This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), in partnership with the George Washington University, launched a contact tracing estimator tool to assist local and state health departments in determining workforce needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The tool allows users to…
Read More »This week, several federal developments related to the oversight and accountability of COVID-19 response funding and activities occurred. Below, we detail these actions: Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Names Leader, Establishes Website The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) this week announced a series of developments, including the appointment of its executive director and U.S. House of…
Read More »A coalition of national public health organizations and associations, including the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and the National Coalition of STD Directors, released a $7.6 billion federal emergency supplemental funding request to support an expanded and robust nationwide contact tracing workforce…
Read More »The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a new grant program to provide funds to states, local governments, tribes, and U.S. territories to work collaboratively with environmental justice communities to understand, promote, and integrate approaches to provide meaningful and measurable improvements to public health and the environment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. These…
Read More »This afternoon, in a ceremony in the Oval Office, President Trump signed the fourth coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress earlier this week. The legislation contained $484 billion of additional funding including funding for the small business Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), an additional $75 billion in funding for hospitals, and $25 billion in targeted COVID-19…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump both outlined frameworks and guidelines for reopening normal operations of daily life in California and the U.S. Newsom Administration Identifies Six Criteria for Modifying Stay-at-Home Order On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a series of indicators and considerations that will guide California’s actions for when and…
Read More »Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued the “Disaster Financial Management Guide” to support jurisdictions in establishing and implementing sound disaster financial management practices. The guide takes an all-hazards approach and addresses a broad range of issues and contains concepts, principles, and resources applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The guide identifies capabilities and…
Read More »This week, President Donald Trump directed his administration to place a hold on all funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, the U.S. Government provides approximately $400 million to $500 million to WHO to support its international health planning, coordination, and response activities. The Trump Administration contends that the WHO mismanaged the handling…
Read More »Today the House of Representatives passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) via a voice vote. Speaker Pelosi acknowledged during her remarks on the floor that the CARES Act was not perfect and that Congress would have to do more in a fourth package. Many representatives sat up in the gallery…
Read More »Last night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the details of a Senate Republican plan for a third round of proposals aimed to address the COVID-19 crisis. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act is a nearly $1 trillion package. Major provisions include: $300 billion for loans for impacted small businesses….
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