Newswire Archives
On Thursday, June 17, at 10am Eastern, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Supporting the Needs of Students in Higher Education & Lessons on Safely Returning to Campus on Safely Returning to Campus”.
The hearing will be available to watch live here.
This week the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced $22 million in awards to 56 recipients. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, it brings the total funding to $66 million for 168 organizations. Recipients will train graduate-level students in social work, psychology, and other behavioral and mental health disciplines to work with vulnerable populations, particularly children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth at risk for behavioral health disorders through placements at health centers and other community-based settings.
More information can be obtained at https://www.hrsa.gov/about/news/press-releases/arp-behavioral-health-workforce-education-training-underserved-communities.
A new report from AARP shows that average annual increases in the retail prices of widely used brand name prescription drugs have consistently exceeded the general inflation rate since at least 2006.
The report can be obtained at https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2021/06/trends-in-retail-prices-of-brand-name-prescription-drugs-widely-used-by-older-americans.10.26419-2Fppi.00143.001.pdf.
The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on “the President's Proposed Fiscal Year 2022 Budget with the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.” Telehealth was a hailed as an area to continue post-pandemic as it improved accessibility to healthcare.
Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) also discussed his “Mentoring and Supporting Families Act,” which would amend the Health Profession Opportunity Grants program to require career coaching services, mentoring/peer support, and give priority to grant applications that offer a cash stipend. A majority of the hearing focused on Medicare, COVID response, health insurance, surprise medical billing, drug pricing, unaccompanied minors, nursing homes, and mental health.
Read the full memo here.
According to recent preliminary data made available by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hospitals and health systems added 2,900 jobs in May, while the health field overall experienced a growth of 22,500 jobs.
Additional data describing sectors within the health industry can be obtained at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm.
ASAHP and Liaison are inviting you to register for an AHCAS Education Session. As was offered in March, Liaison will hold another round of Education Sessions on June 22, 23, 24 from 9:00 am–4:00 pm ET. During these 1:1 Education Sessions, Liaison will demo these FREE tools and services, all of which advance and enhance the application process for applicants and the admissions management and selection of them. Select the 60-minute session that works best for you. Whether you have certificate, undergraduate, or graduate programs, AHCAS can provide your applicants with a simple, yet meaningful experience—setting the right tone for the relationship between them and the institution of their choice. Once you are registered for a session, Mark Chalmers of Liaison will connect with you personally to confirm the session and provide details. If you have any interest in joining the service, please also feel free to fill out the attached form and return to me.
Sign up for a session here.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration released their FY 2022 Budget Proposal. The $6 trillion budget request calls for $845.384 million for the Title VII and Title VIII HRSA health workforce programs, a $91.384 million (12.1%) increase from FY 2021 enacted levels. This includes an increase of $3.8 million (9%) for geriatric programs and a $75 million (50%) increase for mental and behavioral health and the BHWET program.
The President’s budget proposal may be accessed here. A fact sheet may be accessed here. A funding table on Title VII and Title VIII HRSA proposed funding may be accessed here. ASAHP’s coverage of the President’s FY 22 Budget Outline issued last month may be accessed here.
ASAHP’s Research Committee is now accepting applications for the Interprofessional Collaboration Research Grant Program. The grant’s goal is to support innovative research projects with the highest potential to produce new knowledge and paradigms towards success in interprofessional collaboration. Projects should involve at least two and preferably more health professions. The most competitive applications will be designed as scalable projects with potential outcomes which can be broadly applied and implemented by ASAHP member institutions.
Eligibility: The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a full-time faculty in an ASAHP member institution. Applicants may serve as PI on only one grant application.
Award: Grants may be awarded in the range of $5,000-$25,000. Awards will be provided for one year of support. The number of grants and grant amount awarded will ultimately depend on the quality, potential outcome(s) and total cost. Funds cannot be used for indirect costs or F&A.
Deadline: Applications must be received via electronic submission to the Association of School Advancing Health Professions by 8:00pm ET on July 10, 2021. Proposals received by the deadline will be reviewed by a committee of educational researchers.
Learn more about the program here.
Today, the Senate HELP Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee announced plans to develop legislation establishing a public health insurance option. The Committees have issued a Request for Information letter to all interested parties, with responses to eight questions due by July 31, 2021.
The press release may be accessed here and the letter may be accessed here.
A new project from Morehouse college, backed by Google, Gilead, and others, aims to advance health equity by identifying, understanding, and responding to health inequities in a way that will allow every person to live well and long from generation to generation. The Health Equity Tracker project currently provides COVID-19 data by race, ethnicity, age, and sex.
The Health Equity Tracker may be accessed here.
