ASAHP NEWSWIRE ARCHIVES

ASAHP and Higher Education Groups Release Statement In Support of Voting Rights

ASAHP was one of forty-eight higher education organizations to join in issuing a statement opposing efforts, currently being pursued in several states, to make it more difficult to vote. The statement reads, “We strongly oppose the many efforts currently underway across the nation to suppress voting by qualified voters. We stand with all who seek to expand rather than restrict voting and civic participation. We are particularly concerned with proposals that would roll back some of that progress by raising barriers to student voting, including prohibiting students from using their campus addresses to register or qualify for absentee ballots. Exercising the right to vote should not be controversial or challenging. The right to vote defines us as a nation. We call on lawmakers to take action to ensure that civic participation in America continues to move forward, not backward, and that the United States has the most inclusive and equitable democracy in the world.”

An article by Insider Higher Ed may be accessed here, and the full statement may be accessed here.

Research And Development In The Pharmaceutical Industry

A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assesses trends in spending for prescription drug research and development (R&D) and the introduction of new prescription drugs. CBO also examines factors that determine how much drug companies spend on R&D.  

The report can be obtained at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2021-04/57025-Rx-RnD.pdf

Biden-Harris Administration Releases FY 22 Budget Outline

On Friday, the Biden-Harris Administration released their budget outline for FY 2022. The Administration proposed a $118 billion (8.4 percent) increase in spending relative to the FY 2021 level. The non-defense portion of discretionary spending would be increased by $106 billion (16 percent) while defense spending would be increased by $12 billion (1.7 percent). The proposal includes $102.8 billion for the Department of Education, a $29.8 billion (41 percent) increase over the 2021 enacted level. The discretionary request increases the maximum Pell Grant by $400, the largest one-time increase since 2009. This investment is one piece of a more comprehensive proposal to double the maximum Pell Grant. The President’s request includes $131.7 billion for HHS, a $25 billion (23.5 percent) increase from the 2021 enacted level. The proposal includes includes $8.7 billion for CDC, an increase of $1.6 billion over the 2021 enacted level, and provides $1.6 billion, more than double the 2021 enacted level, for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant. The discretionary request provides additional funding to increase the diversity of the healthcare workforce and expand access to culturally competent care. The discretionary request also includes $153 million for CDC’s Social Determinants of Health program, an increase of $150 million over the 2021 enacted level, to support all States and Territories in improving health equity and data collection for racial and ethnic populations. More budget details are expected to be released later this Spring.

A summary of the President’s discretionary funding request is available here. A press release is available here.

House Hearing on the FY 22 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services

On Thursday, April 15, at 10:00am Eastern, the House Appropriations Commmittee’s LHHSED Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 2022 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services. Secretary Xavier Becerra will testify. On Tuesday, April 13, at 2:30pm Eastern, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs will hold a hearing entitled “The Student Debt Burden and Its Impact on Racial Justice, Borrowers, & The Economy.” On Thursday, April 15, at 10:00am Eastern, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of James Kvaal to serve as Undersecretary of Education.

More information may be accessed here, here, and here.

House Hearing on Improving Access to Behavioral and Mental Health Care

On Thursday, April 15, at 10:15am Eastern, the House Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Health, Education Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing, “Meeting the Moment: Improving Access to Behavioral and Mental Health Care”.

More information may be accessed here and the hearing may be viewed live here.

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Trust In The CDC Declined During COVID-19 Pandemic

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According to new RAND survey data, public trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fell by about 10% from May to October 2020, a critical period of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

More information can be obtained at Decline in Trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic | RAND.

Department of Education to Review Title IX

Today, in a letter to stakeholders, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it was undertaking a review of Title IX regulations. OCR will hold an upcoming public hearing in the next few weeks, at a date to be announced, and plans to issue a question-and-answer document in the coming months. Furthermore, OCR anticipates publishing in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the Department’s Title IX regulations. This notice will provide stakeholders with an additional opportunity to respond through a formal notice-and-comment period.

The letter from the Department of Education may be accessed here. An overview from the Chronicle of Higher Education may be accessed here.

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U.S. Department of Education Discharges Over $1.6 billion in HBCU Capital Finance Debt

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The U.S. Department of Education discharged $1.6 billion of debt provided to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that participate in the HBCU Capital Financing Program. This action will provide debt relief to 45 HBCUs. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law in December 2020 provided authority and funding to discharge debts held by HBCUs under the HBCU Capital Financing Program. 

