Quick Finds: Promising/Best Practices

Addressing Mental Health Experiences Among Subpopulations of Migrant Seasonal Agricultural Workers (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This two-part article series highlights the vital role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in addressing mental health challenges faced by Migrant Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAWs). CHWs leverage their deep understanding of community needs and cultural sensitivities to facilitate open discussions about mental health, combat stigma, and connect individuals to essential resources. By encouraging open dialogue and mutual support, communities can effectively tackle mental health disparities. More Details...

Strengthening NP/PA Residency Programs through Academic, Clinical, & Community Partnerships (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar explores the essential components of successful primary care nurse practitioner/physician associate (NP/PA) residency programs, including program structure and the value of academic, clinical, and community partnerships. Along with experts from CHC, this webinar includes a health center spotlight on successfully implementing a residency program with strong partnerships. By the end, viewers will have a clear understanding of how to build effective, sustainable NP/PA residency programs and enhance clinical workforce development. More Details...

Assessing the Care Team Tech Experience: A Digital Health Tool Toolkit: HITEQ Center, created through Aliados Health (2024). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This toolkit helps health center electronic health record (EHR) and Information Technology (IT) departments to deliver effective EHR training for staff, whether for new hires, rolling out new EHR modules, or providing ongoing training support. More Details...

Creating Community Connections: Introducing the Dinámicas E-Book Blog Series (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: MHP Salud’s “Creating Community Connections” e-book is a free resource designed to help health centers, community organizations, and Community Health Workers (CHWs) build meaningful relationships with underserved and marginalized populations. It offers interactive techniques, cultural sensitivity guidance, and practical tools to enhance community engagement and support. Accessible via MHP Salud’s website, the e-book aims to improve outreach effectiveness and foster trust within diverse communities. More Details...

MHP Salud Dinamicas e-book (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: MHP Salud promotes the Dinámica e-book as a tool for fostering trust and engagement. It features interactive activities designed to \"break the ice,\" encourage reflection, and connect participants. This resource aids in building meaningful community connections through dinámicas, suitable for both individual and group activities in various settings. More Details...

Organizational Self-Care Assessment Tool: Fostering a Culture of Wellness Among Health Center Staff (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Health Outreach Partners’ Organizational Self-Care Assessment Tool: Fostering a Culture of Wellness Among Health Center Staff webinar focuses on the importance of adopting organizational self-care practices in the health center setting. The training covers how the assessment tool can assess each organization’s employee wellness practices. Use the link here to access the tool. More Details...

Engaging Communities: The Crucial Role of Outreach in Rebuilding Public Health Trust: The Role of Outreach in Rebuilding Trust and Confidence in Public Health (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This 60-minute training aims to inform health centers and other community-based organizations about the importance of outreach and how it can help reduce mistrust in public health. Health Outreach Partners examined strategies for collaborating with relevant partners to enhance their services in communities with special populations. More Details...

National Health Center Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Needs Assessment 2023 Listening Moments Summary Report (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This short report summarizes the methodology and key findings based on over 350 individual health center staff responses More Details...

Data Visualization for Value-based care: HITEQ Resource (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This resource details how data visualization can be employed to support value-based care and includes suggestions on how to depict measures and trends using data dashboards. More Details...

CHWs: The Key Players in Heat Stress Management Strategies Among MSAWs (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: As global temperatures rise, Migrant Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAWs) are increasingly at risk for heat-stress health issues due to their work conditions. Proactively involving Community Health Workers (CHWs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and local communities can raise awareness and provide essential support to mitigate these risks. By collaborating on education, emergency preparedness, and advocacy, stakeholders can take a strategic approach to improve conditions and health outcomes for MSAWs facing the impacts of climate change. More Details...

CHWs Supporting MSAWs' Health Across Life's Seasons (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers (CHWs) are essential frontline public health workers with deep cultural understanding and adaptable skills. They play a crucial role in supporting Migrant Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAWs), who face unique challenges due to their transient work and diverse backgrounds. CHWs provide vital services such as healthcare access, language interpretation, legal guidance, and culturally appropriate support, ensuring MSAWs receive comprehensive care across different locations and life stages. This integrated approach supports positive health outcomes and addresses systemic barriers through community-driven initiatives. More Details...

