NOVEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 11

HCANHUB

YOUR MONTHLY NEWS FROM HCAN

Community Health Quality Recognition badges awarded!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the top 10 percent of health centers receiving a Gold Health Center Quality Leader badge for their achievements in improving health outcomes and providing high-quality care for patients in rural and underserved communities. The digital badges, part of the Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badge program, honor the health centers across the country that have attained the best overall clinical quality performance.

The CHQR badge program recognizes outstanding performance in a variety of clinical areas, including behavioral health, maternal health, diabetes health, heart health, cancer screening, and HIV prevention and care, as well as overall quality performance. A full list of badges and awardees is available here.

Congratulations to those health centers that won badges this year!

HCAN Assister Fall Training a success!

HCAN hosted its annual Assister Fall Training on October 26th and 27th, at the UNO Campus. Assisters (both Certified Application Counselors and Navigators) across the state were able to learn from Health Insurance Marketplace companies, Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), DHHS and more! A total of 53 assisters attended the two-day event both in-person and virtually to prepare for Open Enrollment which started on November 1st.

Fact Sheet on Naloxone (Narcan) in HCV and public housing now available!

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids- including heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioid medications when given in time. As drug overdose persists as a major public health issue in the United States, HUD is committed to helping increase consumer access to safe FDA-approved naloxone products in its affordable housing.

Review the fact sheet here.

National Apprenticeship Week!

National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration where employers, industry associations, labor organizations, community-based organizations, workforce partners, education providers, and government leaders host events to showcase the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are work-based programs that help you grow in your career. For National Apprenticeship Week, HCAN would like to celebrate our Medical Assistant Apprentices at all of our health centers! To date, 53 Medical Assistant Apprentices have graduated from their Registered Apprenticeship and are now Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMA). As a part of their apprenticeship, Medical Assistants studied from an online self-paced curriculum, completed on-the-job skills training with a preceptor, and passed their CCMA exam. Congratulations to apprentices who have completed their training, and best of luck to those apprentices testing in the next few months!

Reminder: The deadline to register for the January 2024 cohort of apprentices is December 13th! If you would like to know about the HCAN Medical Assistant Apprenticeship opportunities click here.

Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace!

The Marketplace Open Enrollment kicks off with record affordability for the third year in a row! Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan, four out of five HealthCare.gov customers are able to find health coverage for $10 or less per month with financial help.

Consumers who need to sign up for health insurance coverage should visit HealthCare.gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov to enroll in health coverage. Consumers who enroll by midnight on December 15 can get full-year coverage that starts January 1, 2024. Otherwise, their coverage will begin on February 1. Because January 15 is a federal holiday in 2024, outreach will continue for an extra day and consumers can enroll until January 16.

For consumers who have lost Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage, apply for Marketplace coverage right away! All Marketplace plans cover things like prescription drugs, doctor visits, urgent care, hospital visits, and more. 

Ground Work: Racial Justice and Cultural Humility Training for Health Centers

Health centers serve 1 in 7 people of color in the United States. In order to provide culturally appropriate care and reduce health inequities across race and ethnicity, we must have the ability to discuss race, racism, and how they affect our work. These issues are at the heart of the health center movement, it was the reason for our founding.

NACHC’s Ground Work training is designed to help the health center field level-set on the concepts of racial identity, privilege, bias, and structural and institutional racism. Ground Work provides the background information and the tools for any health center staff to engage in health equity and anti-racism work in their community.



Learning Objectives:

Ground Work learners will…

1. Gain an understanding of the concepts of social identity, race, and ethnicity.
2. Gain an understanding of systemic racism and how it affects the health of patients.
3. Identify ways to recognize and address implicit bias and microaggressions in interactions with patients and colleagues.

Training Delivery:

• Online, on-demand. Learners can begin Ground Work anytime and complete the course at their own pace.
• 8 sessions. Each session takes between 30 -90 minutes to complete.
• Sessions include video instruction, knowledge tests, and opportunities for self-reflection.

Who:

Ground Work is appropriate for all health center roles, from administrative staff, providers, outreach staff, and social service teams.

To start the coursework click here.

The HCAN Hub is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $850,959 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.