GiveCare Now, a statewide call for volunteer talent, including medical & dental professionals

Launching a statewide call for volunteer talent and medical professionals, the Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania today announced a rebrand, as the organization is relaunched as the Pennsylvania Charitable Healthcare Coalition.

The organization represents charitable healthcare providers across Pennsylvania that fill a critical role, providing high-quality, free care for people who are under-insured or uninsured and lack access to care.

“Today, we’ve announced a rebrand that captures the essence of our life-changing work and launched a statewide call for volunteers to help us meet the growing needs of our communities,” said executive director Kristen Houser Rapp. “With more than 50 providers operating in the Commonwealth, free and charitable clinics deliver hope to people across Pennsylvania who lack access to healthcare. Without them, thousands of people would not have access to any type of care at all.”

Charitable healthcare providers are integral to keeping Pennsylvanians who do not qualify for Medicaid healthy, and help avoid medical debt from urgent care, emergency visits, and medications, as families move between health plans or lack other options.  While some clinics employ limited staff, the majority of clinical care is provided by volunteer talent.  

“Right now, and in the weeks and months to come, opportunities are available for volunteers to help provide care and give back to others,” said Rapp.  Anyone interested in volunteering should visit pacharitablehealth.org/volunteer, where PCHC can then connect them with a local clinic. PCHC is currently seeking volunteers that include:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Dentists, dental assistants, & dental hygienists
• Mental health professionals
• Volunteers with administrative skills

Volunteer opportunities vary from clinic to clinic and by position.  All volunteers meet strict credentialing and background checks and receive training and support.

“I find that the best part of my day is always that I served in the clinic,” said Ridge Salter, M.D., a volunteer at Katallasso Family Health Center in York. “Volunteering my expertise has added so much professional fulfillment, and I know it has been an antidote — and a bit of an immunization — to burnout.”

In 2023 alone, PCHC member clinics provided at least 114,000 appointments for patients, averaging more than 3,000 per clinic.

“In the last year, hundreds of thousands of people in our state have lost their Medicaid coverage,” said Mary Herbert, MPH, MS, Clinical Director at The Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations/Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh.  “Despite their lack of state funding, free providers face the need to accommodate a major shift in the number of patients we serve, doing more than ever with limited resources.”

“PCHC’s member clinics and charitable providers fill a growing gap that many of our most vulnerable neighbors rely on for basic care, and volunteers are critical to this work,” said Highmark Foundation President Yvonne Cook. “The Highmark Foundation recognizes the vital work of charitable clinics and is proud to continue our partnership with PCHC through a $172,700 grant to further its mission to provide equitable, quality health care for all Pennsylvanians.”

 ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA CHARITABLE HEALTHCARE COALITION (PCHC)

PCHC is the support and advocacy organization for free and charitable healthcare providers who make up the healthcare safety net for uninsured and underinsured Pennsylvanians. Free and charitable clinics provide primary and preventative care such as medical screenings, chronic disease management, medication assistance, dental care and connections to other social services. Clinics do not receive state or federal funding and rely on community support. For information, testimonials from volunteers, and a searchable database of clinic locations, go to www.pacharitablehealth.org.

From Axios

If courts weren’t already exerting outsized influence over health policy, they’re much closer to being final arbiters now that the Supreme Court has scrapped the decades-old doctrine that gave the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other health agencies the power to interpret vague or ill-defined laws.

Why it matters: Judges could get the final say on Medicare payment rates, drug and device regulation and even what constitutes a public health emergency.

The big picture: We’ve already seen courts shape the rules of the road on matters like access to abortion pills, surprise billing disputes and how certain hospitals access discounted drugs.

Read more.

The PA Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) would like to remind you the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will be releasing the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. This program will be facilitated through the NTIA, the PBDA will not be responsible for receiving, reviewing, nor determining allocations for this program.

The Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program’s goal is to fund initiatives that will ensure communities across the Nation have the access and skills to fully participate in the digital world. This program is intended to compliment those digital equity activities that will be funded by the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, which the PBDA has applied and is awaiting approval for. The Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program provides $1.25 billion Nationwide and NTIA anticipates releasing the NOFO by end of July.

The NTIA has a number of resources available on their website to include a “Get Ready” one-pager as well as an opportunity to sign-up for updates from the NTIA regarding this program. PBDA encourages you to visit the NTIA website and review these resources.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to strengthen nondiscrimination protections and advance civil rights in health care. This rule offers protections against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability. This rule also reduces language access barriers, expands physical and digital accessibility, tackles bias in health technology, and much more.

Among other provisions, the 1557 final rule:

• Holds HHS health programs and activities to the same nondiscrimination standards as recipients of Federal financial assistance.
• Requires covered health care providers, insurers, grantees, and others to let people know that language assistance and accessibility services are available to patients at no cost.
• Clarifies that covered health programs and activities offered via telehealth must also be accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities.
• Protects patients from discriminatory health insurance benefit designs made by insurers.
• Clarifies that nondiscrimination in health programs and activities continues to apply to the use of AI, clinical algorithms, predictive analytics, and other tools.

For more information about this new rule and how it may affect consumers, visit the resources below:

• Fact sheet and FAQ
• Press release
• Final rule in the Federal Register