HHS awards $125 million to support community health center quality improvement

bar graph showing a 164% increase in the number of patients served at hrsa-funded health centers from 2001-2017

August 15 – Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $125 million in Quality Improvement grant awards to 1,352 community health centers across all U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia. Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), health centers will use these funds to continue to improve quality, efficiency, and the effectiveness of health care delivery in the communities they serve. This announcement comes during National Health Center Week, the annual celebration that highlights the critical role community health centers play in providing high-quality, affordable, primary health care.

“Community health centers advance a model of coordinated, comprehensive, and patient-centered care,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “They have a track record of delivering quality care at significantly lower cost and are vital partners in our movement toward a health system that delivers quality, affordable, value-based health care for all Americans.”

Read the news release.

Celebrating America’s Health Centers (Health Center Week)

screen cap of the health centers chalk talk youtube video

Did you know: Nearly 1,400 HRSA-funded health centers serve more than 27 million people nationwide?

Health centers deliver patient-centered, comprehensive, integrated care to the populations that need it the most – including people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, residents of public housing, and the Nation’s veterans.

Visit the Health Center Week page to learn more about the impact health centers have, and watch our Chalk Talk video.

HRSA to Host Bullying Prevention Summit

photo of two girls leering at a third girl

On Monday, August 20, HRSA will host the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention (FPBP) Summit on Cyberbullying Prevention. The meeting will explore the latest research and resources in the field, increase awareness about existing cyberbullying prevention efforts, and identify strategies for collaboration across various sectors. Attendees will include representatives from federal agencies, educational institutions, social media companies, and others.

FPBP’s mission is to ensure coordination among federal agencies working in bullying prevention and provide consistent, accurate resources for the public. The network has held annual or biannual bullying summits since its inception in 2010. Previous summits have addressed a range of emerging topics.

Follow the Summit on social media at #CyberbullyingSummit and tune in to the event on C-SPAN.

Administrator Meets West Coast Regional Staff & Grantees

Center: Dr. Eddie Chan, President and CEO North East Medical Services, with Dr. Sigounas, Special Assistant Carla Haddad (OA), & staff.

Center: Dr. Eddie Chan, President and CEO of North East Medical Services, with HRSA Administrator Dr. George Sigounas, Policy Advisor Carla Haddad, and health center staff.

HRSA Administrator Dr. George Sigounas toured North East Medical Services Health Center in August as part of a west coast swing that took him from Seattle to San Francisco to discuss the opioid crisis with Office of Regional Operations staff, grantees, and prospective grant applicants.

HRSA Launches Pilot Measure on Learning Readiness in Young Children

photo of a woman reading to her daughter

A new study led by HRSA and published in Child Indicators Research describes the first-ever national pilot measure of young children’s readiness for school across multiple domains. The measure uses 2016 data from the HRSA National Survey of Children’s Health.

“Children start forming the skills needed to thrive in school during the first years of life, so it is key to understand what comprises learning readiness and identify children who may require extra support,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D. “Today’s HRSA study provides the first-ever standardized, multidimensional measure of the extent to which parents view our nation’s young children are healthy and ready to learn.”

Read the report.

New HRSA Data Warehouse

screen capture of the new data.hrsa.gov website

We are about to officially launch data.hrsa.gov, the new HRSA website for open data. Data available on the site covers all of HRSA's programs, including health centers, grants, organ donation, and more.

The new site is interactive, easy to use, accessible, and will work on mobile devices.

You can try out the new site now, and provide feedback at data@hrsa.gov.

HRSA Study Finds Gaps in Care for Youth with Special Health Care Needs

photo of a woman comforting another woman

A HRSA-led journal article found that youth with special health care needs (YSHCN) had unmet care needs at a rate nearly three times as high as non-YSHCN, despite more frequent health care use. The analysis evaluated 2016 data from the HRSA National Survey of Children’s Health.

YSHCN often require unique assistance to deal with functional limitations or rely on medication to manage multiple conditions. Consequences of unmet needs include increased family burden and hospitalization. The study suggests that efforts should continue to focus on strengthening coordinated systems of care for YSHCN and their families through evidence-based practices.

Read the Abstract at Journal of Adolescent Health.

National Immunization Awareness Month (CDC) – August 2018

cartoon drawing of a man measuring the height of his daughter. there are previous marks of her height on the wall

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new interactive guide during National Immunization Awareness Month. The digital tool helps families navigate information about recommended vaccines from birth through adulthood. Click through various stages of life to learn about vaccine-preventable diseases—like the flu, whooping cough, and HPV cancers—and the recommended timing for key immunizations. Share the messages below and help raise awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases and encourage everyone to follow the recommended immunization schedule.

Learn about the Vaccine Guide.