Contact Tracing Capability Of The States

When states decide to reopen businesses and attempt to resume normalcy, locating individuals who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient is paramount to slowing the spread of this disease. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, however, many states are not fully prepared to conduct a contact tracing program.

More information can be obtained at https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/04/29/reopening-means-contact-tracing-many-states-arent-ready?utm_campaign=2020-05-06+Rundown+(regular+edition)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Pew.

New Informed Consent Resources For Telehealth

As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare providers to limit in-person visits, telehealth has expanded rapidly. In response to the need to obtain informed consent from patients for virtual visits, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has created guidance for clinicians on how to obtain informed consent for telehealth.

Additional information can be obtained at https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/obtain-consent-telehealth.html.

Lawmakers Release Cures 2.0 Concept Paper

Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI.) have released a concept paper outlining their priorities for Cures 2.0, the follow-up legislation to the 21st Century Cures Act, the landmark biomedical innovation legislation signed into law in 2016. The concept paper includes six major themes for Cures 2.0.

The paper can be obtained at https://upton.house.gov/uploadedfiles/cures_2.0_concept_paper_final.pdf.

Addressing Loneliness And Social Isolation During COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated social isolation and loneliness around the world, and the consequences for health are serious. A report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses efforts in other nations to alleviate social isolation and loneliness. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/solutions-around-world-tackling-loneliness-and-social-isolation-during-covid-19?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=International%20Health.

Mental Health Impact Of COVID-19 Pandemic On Health Care Workers

Health care workers are invited to participate in a study to learn about how stressors related to the COVID-19 virus affect mental health over time. Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires about COVID-19, mental health symptoms, and stress using the study website.

Generating a User Name and Password can be done at https://covidhcwstudy.ctss.nih.gov/join.html.

ASAHP Joins Letter to Congress on Health Professions Funding

The Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC), of which ASAHP is a member, sent a letter to Congressional leadership this week thanking them for their continued efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, restating HPNEC’s request of $790 million for HRSA Title VII and Title VIII workforce programs, and urging Congress to provide at least $367 million in supplemental emergency funding for those programs to support our current and future health workforce.

The letter may be accessed here.

Think Tanks Host Webinar on Telehealth Before and After COVID-19

On Wednesday, May 6, the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution and the John Locke Foundation will hold a webinar to discuss the findings of a forthcoming paper on telehealth before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists will explore obstacles in telehealth and discuss the state of regulations and how telehealth services can be supported in the future.

More information and a registration link may be accessed here.

COVID-19: U.S. Public Health Data And Reporting

An Insight report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides an overview of current public health data systems and policy considerations for Congress.

The report can be obtained at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IN11361.pdf.

COVID-19 Survey Of College And University Presidents

The first monthly COVID-19 survey by the American Council on Education of college and university presidents finds their most pressing concerns are focused on financial impact, remote learning, and student mental health.

Survey results can be obtained at https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Presidents-Respond-COVID19-April2020.pdf.

Higher Ed Institutions Weigh Their Fall 2020 Options

With COVID-19 closing down campuses in the Spring, higher education institutions face the difficult decision of how or when to re-open in the Fall. Colleges are weighing options of having Fall 2020 online only; face-to-face instruction with limitations based on age and vulnerability to COVID-19; and waiting until Spring 2021 to re-open. Many colleges are facing pressure from current and prospective students to make a decision.

Click here to read the full article on Inside Higher Education.

COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact On Counties With Higher Black Populations

A new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund highlights the impact of COVID-19 at the county level, indicating that communities of color have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

The analysis can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/covid-19-more-prevalent-deadlier-us-counties-higher-black-populations?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.

COVID-19 Relief Bill Sent To White House For Signing Into Law

The House of Representatives approved and sent to the president today the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, a COVID-19 relief package. The $484 billion bill, which the Senate approved unanimously two days ago, replenishes two depleted small business-relief programs, offers additional assistance to hospitals, and funds an expansion of testing capacity nationwide. The bill had strong bipartisan support, passing 388 to 5.

Toolkit To Help States Navigate COVID-19 Health Workforce Challenges

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released a new toolkit to help state and local health care decision makers maximize workforce flexibilities when confronting 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in their communities.

The toolkit can be viewed at https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/Workforce-Virtual-Toolkit.

Congress Reaches Agreement on Additional Coronavirus Relief Funding

Today, negotiators have reached a deal on roughly $484 billion in new Coronavirus pandemic related relief funding. The agreement will provide more than $320 billion in addition funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, $60 billion for disaster loans and grants, $75 billion for reimbursement to hospitals and healthcare providers, and $25 billion related to COVID-19 testing. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation later today, and the House is expected to take up the bill on Thursday.

HHS Summary
Bill language
Paycheck Protection Program Increase Act of 2020 Section-by-Section

Dept of Ed Briefing on Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

The Department of Education held a briefing on their implementation of CARES Act provisions. Secretary Betsy DeVos opened the call with praise for higher education officials and reviewed the steps the Department has already taken, such as federal student loan relief, opening of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund-Student Portion (HEERF), and collaboration with accreditors. Acting undersecretary for postsecondary education Diane Jones followed Secretary DeVos with HEERF clarifications found in the Department’s FAQs documents: Student Portion FAQs and Institutional Portion FAQs. Assistant Secretary Bob King shared that institutions may now apply for the Institutional Portion of HEERF at this link.

Additional information and documents about HEERF can be found on the Department’s website.

The COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Clinical Education for Community College Students

Two articles examine how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting clinical education for nursing and allied health community college students.

The articles may be accessed here and here.

Four Upcoming Webinars Highlight IPE and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Next week, four webinars will highlight IPE and the COVID-19 Pandemic. The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education hosts the following:

• Interprofessional Teaching and Collaborative Practice During COVID-19: A Community Conversation, Thursday, April 23, 2020, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education hosts the following:

• Improving Health Access for Public Housing Residents: Washburn University’s Nexus Team, Tuesday, April 21, 3:00pm Eastern

• Living in the Nexus: Leadership Discussions to Advance IPE, Wednesday, April 22, 1:00pm Eastern

• Taking it Statewide: Online IPE and Assessment in a Pandemic, Thursday, April 23, 2:30pm Eastern

More information may be accessed here and here.

FDA Update On Convalescent Plasma

The FDA provided an update on a potential treatment called convalescent plasma and is encouraging individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma to help others fight this disease. This plasma is an antibody-rich product made from blood donated by patients who have recovered from the disease caused by the virus. The agency also launched a new webpage to guide recovered COVID-19 patients to local blood or plasma collection centers to discuss their eligibility and potentially schedule an appointment to donate.

The update can be obtained at https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-encourages-recovered-patients-donate-plasma-development-blood?utm_campaign=041620_PR_Coronavirus%20%28COVID-19%29%20Update%3A%20Daily%20Roundup%20April%2016%2C%202020&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua and the webpage can be obtained at https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/donate-covid-19-plasma?utm_campaign=041620_PR_Coronavirus%20%28COVID-19%29%20Update%3A%20Daily%20Roundup%20April%2016%2C%202020&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua.

Technology’s Role in Fighting COVID-19

The MIT Technology Review considers academic proposals, hurdles, and various paths forward in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article may be accessed here.

Making A Case For Expanding Medicaid

In the context of the coronavirus, a post from the Commonwealth Fund discusses why the 14 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid would benefit immensely from doing so, now more than ever. Medicaid expansion could provide an urgent source of federal funding for states to pay health care providers and ensure their residents receive coronavirus treatment.

The post can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/covid-19-crisis-giving-states-havent-expanded-medicaid-new-reconsideration.