Newswire Archives
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.
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.
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.
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.
Inside Higher Ed’s 2021 Survey of College and University Presidents found that nearly eight in 10 campus leaders say they are confident their institution will be financially stable over the next decade, and more than a quarter strongly agree. Of COVID-19 related issues, the mental health of students was found to be the chief concern of survey respondents.
The Inside Higher Ed article may be accessed here.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education released guidance on the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants. The department clarifies that the grants may be used for expenses since March 13, 2020, that qualified aliens are eligible to receive HEERF student grants, and specifies potential sources of lost revenue that are and are not reimbursable with HEERF grants.
The U.S. Department of Education press release and documents may be accessed here. An overview from NASFAA may be accessed here.
The Student Aid Alliance, of which ASAHP is a member, sent a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittees which outlines the group’s FY 2022 funding level requests for student aid programs. The letter covers Pell Grants, campus-based aid, TRIO, GEAR UP, GAANN, and LEAP Grants.
The letter may be accessed here.
A paper from the National Council on Education explains how an endowment is created, how institutions balance present and future needs in managing their endowments, and how the funds generated are used.
The paper can be obtained at https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Understanding-College-and-University-Endowments.pdf.
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) examines the $350 billion in stimulus funds to state, local, and tribal governments that were included in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law last week. Such funding is a critical component of the package and could help support higher education.
More information may be accessed here.
An analysis by Altarum finds the health care workforce shrunk 3.5 percent over the course of the pandemic, with hospital employment holding steady overall and increases in ambulatory settings, but a sharp 9.3% drop in assisted living facilities.
Altarum’s latest monthly analysis may be accessed here.
Effective March 15, Medicare will nearly double what it pays to administer COVID-19 vaccines to about $40 per dose in order to reflect the costs involved. The exact payment rate will depend on the type of service provider and location.
An announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-increases-medicare-payment-life-saving-covid-19-vaccine.
President Biden made a primetime address on Thursday evening in which he announced that every American adult will be eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 by May 1 and that small groups should be able to celebrate by July 4. The Administration also announced new efforts to allow more individuals to administer vaccinations. Through an amendment to the PREP Act, newly eligible vaccinators include: Dentists, Emergency Medical Technicians (Advanced and Intermediate EMTs), Midwives, Optometrists, Paramedics, Physician Assistants, Podiatrists, Respiratory Therapists, and Veterinarians. This amendment also authorizes qualified recently retired members of the above professions, pharmacists and pharmacy interns to serve as vaccinators. The amendment authorizes students of eligible health care professions with proper training and professional supervision to serve as vaccinators. This important expansion of qualified persons opens the door for almost one million skilled students to administer COVID-19 vaccines with supervision. A fact sheet is available here. Vaccinators may check eligibility and volunteer with their state here. ASAHP and Students Assist America have been working with HHS on this issue. ASAHP joined a stakeholder call with HHS on the matter this afternoon. HHS is working on a FAQ document to be released soon.
Each year, ASAHP along with CastleBranch sponsors a scholarship program for allied health students enrolled in its member institutions. The purpose is to recognize outstanding students in the allied health professions who excel in their academic programs and have significant potential to assume future leadership roles in the allied health professions. Each student chosen for an award will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The most exemplary Scholarship of Excellence recipient will also receive the “Elwood Scholar” award, qualifying an additional $1,000 in scholarship funds. We are now accepting applications for this year’s awards. The deadline is Friday, June 4, 2021.
More information may be accessed here.
The Interprofessional Task Force (IPTF) of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP), in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati (UC), developed the Interprofessional Innovation Grant (IIG) Program to provide support for interprofessional collaboration research among the ASAHP membership. The intent is to provide recipients a competitive edge in securing additional funding by supporting pilot projects and further developing grantsmanship skill sets. The intent of the IIG Program is that proposals submitted can be used to develop larger, more extensive interprofessional research projects that further engage faculty and ASAHP members in research endeavors.
Learn more and apply here.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 220-211 to approve the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The House approved the version of the bill that the Senate approved on March 6. The bill includes $39.6 billion for institutions of higher education and students. It also includes a provision that any loan forgiveness received in the near term will not be included as income for an individual’s tax purposes. Next, the legislation goes to President Biden for his signature.
ASAHP was part of 112 organizations that sent a letter to key Congressional appropriations as part of the Friends of HRSA coalition. The coalition requests $9.2 billion for discretionary Health Resources and Services Administration programs in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
The letter may be accessed here.
On Wednesday, March 10, at 2pm Eastern, the House Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Health Profession Opportunity Grants: Past Successes and Future Uses”.
More information and the link to view the hearing may be accessed here. The opening statement from Subcommittee Chair Danny Davis (D-IL) may be found here.
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, bicameral and bipartisan legislation, was introduced in Congress today to prevent suicide, burnout, and behavioral health disorders among health care professionals.
The bill’s text can be obtained at https://www.scribd.com/document/497258598/Kaine-Leads-Colleagues-in-Bipartisan-Bicameral-Legislation-to-Support-Health-Care-Workers-Mental-Health-Amid-Covid-19.
A hearing on the future of telehealth as a result of COVID-19 was held this morning by the House Committee on Energy & Commerce.
Expert testimony can be obtained at https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-the-future-of-telehealth-how-covid-19-is-changing-the.
