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February 6: HHS/ASPR Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds: "Where Are We? Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?"
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February 14: Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Recipient Webinar
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February Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Office Hours: Updates from the SNS Office of Science |
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Register today
for the next monthly SNS Office Hours, scheduled for February 28 from 4-5 PM ET. This one-hour session features SNS health scientists who will provide the most recent SNS science updates and answer questions on SNS formulary topics. To ensure maximum benefit from this session, participants are strongly encouraged to submit questions in advance to sns-sltt@hhs.gov (subject: SNS Office Hours: Office of Science Updates) by Friday, February 9. For more information or for questions, please contact the SNS Office of State, Local, Tribal, Territorial (SLTT) Preparedness at that same email address. |
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ASPR Marks Black History Month |
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February is Black History Month. At ASPR, we celebrate the progress that has been made to advance the health and well-being of the Black community and we are taking action to ensure a more equitable response to disasters and emergencies.
ASPR is strengthening health equity in communities across the country through Medical Reserve Corps State, Territory, and Tribal Nations, Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) grants, sharing tools with our partners to advance the health and well-being of at-risk communities, and working to increase access to free COVID-19 test kits in underserved communities. |
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Calling All Health Care Coalition Leaders...Don't Miss Your Chance to Share the Triumphs and Challenges of Your Unique and Diverse Coalition. Only 1 Week Remaining! |
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Presentations should align with the conference theme: "Visions of Progress: Sustainable Strategies for Emergency Preparedness and Resilience."
Specifically, health care coalition leaders who can share what's working in their community through presentations with tangible takeaways that will equip colleagues to integrate new techniques, develop best practices and increase overall effectiveness. Sessions which highlight effective solutions in rural and frontier communities are in high demand by conference attendees.
Submission Deadline: Friday, February 9, 2024.
NHCPC 2024 will feature five tracks supporting this year’s theme. Selected presentations will empower coalitions to reach beyond the status quo to create, and implement multi-disciplinary, diverse, cross-sector partnerships, and launch increased opportunities for innovative information sharing.
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Track 1: Executive Coalition Leadership
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Track 2: Expanding and Sustaining Coalitions
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Track 3: Emerging Threats
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Track 4: Pediatrics
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Track 5: Health Equity and Coalition Diversity
Learn more and submit presentations online
at the NHCPC website. NHCPC will be held December 10 - 12, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. |
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Upcoming Recipient Meetings |
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Meeting Name |
Recipient Group |
Event Details |
HPP Recipient Webinar |
HPP cooperative agreement recipients |
Wednesday, February 14
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
Registration Information |
Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) Office Hours |
HPP cooperative agreement recipients |
Thursday, February 22
12:00 - 1:00 PM ET
Registration Information | Note: ASPR will update this table in each issue of the Bulletin as additional meetings are scheduled. Recordings and transcripts from previous webinars can be accessed on the
ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs Webinars webpage. |
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Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Recipients |
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Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) Update and Office Hours |
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The MRSE Support Team will resume hosting monthly office hours to discuss the MRSE starting in February through June 2024. These sessions are intended to provide technical assistance and discuss any questions about MRSE planning, executing, and reporting.
As a gentle reminder, we are currently halfway through the fiscal year and Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 MRSE planning should be well underway. We highly encourage recipients and sub-recipients to assist one another with planning and executing their exercise. The MRSE Support Team and Project Officers are available to assist with MRSE planning, execution, and Exercise Reporting Tool reviews.
We will be releasing a MRSE Recipient Review Guide to aid recipients in their final review of MRSE Tools before HCC submission to the Coalition Assessment Tool. The guide will be published on the MRSE web page in the coming weeks.
Please submit any questions that you may have to your Project Officer or the MRSE mailbox. You may also request a one-on-one session with the MRSE Support Team by emailing the MRSE mailbox.
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To access the MRSE Situation Manual, Evaluation Plan, Fact Sheet, and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the MRSE web page on the ASPR website: Health Care Medical Response and Surge Exercise
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To access and submit the MRSE Exercise Planning and Evaluation Tool and the Real-World Incident Reporting and Evaluation Tool, please visit the Coalition Assessment Tool
The next MRSE Office Hours session is scheduled for Thursday, February 22 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET.
During this session, the support team will walk through the MRSE Recipient Review Guide which aids recipients in their final review of MRSE Tools before HCC submission to the Coalition Assessment Tool. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the MRSE.
Note that registration is required. After registering here, you will receive an email with a link to join the meeting and a Zoom invite to add to your calendar.
Please submit questions to the MRSE mailbox prior to the scheduled office hours session to assist the MRSE Support Team in tailoring the discussion to certain topics of interest. You may also request a one-on-one session with the MRSE Support Team by emailing the MRSE mailbox. |
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HHS/ASPR Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds |
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The HHS/ASPR Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds focus on sharing clinical challenges and successes in preparing for and responding to disasters from all threats. This program designed to create peer-to-peer learning networks where clinicians who have more experience treating patients in emergency situations share their challenges and successes with clinicians across the U.S. and around the world with a wide variety of experience of these situations. Topics for sessions are based on new and emergent information around emergency preparedness, as well as topics requested by participants.
