Mallory Community Health Center was featured in an in-depth article written and published by Mississippi Today. The article features an employee's story of providing community COVID-19 testing in Holmes County and her family's personal struggles with having the coronavirus.

To read the article, click this link.

Data shows that 62% of eligible voters are between the ages of 18 - 39. To reach a portion of that age group, Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services partnered with Coahoma Community College for a voter registration drive on September 22, this year's National Voter Registration Day.

National Voter Registration Day, held on the fourth Tuesday each September, is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. First observed in 2012, it has quickly gained momentum ever since. Nearly 3 million voters have registered to vote on the holiday to date. The General Election is November 3, 2020.

Marsha Hardin, Finance Director at East Central Mississippi Healthcare in Sebastopol, Miss, died on Sunday, September 20, 2020 at her home.

Jill Bishop, Executive Director of East Central Mississippi Health Center said, "Marsha is best known for being compassionate, an encourager, and a very giving person. Her faith was evident in how she lived her life each and every day. She truly had a servant’s heart. She found joy in doing for others and was always willing to go the extra mile to help others. Marsha was also a fabulous cook and used this talent to bless others, whether it was a special occasion or just because she knew a dish was a favorite."

CHCAMS CEO Presents on Health Equity During Today with Macrae

Janice Sherman was one of four panelists featured at the BPHC REACH and Health Equity Panel Discussion on September 17, 2020. The discussion focused on how health centers and PCA leaders shape activities and policies to increase understanding about health disparities that exist, what equity is, and how to set goals to address the gaps in understanding and action.

The Community Health Centers Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS) has launched The Community Health Worker (CHW) Registry, which serves as a statewide database. Register here to be included.

340B Tool Kit that addresses changes in the program is available. Contact Kathryn Rodenmeyer for access to the tool kit.

The Office of Tobacco Control began working with Optum, the new vendor/provider for the Mississippi Quitline on July 1, 2020. A new portal for referring patients for tobacco cessation services will be available soon. Patients in need of counseling and other cessation services should be referred via the Patient Referral Form, which is fillable and available here. Once filled out, it should be faxed to the number provided on the form. Call Wayne Miley with questions, 601-624-6296.

HRSA's Office of Pharmacy Affairs posted on its website a letter to Eli Lilly dated Sept. 21. While this letter does not state definitively that Lilly's refusal to allow 340B-priced drugs to contract pharmacies is illegal, it states that HRSA has not yet made a final decision regarding its legality. Referring to Eli Lilly's "unilateral policy" to "scrap 340B pricing to contract pharmacies," the letter states that "although the Health Resources and Services Administration ("HRSA") has significant initial concerns with Lilly's new policy, it continues to review that policy and has yet to make a final determination as to any potential action.... Lilly's decision to interpret HRSA's responses as tantamount to definitive agency agreement with Lilly's position is incorrect." The letter lists four concerns about Lilly's actions that are not directly related to the 340B statute. The letter also notes that "the timing of your pricing changes is, at the very least, insensitive to the recent state of the economy." HRSA's letter concludes by stating that a lawsuit by HRSA against Eli Lilly is "a potential consequence in the event that Lilly knowingly violates a material condition of the program that results in over-charges to grantees and contractors."

The new regulation implementing the President's Executive Order (EO) around insulin and EpiPens will no longer be published as an "Interim Final Rule," but will instead be published as a proposed rule in the Federal Register. The change is significant in that it moves implementation of the EO from immediate to indefinite and means that there will be opportunity for public comment. OMB has revised its webpage to indicate that it will be a Proposed Rule (aka NPRM.) That means that the new rules will not go into effect immediately upon publication; rather, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will issue a proposal, the public will have an opportunity to submit written comments and HHS must consider those comments before issuing a Final Rule and setting an effective date. This process is certain to take several months, at a minimum. 

Tuesday September 22, the House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the government and health extenders through December 11. If it passes the Senate and the President signs this into law, it will ensure funding for only a few more weeks. Community Health Centers are small businesses saving lives and cannot continue to operate in this piecemeal fashion. 

Ask for further negotiations for another COVID-19 stimulus package for our communities, including:

As CHCs continue to navigate the COVID-19 response, CHCAMS continues to provide a Clearinghouse for information and guidance.

A folder of marketing information has been added with culturaly competent materials to promote flu shots among other topics.

If you need a reminder of how to access the Clearinghouse, please email Kathryn Rodenmeyer.

Link to flyer.

To access the survey link, please email Wayne Miley.

To access the Readiness to Train Assessment Tool™ (RTAT) launch webinar from September 22, 2020, click here. The webinar will repeat live so that questions can be answered on October 6, 2020. Click here to register for the October 6th webinar.

9 a.m. - noon CST

Join CHCAMS for the

Fall conference held online

Presenter: Dr. Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera M.D. Ph.D, Chief Medical Officer

More info, including the learning objectives, can be found in the flyer.

11 a.m. - noon CST

1.      Understand the etiology of Early Childhood Caries (ECC), identify the reversible and irreversible stages of disease, and know the multiple consequences of disease progression.

2.      Explain the roles of perinatal and infant oral health education, risk assessment, nutrition, hygiene, and fluorides in the establishment of a favorable oral microbiome and in the prevention of early childhood caries.

3.      Understand the importance of a medical/dental/social team approach to infant oral health care and the prevention of the most common chronic disease of childhood.

4.      Describe prevention and mitigation of ECC during the COVID-­‐19 pandemic, along with special considerations and opportunities.

Register here.

Register here.

Join the Southeast AETC for the HIV Champions Academy, a clinical conference for providers who see a low-volume of people with HIV. The program will train providers on testing, preventing, and treating uncomplicated HIV. Register here.

Register here.

*New date

Read updated information here.

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State's official website, October 5th is the Voter Registration Deadline for the upcoming General Election. Applicants who register in-person in the Circuit Clerk’s office on October 5th, and those who mail registration applications postmarked no later than October 5th, are eligible to vote in the General Election. (Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-47)

This Administrative Code filing 1) removes the one year of experience requirement and 2) renames the proposal packet. The full text is here.

Medication Assisted Treatment is being submitted to add coverage of Medication Assisted Treatment for beneficiaries diagnosed with opioid addiction provided by Opioid Treatment Programs certified by the Department of Mental Health in compliance with the SUPPORT Act, effective October 1, 2020. The full text is here.

Summary: This Administrative Code is being filed to correspond with MS State Plan Amendment (SPA) 20-0013 that updates vaccine coverage to include administration by pharmacists. The full text is here.

The announcement is here.

Grants with ongoing deadlines can be found here .