Dear Colleague,

September 5-11 is National Suicide Prevention Week, and this week the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is highlighting new Suicide Safer Care resources and webinars as we approach our 2021 Conference. Learn about these and other opportunities, including Early Bird registration for #ACUConf, recent self-paced courses and data profiles from our STAR2 Center, new NHSC loan repayment resources, and more below.
Early Bird Rates Close on Sept. 30: Register Now for Our 2021 Conference
There are just three weeks left to register at Early Bird rates to join us in Washington, D.C., or virtually for our 2021 Conference, "Mission: Health Equity!" From Oct. 31-Nov. 2, our CME-accredited event will feature 24 engaging sessions from speakers at Pfizer, Vot-ER, the Illumination Foundation, and more on strategies to improve health equity for underserved minority and intersectional populations. Browse our agenda and register now to join clinicians, administrators, and advocates from across the U.S. at #ACUConf. ACU Members receive a significant discount.
COVID-19 Safety: Your safety is of paramount importance to us, and ACU is closely monitoring and updating in-person conference attendance with Washington, D.C.'s guidance around travel and face coverings. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions for more details.
Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Dr. Luis Padilla
ACU is pleased to welcome Dr. Luis Padilla, MD, FAAFP, as our next Conference keynote speaker! HRSA's Associate Administrator for Health Workforce and Director of the National Health Service Corps, Dr. Padilla is a national leader in building and sustaining diverse and culturally competent health workforces. Learn more about him and other speakers and join us at #ACUConf.
Save the Dates for Our STAR2 Center Workshop on Nov. 3-4 in D.C.
We're excited to announce an engaging STAR² Center workshop taking place just after our Conference on Nov. 3-4 in Washington, D.C.! Extend your stay for #ACUConf or join us specifically for this exciting two-day training to help jump-start health centers' retention and recruitment efforts. It takes careful planning to build engaged and thriving workforces, and this workshop will explore in-depth strategies to create or revamp health center retention and recruitment plans. Together, we can improve long-term CHC sustainability to continue offering mission-driven, patient-centered healthcare for all.
Don't Miss Our Webinar on Pediatric Suicide Prevention for Primary Care Providers and School-Based Health Centers
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021: 12 p.m. ET
As we honor National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 5-11), ACU will soon host a webinar to help address the growing crisis of pediatric suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in U.S. youths aged 10-24, and the epidemic is marked by significant racial disparities. However, providers at school-based and other health centers have crucial opportunities to intervene, and ACU has developed a new Pediatric Suicide Safer Care toolkit to assist these efforts. To accompany the resource, ACU is hosting a webinar with experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and Concert Health who will detail the crisis and what evidence-based steps providers can take to identify and intervene with patients at risk for suicide. Register, read the toolkit, or find other SSC resources.
New Member Opportunities: Attend the Value-Based Payment Summits or IHI Trainings for Free
Did you know that ACU Members can receive free registration to the Virtual Collocated Value-Based Payment Summits on Sept. 20-23, as well as free access to Institute for Healthcare Improvement trainings? In partnership with Global Health Care and the Commonwealth Fund, ACU Members will receive free attendance to the CME-accredited Summits. Additionally, we have partnered with Kaiser Permanente to offer our members scholarships to attend IHI trainings on quality improvement and patient safety. ACU Members can access these and other benefits by logging into our member portal. Curious about Membership? Read more and join us!
In Case You Missed It: STAR2 Center Offering CHC Data Dashboards, Updated LMS Courses, & More
Our STAR² Center has developed a variety of new resources to improve health center workforce initiatives, including updated 2021 recruitment and retention data profile dashboards detailing CHCs' strengths and weaknesses, as well as national recruitment and retention trends. Learn about these interactive dashboards and how to access them. Our STAR2 Center is also offering two self-guided micro-learning online courses to help workforce professionals learn best practices to retain and recruit mental health providers. Access the free, 15-minute courses (free account login required).
Recent STAR2 Center Podcast Episodes Explore the Impact of COVID-19 on FQHC Workforces, Chief Workforce Officers, and More
Have you listened to our STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast yet? The ten episodes of our podcast explore crucial issues for the health center workforce through engaging chats with health center leaders and experts. The first two seasons examine the role of chief workforce officers as well as COVID-19's impact on workforces, and more is still to come! Listen to recent podcasts and stay tuned for future episodes.
Join the ACU Team: Apply for our New Project Coordinator and Specialist Positions
We're hiring! Join ACU's mission-driven team in one of two new positions: Project Coordinator & Specialist or Assistant Project Coordinator & Specialist. These staff will help support our new National Health Service Corps Pipeline Readiness Initiative, developing and implementing educational materials to prepare NHSC members in their placement sites while benefiting those sites by increasing quality of care, care delivery, and retention rates. Learn more and apply or share this opportunity.
NHSC Students-to-Service Loan Repayment Program Applications Are Open: Physician Assistants Now Eligible
The National Health Service Corps' (NHSC) 2022 Students to Service Loan Repayment Program is now accepting applications, and physician assistant students in their final year of school are eligible to apply. This is an excellent opportunity for students in their last year of medical, nursing, or dental school to receive up to $120,000 in loan repayment assistance in exchange for at least three years of service at an NHSC-approved site in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. Apply by Nov. 4.
Another NHSC Opportunity: State Loan Repayment Programs
This fall, the NHSC will also open applications for $100 million in additional funds for State Loan Repayment programs. Through American Rescue Plan funding, the NHSC is offering increased, more flexible FY2022 cost-sharing grants to states and territories to help operate their own loan repayment programs for primary care providers as well as behavioral and dental health clinicians working in Health Professional Shortage Areas. Learn more.
Meet the PAN Foundation: Providing Patient Assistance While Advocating Affordability
Did you know that our partner, the PAN Foundation, offers financial assistance for nearly 70 diagnoses including many cancers and chronic diseases for patients on Medicare? Their eligibility checker allows patients to find grants which often cover 100% of out-of-pocket prescription medication costs. Additionally, the PAN Foundation advocates for Congress to reform Medicare to help millions of people who are priced out of their prescriptions by out-of-pocket costs. Read more on our website.
New Resources to Help Honor National Suicide Prevention Week & Month
Join ACU, Concert Health, and organizations across the U.S. in recognizing National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 5-11) and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September. Each of us—whether a clinician, administrator, patient, or advocate—can play a role in preventing suicide. Additionally, providers have crucial opportunities to intervene, as half of people who die by suicide visit providers in the month before their death. Learn best practices for Suicide Safer Care, view archived webinars on supporting patients and providers, or download our shareable infographic on our website.
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ACU is here for you: please let us know if there is anything we can do to better support your work to improve care and advocate for underserved patients. Contact our Executive Director Amanda Pears Kelly with any feedback, and thank you for all that you do.
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