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Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra swore in Andrea Palm as deputy secretary. Confirmed by the Senate yesterday, Palm previously served as secretary-designee of Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services and in several leadership roles at HHS during the Obama-Biden administration.

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded states and territories $40 million in emergency funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which provides voluntary home visits to improve maternal and child health for families in high-risk communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for administration in adolescents ages 12 to 15.

Seventy-nine representatives urged Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to take a number of actions related to the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund.

The National Academy of Medicine released a report on priorities for the nursing profession over the next decade to meet the needs of the U.S. population and achieve health equity, which range from strengthening nursing education and promoting diversity and equity in nursing education and the workforce to protecting nurses’ health and well-being. 

State and local governments can apply through July 6 for grants of up to $125,000 each to develop multi-sector plans to address social determinants of health to improve chronic disease outcomes in populations experiencing health disparities and inequities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.

The AHA supports adding data classes and elements to future versions of the U.S. Core Data for Interoperability to capture standardized data on social determinants of health, but suggests prioritizing technical infrastructure development, incorporating lessons learned and continuing investments in real-world testing, the association told the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding stakeholders that funding is available under FEMA’s Public Assistance program, including for community engagement and information dissemination to promote vaccination availability, scheduling, and accessibility, as well as reimbursement for activities to increase public confidence in and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released an interim final rule requiring long-term care facilities in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff, educate them on the benefits and potential side effects, and begin reporting weekly COVID-19 vaccination and treatment data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network by June 13.

The Department of the Treasury released an interim final rule implementing $350 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding to help state, local and tribal governments recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Food and Drug Administration announced the expansion of its emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents ages 12 to 15.

The FBI released an alert on the ransomware variant Darkside, which this month infected a critical infrastructure company in the United States. The ransomware-as-a-service variant has affected various sectors since October 2020, including health care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration should disaggregate and analyze maternal health data for rural and underserved communities, and adjust maternal health program efforts to meet the needs in those communities, the Government Accountability Office said in a report.

The AHA urged the Census Bureau to continue to distinguish between different types of urban areas.

The Department of Health and Human Services will interpret and enforce the Affordable Care Act’s prohibitions on discrimination based on sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity, consistent with the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock and Title IX, the agency announced. S

Learn what design and engineering changes are under consideration by hospital and health system leaders like Bradley Pollitt, vice president of facilities at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla., as they prepare for crises beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois health care providers may no longer order the monoclonal antibodies bamlanivimab and etesevimab until further notice due to rising prevalence in Illinois of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant, which is not susceptible to the combination therapy, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response announced.

In honor of National Hospital Week (May 9-15), the AHA collaborated with Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization that delivers the healing power of music, to release an original song and video inspired by the words of health care workers, honoring their work and sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Today is “Our Cup Runneth Over with Gratitude” Day at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital in El Dorado, Kan. Employees are wearing blue and yellow SBA colors and getting a stainless steel cup as a small gift of thanks from their hospital leaders.  

President Biden has expressed his hope that America will have a normal, or as close to normal as possible, Fourth of July this year. All the signs increasingly point to fulfillment of that wish — a wish we all share.