COVID-19 Resources

Last Updated: 5/19/2020

AAPCHO is continuously monitoring novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) alerts and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and other health agencies across the United States and its territories.

This page will be updated frequently with tailored resources for community health centers, multilingual and culturally appropriate materials for Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian (NH), and Pacific Islander (PI) communities, resources to address stigma related to COVID-19, public health considerations, webinar opportunities, and policy updates. This page covers the following areas: 

• Resources for Health Centers
• Multilingual and Culturally Appropriate Materials
• Resources to Address Stigma Related to COVID-19
• Cultural Humility Resources
• Public Health Considerations
• Webinars
• Policy Updates
• What’s in the News

If you have questions, would you like to contribute resources to this page, and/or require technical assistance, please email preparedness@aapcho.org.

AAPCHO is working to get personal protective equipment (PPE) to our member health centers providing care to some of the most vulnerable populations disproportionately at risk. Items like gowns, gloves and masks are essential in treating COVID-19. Our team is coordinating with AAPCHO member health centers who need supplies, and with equipment donors who can help meet this need. Fill out the form today!

AAPCHO encourages all health centers to visit the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse to access compiled resources on COVID-19 from 20 NationalCooperative Agreement organizations and partners. 

Highlighted Resources for Health Centers

• COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal (launched April 27, 2020) – As part of the FFCRA and CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will provide claims reimbursement to health care providers generally at Medicare rates for testing uninsured individuals for COVID-19 and treating uninsured individuals with a COVID-19 diagnosis.
• NACHC COVID-19: Sample Drive Thru Procedures NACHC Resource Packet
• Cash Flow and Payroll Options for Health Centers – NACHC prepared information on concerns around cash flow and pay roll for health centers with less than 500 employees and those with more than 500 employees. 
• COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit
• Telehealth.HHS.gov – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offers tips to patients on how to get healthcare through telehealth and telemedicine, and helps providers get the latest information on policies and resources for providing care through telemedicine.

• Telehealth Strategies Webinar and Resources – Health Choice Network and AllianceChicago hosted a webinar on strategies for dentistry, HIV and PREP programs, behavioral health, chronic disease management, and primary care. Key insights include health IT regulations and reimbursement rates.

Federal Resources for Health Centers

• Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources for Health Centers – The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is working to keep health centers and Health Center Program partners updated on the latest information regarding COVID-19. All COVID-19 information for health centers will appear on this page and resources will be updated as they become available.
  • Health Center Program COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • Health Center Survey Data for COVID-19:  Each health center will receive an electronic, easy-to-use survey twice a week via email, on Monday and Thursday afternoons. HRSA will use the information collected to assess health centers’ needs throughout the COVID-19 response.
  • COVID-19: Health Center Survey Tool Questions
  • Health Center Program Look-Alike Survey Data for COVID-19

• HRSA’s Health Center COVID-19 Information Collection: Each health center will receive an electronic, easy-to-use survey twice a week via email,on Monday and Thursday afternoons. HRSA will use the information collected to assess health centers’ needs throughout the COVID-19 response.
• Novel Coronavirus Situation Summary – The CDC’s primary coronavirus website: coronavirus.gov.
• Novel Coronavirus Information for Healthcare Professionals
• CMS Current Emergencies Page – Resources include waiver and flexibility information, and guidance on the following topic areas: clinical and technical, billing and coding, coverage, provider enrollment, Medicaid and CHIP, and more.

Financial Support

• Financial Impact Fact Sheet for Health Centers – NACHC developed a fact sheet to outline the negative impact COVID-19 has on employment, revenue, and health center visits. Capital Link has also developed employment and revenue loss analysis here.
• Cash Relief Resource Database Available for Nonprofits – This searchable website from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business supports nonprofits and for-profits to locate cash relief resources in their community. 
• COVID-19 Emergency Loans Small Business Guide and Checklist – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issues this guide to support small businesses and self-employed individuals check their eligibility and prepare to file for a loan.

Telehealth Strategies and Support

• • Funding
    • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program –  Congress is allocating $200 million dollars to support health care providers in providing care to their patients at home or at mobile location. The FCC is now accepting applications and are making funding decisions on a rolling basis. 
  • Policy
    • Current State Laws and Reimbursement Policies – Center for Connected Health Policy provides an up-to-date summary of telehealth reimbursement policies and changes.
    • Telehealth Policy during Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic – HITEQ regularly updates their resources on telehealth information. 
    • Telehealth Video: Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services – CMS updated a video that answers common questions about the expanded Medicare telehealth services benefit during the COVID-19 public health emergency. New information includes how CMS adds services to the list of telehealth services, additional practitioners that can provide telehealth services, and the distant site services that Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) can provide.

• Operations
  • COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit – Check out the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers’s toolkit on using telehealth to monitor symptoms, caring for in-patients, and how health care can be provided remotely.
  • COVID-19: Develop and Define Your Telehealth Strategy – The Weitzman Institute hosted a webinar on best practices to develop and define telehealth services.
  • Telehealth and Telephone Visits in the Time of COVID-19: FQHC Workflows and Guides – Center for Care Innovations provides resources for remote visit (video and phone) workflows, how-to guidance on accessing video conferencing software, and patient education materials about telehealth.
• Dental
  • Teledentistry Platforms – McAllister Castelaz, DMD from Horizon Health Services, Inc. developed this resource page for health centers seeking a summary of teledentistry applications. This resource can also be located on the National Network for Oral Health Access COVID-19 Teledentistry Resources page.