Updated User's Guide Implementation of the Interprofessional Oral Health Core Clinical Competencies (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication builds on the 2014 User's Guide for integrating oral health and primary care practice. The guide includes implementation strategies, examples, and health center promising practices for medical and dental integration. More Details...

Sexual Violence in Agricultural Worker Communities: A Guide for Clinicians (2024). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Clinician resource that provides guidance on how to identify and support survivors of sexual violence in agricultural worker communities, as well as best practices when reporting any incidents. Also included are stories from survivors and advocates, and additional resources for community support. Available in both English and Spanish. More Details...

Clinical Issues & Health Center Boards: Hypertension Management (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This resource discusses hypertension management and how boards can support this through appropriate governance-level functions. More Details...

Using Community Referral Technology Platforms to Safely Connect Health Center Patients with Community-based Domestic Violence Services (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This memo provides recommendations for health center (HC) staff as they implement, tailor, and use electronic tools to connect their patients to community-based domestic violence (DV) and human trafficking (HT) services, including how to protect patient/survivor confidentiality. HCs increasingly play an important role in addressing the health-related social needs of their patients, including housing, food insecurity, and domestic violence. Today, referrals are often facilitated through online platforms, sometimes known as community referral networks or community referral technology platforms, to assist providers in connecting patients with necessary services and providing a mechanism for follow-up. However, concerns about privacy and confidentiality exist, particularly regarding sensitive health information such as experiences of violence. This memo addresses key questions and considerations for HC staff, emphasizing survivors’ rights and control over their health information. More Details...

Environmental Preparedness for Health Centers: HITEQ On the Horizon (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Climate change-induced weather events such as heat waves, poor air quality, and flooding are increasing in frequency and intensity. Health centers are challenged to maintain their own health IT and operations, ensuring continuity of care for their patients, particularly individuals who are more likely to be impacted by climate change-related disasters. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Integrating Patient Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Within Office-Based Hypertension Management: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This session included topics such as the evidence base for a self-monitoring blood pressure program, best practices in hypertension management through a self-monitoring program, and technology barriers and challenges to remote blood pressure monitoring. More Details...

On the Horizon: UDS+ and Race, Ethnicity, and Language Collection: Roundtable Series (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The Community Health Care Association of New York State and Sun River Health, a health center in New York, joined the HITEQ Center for a discussion on UDS+ and the collection of granular race, ethnicity, and language (REaL) data. Sun River Health shared their experience collecting REaL data, including how they\'ve updated and optimized systems, tracked their data, and addressed challenges. More Details...

Understanding & Overcoming Barriers to CEO Succession Planning (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: CEO succession planning is an important board role but one that boards can struggle with. This resource defines CEO succession planning, as well as identifies some obstacles to CEO succession planning and offers suggestions for overcoming them. More Details...

Advancing Interoperability & Health Information Exchange for Health Centers - An Overview and Discussion on Enhancing Health Outcomes with the Oklahoma MyHealth Access Network: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this session participants learned what standards-based exchange is, why it is important, what it makes possible, and what they need to do. Dr. David Kendrick led the session to provide insight into how MyHealth Access Network provides advanced health information exchange, community-wide care coordination tools, and a robust decision support platform designed to support providers and patients in improving health outcomes. More Details...

Engaging Partners and Technology to Support Care of Justice-Involved Patients: Virtual Webinar (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this session, participants learned from Harris Health (Texas) and Community Medical Centers Inc. (California) to hear about their expanded services for behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment for justice-involved community members. Attendees learned from these two healthcare providers that have made a commitment to offering care to justice -involved patients, and their journeys to build positive partnerships improving access to service. More Details...

HITEQ On the Horizon: Environmental Preparedness for Health Centers : Roundtable Series (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Climate change-induced weather events such as heat waves, poor air quality, and flooding are increasing in frequency and intensity. Health centers are challenged to maintain their own operations and ensure continuity of care for their patients, particularly individuals who are more likely to be impacted by climate change-related disasters. In this session, health center participants and HITEQ facilitators discussed how health IT and EHRs can be used to identify and protect impacted populations. The discussion will be focused around three strategies: 1) developing a health center emergency response plan; 2) utilizing patient data to support patient resilience; and 3) developing communication outreach systems for weather emergencies. More Details...

