To more effectively address known barriers to treatment for substance use disorder (SUD), policy researchers looked at feedback from 27 community-based programs serving predominantly people of color across the U.S. Beyond poverty and racism, providers describe challenges retaining staff with appropriate language and cultural skills as well as a complex patchwork of social skills.  Released in November by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) the report calls for more research to understand how federal, state, and local policies and programs can maximize the strengths of communities of varied backgrounds, while also implementing evidence-based practices.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is making a big push to prevent the spread of influenza.  Most recent data from the 2021-2022 season show 4 million flu-related medical visits, 100,000 flu-related hospitalizations, and 5,000 flu deaths.  This year has already seen several states with the highest levels of respiratory illness that include fever plus a cough or sore throat.  The CDC recommends flu vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older and provides a broad range of communication resources to get the word out.

The deadline to apply for the Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program is Dec. 14, 2022, at 7:00 pm. Physicians, dentists, and psychologists are eligible for up to $80,000 full-time and $40,000 half-time. Other practitioners are eligible for up to $48,000 full-time and up to $24,000 half-time. Please make sure your primary care, dental, and behavioral health providers know about this opportunity. To find out who is eligible, go to the website or download The LRP Fact Sheet. If you or a staff member is interested in applying, review the Request for Applications first. Questions? Contact Judd Mellinger-Blouch, Director of Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center.

Fierce Healthcare reported that Medicare saved $70 million in 2021 through its direct contracting model, which pays providers population-based capitated rates, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The savings were generated by 53 organizations from April through December 2021, with 38 organizations earning $47 million in shared savings. The model has been revamped to address health equity and will transition to the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (REACH) Model in 2023. Read More.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin that describes the 2023 and 2024 updates to the Core Set of children’s healthcare quality measures for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Core Set of health care quality measures for adults enrolled in Medicaid (the Adult Core Set). The updates to the Core Sets will take effect in the 2023 reporting cycle, which will begin in the early fall of 2023.

With more than 14 million people enrolled in coverage nationwide through the 2023 health insurance marketplace Open Enrollment period, this marks the nation’s lowest uninsured rate ever at 8%. Open Enrollment began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15. Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace, has seen more than 332,000 enrollments as of Nov. 30. Historically, the largest number of enrollments are attributed to auto-renewals from existing customers. Pennie-certified enrollment assisters at community health centers are enrolling customers in person, telephonically, and virtually to meet the need for unbiased, free assistance. New enhancements on the Pennie website, such as the customer service chat feature and additional income calculation questions, enable consumers to get questions answered sooner and pinpoint variations in monthly income.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority released the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Statewide Broadband Plan. The plan addresses both the immediate needs and long-term needs of Pennsylvanians. The Authority’s plan to expand broadband across the commonwealth focuses on the challenges and opportunities including improving broadband service infrastructure and availability, digital equity and affordability, device and technology access, and digital literacy and technical support. With a clear picture of the current state of broadband in Pennsylvania outlined—including up to 800,000 unserved Pennsylvanians—the plan includes actionable steps to achieve universal broadband access. As Pennsylvania and other states seek to narrow the digital divide, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just released a draft of a nationwide broadband availability map. The new National Broadband Map lets individuals search specific addresses to find information about fixed and mobile services available there. The public, including local governments and businesses, has an opportunity to challenge the map or comment on its accuracy until Jan. 13.

About 10 percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2021, meaning they had difficulty providing enough food for all their members at times because of a lack of resources.  Though this number was relatively unchanged from the previous year, food insecurity for households with children declined to 12.5 percent from 14.8 in 2020.  Households with no children accounted for two-thirds of food-insecure households, with single adults at the greatest risk.  For rural areas, the prevalence is slightly lower than in urban areas, 10.8 percent versus 12.2 percent.  The data is provided every year by the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a CDC Health Advisory about early, elevated respiratory disease incidence caused by multiple viruses and occurring especially among children. This early increase in disease incidence highlights the importance of optimizing respiratory virus prevention and treatment measures. The full advisory is available here. Additionally, on November 3, 2022, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law Senate Bill 317 known as the Expedited Partner Therapy Act (EPT) (Act 147 of 2022). The EPT Act takes effect on February 3, 2023. EPT is a therapeutic option that research studies have shown to be effective in reducing chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfection rates. To read the full advisory including prescribing instructions and liability issues, click here. Lastly, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of thousands of widely used, man-made chemicals that bioaccumulate in humans and animals, are persistent in the environment, and can influence health outcomes. People can be exposed to PFAS via products such as nonstick cookware, processed food packaging, certain cosmetics, and soaps, and via contaminated drinking water when chemicals migrate into the water supply (public or well water). To read the full update, click here.

All 14 National Training and Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAPs) will collaborate for a four-part national learning series to engage health centers, Primary Care Associations, and Health Center Controlled Networks to increase foundational knowledge of effective strategies to prevent, treat, and manage diabetes among special and medically underserved populations. Participants will explore diabetes management in relation to the following topics: social determinants of health (SDOH) and structural barriers, intersectional identities of the health center workforce and patients, emergency preparedness, and environmental impacts on access to care. Visit the series information page for more information and registration links.