Your CHCANYS

Cuomo Releases FY 15-16 Executive Budget Proposal
On January 21, Governor Cuomo delivered his annual “State of the State” address to the Legislature. At the same time, he introduced his FY 2015-16 Executive Budget proposal. Click here for for a summary of health care highlights. read more >>

Advocacy Day 2015 Registration Now Open!
Community Health Center Grassroots Advocacy Day 2015 is right around the corner, and we hope you are finalizing your plans to come to Albany on March 2. Registration is now open; click here to get started. This annual event is our big opportunity to engage state policymakers and ensure that they are familiar with the high quality, cost-effective primary care services that community, homeless and migrant health centers provide. Advocacy Day is free to attend, and a continental breakfast/ boxed lunches will be provided to all who register online by February 23.  read more >>

DSRIP Timeline Revised
The DSRIP Year 0 timeline has been updated to reflect new due dates for several deliverables in the months of February and April. Public comments on the Independent Assessor recommendations are now due on February 15, and the PPS Implementation Plan deadline has been extended until April 1. To view the revised timeline, please click here.

NACHC Policy & Issues Forum 2015: Reserve Now!
It’s not too soon to begin planning for NACHC’s annual Policy & Issues Forum, scheduled for March 18-22, 2015 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.  Rooms are going fast, so we encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible. Click here for more information, and stay tuned for updates.  

UDS Reports Due February 15
All grantees of BPHC-administered Section 330 primary care programs are required to submit a Uniform Data Systems (UDS) report to HRSA by February 15, 2015. The data help HRSA to identify trends to establish or expand targeted programs. CHCANYS also uses UDS data to advocate for and promote health centers and their work. CHCANYS has posted materials and resources from its two recent UDS training sessions which were attended by over 200 FQHC staff from across the state. Click here to access them. To access HRSA’s UDS webpage, click here.  

Capital Needs Assessment: Your Participation Requested
Capital Link is currently conducting an important national health center capital needs assessment, supported by HRSA. All health center CEOs should have received a link to an online questionnaire via e-mail on January 15; it may also be accessed by clicking here. We encourage you to respond, if you have not already done so. Your feedback will help document the tremendous need for capital to expand health center operations, as well as identify areas where technical assistance, training, or other resources would be helpful. read more >>

BPHC All-Programs Webcast
Date: February 5; Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. This quarterly webcast will provide all Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) programs (grantees, Look-Alikes and cooperative agreement partners) with updates on current BPHC activities and future plans for fiscal year 2015. To join the webinar, click here on the date of the event.

Webinar: Capital Projects Integrating the Social Determinants of Health Webinar
Date: February 10; Time:  2:00 -3:00 p.m.; Hosted by: Capital Link. The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) can be a powerful framework to help health centers see themselves as an integral part of a community that sets the foundation for health. The importance of access to health care is only one dimension of SDOH, which also includes economic opportunity, access to fresh foods, access to exercise, and educational opportunity among other community attributes. Capital Link has observed a trend of health centers increasingly addressing SDOH through their capital projects, such as community gardens, gyms and building space for financial counseling. read more >> 

Medicare PPS Implementation One-Day Training
Date: February 24 and February 25, 2015; Location: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Baltimore-BWI Airport; Sponsored by: NACHC. These one-day, intensive sessions have been designed to assist community health centers in implementing the new Medicare PPS regulations. read more >>

Veteran Health Services: What Health Centers Need to Know
Date: February 11; Time: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Under new legislation, health centers are rapidly becoming a significant part of the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ push into the private sector to meet the health care needs of our nation's veterans. This webinar will cover the ins and outs of the VA health system and how the Veterans Choice Act and Patient-Centered Community Care Networks (PC3s) interact and affect health centers' abilities to provide health care to veterans. read more >>

Capital Ink: Winter Issue Now Available
On the heels of the recently announced FY 2015 spending bill, which calls for funding allocations for health center construction and capital improvements, the Winter issue of Capital Ink provides the resources and information health centers need to prepare for the grant opportunities that lie ahead. Click here to access it.

Webinar: Social Determinants of Health and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health
Date: February 5; Time: 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. This HHS Healthy People 2020 Progress Review webinar will highlight the importance of social determinants of health and cultural competence in working with LGBT and diverse populations to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity. To view the webcast, click here on the day of the session.  

Webinar: Principles of Effective Suicide Care - Evidence-Based Treatments
Date: February 10; Time: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. This webinar will focus on why using evidence-based care that focuses on treating suicide directly is essential and will discuss two highly researched models of treatment, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Frequently encountered obstacles in delivering evidence-based care will also be explored. Finally, an individual with lived experience will describe the improved outcomes she experienced as a result of working with a well-trained clinician. read more >>

COPE-REMS Offers Free Opioid Education Training
Is your patient demanding opioids? People with severe chronic pain issues are often worn down and may be irritable or angry. A patient's relentless request for an opioid prescription may actually express a need for pain relief, validation that his/her pain is real, and/or empathy for feeling overwhelmed. Writing prescriptions for opioids is not the only way to acknowledge their pain and suffering. Click here to learn how to handle difficult situations related to chronic, non-cancer pain.    

Oral Health Workforce Research Center Launched
The Center for Health Workforce Studies is proud to announce the launch of the Oral Health Workforce Research Center, which provides research on the oral health workforce to assist in future health workforce planning. Access to oral health care has become a growing concern over the past decade. Despite efforts to improve the oral health of the nation’s population, oral health disparities persist. These disparities are characterized by compromised oral health status, particularly among certain vulnerable populations. One of the factors believed to influence access to oral health services and contribute to these disparities is the availability of a workforce equipped to meet the need for preventive and basic restorative oral health services. To learn more about the OHWRC, click here. To read more about oral health workforce trends in New York State, click here.

BPHC 2014 Workforce Recruitment Survey: Deadline Extended to February 6
As part of its commitment to supporting health centers in addressing the primary health care needs of the nation’s underserved and vulnerable populations, HRSA/BPHC has developed a survey in order to track workforce trends. This data collection will inform the training and technical assistance developed to support health centers in their efforts to recruit and retain both civilians and veterans. The deadline for completing the survey has been extended to February 6. Click here to access it. 

HRSA Announces 2015 Application Cycle for NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program
The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program application cycle is now open and will close on February 26, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. This program helps address the shortage and distribution imbalance of nurses across the country by offering loan repayment assistance to registered nurses and advance practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners, working at health care facilities and nurse faculty employed at accredited schools of nursing. read more >>

NYS Social Worker Loan Forgiveness Program Now Open
Applications to the NYS Social Worker Loan Forgiveness Program are being accepted through March 15, 2015. This program has been developed in an effort to increase the number of licensed social workers working in critical human service areas in the health, mental health, substance abuse, aging, HIV/AIDS and child welfare fields, as well as in communities with multilingual needs. read more >>

HRSA Announces 2015 Application Cycle for NHSC Loan Repayment Program
The 2015 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program application cycle is now open and will close on March 30, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. This program provides loan repayment assistance to licensed primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health providers who serve in communities with limited access to health care. Both full-time and half-time service options are available. read more >> 

Medical Assistant Training Program to Launch on March 3
The New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH), in partnership with CHCANYS and the City University of New York (CUNY), have worked collaboratively to design a Medical Assistant training program that reflects the needs of healthcare employers, providing them with qualified staff to fill the growing need for Medical Assistants.  With support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the enhanced Medical Assistant training program will be launched on March 3, 2015 at Hostos Community College. read more >>