Newswire Archives
On Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee’s Primary Health and Retirement Security Subcommittee held a hearing on, “A Dire Shortage and Getting Worse: Solving the Crisis in the Health Care Workforce”. The HRSA Title VII health workforce programs, faculty shortages, loan repayment programs, and payment structures were among the issues discussed.
The hearing may be viewed here.
On October 20-22, the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions will hold its 2021 Annual Conference at the Westin Long Beach in Southern California. This year's conference theme is Leadership in Higher Education and Health Care in a Post-COVID World. Interested parties are invited to contribute to the program by submitting abstracts to be presented in-person in one of two formats:
-Paper presentation: a 20-minute Concurrent Session, or
-Poster presentation: during the conference-wide Poster Session
2021 Featured Topics (any may include a response to the pandemic)
· New Models for Clinical Education
· Creative Approaches to Interprofessional Education/Collaboration
· Next Steps in Telehealth
· Curriculum Innovations Related to COVID-19
· Models of Excellence for Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
· Other (related to allied health)
All abstract submissions are due no later than June 19, 2021 via the Abstract Submission Website. An account will need to be created if it is your first time submitting an abstract. Information is also available on the ASAHP Website.
Hope to see you in October!
The 2021 ASAHP Annual Conference
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced a virtual public hearing to be held from June 7, 2021, to June 11, 2021, to gather information for improving enforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The hearing is part of the Office of Civil Rights' comprehensive review of the Department's existing regulations and other actions related to Title IX to implement President Biden's March 8 Executive Order . During the hearing, OCR seeks input from students, parents, educators, school staff, administrators and other members of the public on what additional changes to the Title IX regulations and any related agency actions may be necessary to fulfill President Biden's Executive Orders. Members of the public can register to make a live comment during the hearing. Members of the public can also send their written comments to T9PublicHearing@ed.gov, following the guidelines in the hearing notice.
The Department of Education announcement may be accessed here. The notice for the public hearing is here. You may register to make a live comment here.
ASAHP’s annual election will be conducted this summer. The following positions are open for the 2021 election:
Board of Directors (three-year term) - 3 open positions
Secretary (two-year term) - 1 open position
Nominations & Elections Committee (two-year term) - 3 open positions
The election candidate form must be submitted online no later than Friday, June 18, 2021. Election information is available here: http://www.asahp.org/elections
On Tuesday, the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation would establish the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program to promote the recruitment of public health professionals at local, state, and tribal public health agencies. To be eligible for the program, individuals must be in their final year of pursuing a public health or health professions degree or certificate or have graduated within the past 10 years and go on to work for a local, state, or tribal public health agency.
The press release may be accessed here, and the bill text may be accessed here.
The National Academy of Medicine released a discussion paper that examines the experiences of clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinician priorities include transforming education and training; and developing policies and programs to address health disparities.
The paper can be obtained at Clinicians and Professional Societies COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Lessons Learned and Compelling Needs - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that new masking recommendations for individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not apply to health care settings. Staff, patients, residents, and visitors should continue to wear masks as recommended in all healthcare facilities regarding the recommendations issued on May 13, 2021.
The recommendations on May 13 can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html.
The IPEC Interprofessional Leadership Development Program (ILDP) is a three-day, interactive professional development experience, distinguished by an emphasis on leading in an interprofessional environment. Deans and senior administrators from multiple schools at the same institution are strongly encouraged to attend along with their campus-wide IPE administrator. Participants will leave the program with a leadership action plan to move IPECP efforts forward at their institutions. View more information here. Deadline to register is Monday, May 17.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $7 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March. The funding would go to help states and localities increase their public health staffing and expertise, launch Public Health AmeriCorps, recruit and train public health leaders, building the laboratory workforce and building capacity for future outbreaks, and would create a new grant program to modernize the public health workforce.
The Biden-Harris Administration fact sheet may be accessed here.
