The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today it is revising the current Global Testing Order to shorten the timeline required for testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States. The one-day testing policy is anticipated to help protect travelers and the health and safety…
Read More »On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee (AMDAC) narrowly recommended that the agency issue its first emergency use authorization (EUA) for Merck’s investigational oral antiviral medication for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults with high risk of severe COVID-19 or hospitalization. The drug, molnupiravir, has been…
Read More »On Wednesday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued a proclamation commemorating World AIDS Day and calling on states, territories, and the American people to join the HIV community in activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS. As part of the President’s proclamation, the White House detailed a series of actions to…
Read More »Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the release of the new National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, detailing the country’s strategy to addressing human trafficking. The plan delineates actions and resources across numerous federal agencies and emphasizes collaboration with state and local governments, the private sector, and non-governmental partners. The National Action Plan retains a…
Read More »The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), in partnership with a series of other coalition groups including the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), this week released its new report “Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System.” The report details a five-year roadmap for public health leaders and elected officials to build…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a national health advisory about increased influenza A(H3N2) activity that could mark the beginning of the 2021-22 influenza season. The CDC notes that while influenza activity is still low overall nationally, an increase of the influenza strain A(H3N2) has been detected in recent weeks…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced the availability of $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to enhance and expand the telehealth infrastructure and capacity of Title X family planning providers. According to HHS, telehealth adoption in the U.S. has increased dramatically and Title X grantees have…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week released a new report finding that millions of Americans with private health insurance experience some kind of surprise medical billing. The report, developed by the HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, found that surprise medical bills are relatively common and can…
Read More »The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently announced it has begun accepting applications for its 2022 Model and Innovative Practice Awards. Every year, NACCHO’s Model Practices Program nationally honors and recognizes outstanding local public health practice and shares them through the Model Practices Database. Model Practices are awarded to local health…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) this week released provisional figures finding that drug overdose deaths passed for the first time 100,000 during a 12-month period from April 2020-April 2021, representing an increase of nearly 30 percent from the previous year. In California, a nearly 48…
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