United States Department of Health and Human Services

Calling Faith Leaders, Church and Community Members, and Health Professionals!

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
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RICHMOND, Va., June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthy Churches 2030 Roadmap Tour : "Forwarding the Black Health Agenda," provides faith, health and community leaders with training and resources to help reduce racial health disparities. The full-day, in-person conference, taking place in five cities, offers workshops for new and established health ministries plus education sessions about diseases that have disproportionate impact on Black Americans.

Key Points: 
  • The Healthy Churches 2030 Roadmap Tour: Making a Difference in Black Health
    RICHMOND, Va., June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthy Churches 2030 Roadmap Tour : "Forwarding the Black Health Agenda," provides faith, health and community leaders with training and resources to help reduce racial health disparities.
  • "Black faith institutions are primary influencers when it comes to health awareness and behaviors," said Dr. Pernessa C. Seele, Founder & CEO, The Balm In Gilead, Inc .
  • "The Roadmap Tour reflects Black faith traditions as it prepares churches, public health organizations, and individuals to help reverse systemic health disparities that result in worse health outcomes in our communities."
  • The Balm In Gilead, Inc., is a 35-year-old nonprofit organization that mobilizes Black faith communities to respond to racial health disparities.

IVIVA Medical Wins KidneyX Prize for Advanced Organ Therapeutics to Cure Renal Failure

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 12, 2023
United States Department of Health and Human Services, Partnership, Therapy, HHS, Nephrology, Human services, Organic, Quality of life, Kidney, American Society of Nephrology, Organ dysfunction, Kidney disease, Research, Dialysis, Regenerative medicine, ASN, Patient, FASN, Immunosuppression, Society, Pelvic floor dysfunction, Disease, Pharmaceutical industry, Health, MD

As part of the prize, IVIVA will be awarded $1 million to advance its research and develop cell-based living therapeutics that replace the kidney's most essential functions.

Key Points: 
  • As part of the prize, IVIVA will be awarded $1 million to advance its research and develop cell-based living therapeutics that replace the kidney's most essential functions.
  • IVIVA Medical is working to transform the status quo by developing fully implantable bioartificial organs that can offer patients with organ dysfunction a cure and a normal life.
  • Thanks to the KidneyX prize, IVIVA will be able to advance its technology and address the organ transplant shortage.
  • With the close of the Artificial Kidney Prize Phase 2, I couldn't be more thrilled to congratulate the winners of the competition.

Cue Health Achieves Groundbreaking Milestone with FDA: First Company to Receive De Novo Authorization for a COVID-19 Home Use Test

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Pharmaceutical, Medical Supplies, General Health, Health, FDA, COVID-19, Medical Devices, Health Technology, EUA, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, De novo, Human services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Multimedia, Administration, Regulation of food and dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Cue, Food, Safety, Pharmaceutical industry, Medical device

Cue Health (Nasdaq: HLTH), a healthcare technology company, announces an industry breakthrough as the first company to receive De Novo authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Cue COVID-19 Molecular Test, designed for both home and point-of-care use.

Key Points: 
  • Cue Health (Nasdaq: HLTH), a healthcare technology company, announces an industry breakthrough as the first company to receive De Novo authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Cue COVID-19 Molecular Test, designed for both home and point-of-care use.
  • This sets a new standard as the first FDA De Novo authorization for a home use COVID-19 test and the first De Novo granted for any home use respiratory test.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230606005936/en/
    This significant achievement highlights Cue Health's dedication to empowering individuals with accurate, accessible, and actionable diagnostic tools.
  • The FDA's De Novo authorization signifies that the Cue COVID-19 Molecular Test meets the agency's stringent regulatory standards for safety and efficacy.

NHIT Marks 15th Anniversary of Impact with a White House Health Equity Roundtable and Focus on the Future

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 9, 2023
United States Department of Health and Human Services, White House, Private sector, Amazon Web Services, Human services, Health equity, Data collection, Wall Street, Public policy, Research, Tyler Technologies, Social policy of the Joe Biden administration, Social, White, Administration, Work, Investment, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Andrew Kohut, Health, Management, D.C

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT), the first and oldest national non-profit focused on equitable access to health technology for underserved communities and communities of color, celebrated its 15th anniversary today with an in-person Health Equity Roundtable with key White House and administration officials. The discussion revolved around "The Promise of Health IT Innovation and Broadband for All" and took place at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

Key Points: 
  • The National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT), the first and oldest national non-profit focused on equitable access to health technology for underserved communities and communities of color, celebrated its 15th anniversary today with an in-person Health Equity Roundtable with key White House and administration officials.
  • While marking its 15 years of community impact, NHIT is also focused on the future with the recent expansion of the NHIT Data Fusion Center in collaboration with Amazon Web Services and Tyler Technologies.
  • He added, "If we are going to address the health equity gap, strategic investments are of great importance, but they cannot be at the expense of underserved communities.
  • NHIT has advocated for this approach for 15 years, and we are immensely proud to work side by side with the Biden Administration to go from conception to execution."

