centers the opportunity to expand partnerships with supportive housing and substance use disorder providers. This brief for health center partners summarizes promising practices in three states; explores a managed care organization’s work with its members to address the opioid epidemic; and ways for health centers to incorporate these practices into their OUD services. More Details...

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Federal Funding and Opportunities for Health and Housing Collaboration: Focus on Resources and Partnerships (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: There are a variety of state and federal resources available to aide health centers in providing services and housing connections to patients they treat with Opioid and substance use disorders. This brief describes the role of single state authorities (SSAs) who are responsible for managing the publicly funded substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery system, new federal funding targeting the opioid crisis and opportunities for collaboration in your community. More Details...

Telehealth Implementation Quick Guide – COVID-19 Resource Packet / Guía rápida para la implementación de telesalud: Paquete de recursos sobre la COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This resource packet provides a short overview of reimbursement and legal considerations for telehealth during the pandemic, operational guides compiled from health centers for implementing telemedicine and telephonic visits, and sample workflows. More Details...

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Information and Resources (2020). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: We at Migrant Clinicians Network have a dual priority to support clinicians and the vulnerable patients that they serve. MCN is presently developing strategies and gathering resources to support clinicians as they reach out to communities that are often overlooked and give care to patients who might otherwise have nowhere to go. We remain highly concerned for the vulnerable populations that already encounter numerous barriers to health and to care. More Details...

Medical Respite Care & Alternate Care Sites (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This issue brief is intended to provide health centers, public health authorities, emergency response systems, and Alternate Care Site program administrators with an operational framework that will improve the quality of care at ACS programs and promote longer-term stability for vulnerable people. Ideally, communities can retain this increased capacity for medical respite care after the pandemic subsides given the high level of need for these programs prior to COVID-19. More Details...

Testing Toolkit COVID - 19 Resources: (2020). Resource Type: Toolkit . Description: Health Centers across Wisconsin are working to expand testing for COVID-19 as critical partners in their community's path to recovery and re-opening. WPHCA assembled the following checklist and toolkit  to assist Health Centers with starting and expanding testing, leveraging experience from Health Centers on the front line in Milwaukee. Please note that several resources are Wisconsin and/or Health Center specific, so you should consult your own local or state authorities when using the toolkit in your organization. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: HIV Prevention and Treatment for patients with SUD in an Integrated Behavioral Health Setting (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Join the HITEQ Center, in collaboration with the National Council for Behavioral Health, for a webinar on understanding from a beginner perspective, how to integrate HIV prevention, screening into integrated behavioral health services, including how to identify patients at risk for HIV with a focus on SUD, facilitate screening, and prompting for re-screening at appropriate intervals. More Details...

Getting a New Workflow and Process Started during COVID-19 Pandemic: Moving to Telehealth during Coronavirus Public Health Emergency (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Health centers are having to dramatically change approaches to patient care as the COVID-19 public health emergency keeps patients at home and ramps up the demands of telehealth and other remote care modalities. Many health centers are moving primary care, care for chronic conditions, behavioral health, and other important care that patients need to telehealth, but the changing landscape and quick turnaround is tricky for organizations to navigate successfully. This resource is a quick start guide for health centers making this change. More Details...

Cyber Security Risks — COVID-19: Best Practices for Health Center Staff Working Remotely (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase throughout the United States, requiring more and more of our health systems to rely on employees working from home at times. While some of us are required to "shelter-in-place," unfortunately that shelter can create increased risks such as cyber security breaches. With good planning, policies, and employee and family education, health centers can minimize risk and support their employees while working remotely. This presentation will inform your Health Center remote workers on best practices for increasing cybersecurity at home. More Details...

Clinical Quality Measures for Eligible Professionals for 2020: A Crosswalk Comparison from The HITEQ Center (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This spreadsheet provides a crosswalk of Clinical Quality Measures and their electronic specifications as defined in the 2020 update for Eligible Professionals (Clinicians). More Details...

Guidance on Team-Based Care for Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Diseases: Focus on Oral and Behavioral Health Management of the Older Adult Patient With Diabetes (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication provides guidance to health center providers to establish a team-based care approach to health care delivery to older adult patients with diabetes. The resource explores the roles of oral health, behavioral health, and social determinants of health in managing older adults with diabetes. More Details...

Medicare FQHC Updates: Calendar Year 2020 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Every year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issues an annual rule, the Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, which provides details on new policies for Medicare providers. This update provides a summary of the latest changes, including any specific provisions in the CY2020 Physician Fee Schedule directly impacting FQHCs. More Details...

Developing Cross-Sector Partnerships (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This guide provides health center staff with tools and strategies to initiate, develop, and sustain community partnerships to better serve older adult residents of public housing. Content of this publication was developed through a 4-session learning collaborative launched by the SDOH academy with a small cohort of HRSA-funded health centers, HCCNs, and PCAs. More Details...

Webinar Recordings and Slides — COVID-19: Oral Health COVID-19 Webinars (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webpage includes all recordings and slides from NNOHA's live webinars related to COVID-19. The webinars include content on self-care, teledentistry, and oral health workforce. More Details...

Network Resource Guide for Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: For more information on the 49 HCCNs funded by HRSA, please visit the Network Resource Guide (NRG). https://networkresourceguide.org/. The NRG provides up-to-date information about HCCNs across the country that are working together to leverage health IT for health centers in ways to improve access to care, enhance quality of care, and achieve cost efficiencies. More Details...

Mi salud es mi tesoro: Un guía para vivir bien con diabetes: My Health Is My Treasure: A Guide to Living Well With Diabetes (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Migrant Clinicians Network’s groundbreaking new Spanish-language comic book, “Mi salud es mi tesoro: Un guía para vivir bien con diabetes,” or “My Health Is My Treasure: A Guide to Living Well With Diabetes,” tells the relatable story of Goyo, an agricultural worker with a new diabetes diagnosis. Illustrated by artist and frequent MCN collaborator Salvador Saenz, the colorful, low-literacy comic book allows clinicians to share how to live with diabetes, with content tailored specifically for agricultural workers. More Details...

Reducing Harm for People Using Drugs & Alcohol During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guide for Alternative Care Sites (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: People experiencing homelessness cannot recover or protect themselves from COVID-19 at home. Therefore, Alternative Care Sites are being developed to accommodate such clients. This issue brief is intended to provide managers of alternative care sites, including health centers, with a framework for serving individuals with SUD in isolation and quarantine, and reducing possible harmful consequences. More Details...

Homelessness Town Hall — COVID-19: Four-Part Series on Priority Topics (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: People experiencing homelessness are especially susceptible to COVID-19, and the Council is working to keep the Health Care for the Homeless community up to date with the latest information from the field and a continuously updated resources page. The COVID-19 Town Hall series consists of weekly one-hour sessions with presenters from the HCH front lines bringing health care providers and homeless advocates a chance to hear best practices, ask questions, and engage in discussions on this fast-moving pandemic. More Details...

Oral Health Listening Session Findings — COVID-19 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: NNOHA hosted three oral health listening