President Biden & Officials Praise Health Centers at NACHC P&I Conference
“When the story of this pandemic is written,”
President Joe Biden told attendees at the NACHC Policy & Issues Forum last week, “you’re going to stand out among its heroes.” Biden noted that the personal touch many patients experience at health centers had been a great help in getting Americans vaccinated against COVID-19.
“That person by person, patient by patient, community by community commitment has added up to nearly 20 million shots in arms in thousands of community health centers all across America,” the President said.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra delivered opening remarks at the gathering. He thanked participants for their work, and said he’s looking forward to the approval of vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years. He noted that health centers already are providing vaccines for older children and teens. Becerra said he believed that maternal morbidity and mortality rates are still much too high in some communities, and health centers can play an important role in improving the situation.
CMS Vaccine Mandate - Phase Two Compliance Begins
Health centers in Oklahoma are expected to comply with “Phase Two” of the CMS vaccine mandate as of February 14. Under Phase Two (which runs through March 15), health centers will not be subject to enforcement action as long as:
- Their policies and procedures have been developed and implemented.
- At least 90% of staff/contractors/board members have received at least one dose of vaccine or have requested an exemption or delay.
- A plan for 100% of staff/contractors/board members to have either completed their vaccine series or be approved for an exemption/delay within 30 days.
To date, we have not heard of any CHCs who have been evaluated by an external body for their compliance with the CMS vaccine mandate. For more information on the CMS vaccine mandate in general, see the
1/14/22 CMS guidance and the
CMS vaccine mandate toolkit. The toolkit is up to date, and the first page links to the slides and recording from a recent webinar from Colleen Meiman, PCA policy advisor.
Cybersecurity Agency Warns of Cyber Attacks
Last week, the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
issued alerts about the increased potential for cyber attacks as tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine. Experts agree that
health care providers are a prime target for such attacks, as the on-going strains caused by the pandemic make them particularly vulnerable. (For example, new or exhausted staff are less likely to recognize a potential threat.) Federal officials pointed specifically to concerns about
spear-phishing email. Given these concerns, health centers are advised to “adopt a heightened posture when it comes to cybersecurity and protecting their most critical assets.”