Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity Grants Program

The Department of Education has announced it is accepting application for the Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity (IREPO) grants program. Created by the CARES Act, IREPO is designed to help intuitions of higher education emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic more resilient and expand educational opportunities for students. Priority for grant awards will be given to colleges and universities with the greatest unmet needs related to COVID-19. $28,000,000 in estimated funds are available for an estimated 19 awards. The deadline of the notice of intent to apply is September 10, 2020, and the application deadline date is October 20, 2020.

The notice is available here and more information may be accessed here.

HHS Invests In Laboratories To Expand COVID-19 Testing Capacity

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today the provision of combined investments of $6.5 million in two commercial diagnostic laboratories to expand capacity by performing an additional one million SARS-CoV-2 tests each week by early October.

The announcement can be obtained at https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/08/13/hhs-invests-in-diagnostic-labs-to-expand-covid-19-testing-capacity-in-the-united-states.html.

Provider Relief Fund

Qualified health care service and support providers now have access to relief funds for appropriate expenses, lost revenue due to COVID-19, or to help uninsured Americans get testing and treatment for COVID-19. Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPCHE), the federal government has allocated $175 billion in payments to be distributed through the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). These payments do not need to be repaid to the US government, assuming providers comply with the terms and conditions. All groups will have until Friday, August 28, 2020 to apply.

More information may be accessed here.

COVID-19 Testing Plans By State And Jurisdiction

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released COVID-19 testing plans for state, local, and territorial jurisdictions through the rest of calendar year 2020. These plans set specific targets for COVID-19 testing in each jurisdiction.

Testing plans can be obtained at https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/testing-plans/index.html.

President Trump's Executive Action on Pandemic Relief

On Saturday, President Trump took executive action after negotiations over the next iteration of pandemic relief stalled. The President’s action’s, through one Executive Order and three memorandums, would provide a deferment of payroll taxes for most workers, calls for $400 per week in unemployment benefits, would extend moratorium on evictions to the end of the year, and defers student loan payments and interest until the end of the year. The legality of the executive actions is in question and may be determined by the courts, and Congress and the Administration may eventually find agreement on new pandemic relief legislation which addresses these issues.

The Memorandum on Student Loan payment relief may be accessed here. More analysis may be accessed here.

Watch On-Demand: Keeping Students Safe in the Age of COVID-19 Webinar

The webinar recording for “Keeping Students Safe in the Age of COVID-19” is now available to watch on-demand. Experts discussed best practices to help keep your healthcare students safe from COVID-19 on-campus but also in their daily lives with jobs, family, and social obligations.

Click to watch the webinar recording.

Congressional Roundtable Examines the Role of Telehealth During COVID-19 and Beyond

Today the Congressional Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force held a bipartisan member roundtable, “Examing the Role of Telehealth During COVID-19 and Beyond”. Participants included: members of the Task Force; Tearsanee Carlisle Davis, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, Director of Clinical and Advanced Practice Operations at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Center for Telehealth and Assistant Professor at UMMC School of Nursing; Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Care Policy, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Associate Professor of Medicine and Hospitalist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Keris Myrick, MBA, Chief of Peer and Allied Health Professions for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health; and Jason Tibbels, MD, Chief Quality Officer, Teladoc Health; President, The Institute of Patient Safety and Quality of Virtual Care.

Roundtable Discussion link
Statement from Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal

Interactive Map of Fall Reopening Plans

The College Crisis Initiative (C2i) and Project PRONTO++, initiatives of Davidson College, have made available an interactive map featuring the Fall 2020 plans for academic instruction of about 3,000 institutions of higher education.

The website may be accessed here.

ASHAP Joins Joint Letter on Student Loan Forgiveness for Health Professionals

ASAHP joined numerous other associations as part of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP), in urging Congressional leadership to include student loan forgiveness for health professionals in it’s next COVID-19 supplemental package.

The letter may be accessed here.

Institutions of Higher Education Are Reversing their Reopening Plans

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions of higher education have reversed their previously announced reopening plans for the Fall, opting instead for online courses and closed campuses.

Inside Higher Ed’s article may be accessed here.

Viral Vectors: Contact Tracing on Campus Webinar

The Chronicle of Higher Education will be hosting a webinar with expert panelists on the challenges with contact tracing as many colleges and universities prepare to re-open for the Fall semester.

More details and registration is available here.

Curriculum and Assessment Amid COVID-19 and Beyond

Inside Higher Ed is hosting a webcast, “Curriculum and Assessment Amid COVID-19 and Beyond”, taking place on Wednesday, August 12 at 2:00pm Eastern. The webcast will be hosted by Inside Higher Ed editors Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman.

Registration and more information is available here.

The Way Forward on COVID-19: A Road Map

Today the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released The Way Forward on COVID-19: A Road Map to Reset the Nation’s Approach to the Pandemic. The report includes 11 evidence-based, immediate and long-term actions that constitute a plan to address the pandemic.

The report is available here.

Senate GOP Releases COVID-19 Relief Package

This week Senate Republicans proposed their latest COVID-19 relief package, several bills totaling just over $1 trillion in spending. The package proposes $105.1 billion for the Department of Education, including $29 billion for higher education. It includes $118.4 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, with funds for vaccine research and testing. The Senate Republican proposal also includes liability protections, unemployment insurance, and a new round of direct payments. The proposal was deemed inadequate by Democrats, who passed an over $3 trillion package in May and are calling for greater education funding.

Inside Higher Ed Article
Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act Text
Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act Section-by-Section Analysis
Simplifying Student Loan Payment One Pager
Appropriations Provisions Summary

New International Students Barred from Fully Online Classes

On Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued guidance barring new international students from coming to the U.S. for Fall coursework if their classes are fully online. Earlier this month, DHS issued and then rescinded a policy directive requiring that international students must take at least some in-person classes in order to remain in the U.S. ASAHP advocated against the earlier guidance and was pleased to see it rescinded.

More details may be found here.
ICE News Release
ICE Clarifying Q&A for Fall 2020

Sec. Azar Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has renewed the current public health emergency declaration that is needed to adequately deploy necessary recourses and authorities. ASAHP was part of a joint letter sent to Secretary Azar earlier this month urging renewal of the declaration. That letter may be accessed here.

Effect Of COVID-19 On Hospital Financial Health

A new analysis by Kaufman, Hall & Associates LLC highlights COVID-19’s impact on hospitals’ and health systems’ financial health. According to the report, without further government support, hospitals’ margins could sink to minus 7% in the second half of 2020, with half of all hospitals operating in the red.

The analysis can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2020/07/KH-COVID-Hospital-Financial-Health_FINAL.pdf.

ASAHP Urges Patient Data Should Not Bypass the CDC

ASAHP joined nearly 100 organizations in urging the Administration to reverse its decision to bypass the CDC as a recipient in the collection and analysis of COVID-19 patient data.

The letter may be accessed here.

Remaking Primary Care For Women

As the COVID-19 pandemic has made apparent, the primary care system in the U.S. often fails to meet the full range of women’s health care needs. A two-part series from the Commonwealth Fund presents a vision for achieving the kind of primary care that women in America want and need.

The first report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2020/jul/transforming-primary-health-care-women-part-1-framework?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform and the second report at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2020/jul/transforming-primary-health-care-women-part-2-path-forward?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.

Poll Results Show Support For Hospitals And Front-Line Providers

Respondents overwhelmingly support hospitals and further aid as front-line health care providers fight to defeat COVID-19, regardless of party affiliation, according to a poll released today by the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care.

Results can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2020/07/cpah-national-survey-summary-key-findings.pdf.