Nominee: Katie Steele Organization: Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers Katie Steele is the Pharmacy Manager and Clinical Pharmacist at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers at one of their locations in Newberg, Oregon. She arrived at the clinic at a time when it was forced to shut down their 340B pharmacy, a move which deeply impacted their patient …
Tools for Building a Health Center Workforce
We regularly invite writers to share ideas and topics helpful to the health center community. Today’s guest blog post is by Shannen Camarena, Marketing Coordinator, UST Community Health Centers nationwide face common challenges like recruiting and retaining workforce. According to a NACHC report, 95 percent of all health centers have a clinical staff vacancy and …
Celebrating National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. An estimated 50% of all Americans are diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is why breaking down barriers to provide accessible, affordable, and community-based primary care for behavioral health is …
Kicking off NACHC’s Countdown to National Health Center Week with Key Facts about Health Centers
By Megan Chung, NACHC Intern National Health Center Week begins August 12th and it is an annual, nationwide celebration with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s Health Centers over the past five decades. We hope advocates, providers, staff, and patients will enjoy health centers’ rightly-deserved spotlight, and demonstrate their …
Confidentiality and Medical Records: Do Special Protections Apply?
Since the 1970s, the Federal Government has required that the medical records of patients who receive treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) be given extra protections to ensure confidentiality. These federal rules – commonly known as 42 CFR Part 2 – have recently been revised, and are more extensive than the standard protections required under …
U.S. District Court Judge Blocks Kentucky’s Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver
U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg (DC) has issued the much anticipated decision on Stewart v. Azar, effectively blocking the implementation of the Kentucky HEALTH Medicaid waiver. Judge Boasberg found that the Kentucky HEALTH waiver, which would make unprecedented changes to the state’s Medicaid program, is not likely to assist in promoting the objectives …
July Fourth Has Us Thinking About Veterans
On this July Fourth holiday the health and welfare of the brave men and women who served in the armed forces are very much on our mind. Community Health Centers provide care to over 335,000 veterans and counting (there’s been a 55 percent increase in their numbers since 2008). Health centers have also hired thousands of veterans …
Trump Administration Issues Final Rule on Association Health Plans
The Trump Administration issued a final rule on Association Health Plans (AHPs), which was proposed earlier this year. This is the first rule finalized after President Trump issued an Executive Order last year to “promote health care choice and competition” in the insurance market. This final rule amends The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) …
Transforming Care for Pregnant Moms and Babies
As a nurse midwife, Sharon Rising found that she often struggled to create a connection with her patients because the constraints of each appointments made meaningful interaction difficult. Yet she also knew as a health professional that such connection is necessary for providers to understand life events that can influence health of each patient – …
A Food Desert in Ohio Welcomes a New Grocery Store, Thanks to a Community Health Center
If you want fresh foods on your table, open your own grocery store. That is what happened in Franklinton, Ohio, on the West side of Columbus, in a community that struggled as a food desert until Lower Lights Christian Health Center opened the Jubilee Market and Cafe. The health center started the nonprofit grocery store …