April 2020 Newsletter
Legislative Update
NHMA has been advocating for the focus on Hispanic Health Equity and suggesting policies to Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services – 

1) NHMA sent support letter to Congress for the CARES Act. Read the letter, here .

2) NHMA President participated in the Health Equity and COVID-19 Webinar and signed onto a key letter requesting racial ethnic healthcare data HHS Secretary Azar coordinated by the AMA and with other key medical groups. Read the letter, here .

NHMA advocated for the reauthorization of HRSA of HRSA Title VII health workforce programs and the House bill was included in the CARES Act passed last week –  The bill supporting the HCOP, COE programs to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented students into Medical School and other health professional schools and supporting the primary care medical education with an emphasis on geriatrics.

Several measures in the CARES Act – the third government stimulus bill that can help individuals, physicians and nonprofits in our community:

The CARES Act expands health-insurance coverage for diagnostic testing and requires coverage for preventative services and vaccines and stops student loan payments from the Department of Education, allows schools to continue to offer student meals, and allows FDA to test drugs for treatment of COVID-19, among other items.

A new loan product within the Small Business Administration for loans of up to $10 million to help cover payroll and overhead costs, with expanded loan forgiveness criteria. Physician practices with not more than 500 employees may qualify. Small businesses and nonprofits also qualify for loans and a small grant program.

$100 billion in direct financial support to physician practices, hospitals, and other health care providers under the Public Heath and Social Services Emergency Fund. This support is for costs of treating COVID-19 patients as well as to ease the financial impact on those who lose revenue due reductions in other services as a result of the pandemic. Exact eligibility criteria and application process is not yet d efined pending implementation.

Part of this major funding was provided to the community health centers and their programs to test and treat COVID-19.

Suspension of the 2% Medicare sequester in May through December 2020.

Limitations on liability for volunteer health care professionals during COVID-19 emergency response.

A temporary waiver of the face-to-face visit requirement with home dialysis patients.

Authority for the Secretary of HHS to waive telehealth coverage requirements for new patients during a national emergency. Previous legislation provided flexibility only for established patients seen within the past three years.

Secretary of HHS will also allow for enhanced use of telehealth under Medicare for federally qualified health centers.

Individuals will get $1200 with 2018 taxes and salaries below $75,000.

The Department of Education will suspend student loan payments until Sept 30.

Prior to the CARES Act, Congress passed two more stimulus bills related to COVID-19. 

Read the CARES Act here .

ACTION ALERT – Contact your Representative and Senators
NHMA submitted a request to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Committees to include a report language for Fiscal Year 2021 Labor-Health Human Services-Education Appropriations bill for the following priorities:

  1. Establish a Hispanic Leadership Fellowship Program that will increase the participation of Hispanic health and medical professionals in the areas of national need.
  2. Establish a Hispanic Junior Faculty Research Accelerator Program to increase the participation of mid-level career physicians to be trained for posts at the federal, state, and local public health levels.

We need your help in contacting your Member of Congress to urge them to support NHMA’s initiatives. Please visit here for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Ben Melano at bmelano@nhmamd.org .

NHMA submitted the following in March 2020:

NHMA submitted a comment to CMS regarding their proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) for 2021. NHMA called for the enforcement of the 2020 NBPP rule rather than the proposed 2021 rule. Read the comment, here .

NHMA joined other healthcare organizations to send a thank you ad to the House of Representatives for passing HR 2339. View the ad, here .
Programs Update
Please check out and continue to support our Current Programs :

  • NHMA 24th Annual Hispanic Health Conference
  • Has been postponed to March 18-21, 2021
  • NHMA/NIDDK Medical Faculty Development Program
  • NIH All of Us Research Program
  • NHMA Chapters
  • NHMA Medical School Liaison Program
  • NHMA - CDC PACT - Let's Stop HIV Together
  • NHMA Seasonal Influenza Campaign (access our Flu Toolkit, here)
  • NHMA Heart Disease Campaign
  • NHMA College Health Scholars Program
  • NHMA Stop Vaping Campaign
  • NHMA COVID-19 Resources
  • NHMA Health Literacy Program
  • NHHF Scholarship Gala Photos
  • NY
  • LA
Membership Update
**NHMA Premier Members have the benefit of joining advisory committees! We are looking for committee members for our new and upcoming Health Literacy and Opioid Safety campaigns. Please reach out to Ruth Rivera to sign up: rrivera@nhmamd.org .

