This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released proposed new regulations governing the Title X Family Planning Program. Title X, enacted as part of the 1970 Public Health Service Act, provides individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services including breast and cervical cancer screening and STI/HIV testing. The…
Read More »New data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week found that reported annual cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the U.S. continued to climb in 2019, reaching an all-time high for the sixth consecutive year. The newly released 2019 STD Surveillance Report found: 2.5 million reported cases of…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report finding that four in 10 transgender women surveyed in seven major U.S. cities have HIV. The report also revealed that nearly two-thirds of African American/Black transgender women and more than one-third of Hispanic/Latina transgender women surveyed have HIV. The CDC report…
Read More »This week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH declared racism a serious public health threat. Director Walensky, as part of the agency’s declaration, announced a series of new efforts being led by the CDC to accelerate its work to address racism as a fundamental driver of racial and…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration outlined a series of actions to address the country’s “gun violence public health epidemic.” Following numerous high-profile mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia, the Biden-Harris Administration called on Congress to pass legislation to reduce gun violence. In the meantime, however, the Administration announced it is taking a set of actions…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced continued expansions of its COVID-19 vaccine efforts. As a result of these expansions, the federal government anticipates by April 19 90 percent of adults in the U.S. will be eligible for a vaccine and 90 percent will have a vaccination site within five miles of where they live. Below,…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced it will invest nearly $10 billion to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and better serve communities of color, rural areas, low-income populations, and other underserved communities. Below, significant components of the sizable investment are detailed: $6 Billion for Community Health Center Vaccines: The U.S. Department of Health and Human…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed two officials nominated by the Biden-Harris Administration to top posts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Vivek Murthy was confirmed on Tuesday as the U.S. Surgeon General on a 57-43 vote. This is Dr. Murthy’s second time serving as surgeon general after serving in…
Read More »To support the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris Administration on Wednesday announced significant investments to expand access to available COVID-19 testing and treatments nationwide. Below, we highlight these announcements: COVID-19 Testing Expansion: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan to ramp…
Read More »The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Biden-Harris Administration, recently announced it would stop applying the Public Charge Final Rule issued under the Trump Administration. Recall, the Trump Administration in 2019 finalized the rule which required individuals applying for or seeking adjustment to an immigration status of visa to establish that they were…
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