Amid a historic rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, the Biden-Harris Administration has begun accepting orders for free at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests. The federal government launched its ordering site www.COVIDTests.gov a day earlier than anticipated on Tuesday, allowing all Americans to receive four free tests per residential address. According to the Administration, tests are…
Read More »The Biden-Harris Administration recently formed a new Pandemic Innovation Task Force within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop new countermeasures against possible future COVID-19 variants and other pandemic threats. The task force will not be responsible for day-to-day pandemic response activities but longer-term projects, including vaccinate, therapy, diagnostic, and…
Read More »The Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) recently published a fact sheet that “purposefully brings the public health and health care systems” in one publication to explore their different funding sources, separate government structures, and future opportunities to enhance coordination between the two systems. The fact sheet details historical state funding trends in health care and…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) recently published a new data brief detailing trends and statistics on suicide among older adults in California. The publication provides 2018 data on suicides among residents ages 65 and older in California, as well as highlights from counties participating in the California…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week published updated maps and data on physical inactivity among adults, defined as not participating in any physical activities outside of work over the last month. More than one in five adults is inactive in all but four U.S. states. State and territorial-level maps of…
Read More »The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) recently published an evaluation report that assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted service utilization under the Whole Person Care (WPC) Program, the statewide Medi-Cal demonstration launched in 2016 to integrate medical, behavioral health, and social services for high-utilizing Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The report…
Read More »With support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently announced a new funding opportunity intended to support local health departments build and sustain capacity to address the intersection of suicide, overdose, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The funding opportunity provides awardees…
Read More »Applications are now open for the 2022 Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award for Excellence in Food Protection at the local level. This award is bestowed annually to local environmental health jurisdictions that demonstrate unsurpassed achievement in providing outstanding food protection services to their communities. Eligibility is open to local government organizations responsible for food…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, under the Biden-Harris Administration, recently unveiled a 10-year strategy to address wildfire dangers in places where fires pose the most immediate threats to communities. The strategy, called “Confronting the Wildfire Crisis: A Strategy for Protecting Communities and Improving Resilience in America’s Forests,” combines historic Congressional investments with…
Read More »Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his Administration’s proposed 2022-23 state budget. Notably, the Governor’s budget includes $300 million ongoing General Fund for public health infrastructure beginning in 2022-23, consistent with the agreement reached last year between the California Can’t Wait Coalition, the Legislature, and the Newsom Administration. CHEAC produced a memo detailing proposed investments…
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