IPEC Semiannual Membership Meeting Report

The 2022 Semiannual Membership Meeting of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) took place virtually on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Identifying Opportunities to Improve IPE for Collaborative Practice” and ASAHP was represented at the meeting by ASAHP President Dr. Deborah Larsen, Partnerships, Alliances and Advocacy Committee and Interprofessional Task Force Chair Dr. Anthony Breitbach as well as ASAHP Executive Director John Colbert and Director of Public Affairs Kristen Truong.

View the meeting report by Dr. Anthony Breitbach here.

Provision Of Vaccines To Racial And Ethnic Groups

This month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published its final report, which describes programmatic actions taken by the federal agencies Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide COVID-19 vaccines to underserved and historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups.  

The report can be obtained at GAO-22-105079, COVID-19: Federal Efforts to Provide Vaccines to Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Social Security & Medicare Lifetime Benefits And Taxes: 2021

A new report from the Urban Institute presents updated figures in 2021 dollars for the lifetime benefits earned and the lifetime taxes paid by hypothetical workers participating in Social Security and Medicare. Both programs continue to fall well short of the benefits that current and future cohorts will receive. Given likely unsustainability of this system, looking at lifetime, not just annual, benefits and taxes allows policymakers to ascertain better how benefits and taxes might most fairly and efficiently be adjusted to achieve sustainability. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/research/publication/social-security-medicare-lifetime-benefits-and-taxes-2021/view/full_report.

HHS Office Seeks Public Comment on National Health Security Strategy

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is soliciting public comment regarding national health security threats, challenges, and promising practices to help inform the development of the 2023-2026 National Health Security Strategy (NHSS). Comments must be received by March 11, 2022.

More information may be accessed here.

House to Hold Hearing on Mental Health

On Thursday the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing entitled "Americans in Need: Responding to the National Mental Health Crisis". Earlier this month, as reported in the newswire, other committees in the House and Senate held hearings on mental health.

The hearing may be accessed here. A memorandum from Chairman Pallone may be accessed here.

Administration’s Efforts To Reduce Poverty

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new report that highlights the economic impact of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), specifically the role ARP played in reducing poverty.  

The report can be obtained at Microsoft Word - ASPE Brief - Poverty Projections for 2021 - 2-2-22 (hhs.gov)

Jobs Added By Hospitals And Health Systems

According to data released by the Bureau Of Health Statistics recently, hospitals and health systems added 3,400 jobs in January and U.S. jobs overall increased by 467,000. Hospital employment remains approximately 100,000 below its March 2020 peak, but has grown in 14 of the past 22 months for a slow but steady job recovery. Total health care jobs grew by 18,000 in January to a seasonally adjusted 16.1 million, with physicians, dentists and other office-based providers adding jobs and nursing and residential care facilities losing about 100.

The report can be obtained at Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail - 2022 M01 Results (bls.gov).
 

ASAHP Urges Congress to Double the Maximum Pell Grant

ASAHP joined more the Double Pell Alliance and more than 180 organizations in urging congressional leaders to invest in our nation’s students by doubling the maximum Pell Grant award and protecting the long- term viability of the Pell Grant program

The letter may be accessed here.

Senate to Hold Hearing on the Health Care Workforce Shortage

On Thursday, February 10, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, will hold a hearing entitled, “Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage”.

The hearing may be accessed here.

Transportation Of Health Care Resource Needs During Pandemic

Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a plan of action to develop a national strategy that would coordinate transportation systems needed to supply, produce, and distribute critical COVID-19 health care resources during the pandemic. 

The plan can be obtained at 2022-02549.pdf (federalregister.gov).

House and Senate Committees Hold Mental Health Hearings

This week committees in the House and Senate held hearings on mental health. Both chambers expressed interest in legislation on mental health and substance use. Topics covered included the behavioral health workforce and telehealth. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing next week with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

The House hearing may be accessed here and the Senate hearing may be accessed here.

President Biden Relaunches Cancer Moonshot

Today, President Biden relaunched the Cancer Moonshot initiative. It was originally launched in 2016 with the mission to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer.

