The Biden-Harris Administration this week issued guidance to states on available options to advance COVID-19 vaccination and testing, as well as Medicaid insurance enrollment, as part of its implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide guidance to states about additional ARPA funds…
Read More »President Joseph R. Biden Jr. this week proclaimed September 2021 as National Preparedness Month and urged all Americans to recognize the importance of preparedness and work together to enhance resilience and readiness. President Biden indicates the theme of this year’s preparedness month is “Prepare to Protect” and reiterates steps available to Americans to prevent and…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced the formation of the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) in response to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s executive order earlier this year directing specified federal agencies to undertake activities related to climate change. The HHS office is the first of…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced that, within hours of the state’s request, the White House approved a Presidential Emergency Declaration for direct federal assistance to support the response to the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, and Placer counties. The declaration will supplement state, local, and tribal government emergency services for the…
Read More »On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine became the first in the nation to receive full FDA approval. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for…
Read More »Given recent wildfires throughout the state, California this week secured federal resources and support to support the state’s ongoing response and recovery efforts. Earlier in the week, California requested and successfully received from President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the Dixie and River fires in Lassen, Nevada, Placer, and Plumas…
Read More »On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the nationwide emergency moratorium on residential evictions issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recall, Congress established a temporary moratorium on evictions at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon Congress’ moratorium expiration in July 2020, the CDC issued an order halting evictions throughout…
Read More »The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week announced it had issued the first marketing denial orders (MDOs) for electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products after determining the applications for approximately 55,000 flavored electronic cigarette products lacked sufficient evidence that they have a benefit to adult smokers to overcome the public health threat posed…
Read More »U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday this week launched the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Southeast Asia Regional Office in Hanoi, Vietnam, during a ceremony that featured the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. CDC Director, and Deputy Prime Ministers and Health Ministers from 11 countries. According to…
Read More »This week, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) launched a new series of case studies examining efforts by states and localities in conceptualizing and implementing climate change adaptation programs that are focused on equity. The case series follows a December 2020 TFAH and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Report, “Climate Change & Health:…
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