Research Study: Liaison COVID-19 Fall 2021 Impact on Higher Education

Conducted between August 4 and August 20, 2021, Liaison International fielded a research study using an online survey questionnaire sent to faculty, staff, and administrators at 3,106 higher education institutions across the United States. The respondents included both full- and part-time faculty and staff - asking questions on how the pandemic is affecting overall institutional operations and the moods and concerns around campuses. The report is entitled, “COVID-19 Fall 2021 Impact on Higher Education”.

The report may be accessed here.

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.

ASAHP Conference Moves to Virtual

As a result of the significant increase in COVID infections from the Delta variant in recent weeks, ASAHP’s in person Annual Conference on October 20-21st will be moving to a virtual format. The health and safety of ASAHP’s members must be paramount, particularly for an association whose mission is focused on health education and health care. More details will be provided on our website soon regarding the virtual meeting, which will include the speakers and highlights we planned to bring to you in person.

ASAHP Clinical Education Task Force Seeking Graduate Student Project Coordinator

ASAHP’s Clinical Education Task Force is looking for a project coordinator for our Clinical Education Task Force. The coordinator schedules meetings, takes minutes and participates in the work of the task force. This work can be literature searches, writing, checking references, assisting with presentations, presenting, etc.

The hours are flexible and generally 2 to 4 hours per week. Applicants must be a graduate student at an ASAHP member institution. Students are paid by the hour. The only set time for availability is the second Wednesday of the month from 1 to 2pm ET for computer-based task force meetings.

Thank you for your help. Interested students can apply 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.

Providers’ Guide For Direct-To-Consumer Telehealth

Telehealth.HHS.gov has published a best practice guide for health providers on direct-to-consumer (DTC) telehealth. They can learn about ways to integrate telehealth into their workflow to meet the needs of their patients and practice, from developing a DTC strategy to telehealth billing.

The guide can be obtained at Introduction to direct-to-consumer telehealth | Telehealth.HHS.gov.

ASAHP Urges Congress to Provide Protections for DACA Recipients

Today, ASAHP joined the American Council on Education and numerous other higher education associations in urging Congress to provide permanent legal protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and all Dreamers.

The letter to Congressional leadership 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).