The HPH Sector Preparedness, Response, and COVID-19 Updates
April 13, 2023
The HPH Sector Preparedness, Resilience, and Response Update is produced by the
Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection
(CIP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
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COVID-19 Situation Updates
As of April 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
reported 104,242,889 cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 1,127,104 deaths in the United States. The map below shows confirmed and (COVID-19) cases reported by U.S. states and territories, and the District of Columbia.
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COVID-19 Situation Updates
A study has found that the magnitude and quality of a key immune cell’s response to vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were considerably lower in people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to people without prior infection. In addition, the level of this key immune cell that targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was substantially lower in unvaccinated people with COVID-19 than in vaccinated people who had never been infected. Importantly, people who recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection and then get vaccinated are more protected than people who are unvaccinated. These findings, which suggest that the virus damages an important immune-cell response, were published today in the journal Immunity
. The study was co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Learn more about the study on NIH.gov.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is constantly changing and accumulating mutations in its genetic code over time. New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to continue to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants. To identify and track SARS-CoV-2 variants,
CDC uses genomic surveillance.
CDC's national genomic surveillance system collects SARS-CoV-2 specimens for sequencing through the National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance (NS3) program, as well as SARS-CoV-2 sequences generated by commercial or academic laboratories contracted by CDC and state or local public health laboratories. Learn more on CDC.gov.
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Emergency Preparedness and Response
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is urging the Midwest and central United States to stay alert for severe weather risks this week. The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting intense and widespread severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes in some areas. Remain alert, keep your cell phone charged and take steps to prepare now to potentially save lives and protect property when severe weather strikes.
Severe weather, that could include intense, long-track tornadoes, is expected to develop Tuesday and into the overnight hours across large portions of the United States including Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, northeast Texas and surrounding states. Learn more on FEMA.gov. Additional Resources: |
Funding for Hazards
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure (APPLETREE) cooperative agreement program will award $13.95 million to fund 30 state health departments to evaluate past and present exposure to environmental hazards and to prevent future exposures. The cooperative agreement will provide $69.8 million (projected) to 30 state health departments over the next 5 years, beginning April 1, 2023, and is part of the White House Justice40 Initiative.
ATSDR will give resources and guidance to assess and respond to site-specific issues involving exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. Some recipients will also use program awards to develop plans and take action to protect children from environmental hazards through the safe siting of early care and education facilities. Learn more about the funding on CDC.gov
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Substance Abuse Prevention
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced two funding opportunities for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) expansion, totaling $123.6 million. The CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation (CCBHC-PDI) grant aims to assist clinics to establish and implement new CCBHC programs, and the
CCBHC Improvement and Advancement (CCBHC–IA) grant seeks to enhance and support existing CCBHCs that currently meet the CCBHC Certification Criteria. This builds on the progress the Biden-Harris Administration has made in tackling the country’s mental health crisis and beating the opioid epidemic by expanding access to mental health and substance use services – key priorities outlined in President Biden’s Unity Agenda.
Anyone seeking treatment for mental health or substance use issues should call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.samhsa.gov. Learn more about mental health services on HHS.gov.
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U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) Announcement
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a national strategy outlining actions the agency will take immediately to help ensure one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations continue to have access to safe, nutritious infant formula and to increase resiliency of the U.S. infant formula market and supply. They are looking to both strengthen and diversify the market, while also ensuring that manufacturers are producing infant formula under the safest conditions possible.
The Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022 (FDORA) directed the FDA, in consultation with other federal government partners, to develop this immediate strategy to increase the resiliency of the U.S. infant formula market.
The agency remains committed to improving the infant formula supply and ensuring that consumers have the utmost confidence that infant formula available in the U.S. is safe and nutritious. This initial strategy represents a first step toward issuing — with input from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM)— a long-term national strategy, also called for in FDORA, to improve preparedness against infant formula shortages by outlining methods to improve information-sharing, recommending measures for protecting the integrity of the infant formula supply chain and preventing contamination. That long-term strategy will follow the plan released today and outline methods to incentivize entry of new infant formula manufacturers to increase supply and
mitigate future shortages and recommend necessary authorities to gain insight into the supply chain and risks for shortages. The long-term strategy is due to Congress one year after enactment, or 90 days after the NASEM issues its report. The FDA anticipates issuing this strategy publicly in early 2024. Learn more about the announcement on FDA.gov. |
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Announcement
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced additional resources and flexibilities available in response to the recent severe storms in Mississippi. CMS is working closely with Mississippi to put these flexibilities in place to ensure those affected by this natural disaster have access to the care they need – when they need it most. CMS stands ready to assist with resources and waivers to ensure hospitals and other facilities can continue to operate and provide access to care to those impacted by the consequences of the severe storm outbreak. CMS waivers are available to providers in Mississippi who have been affected by the Severe Storm Outbreak and remain affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care providers who need additional flexibilities
specific to the Severe Storm Outbreak can submit a request.
To prepare for current and future disasters, CMS has developed an inventory of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) flexibilities and authorities available to states in the event of a disaster to support Medicaid and CHIP operations and ensure continuity of coverage for people served through Medicaid and CHIP programs during times of crisis. CMS is helping people obtain and maintain access to critical life-saving services by activating the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) program and working with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 8, who’s contracted area of responsibility includes assessing the status of dialysis facilities in potentially impacted areas of Mississippi. CMS will continue to work with Mississippi and those areas impacted by
the recent storms. Learn more how you can receive more help on CMS.gov. |
Climate Readiness
Significant flooding is ongoing in the western U.S., in California. According to NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook, the abnormally wet winter will further improve drought across much of the western U.S. as the snowpack melts in the coming months. Winter precipitation, combined with recent storms, wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, and is expected to further improve drought conditions this spring.
NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook highlights temperature, precipitation, drought and flood predictions for April through June to help the nation prepare for potential weather and climate threats to lives and livelihoods. Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and in support of the Biden Administration's priority to tackle the climate crisis, NOAA will invest significant resources to build a Climate-Ready Nation that gives communities tailored information about changing conditions so that residents and economies are protected. Learn more on
NOAA.gov.
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Community Based Health
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded nearly $23 million to 46 grantees to plan and develop Teaching Health Center residency programs in community-based settings. While the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program has existed for over a decade, the Biden-Harris Administration is the first to invest in the startup costs of planning and developing new Teaching Health Center primary care residency programs. The President’s FY 2024 budget request - PDF
also seeks to expand this successful program.
While most residency programs are based in hospitals, Teaching Health Center programs prioritize training residents in community-based outpatient settings, such as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or community mental health centers, which primarily serve people in rural and high-need areas. These programs are designed to focus training in the settings and among patients where primary care clinicians practice. Today’s funding announcement will support community-based care providers who want to build primary care residency training programs but haven’t had the resources to develop and start a program that will effectively train physicians and dentists to practice in community settings. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring all Americans have
access to high-quality, affordable health care – and that starts with having a strong health care workforce. Learn more about the program on HHS.gov.
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ASPR TRACIE
ASPR TRACIE Roundtable: Lessons Learned in Healthcare Communications – Register Today!
Healthcare and public health entities have learned many lessons about communicating to their personnel and the public after three years of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and concurrent emergencies. ASPR TRACIE invites you to register for this webinar where speakers
representing a wide range of stakeholders and jurisdiction types (national, large/urban, regional, and rural/tribal) will share their perspectives on how they integrated these lessons into current and future responses.
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Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions, send an email to CIP@hhs.gov. The CIP team will work to answer your inquiries or connect you to the proper entity.
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