The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced FY2022 ARP-UDS+ awards totaling $88.6 million to almost 1,400 Community Health Centers nationwide to enhance patient data capabilities and support better health equity during current and future public health emergencies. Announced Monday, the investments are part of more than $7 billion from the American Rescue Plan that the Biden administration set aside to bolster health centers’ workforces and facilities. Modernizing data capabilities will help better tailor health programs to the needs of specific patients or communities, “particularly as part of the public health emergency response,” according to the administration. A state-by-state breakdown of the award recipients here. In Pennsylvania, 44 health centers received a total of $2,882,000.

Telehealth and remote work are going to continue to be a “way of life” even after the continuing COVID-19 pandemic is over. “Best Practices for Adapting to the Remote and Hybrid Workforce in Team-Based Care,” created collaboratively by the STAR² Center and the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center, provides health center leadership with ideas and best practices on how to adapt policies and procedures for a remote and hybrid workforce. Download the document on adapting to the remote and hybrid workforce.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently launched the “I am a Work of ART” campaign encouraging people with HIV who are not in care for HIV to seek care, stay in care, and achieve viral suppression by taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). Read the blog post on the initiative and download and share the message with posters, rack cards, business cards, social graphics, and video public service announcements. Spanish language materials will be available soon.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the intradermal injection — between layers of skin rather than into body fat — at the request of the Biden administration, just a week after the declaration of a health emergency. “In recent weeks the monkeypox virus has continued to spread at a rate that has made it clear our current vaccine supply will not meet the current demand,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said of the decision. Now just a fifth of the dose is needed per injection, allowing health officials to vaccinate far more Americans. Two doses are still required for full vaccination.

Kaiser Health News reports that hospitals, hoping to retain nurses and other staff, are opening child care centers. Nationally, only about 1 in 10 workers have access to employer programs that cover some or all of the costs for childcare services — either on the job site or off — according to a report published last year by the U.S. Department of Labor. The health sector seems to be doing more: About one-third of U.S. hospitals offer childcare benefits, but there is wide variation in those benefits. People are leaving the industry because they’re not able to balance work and life, according to Bright Horizons, the largest provider of employer-sponsored childcare in the country. Consequently, employers are increasingly looking at the benefits of offering childcare services for employees.

A newly released study evaluates the impact of Medicaid expansion and federal funding on the capacity of Community Health Centers to serve patients. Researchers found an association between Health Center Program funding provided under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act and the number of patients served. Estimating the Impact of Medicaid Expansion and Federal Funding Cuts on FQHC Staffing and Patient Capacity concludes that Section 330 grants appear to have a larger impact on access to care than Medicaid expansion. To read this and other peer-reviewed articles about the Health Center Program, visit BPHC’s Health Center Library.

Certified Community Health Workers (CCHW) are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education relevant to community health, including three hours in ethics every two years. The recertification schedule is every two years from the initial certification date or most recent recertification date. The PA Community Health Worker Collaborative, in conjunction with PA Area Health Education Center, has resources and courses available.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expects the average Medicare Part D premium to decrease to $31.50 in 2023 or about 1.8% from the 2022 rate of $32.08. The Medicare Part D program helps people pay for both brand-name and generic prescription drugs. Medicare Open Enrollment is from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2022, for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2023. Patients and consumers seeking assistance with enrollment in Medicare or Part D plans can contact the PA Medicare Education and Decision Insight (PA MEDI) program administered through a local Area Agency on Aging.

Democrats are on the cusp of making the most significant changes to Medicare in more than a decade, which could bring lower drug prices and out-of-pocket costs for some of the program’s 64 million enrollees. After months of negotiation, Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. If the Senate-passed bill clears the House—as it is expected to do—beginning this fall, drug companies that raise prices higher than inflation will be penalized. See a summary of other provisions of the Act of interest to Community Health Centers and the table below courtesy of KFF for more information on provisions of the legislation. Of note, Democrats tried to attach an amendment establishing a $35 insulin cap to the bill, but Republicans voted it down, eliminating it from the package. The package now moves to the House, where members will vote as early as Friday on advancing the bill to President Biden’s desk.