Thank you to to our members and all you do on the frontlines of COVID-19. We are putting together a "thank you" message to all health care workers - physicians, nurses, and more - to thank them for working on the frontlines to help fight this pandemic. If you are interested please send your selfie and social media handle to Briah by Tuesday, April 14 at bstokes@nhmamd.org .

NHMA Members are hard at work being catalyst for change in their communities. Each serve in many different ways. 


The 4 major values of an NHMA membership are Advocacy, Education, Leadership Development and Networking. Our major benefits for health professionals consist of:

  • Opportunities to be nominated for commissions and advisory boards in the Federal government, private sector, and other national health professional associations.
  • Opportunities to mentor medical students and residents.
  • Discounts at the NHMA Annual Conference (where you can also earn CME credits).
  • Opportunities to share your research either by being a speaker or poster presenter at our annual conference.
  • Network with other healthcare professionals at one of NHMA Regional Events.

Our major benefits for health professional students:

  • Opportunities to mentor college students
  • Discounts at the NHMA Annual Conference
  • Opportunities to share your research by being a poster presenter at our annual conference
  • Network with health professionals at one of NHMA Regional Events and Annual Conference

Ways You Can Get Involved With NHMA:


Anyone who would like to advance NHMA's mission and goals is welcome to join our network as a Premier or Basic member. Click below to see our membership options:




If you have received an award or attended an event and would like to be featured in our monthly Membership Update, please contact communications@nhmamd.org by the first Friday of every month.
Featured Announcements
The NHHF National Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship applications will be open on May 15, 2020. Go here to apply.
Casting Call: Share Your Story with Let's Stop HIV

Are you interested in appearing on-camera and sharing your story as a part of CDC's Let's Stop HIV Together campaign? They are looking for people to be a part of video and photography shoots that may be featured on websites, campaign ads and materials, social media, and at community events across the country. P eople of any HIV status are encouraged to participate, as well as family members, friends, and other loved ones who are supporting those living with HIV and would like to share their experiences. We also encourage those who are interested in sharing their stories in Spanish to apply. Please go here for more information and to sign up.
The  All of Us Research Program is a momentous effort funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all people of backgrounds. The program’s aim is to enroll 1 million or more volunteers and receive sample from communities who have been underrepresented in research, making the program the largest and most diverse resource of its kind. Read more about the program here:  https://www.nhmamd.org/resources/nih-all-of-us/.

NHMA is looking for providers to share information and promotions materials in their practice or waiting rooms about the  All of Us Research Program. These information will discuss what the  All of Us Research Program is and why it is important to participate in this momentous undertaking. If you are interested in receiving information to give to your patients, please go here to sign up. If you have any questions, please contact Ben Melano at  bmelano@nhmamd.org.
We are seeking physicians and health care providers that treat Hispanic/Latinx patients to create a short video on the importance of getting the seasonal influenza vaccine, and physicians and providers treating Hispanic/Latinx patients with HIV to create a short video on the importance of HIV prevention/treatment.
Upcoming Events

Save the Dates
National Hispanic Health Foundation Scholarship Galas:
Los Angeles
November 19, 2020
NYC
December 4, 2020
Virtual Events:
Friday, April 17, 2020
Webinar : National Transgender HIV Testing Day * Register *
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Twitter Chat : Precision Medicine: The Way of the Future
Monday, May 18, 2020
Twitter Chat : HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
Friday, June 5, 2020
Webinar : HIV Long-Term Survivors Day
Friday, June 26, 2020
Twitter Chat : National HIV Testing Day
We ask that you consider making a $25 donation to help NHMA & NHHF touch the lives of health professionals in various stages of their career:

1) NHHF Health Professional Student Scholarship and Mentoring
2) NHMA Resident Leadership Program.
3) NHMA Leadership Fellowship
4) Special donation requested for Puerto Rico earthquake disaster: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ .

Join NHMA as a member and participate in our many programs and communications campaigns. Become our supporter!

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