HRSA September in Brief

On September 19, HRSA announced the first-ever multi-vendor contract awards to modernize the nation’s organ transplant system. For the first time in 40 years, multiple contractors will contribute their expertise and experience to improve the national organ donation and transplant system for the more than 100,000 people on the organ transplant waitlist. The transition from a single vendor to multiple vendors to support operations of the OPTN is a critical step in advancing innovation in the transplant system to better serve patients and their families. HRSA also announced in September that the overhaul of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Board of Directors—the governing board that develops national organ allocation policy. The OPTN Board is now separately incorporated and independent from the Board of long-time OPTN contractor, the United Network for Organ Sharing. These historic actions are critical steps in implementing the bipartisan Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act signed by President Joe Biden in September 2023.

On September 19, HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson announced $240 million in awards to launch and expand mental health and substance use disorder services in more than 400 HRSA-funded community health centers that provide care for more than 10 million people across the country. The announcement was made during the Mental Health America Conference in Washington, DC, attended by thousands of advocates, clinical leaders, people with lived experience, and their families.

HRSA-funded health centers are a primary source of care for people who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicaid, making them well-positioned to respond to the urgent need for high-quality behavioral health services that are stigma-free, culturally competent, and readily accessible. The grants will help expand access to needed care to help tackle the nation’s behavioral health and opioid crises—two pillars of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Unity Agenda for the nation.

On September 9 and 10, HRSA Administrator Johnson and Bureau of Health Workforce Acting Associate Administrator Dr. Candice Chen spoke at the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. They highlighted HRSA programs that support the primary care and community-based health workforce.

Administrator Johnson and Dr. Chen also visited Vanderbilt University to hear from students and faculty participating in a HRSA-funded Maternity Care Nursing Workforce Expansion Training Program, which trains nurse-midwives to provide maternal health care in rural and underserved areas.

On September 17, HRSA announced nearly $100 million in awards to grow, support, and strengthen the health workforce and improve access to quality care in high-need areas across the country. The awards will expand the number of nurses and primary care physicians, promote behavioral health as part of pediatric care, and support behavioral health needs of children in families impacted by the opioid crisis.

The announcement was made in conjunction with a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Workforce Roundtable convened as part of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s Health Workforce Initiative.

On September 25, HRSA joined a panel discussion of Biden-Harris Administration leaders on behavioral health at the Kennedy Forum’s 2024 Alignment for Progress Conference in Washington, DC. The conference brought together leaders in mental health and substance use prevention, treatment, and care. The White House’s Terri Tanielian moderated the panel session, which included HRSA Administrator Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, and Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine.

In her remarks, Administrator Johnson highlighted HRSA’s support for the health workforce, HRSA-funded health centers, and HRSA’s proposal to establish a program that will offer training opportunities for young people to serve as behavioral health peer-support specialists. This program will not only expand much-needed support services to young people struggling with mental health challenges, but it will also provide a pathway to behavioral health careers.

On September 24, HRSA announced a $75 million investment in rural health care to support rural substance use disorder treatment and recovery services, expand access to maternal health care in rural communities in the South, and help rural hospitals stay open.

As part of the announcement, HRSA Administrator Johnson led a roundtable at Wilson County Substance Prevention Coalition in Wilson, North Carolina, to discuss challenges facing service providers in rural areas like Wilson County and highlight the impact of this investment on rural health care.

HRSA Chief of Staff Garrett Devenney represented HRSA during the September Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) meeting in Tacoma, Washington. The annual meeting is a critical opportunity for the Department to engage with tribal governments and work together on health programs and opportunities in Indian country.

HRSA Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) Acting Deputy Associate Administrator Sharon Turner and Tribal Affairs Senior Advisor Ivy Vedamuthu also visited the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, a Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program grantee in Washington.

HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau highlighted efforts to end the HIV epidemic at the 2024 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS in New Orleans, Louisiana, held September 12 through 15. The U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS is the HIV community’s largest conference dedicated to HIV/AIDS. This year’s conference focused on improving HIV health outcomes in the southern United States.

HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Deputy Associate Administrator Heather Hauck and staff joined with federal partners, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees, and HIV community leaders. She explained HRSA’s efforts in community engagement, the role of implementation science within the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and efforts to improve HIV health outcomes through collaborative approaches to public health.

Staff of HRSA IEA, the Office of Legislation, and program offices exhibited at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference held September 11 – 13 and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference held September 17 – 18. These events were key opportunities to share information about HRSA programs and investments and our work to improve health outcomes for African American and Hispanic/Latino communities across the country.

HRSA IEA continues to host Grants 101 Workshops across the country to reach new populations and promote HRSA funding opportunities, especially in rural and underserved communities.

• On September 11, HRSA IEA Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) and Region 7 (Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas) hosted a Grants 101 Workshop in Sikeston, Missouri, to highlight HRSA programs and the federal grant application process for attendees from across the Delta Region.
• On September 17, HRSA IEA Region 7 (Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas) hosted a Grants 101 Workshop in Colby, Kansas, to teach potential applicants about HRSA and the federal grant application process.
• On September 25, HRSA IEA Region 7 (Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas) presented a Grants 101 Workshop at the 2024 Federal Partners Grant Writing Workshop hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency in Lenexa, Kansas.
• On September 27, HRSA IEA Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico) was invited by the Puerto Rico House of Representatives to present a HRSA Grants 101 Workshop to highlight the impact of HRSA programs in Puerto Rico and explain the federal grant application process during the Best Practices Seminar for Federal Programs. More than 200 members of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, mayors across 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico, and federal partners attended the event.

On September 10, HRSA hosted a substance use disorder (SUD) forum “Leveraging HRSA Resources to Address Substance Use Disorder in Rural New York's Primary Care Settings” in Syracuse, New York, to bring together federal, state, and local stakeholders focused on SUD prevention, treatment, and harm reduction.

New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. James McDonald, opened the forum. Presenters from HRSA, New York State Department of Health, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, HRSA-funded health centers, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration discussed strategies to address SUD prevention and treatment in rural communities.

On September 18, HRSA IEA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) Acting Regional Administrator Colleen McCarty served as a panelist at Health Connect South’s Annual Gathering in Atlanta, Georgia. She highlighted HRSA’s programs, resources, and role in fostering local innovations.