It's Not Too Late: Register by Friday & Save with Early Bird Rates on Our 2024 Conference!

Aug. 4-7 | Washington, D.C.

Only three days remain to sign up at discounted rates for our 2024 Conference. Now is the time to register to join not only fellow clinicians, administrators, and advocates, but also engaging national public health leaders and newly announced keynote speakers such as April Lewis, renowned CHC advisor and workforce leader, and Jim Macrae, Associate Administrator of HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care. #ACUConf will spotlight the importance of including stakeholder voices when shaping innovations in workforce development, clinical practice, or community engagement and advocacy to bring holistic, equitable, and inclusive care within reach for medically underserved populations. Explore our Schedule-at-a-Glance and Frequently Asked Questions, browse our Pre-Conference Workshops, and register now.

Meet Our 2024 Conference Keynote Speakers

Pre-Conference Spotlight: Explore JEDI Perspectives on Social Drivers of Health & Disability at Our Workshop

Social drivers of health often have a greater influence on patient health outcomes than the care they receive, and health centers are increasingly using assessment tools to better understand these factors. To ensure that we assess patients' needs through an empowering lens informed by justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), this in-depth Pre-Conference Workshop will familiarize attendees with the social model of disability while interrogating the prevalent medical model of disability. Join us to learn how to address and assess social drivers of health in a holistic, inclusive approach or learn about our other Pre-Conference sessions on Workforce, Lifestyle Medicine, and Medical-Legal Partnerships.

New Conference Discount Opportunity: The First 10 NHSC Participants to Share Their Story Will Receive $50 Off Registration

ACU is excited to offer a new Conference registration discount to National Health Service Corps (NHSC) participants! Share your story with us to help emphasize to Congress the impact of the Corps on the lives of patients in medically underserved communities. The first 10 NHSC participants (past and present) to share their story with ACU will receive $50 off registration to our 2024 Conference, and their stories will feature in our Clinician & Community newsletter.

Explore the Six Domains of Health Workforce Equity in a New Webinar Series

June 20 & June 27 : 2-3 p.m. ET

Join ACU's STAR² Center and experts from the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity for a dynamic webinar series that explores their cutting-edge research on the Six Domains of Health Workforce Equity. The first session of the series will explore research on who enters the workforce, education, training, and practice sites, while the second webinar will address who the workforce serves, how they practice, and working conditions. Learn more and save your spot for this exciting two-part series.

Get Ready for New Workforce Town Hall Discussions with ACU's National Center

July 2024 | Details Coming Soon

In late April, ACU established our National Center for Workforce Development & Training to lead and unite our diverse initiatives to support and strengthen the healthcare workforce in a single national authority. Next month, we'll hold two interactive "Town Hall" discussions to introduce the National Center and listen and learn as attendees share about the state of their workforce, what gaps exist, and what collaborations are necessary to help fill them. Stay tuned for registration details!

New Webinar Offers Innovative Recruitment Approaches to Bolster the CHC Workforce

July 11: 2-3 p.m. ET

Join ACU and our partners at The Inline Group for a webinar on July 11 to learn practical approaches for building the health center workforce through innovative recruitment strategies to help overcome continuing challenges. Sign up to explore common workforce issues and challenges, understand strategies for surmounting recruitment barriers to strengthening healthcare teams, and learn how our partnership can help your organization source the skilled staff necessary to improve health equity for medically underserved communities.

TODAY! Join ACU and 3RNET for the Final Session in Our Retention Planning Series

June 12: 4-5 p.m. ET

Don't miss today's conclusion of the two-part series from ACU's STAR² Center and 3RNET on retention planning for health centers. Learn about creating competitive compensation structures and benefits, mission alignment, and more as we draw on our Comprehensive Workforce Plan Template and 3RNET's Recruiting for Retention Guide as foundational resources. Sign up now and review the archived first session.

Register for the Last Session in Our Workforce Training & Technical Assistance Professional Development Webinar Series

June 18: 2-3 p.m. ET

Our Workforce Training and Technical Assistance Professional Development Series concludes next week, and we hope you'll join us for the final webinar in our series on the intricacies of compensatory selection processes and more.

Join New Webinars on Onboarding, Camaraderie, and More in the BPHC Workforce Well-being Initiative

ACU and our partners at the BPHC Workforce Well-being Technical Assistance initiative are excited to offer several upcoming webinars exploring topics of interest to the health center workforce. Learn best practices for supporting organizational well-being, explore common onboarding challenges, develop programs to reduce burnout, and more. Sign up for specific sessions below:

Workforce Micro-Insights: People Are the Essence of the Healthcare Workforce

We recently sat down with April Lewis, the Director of ACU's new National Center for Workforce Development & Training, to discuss the guiding principles of her practice in helping to shape initiatives to strengthen the health center workforce. View video snippets of our conversations below to learn why holistic, grassroots, and inclusive approaches are necessary to strengthen our workforce and improve care for patients.

