Late this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance for K-12 school administrators who are preparing for students, teachers, and staff to return to school for in-person instruction this fall. The guidance, which includes various tools and resources, details mitigation strategies (e.g., social distancing, face coverings, cohorting), communication and messaging…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this week announced a series of initiatives intended to protect nursing home residents throughout the country from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These actions include: $5 Billion in Additional Funding – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will dedicate $5 billion of the Provider…
Read More »The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) this week released a report detailing hardship facing millions of Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for key additional relief measures in forthcoming Congressional legislation. The report highlights emerging data showing a large and growing number of households are struggling to afford food and are…
Read More »This week, the Newsom Administration announced additional sector restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state. The actions include: Expanded Closures of Indoor Operations for Certain Sectors, Counties On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced expanding indoor closures of certain businesses both statewide and in counties…
Read More »This week, the Newsom Administration announced a handful of COVID-19 testing-related activities, including updated COVID-19 testing guidance, new requirements for health plans to cover testing, and new California COVID-19 Testing Task Force leaders. Below, each of the actions is detailed: Testing Guidance The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued updated testing guidance that focuses…
Read More »The Trump Administration this week sent a letter notifying the United Nations of its planned departure from the World Health Organization (WHO), effective July 6, 2021. The move by the Trump Administration follows an indefinite hold on all funding to the WHO ordered by President Donald Trump in April. President Trump expressed concerns over the…
Read More »The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced today the release of an additional $4 billion of Provider Relief Funds, provided through the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, for safety net hospitals and specialty rural hospitals that may not have met initial criteria for qualification. Approximately $3 billion…
Read More »The California State Senate and Assembly have both delayed their scheduled return to Sacramento from summer recess on Monday after six individuals in the Assembly, including two Assembly Members, tested positive for COVID-19. Assembly Member Autumn Burke announced receiving positive results after being notified by the Assembly Human Resources Department that she had been subject…
Read More »On Wednesday, the Senate Public Safety Committee convened an informational hearing to assess COVID-19 in California’s state prisons. Committee Chair Senator Nancy Skinner opened Wednesday’s hearing by providing an overview of the current COVID-19 case counts within state prisons among inmates and staff, as well as remarks on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s…
Read More »On Tuesday, the Senate Select Committee on California-Mexico Cooperation and the Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response convened an informational hearing to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the California-Mexico border region. The hearing began with opening remarks from Select Committee Chair Senator Ben Hueso, Special Committee Chair Senator Lena Gonzalez, and Consul General…
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