Quick Finds: Promising/Best Practices

Isolation & Loneliness: The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The third webinar in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health\" fall series focusing on addressing isolation and loneliness as an important public health issue. The content expert for the webinar is Gretchen Alkema, PhD; Vice President of Policy and Communications, The SCAN Foundation. Presenters for the webinar includes: Andrew Parker, Founder & CEO of Papa; Cindy Jordan, Founder & CEO & Christina Myren; Chief Operating Officer of Pyx Health; and Ashwin Patel, Co-Founder & CEO of InquisitHealth. More Details...

Identifying The Enabling Services Workforce For SDOH Screening And Documentation Webinar (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Health Outreach Partners, MHP Salud, and National Health Care for the Homeless Council partnered on this webinar to explore strategies to screen special and vulnerable populations for SDOH and build effective practices to begin addressing SDOH through Enabling Services. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, this training highlighted the critical importance for ES providers to collect social risk data among health center patients. More Details...

Using AI, Data, and Tech to Move from Screening to Solving for Social Needs: The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: The first of five webinars in the Weitzman Institute\'s Path Forward \"The Digital Transformation in Social Determinants of Health\" fall series focusing on addressing why SDoH matters and innovations in using AI, data, and tech to move from screening to solving for social needs. Panelists for this session include: Dr. Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM; Chief Transformation Officer, Innovaccer, Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN, FNP-c, FAAN, FAANP, Senior Vice President and Clinical Director, Community Health Center, Inc., April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP; Associate Director, Weitzman Institute, Nancy Lopez, PhD, Director & Co-founder, Institute for the Study of “Race” & Social Justice, University of New Mexico, and David Kulick, MPH, Co-founder, Adaptation Health More Details...

Supportive Housing and Health Services for LGBTQIA+ Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Promising Practices (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication addresses health disparities that LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness face and focuses on ways to increase engagement of LGBTQIA+ youth into health and housing programs. More Details...

Centering Equity in Health and Housing Partnerships in Times of Crisis and Beyond: Supporting front line health providers to understand and incorporate health equity in their policies, programs and delivery of health services. (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This paper addresses how health centers, other health system providers, and housing partners can center considerations of equity in their shared work to address the needs of people most impacted by structural racism and its impact on health and social determinants of health, including Black people, people of color, and Indigenous people. COVID19 has re-focused the inequities that must be addressed in our health care systems. More Details...

Addressing the Opioid Crisis:  Innovative Programs Serving People Experiencing Homelessness: Health center case studies for the Opioid Crisis. (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Health centers are increasingly seeing individuals who are suffering from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and other Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), and many of these individuals are also faced with housing instability or are experiencing homelessness. Innovation is being driven at the ground level by providers including health centers, public health departments, harm reduction agencies and supportive housing agencies that are all concerned with the impact of OUD and other SUDs on the health of the people they serve. Essential in any innovative care model are the services needed to ensure people experiencing homelessness have access to evidence-based care, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). More Details...

Workforce Development and Retention of Community Health Workers Project (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: There are many benefits to recruiting, hiring, and on-boarding a well-qualified individual for a Community Health Worker position. This report details the experience of Health Centers that have gone through the CHW hiring and recruiting process. It also provides insight on how CHWs have contributed to positive outcomes and success within Health Centers and patients. More Details...

TelePrEP for Health Centers: Telehealth Resources and Innovations for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), June 2020 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has long been recognized as an effective treatment in the effort to end the HIV epidemic. Prescribing PrEP should be considered as part comprehensive prevention plan that includes a discussion about adherence to PrEP, condom use, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other risk reduction methods. This HITEQ brief presents an overview of how health centers can utilize telehealth for PrEP access, or TelePrEP, for comprehensive care, and includes innovations and resources that health centers can utilize to extend these services to their patient populations. More Details...

Key Considerations for Developing Core Competencies for Health Center Enabling Services Staff: A Guide for Health Centers (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: n.a. More Details...

The Path Forward: Re-Imagining Primary Care During and Beyond the Pandemic (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: As the nation struggles with the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racism, the moment is upon us to deeply examine and reshape the primary care delivery system for underserved communities. In this webinar, leadership of the Community Health Center, Inc. and its Weitzman Institute will lay out a road map for the new Path Forward. We invite health center and safety net providers, staff, consumer leaders and others to join the conversation and contribute their expertise, perspective and ideas. More Details...