The U.S. Department of Education press release may be accessed here.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Infrastructure Package

On Wednesday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced their infrastructure package, the American Jobs Plan. The proposal, expected to amount to between $2.2 and $2.7 trillion, includes $400 billion towards home or community-based care for aging relatives and people with disabilities, $100 billion for broadband, $100 billion for workforce development, $12 billion for community college infrastructure, and $20 billion for upgrading research infrastructure in laboratories to be reserved for HBCUs and MSIs, including the creation of a new national lab focused on climate that will be affiliated with an HBCU. The proposal also calls for a $10 billion R&D investment at HBCUs and other MSIs, and $15 billion for creating up to 200 centers of excellence at these institutions. A second infrastructure proposal, the American Families Plan, is expected to be announced later in April.

The White House Fact Sheet on the American Jobs Plan may be accessed here. Reporting from Inside Higher Ed may be accessed here, and reporting from the Chronicle of Higher Education may be accessed here.

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COVID-19 Community Corps: A Community Engagement Opportunity

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Today, HHS and the CDC launched the COVID-19 Community Corps, a volunteer, grassroots effort to help encourage COVID-19 vaccination across communities. Volunteers may sign-up to receive resources such as fact sheets and social media content to help build vaccine confidence among family, friends, and neighbors.

More information and an online sign-up form may be accessed here. A press release from HHS may be accessed here.

ASAHP Supports HPNEC's Health Professions Funding Request for FY 22

ASAHP joined 93 other members of the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) in urging Congress to provide $1.51 billion for the HRSA Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs for FY 2022. The coalition's proposed increase will help HRSA address health inequities and patients' evolving needs across America, especially as the current and future health care workforce remains on the frontlines of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The letter to Congressional appropriators may be accessed here.

Sustained Federal Action Is Crucial In The Pandemic

The 6th comprehensive report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the federal response to the pandemic identified multiple ways agencies can improve response efforts. For example, improvements in federal data are recommended to provide a clear picture of whether COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed equitably to communities of color, which disproportionately are affected by the virus.  

The report can be obtained at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-387?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=watchblog.

Federal Student Loan Flexibilities

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced an expansion of the pause on federal student loan interest and collections to all defaulted loans in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. This action will help more than one million additional borrowers burdened by debt during the COVID-19 emergency. 

More information can be obtained at https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-education-announces-expansion-covid-19-emergency-flexibilities-additional-federal-student-loans-default.

IPEC Hosts Virtual May 2021 Institute and Virtual 2021 Interprofessional Leadership Development Program

Apply now for two of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative’s (IPEC) upcoming virtual summer events. ASAHP is a proud member of IPEC, supporting the advancement of substantive interprofessional learning experiences to help prepare future health professionals for enhanced team-based care of patients and improved population health outcomes.

ASAHP Urges Congress to Double the Maximum Pell Grant

ASAHP joined nearly 1,200 organizations, including nearly 900 colleges and universities, in urging Congress to double the maximum Pell Grant. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant — and permanently indexing the grant to inflation to ensure its value doesn’t diminish over time — will boost college enrollment, improve graduation rates, and honor the history and value of these grants as the keystone federal investment in college affordability.

The letter to Congress may be accessed here. Talking point are available here.

Senate Hearing On Improving Health Equity And Outcomes By Addressing Health Disparities

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee conducted a hearing on improving COVID-19 health equity and outcomes by addressing health disparities.

Testimony at the hearing can be obtained at https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/examining-our-covid-19-response-improving-health-equity-and-outcomes-by-addressing-health-disparities.

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ASAHP Calls for An Equitable COVID-19 Response

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ASAHP joined nearly eighty organizations in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky that urges them to ensure funding for COVID-19 public health response activities provided through the American Rescue Plan Act prioritizes the communities of color and tribal communities that are disproportionately affected and underserved.

The letter may be accessed here.

Health Care Delivery Strained By COVID-19

A review from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General provides a national snapshot, from the perspective of front-line hospital administrators, on how responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their capacity to care for patients, staff, and communities.

The review can be obtained at https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-09-21-00140.asp.

Community Project Funding (Earmarks) Request Opportunity

House Democrats and Republicans have both agreed to move forward with Community Project Funding, formerly known as earmarks. While the practice had been prohibited for over a decade, now each Member of the House may request up to 10 Community Project Funding grants for projects within their districts. Each Member’s office may set a different deadline for the requests. Institutions that are considering making a request should check with their respective House Member’s office for their deadline. The House Appropriations Committee will consider the requests through the 12 Appropriations Subcommittees, which have their own deadlines for Members to request the funding. Member offices may begin filing requests on March 29. The Senate has yet to decide how to proceed. Senate Republicans have not made a formal decision, though Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has offered to allocate half of the Senate earmarks to Republican requests.

Information from the House Appropriations Committee may be accessed here, here, and here. The Appropriations Subcommittee on L-HHS-ED & Related Agencies’ FY 22 Member Request Guide may be accessed here.