HITEQ On the Horizon: Demystifying Current and Future Clinical Quality Measure Reporting: UDS+ and the Adult Weight Screening and Follow-up Measure Roundtable: Roundtable Series (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This session explored the current and future UDS clinical quality measure reporting, through one of the more complicated and expansive measures: Adult Weight Screening and Follow-up Clinical Quality Measure that is included in Table 6B and, in the future, UDS+ reporting. Attendees gained an understanding of the measure specifications, including defining the denominator and compliance. Common challenges as well as health center successes will be discussed. More Details...

Exploring Cultural Competency and Humility in the Care of HIV Patients Learning Collaborative (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: People are shaped by their culture. An individual’s diverse beliefs, behaviors, attitudes toward medicine, and even the outcome of their medical treatments are all influenced by the cultures that comprise them. The cultural and ethnic diversity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States is well known. The vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) today are members of historically underserved and marginalized populations, most notably racial and ethnic minorities.  More Details...

Solar Powered Healthcare: Resilience and Cost-Savings (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Learn why health centers are choosing solar power with battery backup as an affordable solution for both emergency and year-round use. Along with our CHARGE partners, the National Association of Community Health Centers and Collective Energy, we review how a solar+battery microgrid works and explore the cost-benefit analysis, new and proposed rules and rebates, the various incentives and initiatives, and financing options. We also share examples of health centers' experiences in choosing this affordable option. More Details...

Health Center Partnerships to Support Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Early experiences and choices have a profound impact on lifelong health. It is crucial to cultivate healthy habits during childhood and adolescence in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, promote physical and cognitive development, enhance resilience, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, children and adolescents often encounter obstacles in managing their health and lifestyle choices due to environmental factors, educational and social influences, and limited autonomy. NNCC introduced and discussed tools and resources for health care professionals/CHWs working in health center settings and the community. More Details...

Closing the PrEP Care Gap with TelePrEP: Training for Health Centers (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This training session was delivered by the HITEQ Center in collaboration with Housing Works, a health center based in New York City. Staff from Housing Works provided an overview of the TelePrEP model, considerations for implementation, and successes and barriers their TelePrEP program has faced. All health center staff were welcome to attend, and the content will be useful for all seeking to expand PrEP access for HIV prevention in their health center and community. More Details...

Addressing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Learning Collaborative (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, despite the availability of high-quality screening options. Multiple barriers to CRC screening have been identified, including cost for the uninsured, younger age, racial or ethnic minorities, recent immigration to the United States (non-English speakers), fear or distrust of the health care system, and rural residence. More Details...

Advancing Equity: Community Health Workers' Role in Enhancing Breast Cancer Screenings and Linkage to Care (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar explored breast cancer disparities and their impact on different communities. Health centers play a critical role in providing comprehensive care, especially in tackling disparities in breast cancer screenings and care among underserved communities. Viewers will discover how Community Health Workers (CHWs) can bridge gaps and facilitate screenings and care. Learn practical strategies and best practices to implement CHW programs within your practice effectively. More Details...

How to mitigate the Impacts of Long- COVID-19 among farmworkers (2024). Resource Type: Other Resource Collection. Description: These videos (Spanish and English versions) were developed in collaboration with farmworkers experiencing Long COVID-19 and Finger Lakes Community Health (a farmworker serving FQHC) to offer suggestions about how to detect if one is experiencing Long COVID-19, how to understand the underlying symptoms related to Long COVID-19, and how to seek medical support and to alleviate symptoms. More Details...

Health for All – Including those with Disabilities Learning Collaborative (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this 4-part learning collaborative, Dr. Kevin Lombardi MD MPH and the NCHPH research and clinical quality team facilitated a set of interdisciplinary and collective sessions designed to engage with the latest data, clinical/social guidance as well as recommendations from leading providers on how to maximally support individuals with disabilities. More Details...