Integrating Oral Health into Prenatal and Pediatric Care — Promising Practice (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This promising practice shares how Albany Area Primary Health Care in Georgia implemented a medical and dental integration program in their OBGYN and pediatric clinic. More Details...

The Role of CHWs in Addressing Hypertension (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers (CHWs) are uniquely qualified to support individuals with hypertension. CHW interventions are known to improve health outcomes among individuals diagnosed with hypertension and support at-risk individuals to prevent the development of the condition. The purpose of this guide is to assist health centers and partners in identifying the roles of CHWs in addressing hypertension. More Details...

The Role of CHWs in Addressing Diabetes (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Worker (CHW) interventions have demonstrated success in improving health outcomes among individuals diagnosed with diabetes. Additionally, CHWs support at-risk individuals to prevent the development of the condition. The purpose of this guide is to assist health centers and partners in identifying the roles of CHWs in addressing diabetes. More Details...

Bridging the Digital Divide: Using Technology to Improve Access to Health Care for Public Housing Residents (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The purpose of this report is to outline the digital needs and challenges of public housing residents, the risks and benefits of using technology to improve patient care, and recommendations on how to prepare health centers and patients to optimize digital tools, improve access to care, and enhance efforts through partnerships to bridge the digital divide. More Details...

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Innovative State Responses: Companion paper to Opioid Crisis webinar series highlights strategies states and local providers have developed to service the hardest hit populations (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The recent increase in federal funding to address the opioid crisis presents health centers the opportunity to expand partnerships with supportive housing and substance use disorder providers. This brief for health center partners summarizes promising practices in three states; explores a managed care organization’s work with its members to address the opioid epidemic; and ways for health centers to incorporate these practices into their OUD services. More Details...

Social Determinants of Health for Public Housing Residents: Access to Healthy Food (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Using data and maps created by National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) and other national data sources, this publication is one in a series that identifies the prevalence of social factors and population health indicators that affect public housing residents. It is intended for non-clinical health center staff, decision makers, and public housing stakeholders. More Details...

Guidance on Team-Based Care for Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Diseases: Focus on Oral and Behavioral Health Management of the Older Adult Patient With Diabetes (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication provides guidance to health center providers to establish a team-based care approach to health care delivery to older adult patients with diabetes. The resource explores the roles of oral health, behavioral health, and social determinants of health in managing older adults with diabetes. More Details...

Developing Cross-Sector Partnerships (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This guide provides health center staff with tools and strategies to initiate, develop, and sustain community partnerships to better serve older adult residents of public housing. Content of this publication was developed through a 4-session learning collaborative launched by the SDOH academy with a small cohort of HRSA-funded health centers, HCCNs, and PCAs. More Details...

The Road to Trauma-Informed Care in Primary Care (2020). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: During this webinar, we heard from the National Council and Zufall Health Center about this program, lessons learned and resources for Health Centers on how to implement a trauma-informed care program on Trauma-Informed Primary Care: Fostering Resilience and Recovery, to educate health care providers on the importance of trauma-informed approaches and to create a change package for implementation of standardized and scalable trauma-informed care practices in the primary care setting. More Details...

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Federal Funding and Opportunities for Health and Housing Collaboration: Focus on Resources and Partnerships (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: There are a variety of state and federal resources available to aide health centers in providing services and housing connections to patients they treat with Opioid and substance use disorders. This brief describes the role of single state authorities (SSAs) who are responsible for managing the publicly funded substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery system, new federal funding targeting the opioid crisis and opportunities for collaboration in your community. More Details...

Recognizing and Responding to Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking in Health Center Settings (2019). Resource Type: n.a.. Description: This webinar provides an overview of the public health issues and the programs provided by two health centers in the United States. More Details...

Diabetes Self-Management: Education and Support (2019). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is a critical element of care for all people with diabetes. DSMES is the ongoing process of facilitating the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary for diabetes self-care, as well as activities that assist a person in implementing and sustaining the behaviors needed to manage his or her condition on an ongoing basis, beyond or outside of formal self-management training. More Details...

