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The purpose of this Program Assistance
Letter is to notify all Federally Qualified
Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike organizations
of their automatic Health Professional
Shortage Area (HPSA) designation and some
of the benefits of the HPSA designation.
All FQHC Look-Alikes are now eligible
to receive Recruitment and Retention Assistance
available through the National Health
Service Corps (NHSC), including those
that were previously ineligible due to
lack of HPSA status.
The Health Care Safety Net Amendments
of 2002 granted automatic HPSA status
to all FQHCs that meet the charging requirements
of section 334 of the Public Health Service
Act, which includes FQHC Look-Alikes.
The HPSA designation confers: (1) basic
eligibility to apply to receive
NHSC personnel (scholars,
loan repayors or Ready Responders); and
(2) eligibility to be a site
where a J-1 visa physician can serve
[upon recommendation from a state
or an interested U.S. government agency
such as the Appalachian Regional Commission
(ARC), or Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS)]. The HPSA status aids
health centers in their efforts to recruit
and retain health professionals.
For successful recruitment of health
professionals, it is important to: develop
and maintain an accurate list of current
clinical vacancies; and make the list
widely available to providers seeking
positions at health centers or other facilities
serving the underserved. An excellent
source for accomplishing these goals is
the NHSC Opportunities List (List). It
is the NHSC's on-line list of opportunities
in HPSAs. All FQHC Look-Alike vacancies
are eligible to be included on the list of opportunities.
NHSC personnel must serve at a vacancy
on the List, with the NHSC giving priority
to the placement of its personnel in HPSAs
of greatest shortage (see "HPSA Score"
below). In addition, physicians on J-1
visas often use the List to identify vacancies
in HPSAs where they can serve in return
for a waiver of their return-home requirement.
States participating in the State Loan
Repayment Program, and available clinicians
with no service obligation who are looking
for a job where they can serve the underserved,
may also use this List.
An FQHC Look-Alike's vacancies must be
on the List before the health center can
receive NHSC personnel. The health center
must apply to
the NHSC by completing the NHSC Recruitment
and Retention Assistance Application.
Once you file the NHSC Recruitment and
Retention Assistance Application and the
NHSC approves the application, your vacancies
will be included on the List. Please understand
that inclusion of an FQHC Look-Alike vacancy
on the List does not assure that the health
center will receive NHSC providers or
physicians on J-1 visas.
We strongly recommend that you also
fill out the Site Profile form. This site-specific
information can be linked to your site's
name on the List, allowing interested
individuals an opportunity to learn more
about your site. If your site or organization
has an existing Web site, also provide
its URL for additional information.
The NHSC is required to give priority
to the placement of its providers in HPSAs
of greatest need. A HPSA score, which
measures HPSA need, has been automatically
computed for every designated FQHC Look-Alike.
HPSA scores and a discussion about how
they were developed are available at the
Shortage Designation Web site.
If a FQHC Look-Alike is located in a geographic
or population group HPSA, the score for
that HPSA can be used instead of the automatic
score, and will probably be higher. The
NHSC Scholarship, Ready Responder, and
DHHS J-1 programs have cut-off scores.
Therefore, FQHC Look-Alikes with scores
below these cut-offs will not participate
in these three programs. For the NHSC
Loan Repayment Program, the HPSA score
influences the order, in which qualified
Applicants are approved to participate
in the program. Please be aware that in
the past two years the NHSC has had sufficient
funding to make awards to all qualified
Loan Repayment applicants, regardless
of the HPSA score of their site. HPSA
scores are not a factor for the "Conrad"
State and ARC J-1 programs. If you want
to investigate improving your score, please
contact your Primary Care Office (PCO).
The PCO has the background and expertise
in the designation process and will be
able to advise you.
If you have questions about the NHSC
Recruitment and Retention Assistance Application,
NHSC Opportunities List, or other related
matters, please contact the NHSC Recruitment
Training & Support Center at 800-221-9393.
If you have any additional questions about
the HPSA designation process, please contact
the HRSA, Bureau of Health Professions
(BPHr), Shortage Designation Branch at
301-594-0816. Facilities are added to
the HPSA database on an on-going basis,
and will be included in the HPSA
Database Web Look-Up. For questions
regarding the FQHC Look-Alike Program
please contact Bette Darling, FQHC Look-Alike
Coordinator, Division of Health Center
Development, Bureau of Primary Health
Care at 301-594-4342. |
