August in Brief

In August 2023, HRSA awarded funding to respond to fentanyl and opioid overdose risks, made investments to grow the nursing workforce, celebrated National Health Center Week and the 33^rd anniversary of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and commended HRSA team members who were recognized for exceptional public service.

Recent HRSA Highlights

HRSA Awards More Than $80 Million To Help Rural Communities Respond to Fentanyl and Opioid Overdose Risks

On August 31, HRSA announced more than $80 million in awards to rural communities in 39 states to support key strategies to respond to the overdose risk from fentanyl and other opioids. These awards help advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to beat the opioid epidemic.  These investments will help rural communities expand access to treatment and build recovery pathways to prevent overdoses. Specifically, this HRSA funding will support interventions such as: Distributing the lifesaving overdose reversal drug naloxone to prevent overdose Creating and expanding treatment sites in rural areas to provide medications to treat opioid use disorder Expanding access to behavioral health care for young people in rural communities Caring for infants in rural areas who are at-risk for opioid exposure or experiencing symptoms related to opioid exposure Read more in the White House Fact Sheet. Â

HRSA Awards $30 Million To Increase Developmental Screenings for Children Through Community Health Centers

On August 9, HRSA announced $30 million in awards for 151 HRSA-funded health centers to improve developmental outcomes among young children by providing more screenings and follow-up services. Health centers will use the funding to increase early childhood services to help reduce gaps in school readiness and improve children’s ability to succeed.

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson visited Hamilton Health Center, one of the awardees, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during National Health Center Week to announce the awards and meet with health center leadership and patients.

“Young children deserve the highest quality care, including early identification of and response to developmental evaluations,” said HRSA Administrator Johnson. “By investing in health centers’ capacity to support developmental screenings and follow-up, we aim to help families in some of the most high-need communities across the country get the support they need so that their children can thrive. We look forward to Congress acting to sustain and grow the federal investment in health centers before funding expires at the end of September.”

HRSA Celebrates National Health Center Week

HRSA celebrated National Health Center Week from August 6 – 12. As part of this year’s celebration: President Biden issued a proclamation recognizing National Health Center Week. HRSA’s regional offices convened events at nearly 60 health center sites. HRSA published 2022 Uniform Data System (UDS) data on the Health Center Program Data and Reporting webpages. HRSA-funded health centers protect and promote the health of more than 30 million people across the United States. Health centers work to provide high-quality, affordable care for underserved populations. Health centers have made gains in providing health services to mothers, infants, and children; cancer screenings; routine immunizations; and more.

HRSA Recognizes the 33rd Anniversary of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program

August 18 marked the 33rd anniversary of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. In 1990, Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. This legislation created the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.  The Program was named after Indiana teen and AIDS advocate, Ryan White, who lost his life to AIDS in April 1990, four months before Congress passed the CARE Act. The Program was designed to improve the quality and availability of HIV care and treatment for low-income people with HIV. Over the last 33 years, the Program has made important advances to improve the health of people with HIV. Today, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program serves more than a half a million people diagnosed with HIV across the United States. Learn more about the program’s history.

HRSA Awards $100 Million To Grow the Nursing Workforce

On August 10, HRSA announced more than $100 million in awards to train more nurses and grow the nursing workforce. The funding will address the need for more registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and nurse faculty. The awards will also support more nurse faculty and help licensed practical nurses become registered nurses. “Nurses are the frontline in delivering life-saving care and in keeping all of us healthy and well,” said HRSA Administrator Johnson. “Today’s investments from the Health Resources and Services Administration demonstrate our ongoing commitment to supporting the nursing workforce, training and growing the next generation of nurses, creating career ladders for nurses, and recognizing the critical role nurses play in primary care, mental health care, and maternal health care.”

HRSA Leaders Present at the Community Health Institute and Expo in San Diego, California

On August 29, Bureau of Primary Health Care Associate Administrator Jim Macrae and Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) Associate Administrator Dr. Luis Padilla presented at the Community Health Institute, a conference sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Administrator Macrae detailed the growth and continued impact of the Health Center Program. He noted that 30.5 million people rely on HRSA-funded health centers, including 1 in 9 children, and that HRSA-funded health centers:

• Improved their performance on 12 of 19 clinical quality measures from 2021 to 2022, including for cervical cancer screening and HIV screening.
• Received high marks from patients—97 percent of patients surveyed in 2022 said they would recommend their health center to family and friends.

Dr. Padilla discussed the role BHW’s programs play in making health care services available to the nation’s most vulnerable populations. “By building a health workforce that looks like the people they serve, BHW helps increase patient satisfaction, improve health outcomes, and address provider shortages,” said Dr. Padilla. “Our health workforce programs grow the number of health care providers and encourage them to work in high-need communities even after their training or service commitment.”

HRSA Office of Women’s Health Deputy Director Leads Panel Discussion at HHS National Human Trafficking Prevention Summit

HRSA’s Office of Women’s Health (OWH) Deputy Director Jessica Tytel led two panel discussions at the National Human Trafficking Prevention Summit on August 4. The first panel highlighted strategies to promote economic stability and growth for survivors of human trafficking. The second panel discussed ways to support patients experiencing and at-risk for human trafficking to improve health care practices and social determinants of health.