Increasing Access to Healthy Food and Exercise in Public Housing Communities: Examples From Public Housing Primary Care Grantees (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Public housing residents face the challenge of living in communities with poor access to healthy foods and safe places to exercise. Addressing access to healthy food and improving diet and exercise are critical components in improving the health of public housing residents. This report provides examples of Public Housing Primary Care Grantee strategies and programs that have increased access to healthy food, exercise and weight control models for public housing residents. More Details...

Diabetes Management and Oral Health among Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness : Promising and Evidence-Based Practices for Health Centers in Diabetes Management and Oral Care (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This publication highlights the diabetes disease burden and gum (periodontal) disease among older adults (50+) who have experienced or are experiencing homelessness and explores promising and evidence-based practices health centers can adopt, aimed at improving overall oral health among this population. More Details...

HUD Policy Brief on Rapid Re-housing: Understanding the Impact and Potential for Health Centers - CSH: Health centers are increasingly participating in rapid re-housing, which helps individuals and families find stable housing with subsidies and services (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Health centers need to understand the resources and how to access to support affordable housing for their clients. Rapid Rehousing is an effective housing intervention to quickly stabilize individuals and families to address their health and service needs. More Details...

Adding Mobile Dental Services to a Pediatrics Clinic: Promising Practice (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Harbor Health Services in Massachusetts identified the need for dental services at a primary care location at their health center that did not have a dental clinic. The health center decided to add portable dental equipment to the medical site. This promising practice will discuss how the program was developed and lessons learned. More Details...

Think Yes to Care: Customer Service Training  (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This customer service training model and related materials will allow providers to standardize the service they provide to clients, community partners, and each other. This model was created in 2016, and was adapted from the Multnomah County Library Think Yes! Customer Service Initiative. More Details...

Community Health Worker Association Development Guide (2019). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: With a long history of successfully and effectively addressing health disparities, Community Health Workers (CHWs) can fill the gaps in services that many health care organizations experience in reaching underserved populations. Creating an association or state network can engage CHWs and provide greater professional development and networking opportunities, ultimately providing them with the tools to provide better services at their health centers and in their communities. More Details...

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Series: Session 2: PROVIDING ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR MEN TO ACT ON PREVENTING INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (2019). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in all segments of our society, but vulnerable populations like migrant women may encounter additional disparities and barriers to care that make intervention and treatment of IPV more complex. In these two sessions, Migrant Clinicians Network provides specific and effective action items to better serve women who have experienced IPV in the exam room, and to make our communities safer by engaging men in the community. More Details...

Mobile Dental Units for School-Based Dental Care: Promising Practice (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Gaston Family Health Services in North Carolina established a robust school-based dental program utilizing mobile dental units. This promising practice discusses the health center's mobile dental program to increase access to care for school children. More Details...

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Series: Session 1: CREATING A SUPPORTIVE CLINICAL ENVIRONMENT TO ADDRESS INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (2019). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in all segments of our society, but vulnerable populations like migrant women may encounter additional disparities and barriers to care that make intervention and treatment of IPV more complex. In these two sessions, Migrant Clinicians Network provides specific and effective action items to better serve women who have experienced IPV in the exam room, and to make our communities safer by engaging men in the community. More Details...

Medical Respite Care Programs & the IHI Triple Aim Framework (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This policy brief takes a look at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Triple Aim framework and how medical respite care programs can add value to help health centers meet the three improvement goals of this model—population health, the patient’s experience of care, and the per capita cost of health care. More Details...

Implementing Mobile Dental Services in an Elder Care Facility: Promising Practice (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Harbor Health Services in MA identified a need for oral health care for the elderly population in their community. As a result, they implemented a program to offer dental services in an elder care facility in their community. This promising practice describes their program and lessons learned. More Details...

Establishing a Dental Clinic in a Hospital Emergency Department: Promising Practice (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This promising practice follows Community Health Center of Franklin County in Massachushetts. This health center established a dental clinic in a hospital emergency department as an emergency room diversion strategy for patients experiencing dental problems. More Details...