Workforce Support

• Recommendations & Resources for Your Health Center Dental Department by National Network for Oral Health Access
• COVID-19 for the Health Center Workforce – The Weitzman Institute and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved has curated a list of resources for health center staff, including those on crisis counseling and self-care, managing workflows, clinician burnout, and more.
• Wellbeing for Refugee Service Providers during COVID-19: Am I Ok?

Sample Protocols for Health Centers

• Sample Patient Under Investigation (PUI) Incident Protocol for COVID-19 – provided by AAPCHO Member, Asian Health Services
• Sample Organizational Planning Checklist for COVID-19
• Sample Provider Protocol for COVID-19 – provided by AAPCHO Member, Asian Health Services

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance for Health Centers

• Healthcare Supply of Personal Protective Equipment
• CDC Updated Guidelines on the Use of Facemasks and Respirators – CDC provided guidance on the use of facemasks by health care workers in situations involving COVID-19. 

Additional Resources

• Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) – CDC’s COCA prepares clinicians to respond to emerging health threats and public health emergencies by communicating relevant, timely information related to disease outbreaks, disasters, terrorism events, and other health alerts.
• FAQs for Health Care Providers for Medicare Payment – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released FAQs on Medicare payment for laboratory tests and other services related to COVID-19.

• COVID-19 Fact Check – UCSF School of Medicine developed a list of facts and myths that are currently available in English and Vietnamese. Additional languages, including Chinese Korean, and Punjabi, will be available soon. 
• COVID-19 Community Guides – Equity Labs developed COVID-19 community guides, which are available in English and South Asian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Urdu, Nepali, Burmese, Bengali, and Marathi.
• AA and NHPI In-Language Materials Project – The Asian & Pacific Islander Health Forum crowd-sourced a list of in-language materials related to COVID-19.
• Various In-Language Materials List – Another crowd-sourced list of in-language educational materials on COVID-19 in various languages.
• In-language Media Materials and Resources – The County of Los Angeles Public Health’s resource hub for toolkits, infographics, and additional information on Coronavirus. Resources are available in Chinese (traditional and simplified), Korean, Tagalog, Cambodian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and more.
• Toolkit of Coronavirus Resources – The Government of the District of Columbia developed Stop the Spread of Germs flyers (available in English and multiple languages) and Stop Stigma posters (available in English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese).
• A Round-Up of Multilingual Resources on COVID-19 – Switchboard‘s blog post contains fact sheets, posters, multimedia resources, and links to live updates in multiple languages that can be shared with clients and the general public about COVID-19, its symptoms, and how to prevent it. It also includes multilingual resources about handwashing.
• Preventing the Spread of Germs in NHPI Languages – Multnomah County developed this webpage to offer in-language NHPI translations for Palauan, Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Tongan, and Kosraean. Check out their video library of more than 30 translated messages on how to stop the spread of COVID-19.
• Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force – Dr. Sheldon Riklon and the Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force curated in-language Marshallese resources.

AAPCHO acknowledges the increasing levels of stigma, racism, and xenophobia toward AA and NHPI communities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We encourage community health center providers, community-based organizations, educators, and the general public to combat this stigma by addressing misinformation and practicing cultural humility.

• CDC’s Message on Stigma Related to COVID-19– The CDC states that diseases can make anyone sick regardless of their race or ethnicity. People of Asian descent, including Chinese Americans, are not more likely to get COVID-19 than any other American. Help stop fear by letting people know that being of Asian descent does not increase the chance of getting or spreading COVID-19. Share these facts.
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Civil Rights Organizations on the Coronavirus: “Not a Green Light to Target Asian Americans and Asian immigrants with Racism and Hate” – National Council of Asian Pacific Americans’ (NCAPA) response to incidents of Anti-Asian racism due to the coronavirus and call to action on removing misinformation.
• Blame and Discrimination Attached to 2019-nCoV – John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security released an FAQ for U.S. Elected Leaders and Health Officials on social stigma attached to Coronavirus.
• Bystander Intervention – The American Friends Service Committee provides do’s and don’ts when one witnesses public instances of racist or oppressive interpersonal violence and harassment.
• Speaking Up Against Racism Around the New Coronavirus – Teaching Tolerance provides historical context on why AA and NHPI communities are targeted, resources on responding to hate and bias in educational settings, and more.
• Guidance for Adults: How to Talk to Asian American Youth About Racism – Apex for Youth developed a guide on navigating conversations around racism with young people.
• King County provides anti-stigma resources, including two posters: “Viruses Don’t Discriminate and Neither Should We” and “Coronavirus and Stigma“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reporting Incidents of Hate

• Stand Against Hatred – Asian Americans Advancing Justice is documenting hate incidents from across the United States to better educate the public and to empower and advocate for those affected by hate crimes.
• AAPI Hate Crimes – OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates is documenting any hate incidents motivated by bias against race or ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or disability.
• Stop AAPI Hate Incident Report Forms – In-language incident report forms in English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Korean, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Khmer, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Hmong from Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.
• Report Instances of Hate-Related Incidents – The Center of Public Integrity is investigating COVID-19-related hate incidents. Like the other reporting sites, information will not be published without your consent.
• #WashTheHate Campaign – Join the social media campaign, created by Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council and OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates, to raise awareness of discrimination and violence against the Asian Pacific American community.