This week, the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP), of which ASAHP is a member, sent a letter to Members of Congress which addresses mental and behavioral health, financial aid, student loan forgiveness, and the health professions education provisions in the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
The letter may be accessed here.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Higher Education, with help from the Postsecondary Value Commission, released a 115-page report “Equitable Value: Promoting Economic Mobility and Social Justice through Postsecondary Education”. The report reaches the following recommendations: equalize access to increase postsecondary value; remove affordability as an impediment to postsecondary value; eliminate completion gaps and strengthen post-college outcomes to ensure postsecondary value; improve data to expose and address inequitable postsecondary value; and promote social justice by providing equitable postsecondary value.
The report may be accessed here. Reporting by Inside Higher Ed may be accessed here.
Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee released guidance on earmarks, referred to as Congressionally Directed Spending. Senators may submit requests beginning in late May through July 8 at noon Eastern. Before Senators can make their submissions to the Appropriations Subcommittees, they will first need to create their own applications forms and processes for their constituents to make earmark requests to their own offices. Senators will set deadlines for constituent requests and then determine which of these requests will be submitted to appropriators for potential funding.
Each Appropriations Committee has its own guidance. The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee’s internal guidance may be accessed here. A list of earmark requests submitted by Members of the House may be accessed here.
The Department of Education has announced $36 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants for postsecondary education. This is the third round of funding for the HEERF grants, authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. The funding will help over 5,000 institutions of higher education and their students. The Biden-Harris Administration is allowing grants to reach undocumented students and others, reversing a Trump Administration policy.
The Department of Education press release is available here. New guidance may be accessed here. Reporting from Inside Higher Ed, including a funding table, may be accessed here.
The Department of the Treasury released its Interim Final Rule for $350 billion in state and local funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds can be utilized by states and localities for many purposes, including supporting public health expenditures and providing premium pay for essential workers. State and local governments could begin applying for the aid yesterday and Treasury will begin making payments in the next few days.
More information may be accessed here, a fact sheet may be accessed here, and the Interim Final Rule may be accessed here.
The House Appropriations Committee, Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held a hearing on “FY 2022 Budget Request for the Department of Education” with testimony by Secretary Miguel Cardona. Republicans were not supportive of the proposed 41% funding increase by the Biden Administration or cancelling student debt. Democrats focused their discussions on K-12 funding disparities, refinancing of student loans, mental health services, and CTE/workforce development. Overall, there was general consensus to support expansion of Pell and workforce development.
HRSA has announced the opportunity for recipients who are currently funded in the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) to apply for supplemental funding under the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program Competing Supplement. It's purpose is to create and deliver COVID-19 specific education and training to the nursing home workforce and nursing home residents and their families and caregivers within the context of the age-friendly health systems framework. The closing date for applications is June 14, 2021. There are expected to be 11 awards for the $2,000,000 in total funding.
More information may be accessed on here and on grants.gov
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 940,000 Americans have signed up for health insurance through HealthCare.gov since February 15, the start of the 2021 Marketplace Special Enrollment Period (SEP) opportunity, through April 30, with approximately 469,000 consumers signing up for health insurance in the month of April. The number of new plan selections represents a substantial increase in enrollment from the same period in 2020 and 2019.
More information can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2021-marketplace-special-enrollment-period-report-1.
Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) introduced the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act. The legislation, which aligns with President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, would invest more than $1 billion over five years in training and increasing opportunities for the nation’s direct care workers, which include personal care aides, home health aides, and nursing assistants.
The press release may be accessed here, fact sheet here, and bill text here.
Members of the House and Senate Telehealth Caucus introduced the CONNECT for Health Act (S. 1512 and H.R. 2903), to remove permanently all geographic restrictions on Medicare telehealth services and expand originating sites to include home and other sites. The bill also would expand telehealth for emergency medical care; waive restrictions on telehealth use during national and public health emergencies; and allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as distant sites.
Additonal information about the legislation can be obtained at CONNECT for Health Act of 2021_Summary.pdf (senate.gov).
The New York Times provides an overview of how Pfizer makes it Covid-19 vaccine, covering the science as well as the manufacturing process.
The article may be accessed here.