Promoting CDC Tips® Campaign Materials to Public Housing Residents (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Public housing residents are more likely to smoke and suffer from health conditions that are exacerbated by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. The objectives of this study were to educate health care providers on the CDC Tips® From Former Smokers resources, to increase access to smoking cessation materials for public housing residents and the health care providers that serve them, and to evaluate the pilot project. More Details...

Hepatitis B and the Opioid Epidemic: Opportunities to Increase Adult Vaccination: Webinar Resources (2019). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: This webinar focuses on strategies to prevent and eliminate hepatitis B as a U.S. public health threat, particularly among special and vulnerable populations impacted by the opioid epidemic. To access the slides and recording, follow the link provided More Details...

Addressing Childhood Obesity in Health Centers: Promising Practices and Lessons Learned: January 2019 (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The HITEQ Center interviewed ten health centers and health center partners to identify solutions and promising practices for addressing childhood obesity across the health center program. The focus included how health centers are meeting the Uniform Data System UDS measure and how they are taking further steps to identify and intervene with those at risk of obesity leveraging health information technology, electronic health records, and the data they have. Seven key areas are identified in the resulting issue brief. In the Fall of 2018, the HITEQ Center interviewed ten health centers and health center partners to identify solutions and promising practices for addressing childhood obesity across the health center program. The focus included how health centers are meeting the Uniform Data System UDS measure, Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents CMS155v6, and how they are taking further steps to identify and intervene with those at risk of obesity by leveraging health information technology, electronic health records, and resulting data. Seven key areas of improvement from interviews are identified in the resulting issue brief: Key 1. Embed Needed Data Capture in Workflow Key 2. Implement Successful Monitoring to Support Decision Making Key 3. Understand the Evidence Base Key 4. Identify Key Data and Metrics Key 5. Target Interventions Appropriately Key 6. Consider Alternative Appointment Types and Locations Key 7. Create Comprehensive, Accessible Interventions Download the issue brief below to see health center examples, related research, and health IT tools for each of these keys. More Details...

HUD Policy Brief for Health Centers - Data Matching with Housing Community: Understanding the Role and Impact of Housing Policy for Health Centers (Data Matching) (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Health centers and housing providers are serving the same clients, and HUD policies foster opportunities for partners to effectively share data target and improve Health Outcomes. This series translates federal housing policies to help health centers understand the impact and how to coordinate and adapt programming to create the most beneficial outcomes for clients. More Details...

Addressing Violence in Public Housing Communities: Case Examples of Violence Prevention and Intervention Strategies from Public Housing Primary Care Grantees (2019). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The purpose of this report is to provide Health Centers located in or immediately accessible to public housing with best practices and examples of violence prevention and intervention programs that can be implemented in their communities. NCHPH conducted background research on violence and crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting Program, interviewed four Health Center staff, and analyzed the interviews to identify overlapping themes, lessons learned, and successful strategies used to address and prevent violence. More Details...

Community Health Workers & Hypertension and Heart Health Interventions (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers & Hypertension and Heart Health Interventions: A Resource for Program Managers and Administrators is a resource for Community Health Worker program managers and administrators. It explains how Community Health Worker-led intervention programs can positively impact patients who have hypertension. About 75 million American adults (1 in every 3) have high blood pressure. Although high blood pressure can be easily detected and can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication, almost a third of individuals with hypertension don’t know they have it, and only about half have it under control. Due to their close understanding of and trust from the communities they serve, CHWs can be particularly strong champions for patients with hypertension and/or at risk of heart disease. More Details...

Increasing Access To Care thorugh Tele-Dentistry: Promising Practice (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Teledentistry is an emerging trend among health centers to expand access to dental care. This promising practice will discuss the story of Ravenswood Family Health Center in California and their use of the virtual dental home model. More Details...