On Monday the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will hold virtual public hearings on June 21, 23, and 24 to receive stakeholder feedback on potential issues for future rulemaking sessions. The announcement is the first step in the process of issuing new regulations. Following the public hearings, the Department will solicit nominations for negotiators who can serve on the negotiated rulemaking committees which will convene in late summer 2021. The Department said it invites comment on any regulatory issue that that can improve outcomes for students, especially borrowers. The Department listed the following potential topics:
Ability to benefit
Borrower defense to repayment
Certification procedures for participation in federal financial aid programs
Change of ownership and change in control of institutions of higher education
Closed school discharges
Discharges for borrowers with a total and permanent disability
Discharges for false certification of student eligibility
Financial responsibility for participating institutions of higher education, such as events that indicate heightened financial risk
Gainful employment
Income-contingent loan repayment plans
Mandatory pre-dispute arbitration and prohibition of class action lawsuits provisions in institutions’ enrollment agreements
Pell Grant eligibility for prison education programs
Public service loan forgiveness
Standards of administrative capability
The press release may be accessed here. More information, including registration links for the negotiated rulemaking public hearings, may be accessed here.
A new national poll conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and Morning Consult on patients’ experiences receiving mental health and substance use treatment services during the pandemic reaffirms the challenges Americans face in accessing affordable and available treatment.
Survey results can be obtained at https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BPC-MC-FINAL-Slide-deck-on-Mental-Health-Analysis-Poll.pdf.
On October 20-22, the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions will hold its 2021 Annual Conference at the Westin Long Beach in Southern California. This year's conference theme is Leadership in Higher Education and Health Care in a Post-COVID World. Interested parties are invited to contribute to the program by submitting abstracts to be presented in-person in one of two formats:
-Paper presentation: a 20-minute Concurrent Session, or
-Poster presentation: during the conference-wide Poster Session
2021 Featured Topics (any may include a response to the pandemic)
· New Models for Clinical Education
· Creative Approaches to Interprofessional Education/Collaboration
· Next Steps in Telehealth
· Curriculum Innovations Related to COVID-19
· Models of Excellence for Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
· Other (related to allied health)
All abstract submissions are due no later than June 19, 2021 via the Abstract Submission Website. An account will need to be created if it is your first time submitting an abstract. Information is also available on the ASAHP Website.
Hope to see you in October!
The 2021 ASAHP Annual Conference
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced a virtual public hearing to be held from June 7, 2021, to June 11, 2021, to gather information for improving enforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The hearing is part of the Office of Civil Rights' comprehensive review of the Department's existing regulations and other actions related to Title IX to implement President Biden's March 8 Executive Order . During the hearing, OCR seeks input from students, parents, educators, school staff, administrators and other members of the public on what additional changes to the Title IX regulations and any related agency actions may be necessary to fulfill President Biden's Executive Orders. Members of the public can register to make a live comment during the hearing. Members of the public can also send their written comments to T9PublicHearing@ed.gov, following the guidelines in the hearing notice.
The Department of Education announcement may be accessed here. The notice for the public hearing is here. You may register to make a live comment here.
ASAHP’s annual election will be conducted this summer. The following positions are open for the 2021 election:
Board of Directors (three-year term) - 3 open positions
Secretary (two-year term) - 1 open position
Nominations & Elections Committee (two-year term) - 3 open positions
The election candidate form must be submitted online no later than Friday, June 18, 2021. Election information is available here: http://www.asahp.org/elections
On Tuesday, the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation would establish the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program to promote the recruitment of public health professionals at local, state, and tribal public health agencies. To be eligible for the program, individuals must be in their final year of pursuing a public health or health professions degree or certificate or have graduated within the past 10 years and go on to work for a local, state, or tribal public health agency.
The press release may be accessed here, and the bill text may be accessed here.
The National Academy of Medicine released a discussion paper that examines the experiences of clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinician priorities include transforming education and training; and developing policies and programs to address health disparities.
The paper can be obtained at Clinicians and Professional Societies COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Lessons Learned and Compelling Needs - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that new masking recommendations for individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not apply to health care settings. Staff, patients, residents, and visitors should continue to wear masks as recommended in all healthcare facilities regarding the recommendations issued on May 13, 2021.
The recommendations on May 13 can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $7 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March. The funding would go to help states and localities increase their public health staffing and expertise, launch Public Health AmeriCorps, recruit and train public health leaders, building the laboratory workforce and building capacity for future outbreaks, and would create a new grant program to modernize the public health workforce.
The Biden-Harris Administration fact sheet may be accessed here.
This week, the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP), of which ASAHP is a member, sent a letter to Members of Congress which addresses mental and behavioral health, financial aid, student loan forgiveness, and the health professions education provisions in the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
The letter may be accessed here.