Deputy Director Tytel shared how HRSA OWH addresses prevention through the office’s leadership of agency-wide efforts, including the 2023 – 2025 HRSA Strategy to Address Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The Strategy was developed with input from diverse stakeholders and outlines key activities for HRSA to prevent and respond to IPV and intersecting forms of violence like human trafficking. One of the Strategy’s three aims focuses specifically on promoting prevention of IPV through evidence-based programs. Social and economic determinants of health are also integrated throughout the Strategy. ​

The Summit, hosted by the HHS Office of the Administration for Children and Families, had over 500 in-person registrants and nearly 4,000 online participants. The event brought together leaders to inspire efforts to prevent human trafficking, including:

• Federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial governments
• Persons with lived experience
• Business, industry, and other private sector groups
• Nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations
• Philanthropic, faith‑based, and research organizations

HRSA Team Members Receive HHS Secretary’s Commendation for Exceptional Public Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

On August 22, five HRSA team members were recognized by HHS and Secretary Becerra and received an HHS Secretary’s Commendation for exceptional service and leadership during the public health emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commendations were an acknowledgment of their continued due diligence and tireless efforts every day in supporting the nation’s highest-need communities. Awardees included: Lieutenant Commander Stephanie Lim, Program Management Officer, Office of Pharmacy Affairs Sue Lin, Deputy Office Director, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Office of Quality Improvement Commander Julia Bryan, Senior Advisor, Office of Federal Assistance Management Fraser Byrne, Senior Advisor, Health System Bureau Lindsey Nienstedt, Public Health Analyst, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (not pictured)

Bureau of Primary Health Care Division Director Named Government Executive of the Year

Alek Sripipatana, division director in the Bureau of Primary Health Care, Office of Quality Improvement, was named Service to the Citizen (STTC) Government Executive of the Year. The Public Service Leadership Academy, a nonprofit offering leadership development training to government employees, hosts the annual STTC awards. The awards recognize public servants who excel in delivering services that impact the public’s lives. The Federal News Network interviewed Alek about the award and how data improves customer service at HRSA. Listen to or read the 10-minute interview. Â

News from the Regions

HRSA IEA Regional Staff Visit Nearly 60 Health Centers as Part of National Health Center Week

Staff from HRSA IEA Regional Offices visited nearly 60 health centers in 25 states and territories to celebrate National Health Center Week. The staff visits highlighted the incredible work of our nation’s health centers, which provide high-quality primary care services to underserved communities. HRSA IEA team members participated in events with health center staff, patients, board members, and federal, state, and local elected officials.

Read about all our health center visits during National Health Center Week.

Left: A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Westside Family Healthcare’s renovated mobile health unit, which travels to local farms and agricultural worksites in southern, rural Delaware to provide health care services to seasonal agricultural workers (Dover, Delaware). Right: A food distribution event at Clinica Family Health, where 300 residents of Boulder and Broomfield Counties picked up boxes of produce, meat, nonperishables, and other goods (Lafayette, Colorado).

Left: The Community Fun & Wellness Festival hosted by three of North Alabama’s community health centers—HAPPI Health, Thrive Alabama, and Central North Alabama Health Services, Inc. (Huntsville, Alabama). Right: Visit at Harbor Care and Wellness with U.S. Representative Annie Kuster of New Hampshire, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and health center staff to celebrate the positive impact community health centers have across the state. (Nashua, New Hampshire)

National Black Caucus of State Legislators Western Healthcare Forum in Seattle, Washington

The National Black Caucus of State Legislators invited HRSA Acting Regional Administrator Aphrodyi Antoine (Region 10) to speak at the Western Healthcare Forum in Seattle, Washington, on August 4. She highlighted HRSA’s efforts to improve maternal health and behavioral health. The efforts included: Launching a maternal mental health hotline Offering more health center school-based services to improve youth mental health Making investments in HIV/AIDS care and services through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program

Regional Grants 101 Workshops

HRSA hosts Grants 101 workshops across the country to reach new populations and promote HRSA funding opportunities, especially in rural and underserved communities. These workshops highlight HRSA programs, resources, funding opportunities, and the federal grant application process.

• On August 2, HRSA Regional Administrator Valeria Gallo (Region 9) led a 2-day, in-person Grant Writing Workshop with the California State Office of Rural Health for 25 rural stakeholders in Sacramento, California (pictured).
• On August 8, HRSA Deputy Regional Administrator Rae Hutchison (Region 7) and Kansas City regional staff hosted a Grants 101 Workshop in Kirksville, Missouri, to help reach new organizations and residents in northeast Missouri.
• On August 9, HRSA Regional Administrator Nick Zucconi (Region 8) partnered with the Montana Office of Rural Health on a virtual grants training for 50 attendees from rural hospitals, clinics, and nonprofit organizations across Montana.