Treating Global Health At Your Doorstep Starts with a Good Patient History: The most potent, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic tool that we have even in our advanced age of technology remains an accurate and comprehensive linguistically and culturally appropriate patient history. (2018). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Technology is a vital part of our society. It has been critical in the advancement of medicine; however, in some cases there is an overdependence by clinicians on diagnostic technology which may impede a fuller understanding of the circumstances of patients in the exam room. The most potent, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic tool that we have even in our advanced age of technology remains an accurate and comprehensive linguistically and culturally appropriate patient history. In this webinar, Dr. Ed Zuroweste and Dr. Laszlo Madaras, who collectively have over 50 years of practice in primary care, ask the question, “Has it become so normal to ask for tests for the most basic assessments that part of the art of medicine is being lost?” The presenters will explore the value of taking a culturally and linguistically appropriate history from the patient together with a thorough – and focused – physical exam. Spending a few minutes with the patient asking open-ended questions may save time and money by: getting the correct diagnosis and treatment plan; preventing expensive, unnecessary, and potentially harmful tests; reducing the number of specialists who may not need to see the patient; and even possibly improving patient satisfaction. The session will look at the impact of global health conditions on primary care practice in the United States and describe what primary care clinics can do to more systematically prepare for emerging diseases. At the conclusion of the webinar, participants will be able to: More Details...

Improving Diabetes Outcomes: Curated Expert Guidance, Tools, and Resources (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: According to 2016 UDS data, an estimated 14.3% of Federally Qualified Health Center patients nationwide have diabetes. Of these 2 million plus patients living with diabetes, approximately 32% have uncontrolled diabetes, with HbA1c equal to or above 9% or have had no test in the prior year. These statistics bring forth the need for improvement in the care of diabetes; several resources and research outcomes are profiled here with specific takeaways for health centers. As of CDC's 2017 National Diabetes Statistics Report, 30.3 million people, or 9.4% of the total U.S. population, have diabetes. Of these 30.3 million, only 23.1 million are diagnosed - while the other estimated 7.2 million are undiagnosed. Additionally, more than 1 in 3 adults or 84.1 million people in the U.S. have prediabetes. Among adults age 65 and older, nearly half have prediabetes. More Details...

Growing Our Own: Cultivating the Next Generation of Primary Care Physicians in Community Health Centers (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: It is critical to advance policies and programs that help community health centers (CHCs) become Educational Health Centers (EHCs)2 and “grow their own” primary care training opportunities. This paper explores several pathways for promoting CHCs as teaching environments - enhanced partnerships between Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) and CHCs (with either the AMC or the CHC as the sponsoring institution3), and CHCs participating in HRSA Teaching Health Center (THC) funding opportunities (with sponsorship either by the CHC alone or by a consortium body) - and posits a spectrum of options and costs associated with each of these pathways to train medical residents. More Details...

Employing Dental Therapists in an FQHC: A NNOHA Promising Practice (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This promising practice tells the story of a community health center in Minnesota who hired dental therapists to increase access to their dental services. More Details...

Increasing Oral Health Access through Clinic Expansion: Promising Practice (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This promising practice describes key points and lessons learned when a large community health center expanded dental services into a new area. More Details...

Increasing Access To Care Through Contracting for Dental Services: Promising Practice (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This promising practice describes how a community health center in Wisconsin utilized contracting with local dentists to expand dental services at the health center. More Details...

Strategic Guidance for Health and Housing Partnerships: Step by Step Strategies for Health and Housing Partnerships (2015). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This indepth resource guide explores the importance and value of partnering with supportive housing providers, partner perspectives and goals, how to assess your organization's and your partner organization's readiness, and how to make partnerships last. More Details...

Who Are Frequent Users in Health and Housing Systems?  : A Closer Look at Definitions Used by Communities to Identify the People Cycling Through the Crisis Care Systems (2015). Resource Type: Archived Webinar. Description: Are frequent users costing your crisis care systems and not producing positive houtcomes? Is your community looking at how to identify the frequent users across multiple crisis care systems in an effort to deliver more effective services and save resources? This webinar highlights how various communities develop the criteria to define 'frequent user' across the systems of care and how to match data to identify those individuals. More Details...

In Language Resource Evaluation Toolkit (2015). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: This toolkit is designed to help health centers assess and design health education materials and communications that will be respectful and responsive to a patient's health beliefs, practices, and cultural and linguistic needs. This toolkit includes an evaluation process individuals can use when assessing the appropriateness of non-English health education materials for limited-English populations, criteria to consider when selecting reviewers, and a score card to help reviewers evaluate and rate materials. More Details...