ASAHP NEWSWIRE ARCHIVES

State/Territory-Coordinated Distribution System For Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics

The increased incidence of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has caused a substantial surge in the utilization of monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs, particularly in areas of the country with low vaccination rates. On September 13, HHS transitioned from a direct ordering process to a state/territory-coordinated distribution system similar to that used for the distribution of mAbs from November 2020 – February 2021. Weekly distribution amounts for each state/territory will be determined by HHS based on weekly reports of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in addition to data on inventories and use submitted to the federal government. State/Territorial Health Departments will determine where product goes in their jurisdictions. 

More information can be obtained at https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/investigation-MCM/Bamlanivimab-etesevimab/Pages/Update-13Sept21.aspx.

Additional Distributions Of COVID-19 Relief Funds

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that on September 29, 2021, it will distribute $25.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to health care providers. These providers then will be able to apply for $25.5 billion in relief funds, including $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) resources for providers who serve rural patients and $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 for a broad range of providers who can document revenue loss and expenses associated with the pandemic. 

More information can be obtained at Future Payments | Official web site of the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (hrsa.gov).

Senate Report: A Bold Vision for America's Mental Well-Being

On Thursday, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) released “A Bold Vision for America’s Mental Well-being,” a white paper outlining a new framework for reimagining and redesigning how mental and behavioral health care is delivered in the United States. To help inform a forthcoming legislative package, Bennet and Cornyn are seeking input from experts, community leaders, and constituents on policies to help achieve intended outcomes laid out in their white paper. Anyone may provide feedback to mentalhealth@bennet.senate.gov by October 8, 2021.

More information including the full report is available here.

House Committees Consider the Build Back Better Act

On Thursday and Friday this week the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee are holding their respective markups of the Build Back Better Act, the FY 22 budget reconciliation bill. The Education and Labor Committee provisions would provide two years of tuition-free community college, increase the Pell Grant maximum award amount, invest in grant programs to help train new teachers, make investments in HBCUs, tribal colleges and universities, HSIs, and other MSIs, and create a new program for student retention and completion grants. The Ways and Means Committee provisions would provide up to 12 weeks of universal paid family and medical leave for workers, reauthorize the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program to strengthen it and make it available nationwide, deliver additional funding to the TAA for Community Colleges and Career Training program, and expand Medicare coverage to include dental, vision, and hearing benefits.

The House Education and Labor Committee bill may be accessed here. A fact sheet is available here. The House Ways and Means Committee bill text and section-by-section may be accessed here. Analysis from Inside Higher Ed may be accessed here. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold their markup on Monday, September 13 at 11am Eastern. More details are available here.

Assessing America’s Hospitals’ Capacity To Provide Care During COVID-19

The American Hospital Association has released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot, underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency. The Snapshot combines important data points with news articles and testimonials from the field to illustrate the importance of providing hospitals and health systems with additional resources and support so that they can continue to deliver care to patients and families.

The Snapshot can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/the-snapshot.

CDC To Establish New Disease Forecasting Center

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is announcing a new center designed to advance the use of forecasting and outbreak analytics in public health decision making. Once established, the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics will bring together next-generation public health data, expert disease modelers, public health emergency responders, and high-quality communications, to meet the needs of decision makers.  

More information can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0818-disease-forecasting-center.html.

The Future Of Nursing 2020 To 2030

The decade ahead will test the nation's nearly four million nurses in new and complex ways. Nurses live and work at the intersection of health, education, and communities.  The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity, a book from the National Academy of Medicine, explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, utilizing technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030.  

The book can be obtained at Front Matter | The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity | The National Academies Press (nap.edu).

2020 U.S. Bureau Census Statistics On Population Changes And Diversity

The U.S. Census Bureau today released additional 2020 Census Results, showing an increase in the population of U.S. metro areas compared to a decade ago. Also, these once-a-decade results showed the nation’s diversity in how individuals identify their race and ethnicity. 

More information can be obtained at Local Population Changes and Nation’s Racial and Ethnic Diversity (census.gov).

