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Be part of celebrating Virginia’s Health Care Champions!
The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) announces a call for nominations for Health Care Champions and the organizations they serve. These awards have been created to recognize individuals or teams who have gone above and beyond to increase access to health care, improve the health of their patients, clients, communities, and/or organizations. The selected Champions will be celebrated at our 2026 Cheers for Champions event in Richmond this Spring and will each receive a $5,000 award (half to be given to the nominating organization and half to the selected individual).
Who can be nominated?
• A licensed oral, behavioral, or medical health professional employed by or volunteering at the nominating organization;
• An individual employed by the nominating organization who supports or leads oral, behavioral, or medical care programs;
• All nominees must work with an organization that serves uninsured or medically underserved Virginians.
Nominations must be submitted via this online form no later than February 27th. Only ONE nomination per organization, please. Please note, you must complete this form in its entirely before submitting. You cannot save and return to a survey in progress. See a preview of the form here.
How to Stay In the Loop: 2026 General Assembly Session
With so much going on, you’ll want to stay in the loop! VHCF is tracking items that would impact Virginians who are uninsured, Medicaid eligible/enrolled, or underserved.
Here are some of our favorite Session tools to help you follow along. We’ve compiled a list of useful links and resources to help you identify and track the legislation in which you are interested. Some also include specifics to help you advocate for key issues, your organization and communities.
• The Virginia Task Force on Primary Care tracks all relevant primary care legislation throughout Virginia’s General Assembly session in one convenient location. Resources include a bill tracker, budget amendment tracker, and a legislative summary for 2024 and 2025. Join the Virginia Primary Care Innovation Hub to access the tracker!
• Use the Legislative Information System (LIS) to search for bills and resolutions here. Visit the LIS Learning Center to get acquainted with the system if you haven’t used it before.
• If you want to track a specific bill as it goes through the GA process and receive emails at key milestones, consider signing up for the Lobbyist-in-a-Box, which will let you track up to five bills with automated email notifications for free.
• Curious about the state budget process? The Commonwealth Institute has put together a helpful summary and graphic. This slide deck from the Senate Finance Committee provides more details.
• Headed to Richmond to advocate? Download Virginia Public Access Project’s (VPAP) app to your phone (via the App Store or Google Play) to find legislators’ offices in the GA building with ease and more. Scroll the bottom of that page for additional VPAP GA resources.
Marketplace Open Enrollment Continues into 2026
There are lots of life circumstances and events, known as “qualifying life events,” that allow people to enroll in Marketplace coverage outside of Open Enrollment, called “Special Enrollment Periods” (SEPs). These include marriage or divorce, loss of other health coverage (including Medicaid/FAMIS coverage), the birth of a child, a move/change of address, and more.
Starting January 31st, there is now an extra-special Special Enrollment Period starting for pregnant individuals! Pregnancy is now considered a “qualifying life event.” Pregnant individuals just need to attest to their pregnancy on their Marketplace application and will then have 60 days to enroll in coverage. This is a great option for pregnant individuals who are uninsured and have incomes too high to qualify for FAMIS MOMS.
If you ever are working with someone whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid/FAMIS, be sure to refer them to an Enroll VA navigator to review their options. And don’t forget: Virginians can apply for/enroll in Medicaid/FAMIS 365 days a year! They are not required to enroll within a specific time window.
So... You Want to Hire (or Join a Practice as) a Psych NP?
Medicine can be an essential part of a person’s behavioral health (BH) treatment plan. Psychiatrists and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (Psych NPs) are the only licensed BH clinicians with specialized training to prescribe and manage psychotropic medicines safely and effectively.
So…You Want to Hire (or Join a Practice as) a Psych NP? helps healthcare organizations successfully integrate a Psych NP into their clinical team, and supports Psych NPs in evaluating potential job opportunities. The goal? For each to avoid common pitfalls and challenges.
So…You Want to Hire (or Join a Practice as) a Psych NP? includes practical questions to consider, focusing on:
• Rationale and expectation setting
• Defining the Psych NP role
• Evaluating prospective candidates
• Operations and workflow
• Finances and billing
It Takes a Village – Maternal Mental Health Services Available Statewide
Nearly one-third of Virginia’s counties are maternal health deserts, and one in eight mothers in the Commonwealth experiences a mental health condition, from persistent sadness to anxiety and hopelessness, often with serious consequences if left untreated.
It Takes a Village (ITAV) is a state-wide initiative made possible by generous support from the Commonwealth of Virginia via the 2025 bipartisan Momnibus package.
It offers in-person and virtual therapy sessions to pregnant and postpartum Virginians at little or no cost, with slots for new clients still available. Cardinal Care and commercial insurance plans are accepted, and providers offer sliding scale fee options, as well. No referral is needed and services are available in both English and Spanish.
Ready to help families access care? Visit the website to find a provider today!
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program is Now Accepting Applications!
Who is eligible?
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Licensed primary care providers in eligible disciplines who serve in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) DMAS website
- License behavioral health within a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area
- Oral health care providers within a dental Health Professional Shortage Area
- Maternity care health professionals in Maternity Care Target Areas, which are specific areas within primary care HPSAs that have a higher need for maternity care services
The application is open through Tuesday March 31 at 7:30 pm ET. Read the full application instructions, and sign up for an informational webinar on HRSA’s website here.
Announcing New VHCF Health Access Grants
VHCF has awarded $770,313 in grants to nine nonprofit organizations throughout the state to increase access to behavioral health, medical and dental services for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. See the full list of grantees and initiatives awarded here!
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