Senators Urge HRSA to Revise NHSC Application Process to Address Healthcare Workforce Shortages

On May 24, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to the Health Resources and Services Administration urging a revision to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) application process to make it more accessible and attractive to all stakeholders as our country faces a healthcare workforce shortage. The Senators encouraged HRSA to provide additional flexibilities such as a rolling application cycle or multiple cycles in a given year. ACU applauds the vision and leadership of the Senators in continuing to support and help improve the Corps: learn more in our latest policy update and if you haven't yet, please join us as an advocate to help support the Corps and other vital health extender programs!

New Journal Article Highlights Need for Expanded NHSC Funding

ACU's latest column in our official Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved further illuminates how "The Lack of Long-Term Funding for the National Health Service Corps Limits the Ability to Address Health Care Workforce Shortages.". As the article notes, the annual NHSC total award amount decreased from 2021 to 2023. While slight increases in 2024 funds constitute a step in the right direction, the need is still far greater than the funding when it comes to fully enabling the Corps to foster higher clinician recruitment and retention at CHCs. Read an excerpt or view further NHSC resources. ACU Members can receive free access to this and other JHCPU articles by logging into our portal.

ACU Applauds Introduction of Groundbreaking Vision Care Legislation

On May 14, House Representatives Marc Veasey (D-TX-33) and Gus M. Bilirakis (R-F-12) introduced H.R.8400, the Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children (EDVI) Act. ACU is proud to endorse this bipartisan, landmark legislation that would establish grants for states and communities to improve children’s eye care through vision screenings, early interventions, and coordinated systems of care with the support of a national TA center. The EDVI Act uses as its model the bipartisan success of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program that drastically increased rates of screening for infant hearing loss from 10% of newborns screened in 1999 to over 97% in 2018. The EDVI program would be the first national program established to specifically address children’s vision and eye health in the U.S.

Join Our Webinar Series on Suicide Safer Care

July-Sept. 2024

Suicide rates in the U.S. have reached their highest recorded rates, and health centers can play a vital role in addressing this crisis. Whether you're a clinician, administrator, or staff member, we invite you to join our five-part webinar series starting on July 31 at 3 p.m. ET to learn easy, evidence-based strategies to identify and care for patients and staff at risk. Register now, view SSC resources, or contact us with questions. Sessions in this series will include:

Learn About the Role of Optometry in Community Health in Our Latest Podcast

The newest episode of ACU's Purpose in Practice podcast features an engaging interview with Dr. Kristin White, Director of Optometry at Health Care Partners of South Carolina. Listen as we chat with Dr. White about her optometry journey, how eye health relates to overall health, tips for starting a vision services program at your health center, and more. Catch up on past episodes and contact us if you have an idea for a future interview or would like to be a guest.

We're Hiring: Become Our New Associate Director of HR

ACU is adding to our mission-driven team! We're seeking an Associate Director of Human Resources (HR) to help support our internal HR needs. This dedicated senior professional will play a crucial role in strategically developing and implementing relevant strategies while also executing day-to-day HR activities. Learn more and apply now.

There's Still Time: Apply for HRSA Funding to Help Your CHC Expand Operating Hours

Apply by June 24

Only twelve days remain to apply for the Health Resources & Services Administration's $60 million in FY2025 grants to help health centers expand their operating hours to make services more accessible to patients and reduce wait times. Expanded hours may include early weekday mornings and evenings or weekends. Learn more about the grants and apply by June 24.

Deadline Approaching: Apply to Become a National Health Service Corps-Approved Site

Apply by June 25

HRSA is now accepting applications from organizations interested in becoming NHSC-approved sites. Becoming an NHSC site will help your organization attract, hire, and retain qualified clinicians, and now is your chance to apply to join more than 8,400 community healthcare sites utilizing the talents of NHSC participants. Read more and apply by June 25 or read our guide to using the Corps to recruit and retain clinicians.

Upcoming Webinar Explores Early Identification and Diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome

June 18: 1-2 p.m. ET

Our partners at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) invite you to a live virtual event highlighting early identification and diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome. Join the webinar to learn about opportunities for clinicians to reduce disparities in early identification and access to care and receive supports to share with families and caregivers to better understand the clinical course progression of Tourette Syndrome. 

New from ACU's Career Center: Optometrist Positions at Cherry Health and More

Our Career Center is an excellent resource for job seekers or organizations seeking to hire quality, mission-driven staff to serve medically under-resourced populations. ACU Members get premier access by logging into our portal and using their code to post jobs at discounted rates. This week, ACU is excited to spotlight new optometrist positions with Cherry Health in Grand Rapids, MI, and at Peninsula Community Health Services in Soldotna, AK.

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