Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the availability of nearly $90 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support new data-driven efforts for HRSA Health Center Program-supported health centers and look-alikes (HRSA-designated health centers) to identify and reduce health disparities. HRSAs modernized data collection and reporting initiative, called Uniform Data System Patient-Level Submission (UDS+), is designed to collect more and better data on social determinants of health, while also streamlining and improving data quality reporting for health centers. This effort will enable health centers to tailor their efforts to improve health outcomes and advance health equity, more precisely targeting the needs of specific communities or patients. Read the release. | April 15 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), today announced the availability of $226.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to launch the Community Health Worker Training Program. This new program will increase the number of community health workers who play a critical role in connecting people to care, including COVID care; mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services; chronic disease care; and other important health services. Read the release. | April 13 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), today announced more than $1.75 billion in Provider Relief Fund payments to 3,680 providers across the country. With this disbursement, HRSA has distributed approximately $13.5 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to nearly 86,000 and nearly $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments to more than 44,000 providers since November 2021. Health care providers have been tireless in protecting their communities and working to maintain access to health services during the pandemic, said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. Provider Relief Fund resources continue to make it possible for providers to recruit and retain key personnel, implement safety measures, and keep their doors open to care for their patients. Read the release. | As HHS recognizes Black Maternal Health Week, these fundswill help improve maternal health and reduce health disparities. April 13 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced approximately $16 million to strengthen Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Programs through seven awards supporting eight states. These awards will advance data and technology innovations to support positive maternal and child health outcomes in states and communities, and focus on addressing health disparities. This announcement comes as the Biden-Harris Administration recognizes Black Maternal Health Week, which takes place this year from April 11 17, 2022. The Administration has championed policies to improve maternal health and equity and addressing the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis. In addition, HRSA is announcing the availability of up to $9 million through the State Maternal Health Innovation and Data Capacity Program to expand the State Maternal Health Innovation and Implementation Program. This program supports state-level development and implementation of proven strategies to improve maternal health and address maternal health disparities. The new funding will continue to build state capacity to deliver high-quality maternity care services, provide training for maternal care clinicians, and enhance the quality of state-level maternal health data through better collection, reporting and analysis. The program will fund up to nine cooperative agreements, and each will receive up to $1 million over five years. Read the release. Read the latest White HouseFact Sheet on Additional Actions in Response to Vice President Harriss Call to Action on Maternal Health. | Over 1,800 children under the age of 18 received life-saving organ transplants in 2021. Yet, there are still nearly 2,000 children waiting for a generous donor. Celebrate National Pediatric Transplant Week by signing up as an organ, eye and tissue donor. We have opened registration for the 2022 Healthy Grants Workshop web series. You canregisterfor up to eight sessions and more than a dozen important topics. There is no cost to attend. You can attend as many sessions as you like. The first session begins on Wednesday, May 4, followed by a new session every two weeks through Wednesday, August 10. Each session includes two topics. Topic examples include: Grants policies Financial monitoring Grant budgeting New HRSA programs and efforts Electronic handbooks overview A full schedule is available.More details will be added to ourHealthy Grants Workshop page. | Join us for the inauguralNational Telehealth Conferenceon May 16-17. Experts and leaders in the field will examine the evolution of telehealth, discuss its place in an integrated health care delivery model, and review the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the future of telehealth. | | | |