Getting Social Security on a more stable path is hard but essential – 2 experts suggest a way forward

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023
Workforce, Human services, Global recession, Tax, Health, Trustee, Government, Security, Medicare, Treasury, Congress, US, Retirement, Social Security, Income, Procrastination, Roughness, Average Indexed Monthly Earnings, Ronald Reagan, Great Recession, Growth, Program, Social, Longevity, Labour, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Pension fund, Life insurance, Health insurance, Hospital, Insurance, Renewable energy

Under current law, when that trust fund is empty, Social Security can pay benefits only from dedicated tax revenues, which would by that point cover about 77% of promised benefits.

Key Points: 
  • Under current law, when that trust fund is empty, Social Security can pay benefits only from dedicated tax revenues, which would by that point cover about 77% of promised benefits.
  • Another way to say this is that when the trust fund is depleted, under current law, Social Security beneficiaries would see a sudden 23% cut in their monthly checks in 2034.
  • As economists who study the Medicare and Social Security programs, we view the above scenario as politically unacceptable.

Where the money for benefits comes from

    • Roughly 67 million Americans, most of whom are 65 or older, receive Social Security benefits.
    • Social Security is funded by a payroll tax of 12.4% on wages split equally between workers and employers.
    • The program also receives about 4% of its revenue from a tax on Social Security benefits, though not everyone who receives them has to pay this tax.
    • For example, Social Security reform was not even on the table during the 2023 negotiations over the debt ceiling and spending cuts.

Trust fund

    • Where did the trust fund, which helps cover the program’s costs, come from?
    • During Social Security’s years of surplus, the excess revenues were credited to the trust fund in the form of special-issue government bonds that yielded the prevailing interest rates.

Last reformed during the Reagan administration

    • The last time the government made big changes to Social Security was in 1983, during the Reagan administration, when the government enacted reforms that slowly reduced benefits over time.
    • These changes included raising the full retirement age, a change that is still being phased in.
    • Workers bore the burden of the payroll tax increases and higher-income retirees bore the burden of the tax on benefits.

4 principles


    We believe that policymakers and lawmakers need to follow four principles as they consider how to move forward.

Advantages of ending the delay

    • Acting sooner rather than later would leave more options available to gradually resolve the program’s financial shortfalls.
    • Ending this procrastination would also give the millions of people who rely on Social Security benefits, taxpayers and businesses more time to prepare for any changes required by overdue reforms.
    • He has received funding from the American Enterprise Institute, the Bradley Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, and the National Center for Policy Analysis.

To Improve Mental Health Care, Address the Nation’s Emergency Department Boarding Crisis

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
United States Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency medicine, Emergency, Bed, Human services, Research, Biden administration COVID-19 action plan, ACEP, Patient, Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, Physician, Risk, FACEP, American College, Mental health, Nursing, Hospital, MD

“The boarding crisis affects everyone who seeks emergency care, but patients with mental health needs are especially at risk,” said Christopher S. Kang, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP.

Key Points: 
  • “The boarding crisis affects everyone who seeks emergency care, but patients with mental health needs are especially at risk,” said Christopher S. Kang, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP.
  • Health care decisionmakers and policymakers can do more to recognize the urgency of the boarding crisis; meaningful actions are long overdue and needed now to prevent avoidable patient harm.”
    Significant gaps in mental health care are a major driver of the boarding crisis.
  • Many patients with mental health emergencies have limited options for acute or sustained care beyond the emergency department.
  • The crisis stems from a multitude of factors that span the entire health care system at a scale beyond any individual emergency physician, emergency department, or single hospital.

