15 Months and Counting: CPCA Continues the Fight against COVID-19 in support of Community Health Centers and the People They Serve
Fifteen months and counting. It has been a year that we have never seen, and a year that no one will ever forget. While we continue to battle this pandemic, we see light at the end of the tunnel.
Influencing Government Entities to Strengthen California’s Health Center Operations
CPCA has always prioritized state and national partnerships that further the mission of the Association, and by extension, the important work of community health centers. In the last few months, CPCA leveraged two such partnerships to benefit health center workforce and building standards specifically. Read on for more information.
CPCA Members Ensure Vaccine Equity in Diverse Communities
When the COVID-19 vaccine became available in California, community health centers (CHCs) were well-positioned to vaccinate their communities. With the prospect of a “twindemic” looming ahead of last year’s flu season, they had already ramped up flu vaccine education and outreach and used flu vaccine clinics as a “dress rehearsal” of sorts for upcoming COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts.
Successfully Educating and Training CHCs During the Pandemic
Key Highlights From 3 Successful Virtual Trainings
In the first quarter of this year, CPCA hosted targeted trainings for health center staff in three key areas: Workforce, Compliance, and Emergency Preparedness. Each Symposium brought together health center peers and experts to share strategies and best practices through an online learning opportunity.
CPCA Launches NEW Leadership Equity Program
In response to the need for a pipeline of emerging CHC C-suite leaders, the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) is developing the Leadership Equity Program (LEP), which will: (1) equip the next generation of C-suite leaders with the knowledge and skills required to mitigate health disparities and (2) strengthen community health center capacity to recruit, retain, and advance this diverse cadre of leaders.
Working with Blue Shield of California to Create a Comprehensive Picture of Community Health
During the summer of 2020, the California Primary Care Association (CPCA), in partnership with Blue Shield of California (BSC), supported the Regional Associations of California (RAC) and community health centers through learning cohorts to: (1) develop rapid community health needs assessment using the My Neighborhood Dashboard (NHD) digital intelligence tool, and …
Partnership to Advance Emergency Readiness using AI
Emergency readiness is the key to making sure that CHCs are equipped to assist California communities when emergencies strike. The California Primary Care Association, in collaboration with Direct Relief and Macro-eyes, partnered early in 2021 to engage in a project that would predict infrastructure readiness for every federally qualified health center in the state of California. Macro-eyes developed an interface that predicts infrastructure readiness at community health center sites.
Payment and Delivery Modernization: APM 2.0
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the limitations of the Prospective Payment System. Unable to see patients face-to-face, community health centers (CHCs) across the state went into a financial free fall. While CHCs were able to utilize, and bill for, telehealth services – transitioning to a new model of care overnight was difficult for many and led to additional losses. CPCA saw the alternative payment methodology (APM) as a strategy to ensure long-term success for CHCs as it ensures continuity of telehealth among other flexibilities and stabilized payment and cash flow.
Connected Communities and Connecting Each Other
When we launched Connected Communities in the fall of 2019, we knew it would be a valuable resource to support our members, but when our world changed in March 2020, it quickly became one of our most valuable assets. The earliest COVID related post was shared on February 28, 2020.
