Pharmacies at Health Centers: Operations and Models

The below resources from NACHC outline how to implement or grow pharmaceutical operations in health centers, with specific guidance on the 340B Drug Discount Program.

• Primer on Health Center Pharmacy Operations: ​​Intended for health center leaders, board members, new health center 340B program staff, pharmacy leaders, and new health center staff.​

• Pharmacy Models: An Introduction for Health Center Boards: This short video​ presents strategic considerations for various models. It can help board members engage in discussions with CEOs.

Best Practices for Adapting to the Remote and Hybrid Workforce in Team-Based Care
Telehealth and remote work are going to continue to be a “way of life” even after the pandemic is over. This newly released publication provides health center leadership with ideas and best practices on how to adapt policies and procedures for a remote and hybrid workforce. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR2 Center and the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center (both HRSA-funded NTTAPs) collaborated on this publication.

HCCN EHR User Group Meeting

The quarterly HCCN EHR User Group Meetings are scheduled for Thursday, August 4, 2022.

• Athena User Group: 9 am - 11 am

• Epic User group: 12 pm - 2 pm

• eClinicalWorks User Group: 3 pm - 5pm

Please contact Sanga Krupakar at krupakars@ncchca.org for the registration link.

Community Health Centers Plan Health Outreach for Special Populations During National Health Center Week

State officials encourage all North Carolinians to have a family emergency plan and take into consideration the health of your family when planning where to go in case of an evacuation. Your evacuation plan should include staying with family, friends, or at a hotel, which are better options than a busy shelter. 

A family emergency supply kit should include three to seven days of supplies including food, water, medications, flashlight with batteries and items such as face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, as well as any supplies needed to support infants and family pets. You should always take your pets with you when evacuating.

Read more from the Governor’s release.

Personal Protective Equipment Request Process

Request PPE here from the state of North Carolina.
See PPE reports for North Carolina.

NCCHCA Workforce Development Workgroup
August 24, 2022 | 10 AM ET
Click Here to Register
Join your CHC colleagues to share information, challenges, and best practices on workforce planning, development, and partnerships in your CHCs. Our August meeting will refocus our group on the practical nuts and bolts of strategic workforce planning and our collective work on this effort. We’ll continue with the next edition of Resiliency Reset, and highlight a potential training partnership opportunity.

Star² Center Guide: Best Practices for Adapting to Remote/Hybrid Workforce in Team Based Care
Click Here to Access
A new resource from ACU’s STAR² Center and the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality Center provides health center leadership with new approaches to support staff engagement, as well as ideas and best practices on how to adapt policies and procedures for this remote and hybrid workforce.

HRSA Announces Availability of Nearly $15 Million to Expand and Support the Nursing Workforce
Registered Nurse Training Program
Deadline: August 19, 2022
This funding opportunity will provide awards totaling $4.75 million over three years to increase the number of nursing students trained in acute care settings, with an emphasis on addressing and responding to social determinants of health factors and improving health equity.

Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academies Program
Deadline: August 22, 2022
This funding opportunity will provide awards totaling $10 million over four years to grow the nursing workforce by recruiting, training and supporting clinical nursing faculty and preceptors.

NEW: Department of Labor Growth Opportunities Round 2
Deadline for Round 2: October 5, 2022
Application Link
The Department of Labor (DoL) recently announced awards for Round 1 of the Growth Opportunities (GO) initiative. I am reaching out to you today to ask for your assistance in promoting the Round 2 GO competition (FOA-ETA-22-03).

GO aims to help youth avoid violence and build conflict resolution skills; introduce and prepare youth for the world of work; help youth identify career interests and attain skills and good work habits; and provide income to youth to start them on the path of earning living wages. The grant awards prioritize projects serving high-crime, high-poverty areas, as well as communities where students of color have disproportionate rates of expulsions and suspensions. For more information on this initiative, please see the GO overview.

DoL intends for approximately 50 percent of Round 2 funds to be awarded to applicants that have not received a previous Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) grant, subject to receiving sufficient fundable applications. We need your help reaching these organizations and making them aware of the GO Round 2 opportunity! Applications must be received by October 5, 2022, for Round 2 consideration.

NACHC Health Center Advocacy Webinar: Engaging Frontline Staff in Advocacy
TODAY: Thursday, August 4, 2022 | 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Click here to register

Midterm elections are in full swing and a busy year of #ValueCHCs advocacy lies ahead. Now is the perfect time to prep your advocacy action plan! Join us to learn about the current Congressional landscape and hear from fellow advocacy leader, Marina Abt at Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers in Cashton, WI. She’ll share tips on engaging frontline staff in the advocacy process, which was a key component of their success in becoming a Gold Advocacy Center of Excellence (ACE). This session is open to all advocates. Members of the Advocacy Leadership Program (ALP) will earn credit for attending. 

3 Days Out: We're Excited to Celebrate National Health Center Week With You!
August 7-13
Register your CHC's event with NCCHCA here

We at the North Carolina Community Health Center Association look forward to helping to celebrate your amazing contributions and accomplishments during National Health Center Week! Our staff plans to attend many of the events across the state and they will reach out to you in advance to let you know they're coming. If you haven't already, please fill out our event form or share your event details with our new board liaison and executive assistant, Jennifer James: jamesj@ncchca.org.

Adapt this template invitation letter to invite public officials to your event. Find more resources, including voter education materials at https://healthcenterweek.org.

View all public events in N.C. on the NACHC event page (Note: There are three pages of events).

