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In Partnership With:
November 2024
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Spotlight
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- Last month, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released the new report Pathway to a Healthier America: A Blueprint for Strengthening Public Health for the Next Administration and Congress. The Blueprint identifies six priority areas and includes policy recommendations that, if adopted, will improve health outcomes and bolster the nation’s economic and national security. The report draws a roadmap for policymakers to safeguard the nation's health security by ensuring sustained investment in public health, policy support, and protection from political interference. TFAH also held a release event at the National Press Club which featured highlights from the report as well as engaging conversations with expert speakers, including former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretaries Michael Leavitt and Kathleen Sebelius. A recording of the livestream can be found here.
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- HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced that the Baxter facility in Marion, N.C. will soon resume production of IV solutions, irrigation fluids, and peritoneal solutions. The facility produces a significant portion of these solutions to the U.S. medical system, but the supply chain was disrupted as a result of Hurricane Helene. In addition, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced the arrival of the first flight of Baxter product that was airlifted to the U.S. from international facilities following the temporary grant of regulatory flexibility by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to meet existing needs.
- Secretary Becerra also declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida in response to the health impacts of Hurricane Milton. As part of the response, ASPR deployed approximately 100 responders, along with medical equipment and supplies. Deployed personnel include experts from an ASPR Incident Management Team and ASPR Regional Emergency Coordinators who are integrating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state health authorities, and emergency response officials to anticipate and assist the state in meeting public health and medical needs. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administration for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry have developed communications materials on health and safety.
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President Biden has selected Helen Beaudreau to serve as the new Executive Director of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Beaudreau’s past experiences includes various roles at the White House National Security Council and the Peace Corps, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and HHS have published a joint fact sheet outlining the Administration’s response to halt the spread of H5N1 in California and Washington State and steps taken to protect animal and human health. As part of a national response effort, USDA has approved two bovine vaccine field safety trials and a study of the U.S. milk supply that will generate data to aid in the understanding of H5N1 in raw cow’s milk received by dairy processing facilities across the nation.
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- According to provisional data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on October 16th, 94,758 individuals died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending May 2024—a 15 percent drop from the previous 12-month period. This number may rise to 98,820—or a 12.7 percent drop—once CDC finalizes the data. On the state level, the data showed notable regional differences. Nine states in the East and Midwest experienced at least a 21 percent drop in overdoses, with North Carolina experiencing a 48.8 percent drop. In contrast, several Western states saw increases; Alaska experienced a 36.1 increase in overdose deaths and Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Washington saw between 5 percent to 15 percent increases in deaths.
- CDC released 11 studies based on data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. These studies provide critical data on behavioral health risk and protective factors for youth, as well as the specific impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), frequent social media use, and experiences of racism on student mental health outcomes. Three in four (76 percent) high school students, for example, experienced at least one ACE and 18 percent experienced four or more ACEs. Frequent social media use, which occurred among 77 percent of high school students, was also linked to more reports of bullying victimization at school and electronically, persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and some suicide risk.
- CDC published a report on coverage with selected vaccines and exemption rates among children in kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year. During the 2023–24 school year, coverage declined to less than 93 percent for all reported vaccines (including diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis) and to 92.7 percent for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Additional exemptions and coverage reduction increase the risk for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, and public health departments, schools, and providers must work together to ensure students begin school fully vaccinated.
- The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released the Proceedings of a Workshop document Strengthening Indigenous America: Building Resilience through Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. The brief summarizes a July 2024 public workshop that explored opportunities to support the capacity of Indigenous American and tribal communities and nations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and public health emergencies.
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Funding and Award Opportunities
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- Reminder: The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program. The program, using funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, will fund climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives that are responsive to community and stakeholder input. Application deadline: November 21, 2024.
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality announced a NOFO to establish state-based Healthcare Extension Cooperatives, representing a historic investment to accelerate the implementation and dissemination of patient-centered outcomes research into health care delivery through improvements in health care policy, payment, and practice, and to reduce health care disparities, especially among people who receive Medicaid, are uninsured, and/or are medically underserved. Application deadline: December 12, 2024.
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Open Comment Opportunities and Requests for Information (RFIs)
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- Reminder: The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published draft guidance outlining new, voluntary targets for sodium reduction in foods. This draft guidance serves as Phase II of FDA’s stepwise sodium reduction efforts and builds on the sodium reduction goals issued in 2021, now referred to as Phase I. Phase II contains three-year sodium reduction targets for 163 food categories that are commercially processed and packaged or prepared in food service establishments such as restaurants. The deadline to submit comments on the draft guidance is November 14, 2024.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is seeking public comments on a proposed rule related to heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings. The proposed rule would protect an estimated 36 million works from heat exposure by requiring employers to provide breaks, water, and an observation system to check employees for signs of illness among other steps that kick in at heat triggers of 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The deadline to submit comments is December 30, 2024.
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If your organization submits comments, please share a copy with GIH (info@gih.org) so we can track and compile input from health funders.
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