This week, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released its report “Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism,” which provides an annual snapshot of states’ public health and emergency response preparedness. This report, authored by TFAH since 2003, has documented significant progress in the nation’s level of emergency readiness, public…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released Project Tiny Teeth, an oral health toolkit for medical and dental providers who care for pregnant women and young children. These materials are intended to help raise awareness about the importance of oral health as part of…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced a new grant opportunity for local health departments to address the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic. The grant opportunity “Overdose Data to Action” integrates the work of three previous CDC funding opportunities: Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States, the Data Driven Prevention Initiative, and the…
Read More »This week, the Office of National Drug Control Policy released its National Drug Control Strategy, detailing the Trump Administration’s priorities for addressing drug use through education and evidence-based prevention, providing treatment to individuals with substance use disorders, and reducing the access to and availability of illicit drugs throughout the United States. The Strategy details the…
Read More »This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Government Affairs team issued an updated 2019 Advocacy Toolkit. The toolkit is used to educate members of the various ways to interact with elected officials to weigh in on emerging public health issues and highlight the importance and value of local public health….
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently released the National Health Security Strategy (NHSS) for 2019-2022. The strategy provides a vision to strengthen the country’s ability to prevent, detect, assess, prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from various disasters and emergencies. The…
Read More »On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two model consumer-friendly drug facts labels (DFLs) for over-the-counter naloxone products. Currently, FDA-approved versions of naloxone require a prescription from a medical provider, posing a barrier to individuals who may be at risk of an opioid overdose. The FDA is currently engaged in activities to…
Read More »Despite the ongoing partial government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday announced that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would be funded through February. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue indicated that USDA will be working with states to issue February benefits earlier than usual. States have until January 20 to request and receive…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently soliciting written comments on proposed objectives for Healthy People 2030. Healthy People focuses on health promotion and disease prevention topics and sets forth critical public health priorities by addressing leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Healthy People 2030 has three types of objectives: Core,…
Read More »U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor on Sunday issued a stay on his December ruling, allowing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to stand while his judgement undergoes an appeal. Recall, last month Judge O’Connor of Texas struck down the ACA on the grounds that the individual health insurance mandate is unconstitutional and the remaining ACA…
Read More »