Health Center Resilience in the Face of Cyber Adversity: A Case Study of the Family Health Center of Worcester's Ransomware Incident, February 2024 (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The use of ransomware -- malicious software that restricts access to computer systems with financial demands -- has escalated, targeting health centers and putting countless lives at risk. This dire reality came to the forefront during the alarming ransomware attack on the Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. (FHCW), where the personal health information and care continuity for thousands of patients were compromised. This resource uses FHCW's experience as a case study to demonstrate the imperative of preparedness and the strength of a community-centered response in ensuring the continuity of healthcare services amidst the ever-growing tide of cyber vulnerabilities. More Details...

Tips for Effective Health Center Board Meetings (2024). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Board meetings are where a health center board carries out its governance role. This resource provides information on meeting practices used by health center boards and tips for better meetings. It also includes sample tools including a sample board work plan, meeting agenda, board meeting evaluation, and board culture statement. More Details...

Advancing the use of SDOH Data to Support Value Based Care: National Training for Health Centers (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Is your health center interested in learning about how collection of social needs data can support your performance in providing value based care? This one-hour webinar, presented by Washington Association for Community Health, CHAS Health, and the HITEQ Center taught about best practices in SDOH screening and how health centers have used SDOH data for patient care, population health, and value based care. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and share the specific challenges they face regarding SDOH screening and use of data. All health center staff, particularly those involved in screening clients for social needs, connecting them to resources and using data to inform care, were welcome to attend. More Details...

How EHRs Can Be Leveraged to Streamline Social Needs Screening: Screening for Housing Status and other Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) measures Webinar (2024). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Is your health center planning, implementing, or revamping a social needs screening program? The National Health Care for the Homeless Council and the HITEQ Center hosted a free webinar on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024, from 2 - 3 pm Eastern (1 - 2 pm Central) where they taught participants how to screen for housing status and other Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) measures that can be introduced or better integrated into health center clinical workflows. Presenters shared guidance on implementing and systematizing social needs data collection in Electronic Health Records (EHRs), followed by a panel of expert health center representatives who spoke about their programs & journeys with social needs screening programs. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions, share successes, or discuss specific challenges they faced regarding social needs screening. While this webinar focused on health care for the homeless (HCH) health centers, anyone involved directly in social needs screening or interested in improving screening processes was welcome to attend. More Details...

Partnerships Between Health Centers and Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocacy Programs (Bi-directional Infographic) (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: As health center staff are more likely to initiate conversations on IPV/HT/E with their patients after learning about domestic violence advocates and the range of services offered by their DV programs, these HC/DVP partnerships are critical to promote safety and health outcomes for patients, as well as staff, through bi-directional warm referrals. This infographic illustrates the benefits resulting from these partnerships and referrals and offers links to the sample MOU and other supportive resources to promote new and expand on current collaborative efforts. More Details...

Implementing Staff Satisfaction Surveys Infographic (2023). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This STAR² Center infographic is designed to support health center teams as they focus on staff resiliency, wellness, satisfaction, and engagement by guiding teams through the process of conducting staff satisfaction surveys.  More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: What to Do About Health IT Hazards Associated with Copy and Paste in the EHR: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Copy and paste functionality can support efficiency during clinical documentation, but may promote inaccurate documentation with risks for patient safety. This webinar discussed three key areas where health centers can consider implementing safe practice recommendations: Define copy and paste as a health IT safety issue by identifying the potential patient safety risks Review safe practice recommendations and implementation strategies to mitigate health IT-related hazards and safety issues Disseminate evidence, tools and practices for implementation More Details...

Assessing for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Inclusion Scorecard for Population Health- a Coffee Break Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this Coffee Break webinar we introduce one of our newest resources: the Inclusion Scorecard for Population Health. As more health systems adopt new reimbursement models and strive for value-based care, a significant paradigm shift in healthcare must take place. The Scorecard plays an integral role in a site's effort to achieve the Quadruple Aim: better care, better patient experience, lowered costs and improved provider experience. Healthcare is no longer solely about what happens inside a facility-health outcomes are inextricably linked to the social drivers of health, culturally effective care, patient engagement and community resiliency. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: PrEP Process Mapping Team Toolkit Demonstration: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Is your health center currently in the process of implementing or revamping your pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) workflow? Join this HITEQ webinar to learn how to use our PrEP Process Mapping Toolkit, which is designed to support team-based learning, reflection, and action on the use of process mapping as a tool to document PrEP clinical and EHR workflows. Your health center team can follow the steps outlined in the toolkit to develop a process map of an existing or planned PrEP service workflow and to identify opportunities to streamline and improve that workflow. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Crossing The Chasm of Innovation - One FQHC's Journey to Operationalize its Telehealth Strategy: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: In this HITEQ Highlights webinar, we focused on the intersection of telehealth strategy and operations. One health center\'s experience of leveraging telehealth as a tool for expanding service delivery and patient access will be a jumping off point from which to consider the benefits (and challenges) of dedicated telehealth resources within an organization. Participants learned how telehealth might benefit recruitment efforts and review relevant resources for ongoing telehealth support. More Details...