Marketplace Special Enrollment Period Report

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that over 2.5 million Americans have signed up for health insurance as of July 31, 2021, through HealthCare.gov and State-based Marketplaces (SBMs), combined, since the start of the 2021 special enrollment period (SEP) report made available in all Marketplaces. Consumers in states with an SBM made 723,000 plan selections since the start date of each state’s SEP through July 31, 2021. 

Additional information can be obtained at 2021 Marketplace Special Enrollment Period Report | CMS.

Department of Education Calls for Nominations to Negotiated Rulemaking Committee

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it is establishing a negotiated rulemaking committee that will meet virtually beginning in October to rewrite regulations for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-contingent repayment plans, and borrower defense to repayment, among other issues. To submit nominations for committee, subcommittee, or advisor spots, email negregnominations@ed.gov. The Department will accept nominations for 21 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.

The press release may be accessed here.

Federal Role In Health Equity And Disparities During The COVID-19 Pandemic

A new report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) presents (1) several definitions of potential disparity populations in general and emergency management contexts; (2) selected health disparities documented during the pandemic; (3) selected key federal laws and policies that address health equity in general and during the pandemic; and (4) selected issues involving federalism, disparities data, and competing priorities. 

The report can be obtained at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R46861.pdf.

Data On Postsecondary Tuition, Fees, and Degrees Released

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCES) has made available a set of provisional web tables from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) fall 2020 collection, which included three survey components: Institutional Characteristics for the 2020-21 academic year, Completions covering the period July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, and data on 12-Month Enrollment for the 2019-20 academic year.  

Data can be obtained at Survey Components (ed.gov).

Congressional Hearings on Student Loans and Pell Grants

This afternoon at 3:00pm Eastern, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Policy, holds a hearing on “Protecting Student Loan Borrowers and the Economy in Upcoming Transitions”. Witnesses include Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, the Honorable Letitia James, Attorney General of the state of New York, and Persis Yu, Director of the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project at the National Consumer Law Center. On Thursday at 10:15am Eastern, the House Education and Labor, Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee, will hold a hearing on “Keeping the Pell Grant Promise: Increasing Enrollment, Supporting Success”. On Tuesday, August 3 at 10am Eastern, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary holds a hearing on “Student Loan Bankruptcy Reform”.

Tuesday’s hearing may be accessed here. Thursday’s hearing may be accessed here. Next Tuesday’s hearing may be accessed here.

Department of Education Issues Request for Information Regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education issued a request for information regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The Office of the Under Secretary solicits written comments to identify operational improvements to the PSLF program and to inform determinations about technical improvements, borrower experiences, policy considerations, or other factors that should be considered to improve access to PSLF. Comments must be received on or before September 24, 2021.

The Request For Information (RFI) may be accessed here. A blog post from the Department of Education may be accessed here.

State Of Health Coverage And Affordability In The U.S.

A new issue brief from the Commonwealth Fund reports on survey findings about current uninsured rates, pandemic-related coverage loss, and Americans’ ongoing struggles to pay their medical bills.

The brief can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2021/jul/as-pandemic-eases-what-is-state-coverage-affordability-survey.

HRSA Funding Opportunity: Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program

HRSA has announced a funding opportunity for its “Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program”. The purpose of this program is to plan, develop, operate or participate in health professions and nursing training activities using evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies, to reduce and address burnout, suicide, mental health conditions and substance use disorders and promote resiliency among health care students, residents, professionals, paraprofessionals, trainees, public safety officers, and employers of such individuals, collectively known as the “Health Workforce,” in rural and underserved communities. Eligible entities include health professions schools. Thirty grants are anticipated, with a total of $68,420,000 in funding for a three year period of performance. There is also one funding opportunity, estimated at $6 million, for the Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Technical Assistance Center (HPSWRTAC) to provide tailored training and technical assistance to HRSA’s health workforce resiliency grant recipients.

More information may be found here, here, and on grants.gov

House Hearing on Investing in the Direct Care Workforce

Today, the House Education and Labor Committee held a joint Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Care for Our Communities: Investing in the Direct Care Workforce”. Witnesses included Robert Espinoza, Vice President of Policy at PHI, Zulma Torres, Home Health Aid with Cooperative Home Care Associates, Paul M. Burani, Head of Business Development at North America Udacity, Inc., and the Honorable Jessica Fay, a State Representative with the Maine House of Representatives.

The hearing may be accessed here.