Sessions occur every other Tuesday from 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET. The first session is on February 6, entitled: "Where Are We? Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?" |
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Upcoming Trainings and Webinars |
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Host |
Event |
Event Details |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
Zoonoses & One Health Updates (ZOHU) Calls
The February ZOHU call will cover (1) Strengthening Environmental Action in the One Health Response to Antimicrobial Resistance (2) Analysis of dog serologic data reveals critical insights into the epidemiology of human coccidioidomycosis, 2012-2023 and (3) The Zoonotic Influenza Reference Guide: Project Update and Revisions. |
Wednesday, February 7
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
Connection Information |
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
Reimagined In America Webinars
During the webinar, participants will learn (1) the importance of education and youth engagement in climate action strategies, (2) the intersection of climate change and health inequities, and how these challenges are interlinked, and (3) how communities are advancing change through shared governance and self-determination. |
Friday, February 9
12:30 PM ET
Registration Information |
ASPR |
Partner Update Webinar
Join ASPR senior leadership to hear about 2024 organizational priorities and current activities to support preparedness and response capabilities for our nation’s public health and health systems. |
Tuesday, February 13
1:00 - 1:45 PM ET
Registration Information |
Association of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professionals |
Annual Conference
Topics include real-life case studies of hospital disaster responses, lessons learned, leadership training, approaches to building health care emergency management resiliency, strategies for healthcare facilities to enhance medical surge capacity, and more. |
February 27 - 28
Frisco, Texas
Registration Information |
National Association of County
and City Health Officials (NACCHO) |
Preparedness Summit
The Summit will provide an opportunity for sectors to come together, align missions, and discover better ways to work as true partners to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. |
March 25 - 28
Cleveland, Ohio
Registration Information |
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UMTB) Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, and Education (SPECTRE) |
Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases for Clinicians and Translational Scientists
Join UTMB SPECTRE for a symposium on tropical and emerging infectious diseases for the clinician and translational investigator. The symposium will feature expert-led interactive sessions and tours of UTMB's high-containment Galveston National Lab and Biocontainment Unit. |
April 9 - 12
Galveston, Texas
Registration Information |
Public Health Law Practitioners |
Empowering Public Health Through Law and Policy
This event will provide professionals from state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions with firsthand knowledge from fellow public health leaders, attorneys, policy professionals, and practitioners on how to positively impact their community’s health and wellbeing. |
April 30 - May 2
New Orleans, Louisiana
Registration Information | |
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ASPR Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) Resource Spotlight: Augmenting Rural Hospital Capacity in California, Lessons Learned from COVID-19
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The COVID-19 pandemic challenged all aspects of health care, and rural areas were hit particularly hard. Many rural hospitals do not have the capacity to accommodate patient surge, may not have the on-site capabilities to treat very ill patients, and may be challenged with providing care in place versus transferring patients, especially during a pandemic. For
this article, ASPR TRACIE met with subject matter experts from California who helped manage the response to the pandemic across the state to learn more about how they worked with hospital staff particularly in Imperial County to augment capacity and accommodate patient surge. |
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ASPR Support for East Palestine, Ohio One Year After Train Derailment |
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ASPR developed detailed recommendations on strategies to address the behavioral health impact of the derailment on the East Palestine community and provided these written recommendations to the Responsible Party at the request of FEMA. In December 2023, disaster behavioral health and disaster recovery SME’s from ASPR’s Office of Response met with the FEMA’s Federal Coordinator and representatives of the Responsible Party to brief on the recommendations, which are evidence-informed based on the current state of science about the effects of technological disasters on population behavioral health and are actionable but require funding from the Responsible Party.
Read the full press release from the White House for additional actions taken from the entire federal government. |
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SNS Vaccines and treatment Available for Use in Mpox Response |
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $28 Million in Funding Opportunities for grants Expanding treatment Services for Substance Use Disorder |
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“The Biden-Harris Administration is providing the funding, guidance, and resources needed to address the overdose crisis in America – and we will continue to support this critical work for as long as is necessary,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “This funding emphasizes our unrelenting efforts to enhance and expand treatment and support services for people in need, including pregnant and postpartum women, wherever and whenever they need them.”
Read the full press release from HHS.
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HHS Hosts First-Ever "Food is Medicine" Summit, Launches Three Public-Private Partnerships |
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On January 31, HHS hosted its first-ever Food is Medicine summit in Washington, D.C., an all-day summit for stakeholders at the intersection between food and health. Secretary Xavier Becerra opened the summit by announcing three new public-private partnerships with Instacart, Rockefeller Foundation, and Feeding America. All three partnerships will support HHS’s nutrition goals.