Tobacco Cessation: From Evidence to Practice: NCHPH Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar presented by NHCHC and NCHPH focused on the epidemiology of tobacco use behaviors, tobacco-related inequities, and culturally-relevant tobacco use interventions and ways to integrate them into practice. More Details...

HITEQ Highlights: Enabling a Cyber-Resilient Health Center: HITEQ Highlights Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This HITEQ Highlight aimed to strengthen Health Centers' capacity to build their cyber-resiliency. We covered risk management tools, methods for guarding against cybersecurity assaults, operationalizing cybersecurity to mitigate risks, and breach mitigation tactics. Participants focus on safeguarding data across the entire enterprise and examined approaches to implementing cybersecurity infrastructure through risk management frameworks and strategic risk assessment. More Details...

Screening for Colorectal Cancer: A Patient-Centered Approach to Improving Marketing and Promotion: NCHPH Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Screening is an essential tool in the prevention of colorectal cancer. Nearly 2 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with colorectal cancer per year, a significant proportion of these cases could be prevented or diagnosed sooner in screening was more widely utilized by the public. More Details...

Best Practices for Phone and Virtual Interpretation in Health Centers (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar is provided in conjunction with a newly created best practices resource in response to the demand for more language access services in health centers especially for Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients. This project is HRSA-funded. Presented on 11/30/2023 More Details...

Tobacco Cessation for Homeless Individuals and Public Housing Residents: A Brief Review: NCHPH Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar presented by National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) and National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) focused on introducing clinicians, health educators and CHWs to the rationale for doing smoking cessation with public housing and homeless individuals served by health center programs. This webinar also provided information on the seven FDA approved cessation medications as well as proven behavioral counseling techniques to help individuals stay quit permanently. More Details...

Enhancing Healthcare Access for Special Populations Through Telehealth and Home Visitation Services: NCHPH Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Hosted by the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium and the National Center for Health in Public Housing, this 2-part webinar series discussed promising practices in home visitation and telehealth as ways to support improved access to comprehensive primary care for communities with high levels of disability, and isolation, lack of adequate transportation, and other social drivers of health that contribute to health inequities, particularly residents of public housing. More Details...

Successful Steps for Holistic Integration of Mental and Behavioral Health in Primary Care Learning Collaborative: Part Four (2023). Resource Type: In-Person Training. Description: Session 4 or 4 delves into various quality improvement techniques. Participants learned how to apply the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle effectively to bring about meaningful change within their healthcare settings. Practical tools and real-world examples guided participants in identifying areas for improvement and implementing evidence-based strategies. More Details...

Acting on Climate Change for a Healthier Future: The role of Health Centers: NCHPH Webinar (2023). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The health community recognizes the climate crisis as an existential threat to humanity and human health, requiring immediate and effective action across all sectors. Health centers are the first point of contact intended to provide comprehensive and coordinated health services and contribute to both climate change adaptation and mitigation via preventive health measures and integrated health services. More Details...

Successful Steps for Holistic Integration of Mental and Behavioral Health in Primary Care Learning Collaborative: Part Three (2023). Resource Type: Online Self-Paced Learning Modules. Description: Integrating behavioral health services into primary care requires effective financial planning and re-conceptualization of determining ROI. Session 3 of 4 focuses on enhanced billing practices tailored to integrated healthcare models and on determining the contribution of integrated BH to the finances of the primary care setting or the health system as a whole. More Details...