This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. announced a series of actions to strengthen access to affordable, quality health care coverage throughout the U.S. Building upon an executive order issued last year to strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the President issued an additional order this week directing federal agencies to review agency…
Read More »President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Friday issued a nationwide proclamation declaring April 11 through April 18, 2022, as Black Maternal Health Week. The President calls on all Americans to raise awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the U.S. by understanding the consequences of systemic discrimination, recognizing the scope of the problem…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced the availability of $4.5 million for hiring, training, certifying, and compensating community-based doulas in areas with high rates of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. The funding, provided through HRSA’s Healthy Start Initiative, will increase the number of…
Read More »This week, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced it is launching a statewide effort to help Medi-Cal beneficiaries maintain their Medi-Cal coverage or be enrolled in other coverage. During the national public health emergency (PHE) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, annual reevaluation of ongoing eligibility was temporarily halted to ensure vulnerable…
Read More »This week, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) submitted to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) an application to amend the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Section 1115 demonstration to increase and eventually eliminate asset limits for certain low-income individuals whose eligibility is not determined using the modified adjusted…
Read More »This week, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) issued a series of six reports detailing impacts of climate change on various sectors and what key corresponding policy and fiscal issues the Legislature will face in the coming years. According to the LAO, the reports are intended as framing documents to help the Legislature adopt a…
Read More »This week, the Newsom Administration launched the state’s Climate Adaptation Strategy outlining an all-hands-on-deck approach to building climate resilience across California. The Climate Adaptation Strategy identifies six key priorities to drive resilience actions throughout the state: Strengthen protections for climate-vulnerable communities Bolster public health and safety efforts to protect against increasing climate risks Build a…
Read More »On Wednesday, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reminded all employers statewide to protect outdoor workers from heat illness. The reminder comes as the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories throughout the state. According to Cal/OSHA, employers must take steps to protect workers from heat illness…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) published their Climate Change & Health Equity Section newsletter that highlights their work in advancing climate change, health equity, improving living conditions through policies, systems, and environmental changes. This week the newsletter features ongoing climate planning process, the public health workgroup on climate action, and state government updates,…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a warning to federal, state, and local law enforcement entities about a nationwide spike in fentanyl-related mass-overdose events. Fentanyl-related mass-overdose events, defined as involving three or more overdoses occurring close in time and location, have happened in at least seven American cities in recent months, resulting…
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