Toolkits

• COVID-19 Toolkit on Response to Racism and Xenophobia – The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), in collaboration with AAPCHO, developed a toolkit on responding to racism and xenophobia related to COVID-19.

Cultural humility is a respectful approach toward individuals of other cultures that continuously pushes one to challenge cultural biases (CHCS, 2017).

• National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards – The Office of Minority Health’s Think Cultural Health website features information, continuing education opportunities, resources, and more for health and health care professionals to learn about culturally and linguistically appropriate services, or CLAS.
• Cultural Humility is Critical to Health Equity – The American Academy of Family Physician states why it’s important for family physicians to practice cultural humility in patient-centered care.

• The COVID Racial Data Tracker –  The COVID Tracking Project and the Antiracist Research & Policy Center developed a racial data tracker to document the varying disparity of COVID across communities by collecting, publishing, and analyzing racial data on the pandemic from across the United States.
• COVID-19 Community Resources by State – Healthify curated a list of state resources related to COVID-19.
• The Impact of COVID-19 on social determinants of health – Healthify‘s blog outlines how SDoHS have been impacted.
• Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health -Check out SAMHSA’s fact sheet on “Tips For Social Distancing, Quarantine, And Isolation During An Infectious Disease Outbreak” 
• List of Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a list of disinfectants fo use against SAR-CoV-2, a coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
• Coping with Stress during the 2019-nCoV Outbreak – The World Health Organization’s advice to cope with the stress associated with Coronavirus. Advice is also available to help children cope with stress.
• Handwashing Resources – Handwashing is the most effective and recommended strategy to prevent Coronavirus spread. Check out CDC’s training and education materials on handwashing.
• Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment – The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University of Medicine developed a handbook on best practices for preventing and treating COVID-19. It is available in English and Chinese.

• Upcoming Webinars and Resources – The Health Center Resource Clearinghouse developed this page with COVID-19 webinar opportunities and resources tailored for health centers.
• COVID-19 Info Session – This recorded webinar from NYU Langone Health and Center for the Study of Asian American Health features Eda Chao, MD, Assistant Chief of Pediatrics of Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. Dr. Chao provided a COVID-19 information session in Mandarin. Slides are also available in Chinese and English (April 24, 2020).
• 19 Ways to Survive the Pandemic – The American Dental Association highlights what you can do during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also be sure to check out other COVID-19 digital events and trainings from them (March 26, 2020).
• The Impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ+ Community – Check out the free and on-demand webinar from the National Coalition for LGBT Health (March 26, 2020).
• Prepare Not Panic: COVID-19 Update and the Health Center Response – The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) hosted this webinar in collaboration with the CDC Coronavirus Response Task Force. The recording and slides are now available (March 6, 2020). See also Asian Health Service’s feature. 
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparedness and Response for Primary Care Providers – The National Nurse-led Care Consortium and CDC’s recorded webinar to inform primary care associations, community health centers, and other outpatient settings providers on the latest information on Coronavirus (February 20, 2020).

• TAKE ACTION! Community health centers are on the frontline in responding to Coronavirus. Let your members of Congress know about their critical role in protecting against and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

• Recommendations in Response to COVID-19: Strengthing the Federal Approach – Community Catalyst developed a set of federal recommendations to support conversations with policymakers. 
• COVID-19 Talking Points for State Advocates – Community Catalyst developed messaging and talking points for state advocates, focusing on racial inequities.
• Meng Introduces Legislation Requiring Federal Government Agencies to Translate Coronavirus Materials into Multiple Languages (April 28, 2020)
• Navigating Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act): Summary for Nonprofits (March 26, 2020)
• COVID-19 and Legislation in the States (March 17, 2020)
• The Public Charge Rule and COVID-19 – The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released an alert to encourage all those, including aliens, with symptoms resembling COVID-19 to seek care.
• Status of Coronavirus Funding for Health Centers: The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Action, 2020 was signed into law to provide $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak on March 6, 2020. To assist health centers, there will be $100 million available for prevention of, preparing for, and responding to COVID-19. HRSA is working quickly to develop a spending plan and will expedite the awarding of funds.
• AAPCHO’s statement applauding CARES Act (March 26, 2020).
• HHS Awards $100 Million to Health Centers for COVID-19 Response (March 24, 2020)
• AAPCHO’s statement denouncing discriminatory language during COVID-19 Pandemic (March 17, 2020)
• Joint statement on denouncing anti-Asian racism around COVID-10 (March 11, 2020)
• AAPCHO’s statement on discrimination and misinformation in response to coronavirus (March 4, 2020)