National Health Center Week 2017, #NHCW17

nearly 26 million people (1 in 12 people across the US) rely on a HRSA-funded health center for care

Celebrate National Health Center Week with us. For more than 50 years, community health centers have delivered comprehensive, high-quality preventive and primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Today, nearly 1,400 health centers serve approximately 26 million people—or, one in 12 people in the United States.

This includes:

More than 330,000 veterans
1 in 6 rural residents
Nearly 1.8 million people suffering from a mental health disorder

Find out about our impact—straight from patients and staff—visit the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s site.

HHS awards nearly $105 million to improve health center quality

August 15 - HHS announced that nearly $105 million has been awarded to 1,333 health centers in all U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia as an investment in quality improvement, building upon their 2016 achievements. Health centers will use these funds to further improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the health care delivered to the communities they serve.

Quality care is one of the six key principles of health care outlined by HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price. “We all want a health care system that’s affordable, that’s accessible to all, of the highest quality, with the greatest number of choices, driven by world-leading innovations, and responsive to the needs of the individual patient,” said Secretary Price.

Read the HHS press release.

The Ryan White CARE Act turns 27

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in 2015 served more than 50% of people living with diagnosed HIV in the U.S.

August 18 marks the 27th anniversary of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. First authorized in 1990, the Ryan White CARE Act is the legislation that created the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides a comprehensive system of HIV primary medical care, medications, and essential support services for low-income people living with HIV. The Program funds grants to states, cities/counties, and local community-based organizations. More than half of people living with diagnosed HIV in the United States – more than 500,000 people – receive services through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. In 2015, 83.4% of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients were virally suppressed, exceeding national average of 54.7%.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program has been reauthorized four times: in 1996, 2000, 2006, and 2009. With each reauthorization, it was amended to accommodate new and emerging needs, such as an increased emphasis on funding core medical services and changes in funding formulas.

To learn more, visit HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau

HRSA forecasts more than three dozen funding opportunities for FY18

photo of a day calendar with the word apply written on it

To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of both the Agency and its applicants, HRSA has forecasted about 40 funding opportunities for Fiscal Year 2018. This includes approximately 765 expected awards and nearly $2 billion in potential funding to cities, states, and local community-based organizations (non-federal entities).

The grant forecast is a projection by the grant-making agency of the funding opportunities that are likely to be issued later in the year. The projected HRSA grants focus on programs related to Health Professions, Healthcare Systems, HIV/AIDS, Maternal and Child Health, Primary Health Care/Health Centers, and Rural Health.

Appalachia's health disparities examined in new journal article

A new journal article co-authored by HRSA's Michael Kogan and Gopal Singh examine the health disparities of Appalachia.

Appalachia—a region that stretches from Mississippi to New York—has historically been recognized as a socially and economically disadvantaged part of the United States, and growing evidence suggests that health disparities between it and the rest of the country are widening.

Widening Disparities In Infant Mortality And Life Expectancy Between Appalachia And The Rest Of The United States compares infant mortality and life expectancy disparities in Appalachia to those outside the region during the period 1990–2013.

Read the abstract at Health Affairs.

HRSA awards $850,000 for the Maternal and Child Environmental Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN)

On July 24, HRSA awarded $850,000 to the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) to support a cooperative agreement for the Maternal and Child Environmental Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN).

The purpose of this program is to reduce negative health outcomes associated with exposure to lead. A collaborative network with 10 state teams will be implemented to increase the number of infants and children identified as lead exposed that have access to a system of coordinated care. A quality improvement framework will be used and each state will develop an action plan to decrease children’s exposure to lead.

Learn more about Children with Special Health Care Needs

NCHWA releases nursing workforce projections and program highlights

photo of two doctors going over paperwork

The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) released supply and demand projections for registered nurses (RNs), and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs) in 2030. According to the study, the U.S. is expected to have an inequitable distribution of RNs and LPNs across states. Specifically, seven states are projected to have a shortage of RNs and thirty-three states are expected to experience a shortage of LPNs.

NCHWA also released a series of Program Highlights for academic year 2015-2016, which summarize the characteristics and accomplishments of the Bureau of Health Workforce programs and their trainees.

The Supply and Demand Projections of the Nursing Workforce: 2014-2030 report and the Program Highlights are both available on NCHWA’s website

Connected Care: The chronic care management resource

photo of a doctor speaking with three patients. all are seated.

An estimated 117 million adults have one or more chronic health conditions, and one in four adults have two or more chronic health conditions.

Through the Connected Carecampaign, the CMS Office of Minority Health and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at HRSA will raise awareness of the benefits of Chronic Care Management (CCM) for patients with multiple chronic conditions and provide health care professionals with resources to implement CCM.

Learn more about the Connected Care campaign.