Read the full press release from HHS. |
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New CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Highlights Importance of Receiving Updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine |
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A new CDC MMWR
indicates that the updated COVID-19 vaccines were effective against COVID-19 from September 2023 to January 2024, including against the different circulating virus variants. CDC recommends everyone six months or older receive the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine.
Learn more at CDC Respiratory Virus Updates. |
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CDC Provides Updates on Measles Cases |
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Between December 1, 2023 and January 23, 2024, CDC was notified of 23 confirmed U.S. cases
of measles They included seven direct importations of measles by international travelers and two outbreaks with more than five cases each. Most of these cases were among children and adolescents who had not received a measles-containing vaccine (or MMRV), even if age eligible.
Due to these recent cases, healthcare providers should be on alert for patients who have (1) febrile rash illness and symptoms consistent with measles such as cough, runny nose, or conjunctivitis and (2) have recently traveled abroad, especially to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks. Infected people are contagious from four days before the rash starts through four days afterwards.
Measles cases often originate from unvaccinated or undervaccinated U.S. residents who travel internationally and then transmit the disease to people who are not vaccinated against measles. The increased number of measles importations seen in recent weeks is reflective of a rise in global measles cases and a growing global threat from the disease.
Learn more at Stay Alert for Measles Cases and Vaccine for Measles. |
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Revises Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Letter for Paxlovid |
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Bangladesh Reports Two Fatal Nipah Virus Cases |
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A media outlet in Bangladesh has reported that two men have died from Nipah virus infections, and local officials said both had consumed raw date juice—a known risk factor for contracting the disease—before they became ill. The cases are the country's first of the year.
Frontline health care workers concerned about Nipah Virus can read this guide from the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC) for more information. |
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New Video Highlights Model 1A Patient Transport Exercise in Alaska |
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In September 2023, a prototype of the ISTARI Transport Model (Model 1A) exercise was evaluated in a field exercise in Alaska through a partnership between the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. The multi-day event focused on special pathogen and infection protection and control training.
For more information on the exercise, including a newly published video, visit the UNMC webpage. |
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American Hospital Association (AHA) Case Study: Partnership Builds Diverse Rural Workforce |
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Northern Light Health in Brewer, Maine, partnered with Morehouse School of Medicine to create a rural residency program for physician assistants. These master’s-prepared students would have the opportunity to join rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral medicine and psychiatry, emergency medicine, and general surgery. The Northern Light Health preceptors and staff were impressed with how quickly the students acclimated to the clinical setting and their communities and are eager to expand the program to have more PAs as part of the team. The preceptors reported that they have a different outlook on the work they do, feel less burned out and more optimistic about the
future of health care.
Read the full article from AHA. |
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Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Improving Access to Risk-Appropriate Care Through a Partnership Between Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics |
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In a new video from ASTHO, listen as two experts — Wanda Barfield, MD, MPH of CDC and Christopher M. Zahn, MD, of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — emphasize how partnership between pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology can promote access to risk-appropriate care and create a stronger continuity of care for parents and their children.
Watch the full video from ASTHO. |
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Additional Guidance, Tools, and Reports |
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CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports |
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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2
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Surveillance for Acute Flaccid Myelitis ― United States, 2018–2022
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Early Estimates of Updated 2023–2024 (Monovalent XBB.1.5) COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Attributable to Co-Circulating Omicron Variants Among Immunocompetent Adults — Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, September 2023–January 2024
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Notes from the Field: Severe Vibrio vulnificus Infections During Heat Waves — Three Eastern U.S. States, July–August 2023
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Notes from the Field: Dengue Outbreak — Peru, 2023 (Read this report en Español)
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Notes from the Field: Cluster of Severe Illness from Neptune’s Fix Tianeptine Linked to Synthetic Cannabinoids — New Jersey, June–November 2023
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QuickStats: Percentage of Newborns Breastfed Between Birth and Discharge from Hospital, by Maternal Age — National Vital Statistics System, 49 States and the District of Columbia, 2021 and 2022
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We Want to Hear from You!
ASPR wants to hear how your organization and/or sub-recipients are making an impact in your communities. We will use your stories to demonstrate the importance of investing in emergency preparedness and response in some of our policy and budgetary documents.
Share your organization's experience in emergency preparedness, response, or recovery by answering a few questions on our Story From the Field Submission Form.
Our team will contact you for more information, as needed, and you may see your story published on the Health Care Readiness in Action: Stories from the Field webpage. Thank you in advance for sharing! |
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Note: ASPR provides the above sources of information for the convenience of the ASPR Health Care Readiness community and is not responsible for the availability or content of the information or tools provided, nor does ASPR endorse, warrant or guarantee the products, services or information described or offered. It is the responsibility of the user to determine the usefulness and applicability of the information provided. |
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