The President’s remarks may be accessed here and a White House fact sheet may be accessed here.

WHO Epidemiological Update On COVID-19

Globally, during the week of January 24 to 30 in 2022, the number of new COVID-19 cases remained similar to that reported during the previous week, while the number of new deaths increased by 9%. Across the six WHO regions, over 22 million new cases and over 59,000 new deaths were reported. As of 30 January 2022, over 370 million confirmed cases and over 5.6 million deaths have been reported globally. 

The report can be obtained at 20220201_Weekly_Epi_Update_77.pdf.

ASAHP Interview Series: Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month and the 2022 theme of black health and wellness, ASAHP will be interviewing different ASAHP members each week to discuss their work and the importance of diversity & inclusion as it relates to Higher Education and the Health Professions.

You will be able to watch the live interviews on our Facebook page.

February 1 @ 1pm ET: Craig Jackson, JD, MSW, FASAHP, Loma Linda University

February 8 @ 1pm ET: Cynthia Hughes-Harris, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, FASAHP, Florida A&M University

February 15 @ 1pm ET: Peggy Valentine, EdD, FASAHP, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

February 22 @ 1pm ET: Mary Simmons, PhD, MPH, RRT, President of National Society of Allied Health

Senate Committee Seeks Feedback on Bipartisan Pandemic and Public Health Preparedness and Response Bill

This week the Senate HELP Committee Committee Chair, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ranking Member, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), released a discussion draft of the PREVENT Pandemics Act, bipartisan legislation focused on strengthening the nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feedback on the discussion draft may be submitted to HELPPandemicbill@help.senate.gov until February 4, 2022. A press release may be accessed here, along with the draft bill text and section-by-section.

Building Back The U.S. Public Health System

For decades, the U.S. public health system has been chronically underfunded. While Congress passed several relief and recovery bills during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not yet advanced a significant effort to bolster the public health system infrastructure, which is critical to improving an ability to identify unmet population health needs and emerging health threats. A blog from the Commonwealth Fund outlines federal policies included as part of the Build Back Better Act that would invest in the public health system.  

The blog can be obtained at Bolstering the Public Health Infrastructure in the Wake of COVID-19 | Commonwealth Fund.

2022 ASAHP Election: Call for Candidates

ASAHP’s annual election will be conducted this summer. The following positions are open for the 2022 election:

Board of Directors (three-year term) – 1 open position
Treasurer (two-year term) – 1 open position
Nominations & Elections Committee – 3 open positions

The election candidate form, including CV and headshot photo, must be submitted online no later than Friday, April 1, 2022. Election information is available here.

NIH Research Enhancement Award Program Opportunity

The National Institutes of Health has announced a grant opportunity, the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools. The purpose of the program is to stimulate basic and clinical research in educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation's research scientists, but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. REAP grants create opportunities for scientists and institutions otherwise unlikely to participate extensively in NIH research programs to contribute to the Nation's biomedical and behavioral research effort. REAP grants are intended to support small-scale research projects proposed by faculty members of eligible, domestic institutions, to expose undergraduate and/or graduate students at health professional schools or graduate schools to meritorious research projects, and to strengthen the research environment of the applicant institution. The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Applicants may request up to $300,000 in direct costs for the entire project period of up to 3 years.

More information may be accessed here.

Funds Awarded For Health Care Workforce

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced $103 million in awards to improve the retention of health care workers and help respond to the nation’s critical staffing needs by reducing burnout and promoting mental health and wellness among the health care workforce. The funds, secured through the American Rescue Plan, will be disbursed to 45 grantees. 

More information can be obtained at Biden-Harris Administration Awards $103 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Reduce Burnout and Promote Mental Health and Wellness Among Health Care Workforce | HHS.gov.

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Receipt Of Treatment Medications

A report from the CDC has an analysis of data from 41 health care systems participating in the PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. The results show lower use of monoclonal antibody treatment among Black, Asian, and Other race and Hispanic patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, relative to White and non-Hispanic patients.  

The report can be obtained at Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Receipt of Medications for Treatment of COVID-19 — United States, March 2020–August 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov).