Last week, President Donald Trump quietly issued an executive order directing a wide swath of federal agencies, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Education, to review and develop rules for “any program that provides means-tested assistance or other assistance that provides benefits to people, households, or families…
Read More »On Thursday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued a national public health advisory urging more Americans to keep on hand and learn how to use effectively the opioid antidote naloxone. While many first responders carry naloxone, the advisory suggests family, friends, and those who are personally at risk of an opioid overdose to ensure the…
Read More »On Monday, President Donald Trump unveiled his Administration’s wide-ranging plan to address the nation’s opioid epidemic, vowing to “liberate” the country from the crisis. Recall, President Trump convened an opioid commission last year to identify recommended interventions, declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency five months ago, and hosted an opioid epidemic summit at…
Read More »On Wednesday, the Trump Administration named HIV researcher Robert Redfield, M.D. as the next director of the U.S. Centers and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to a statement from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Redfield served as the founding director of the U.S. Military’s HIV Research Program Department of Retroviral Research and…
Read More »After weeks of negotiations, Congressional leaders this week emerged with a $1.3 trillion omnibus budget bill that will fund the federal government through the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, with funding expiring on September 30. The expansive 2,232 page bill featured significant increases in both defense spending, which was widely supported by President Trump…
Read More »On Thursday, the White House hosted an Opioid Epidemic Summit to discuss efforts of the Trump Administration to address the nationwide opioid epidemic. The summit gathered a handful of Administration officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, individuals who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic, and addiction-…
Read More »This week, President Donald Trump released his proposed FY 2019 Federal Budget. The $4.4 trillion budget calls for increases in military and defense spending, limits to federal funds for infrastructure improvements, stronger border protections, and an infusion of funds to address the opioid crisis. While the budget proposal offers an insight into the Trump Administration’s…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health (OSTLTS) recently announced two grant opportunities available to local health departments: Technical Assistance for Response to Public Health or Healthcare Crises – Funding available to governmental health departments and other eligible organizations related to public health emergency response….
Read More »The federal government entered a partial shutdown overnight when funding briefly lapsed while Congress ironed out details for a short-term funding measure and a framework for a two-year budget deal. The shutdown was largely the result of Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) who refused to allow a vote on the measure while he spoke out against…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week released expanded seasonal flu vaccination campaign materials to assist health departments and partners in communicating the importance of receiving the flu vaccination. The digital messaging toolkit includes print-ready materials, graphics and flyers, fact sheets, sample social media and newsletter content, and web assets, among…
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