To keep NHCW engaging and fun, NACHC has created several opportunities to get involved:

• TikTok/video contest – highlight your passion and the innovative ways your CHC serves your community

• Health Center Bingo – play to learn more about each other and the CHC mission; consider a CHC-wide contest or encourage staff to enter the national drawing

• Vot-ER Resources – encourage staff, patients, board members, and community partners to register to vote with resources from Vot-ER

• Door Cling – look for a special edition door cling that was mailed to your health center and post it in a prominent spot to spark conversation about the importance of CHCs as health care homes

MFP Lunch and Learn: Waivers, Residential, Supports and Housing - Connecting the Dots
Monday August 8 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Register

Registration is now open for the NCDHHS August Lunch and Learn webinar. This month’s topic is a continuation of the housing discussion we’ve been having all summer. This one will focus on waivers, residential supports, and approaching housing options based on services and supports. This session will be primarily IDD focused, but should also be of interest to individuals from other disability populations.

NACHC UDS Data Release Webinar
Tuesday, August 9 | 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Register

NACHC will publish 2021 Uniform Data System (UDS) data next Monday, August 8, as part of the National Health Center Week celebration. It will appear in HRSA’s Data Warehouse on the Health Center Program Data and Reporting webpage.

The webinar on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 1:00pm will cover trends in the 2021 data on health center patient demographics, staffing, and clinical quality measures. Participants will gain insights on health centers' growth, recovery, and performance. 

Patient-Centered Medical Home 2023 Standards Update  
Wednesday, August 10 | 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET                              
Register here

2nd Annual Virtual Statewide Quality Forum
August 11, 2022 | 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Register

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Benefits and North Carolina AHEC, in conjunction with the five Medicaid managed care health plans, will host the 2nd Annual Virtual Statewide Quality Forum to help providers, practice managers, and quality managers succeed with Medicaid Managed Care quality initiatives. Join us for this informative session which will cover: 

• Statewide Medicaid Standard Plan Metric Outcomes
• AMH Metrics: Maximizing Data Capture
• AMH Support

Attend Vot-ER’s FREE Virtual Civic Health Conference: Be Inspired. Build Community. Take Action
Friday, August 12 | 11 AM- 2:50 PM; Saturday, August 13 | 11 AM-2 PM
Sign up
The 2nd Annual Civic Health Conference, hosted by Vot-ER will be held on Friday, August 12 and Saturday, August 13. Explore the critical role healthcare professionals have in improving the health outcomes of patients through civic engagement. This conference is specially designed for physicians, nurses, social workers, and all professionals across the healthcare sectors to learn how to:

• Integrate civic engagement into your healthcare practice

• Build and mobilize teams at your institution

• Gain practical guidance on how to earn leadership support at your institution

• Explore techniques to expand civic programming at your organization

CHW Integration Technical Assistance and Coaching

NC AHEC Practice Support launched technical assistance services for practices interested in CHW integration and program optimization. An initial pilot for practices is underway, and NC AHEC is actively recruiting for a second cohort for August 2022. 

Participating practices will receive evidence-based practice support coaching, resources and tools to help enhance your CHW program, and the opportunity to learn directly from AMH practice peers who are also working on CHW program implementation or optimization. These services are available at no charge. Visit the NC AHEC Practice Support webpage for more information, or contact them at practicesupport@ncahec.net if you are interested in participating.

Join the NC Center for Nonprofits for Making Your Nonprofit’s Case, the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits' new 3-part advocacy series, which will offer concrete tools for everyone to be an effective advocate for their cause.

• August 16 – Making Your Nonprofit’s Case: Back to Basics – Define your nonprofit’s goals, audiences, and resources as you develop advocacy strategies and tactics to make your case with funders, policymakers, and other decision makers 
• August 30 – Making Your Nonprofit’s Case with Storytelling – Study proven narratives and practical storytelling tools to make the case for your programs and mission 
• September 13 – Making Your Nonprofits Case with Quantitative Data – Identify and track the data that supports the need for your programs and services.

Register for the full series or individual webinars. Registration for the full series begins at $60 and closes August 15. Registration for individual webinars begins at $25 and closes the day before each webinar.

Medicaid Managed Care Webinar Series
Every 3rd Thursday of the month | 5:30-6:45 PM

Hosted by Shannon Dowler, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NC Division of Health Benefits. Moderated by Hugh Tilson, Director of the NC AHEC Program. Register for sessions and access past archives on this webpage.

• August 18, 2022 | Medicaid Hot Topics
• September 15, 2022 | Medicaid Hot Topics
• October 20, 2022 | Medicaid Hot Topics
• November 17, 2022 | Medicaid Hot Topics
• December 15, 2022 | Medicaid Hot Topics

2022 NACHC Community Health Institute (CHI) Conference & 340B Day in Chicago
August 28-30, 2022
Register (option to join 340B Day virtually)

The NACHC Community Health Institute (CHI) and EXPO is the largest annual gathering of health center clinicians, executives, consumer board members, along with State and Regional Primary Care Associations and Health Center Controlled Networks. The conference is scheduled to kick off in Chicago, IL from August 28 to 30, 2022 at a time when health centers are charting a new course in a rapidly changing health environment and being called upon to assume a larger role in the nation’s health care system. 

UDS Clinical Tables Part 1: Screening and Preventive Care Measures
Wednesday, September 21 | 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET                        
Register here

Save the Date for NCCHCA’s 2022 Clinical Conference: Breaking Down Barriers
October 20-21 | Winston-Salem



We look forward to welcoming you at our 2022 Clinical Conference, which will be a valuable opportunity for professional development and networking. Please mark your calendars for October 20-21 and be on the lookout for more details and a registration link coming soon. Our Sponsors and Exhibitors registration page is live now. We look forward to seeing you there!