Domus Diagnostics Moves Closer to Delivering Affordable At-Home Molecular Test for COVID-19, Flu-A, Flu-B and RSV

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Retail, COVID-19, White House, Federal Government, Manufacturing, Public Policy, Other Health, Healthcare Reform, Homeland Security, Infectious Diseases, Government, Other Retail, Specialty, Science, Research, Health, Engineering, Human services, Acceleration, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Clinical trial, Infection, Electricity, Medical imaging, Tech, National Institutes of Health, Bangladesh Technical Education Board, Chemistry, RSV, Collection, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Controversies regarding COVID-19 contracts in the United Kingdom, NIH, Vaccine, Medical device, Domus, Diagnosis

The award, up to $2.4M through the NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) Tech program, will support accelerated validation and scaling of Domus Diagnostics' testing platform for clinical trial readiness.

Key Points: 
  • The award, up to $2.4M through the NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) Tech program, will support accelerated validation and scaling of Domus Diagnostics' testing platform for clinical trial readiness.
  • The Domus Diagnostics' platform is an ultra-low cost, zero-power testing platform that will produce novel devices that enable user-friendly, accurate, and effective infectious disease testing at home, in doctors’ offices, or in community testing facilities.
  • The devices will provide a significantly more affordable and accessible global option for infectious disease testing.
  • The Domus technology doesn’t require any instrumentation, electricity, or even batteries to run – making it a zero-power testing solution.

DETROIT'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL RESPITE PROGRAM FOR HOMELESS SECURES NOVEL, MULTI-SECTOR INVESTMENT

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
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DETROIT, May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) today announced it has secured outcomes-based investments to launch Detroit's most comprehensive medical respite program focused on improving the health of individuals experiencing homelessness. Partners from multiple sectors – Molina Healthcare of Michigan, Quantified Ventures, Rocket Community Fund, and The Kresge Foundation – worked with NSO to structure funding to open this best-in-class program and align each organization's incentives around better health outcomes.

Key Points: 
  • The NSO medical respite program will be located in the recently completed Detroit Healthy Housing Center on the city's east side, which pairs emergency shelter with wraparound health care and support services.
  • The medical respite program and the 22,000-square-foot Detroit Healthy Housing Center are critical to efforts to end chronic homelessness in southeast Michigan, and the co-location of related services will help achieve better medical respite program outcomes.
  • The five partners developed interconnected agreements designed to ensure stable revenue for the medical respite program and to unlock financing that NSO can access for program expansion.
  • Investments from The Kresge Foundation and the Rocket Community Fund will jumpstart medical respite program operations and the first phase of the program's growth.

The Healthcare Innovation Company Announces List of Startup Organizations at thINc360, June 20-22, in Washington, D.C.

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Cloud, CMS, HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health equity, JHM, Organization, Medicare, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Milken Institute, Google Cloud, Novo Nordisk, Optum, Shark Tank, UnitedHealth Group, Television, Content, UHG

BURLINGTON, Mass., May 18, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Healthcare Innovation Company (thINc) announced the initial list of startups that will be participating in its annual thINc360 conference, taking place June 20-22, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.

Key Points: 
  • Startup organizations will interact with a panel of investors in a pitch competition that is similar to the popular television show, "Shark Tank."
  • There will also be a "Founder's Forum" sponsored by Stella Technology where founding CEOs will be interviewed on their journeys as health innovators and entrepreneurs.
  • "Startups are the essence of innovation," said Haritha Krishnarathnam, VP of Content and Strategy, thINc.
  • "We are proud to collaborate with such a diverse group of organizations at thINc360.

Spectral MD Announces Podium Presentation at 2023 American Burn Association Annual Conference

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
General Health, Health Technology, Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, AIM, BIAS, Human services, Physician, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Light, Burn, Spectral, SMD, Associate, Administration, Development, Literature, IRB, Deep, Algorithm, FACS, Artificial intelligence, Regulation of tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, BARDA, Conference, Food, Wound healing, Medical device, Medical imaging, Nursing, MD

The presentation will be delivered by Jeffrey Carter, MD, FACS, Medical Director of University Medical Center New Orleans Burn Center & Associate Professor of Surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Chief Medical Consultant of Spectral MD.

Key Points: 
  • The presentation will be delivered by Jeffrey Carter, MD, FACS, Medical Director of University Medical Center New Orleans Burn Center & Associate Professor of Surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Chief Medical Consultant of Spectral MD.
  • The objective of the IRB-approved, prospective Burn Injury Assessment Study (BIAS) was to evaluate the performance of burn care professionals in determining areas of non-healing tissue in burn wounds.
  • In this study, participating burn care professionals were presented with five burn images to review and provide input on an electronic tablet at two regional and national burn conferences.
  • The results showed that participating burn care professionals recorded 73% accuracy in assessing burn healing, which is consistent with prior studies from literature.