January 28, 2016 Edition

FY 2016-17 NYS Executive Budget Proposal: Health Care Highlights
On January 13, 2016, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo released his Executive Budget proposal for the 2016-17 fiscal year, which begins on April 1, 2016. This year’s proposal is lean, with generally flat funding.  The good news about this approach is that there do not appear to be many cuts.  The bad news is that the proposal does not introduce many new programs, nor does it include funding for certain high-cost items (e.g., minimum wage and Health Republic losses). One item of note is that the Governor’s budget book proposes increasing New York City’s share of Medicaid funding, which would cost the City nearly $2 billion over four years if approved.  Discussions are ongoing as to what this proposal may mean for New York City or, if not successful, for the overall Medicaid budget. CHCANYS budget advocacy efforts this year will be focused on ensuring that FQHCs have access to necessary state funding and receive an equitable distribution of any state healthcare investments as community healthcare safety net providers. 

Advocacy Day 2016: Registration Now Open!
Community Health Center Grassroots Advocacy Day 2016 is right around the corner, and we hope you are finalizing your plans to come to Albany on Monday, March 7. This annual event is our big opportunity to engage state policymakers and ensure that they are familiar not only with the high-quality, primary and preventive health care services that community health centers provide, but also with the challenges faced by community health centers as efforts to transform New York’s health care delivery system continue. Please join us! Registration is now open; click here to get started.

Webinar Series: Outreach Business Value Project 
Dates: January 28 and February 11, 2016 
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.  

Join Health Outreach Partners (HOP) for a two-part webinar series on demonstrating the financial benefits of outreach. Health outreach programs are a well-proven tool to help the underserved access care, though their impact on health center margins are not well understood. 

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Cycle Now Open
The 2016 Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program application cycle is now open to support dedicated registered nurses committed to caring for underserved people to serve in community health centers where they are most needed.  

HRSA Seeking Nominations for Bureau of Health Workforce National Advisory Committees
HRSA is seeking nominations for new members to serve on the Bureau of Health Workforce National Advisory Committees.  Five committees advise the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress on health workforce policies and programs.  

NYC DOHMH Health Advisory: Influenza  
On January 8, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) issued a health advisory regarding seasonal influenza, which may be accessed here.  

Zika Virus: CDC Issues Travel Advisory and Guidelines
On January 15, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory on Zika Virus infections for travelers returning from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Read the CDC Health Alert Network Advisory here.

NYS Health Commerce System In an effort to maintain situational awareness, CHCANYS’ Emergency Management Team reminds health center staff to log in and update contact information on the NYS Health Commerce System (HCS).

Emergency Management for Primary Care Centers Online Course Now Available as In-Person Training
The Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network training course EM-101: Emergency Management for Primary Care Centers, is now also available as a live training for your staff.  

HC Standard® Webinar 
Date: February 8, 2016
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Open to all health center staff but especially geared to those responsible for decision making and communications during disasters, this 30-minute webinar will provide an overview of HC Standard's recently upgraded interface and assist you with completing your center's profile. Click here to register. 

UDS Report Due February 15: Resources Available to Help You File Early 
The UDS Report, due February 15, is required  for all grantees of BPHC-administered Section 330 primary care programs, including community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers. Preparation resources, including training modules, FAQs, and topic-specific webinars, are available here. Additional New York State- specific tips and materials from CHCANYS’ in-person trainings are available here. Assistance is available by calling 1-866-UDS-HELP from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday or by e-mailing here.  

Start Saving Money Today!  
CHCANYS partners with the CommonWealth Purchasing Group (CPG) as a value-added service to FQHCs in New York State. With a portfolio of over 60 nationally recognized vendors, CPG can help you find the right ones to assist with expansion-related needs or general services. CPG offers convenient “one-stop shopping” and savings for each stop of your project including site development, IT implementation, and staffing. To receive a complimentary, no-risk cost comparison, call 617-988-2256 or click here. 

NACHC to Offer 340B Webinar Series  
NACHC will offer a four-part webinar series in January and February on 340B program operations and compliance for health centers.  The presentations are designed to discuss and answer common questions received from health centers regarding the program and will complement the soon-to-be-issued “NACHC 340B Compliance Toolkit for Health Centers,” which will be available for purchase on the NACHC website. 

2016 Practical Art of Health Center Finance (PAHCF) 
NACHC is pleased to offer the Practical Art of Health Center Finance Seminar (formerly called FOM I), designed to provide CEOs, CFOs and COOs with an orientation to financial management, accounting principles, and terminology unique to health centers.  

FTLF Offers Training to Meet Your Health Center’s Needs  
For over 20 years, the Federal Grants and Health Law practice group attorneys at Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP (FTLF) have provided training on a broad range of topics to federal grantees, including FQHCs, through online webinars and in-person seminars and conferences. During all of their online and in-person trainings, they identify and explain the law and where the rules come from, what they mean on a practical level, and how participants can ensure that their program gets into and stays in compliance. For a list of upcoming sessions and access to the FTLF on-demand library, click here.

PrEP Goes Prime Time – What it Takes to Make PrEP Center Stage at your Health Center 
Date:  Friday, February 12, 2016 
Time:  9:00 – 10:00 a.m. 
Presenters: Dr. Christine Kerr and associates at Hudson River HealthCare

Learn about the development of a multi-disciplinary, optimized care team using Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) delivered in the primary care setting through a multi-site network of community health centers.  PrEP, or medication used to prevent HIV, is a crucial initiative in the Governor’s plan to end the epidemic by 2020 and involvement of our health centers is a necessary step in this campaign. 

Webinar: Improvements in Child Health Outcomes 
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2016; 
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. 
Join the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to learn about best practices and lessons learned from a 5-year grant program targeted at improving Medicaid and CHIP recipients’ child health outcomes. To participate, click here, select “Attend a Session,”: then enter session number  45 331 381. Advanced registration is not required.