Rural Health
News by Topic: Vaccination
Mobile Clinics Really Got Rolling in the Pandemic. A New Law Will Help Them Cast a Wider Safety Net.
Mar 20, 2023 - Last fall Congress passed the MOBILE Health Care Act, which gives Federally Qualified Health Centers greater flexibility to use federal funding to create and operate mobile units. Health and community organizations have started using mobile units to bring COVID-19 testing and vaccination, primary care, behavioral health, and reproductive services to rural patients.
Source: Kaiser Health News
Feb 22, 2023 - Describes changes that are scheduled to occur in policies related to COVID-19 testing and treatment, emergency use authorization for medical countermeasures, liability immunity, Medicaid eligibility and disaster relief, nursing homes, SNAP benefits, student loan repayment, telehealth, and more.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures
Feb 13, 2023 - Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing the establishment of the Coronavirus and other Respiratory Viruses Division and other organizational components within the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases (DDID). NCIRD prevents disease, disability, and death through immunization and by control of respiratory and related diseases. Among other things, NCIRD provides leadership, expertise, and service in laboratory and epidemiological sciences, and in immunization program delivery; conducts applied research on disease prevention and control; and translates research findings into public health policies and practices. This reorganization is effective February 8, 2023.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 9, 2023 - Announces that the Department of Health and Human Services plans for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 to expire on May 11, 2023. Specifies what will and will not be affected by the expiration of the PHE.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Feb 9, 2023 - Highlights the work of the Chiricahua Community Health Centers in rural Arizona to increase vaccination rates and improve access to other health services. Approaches include offering childhood immunizations at dental clinics, adding more walk-in hours at health clinics, and reaching farmworkers with mobile medical and dental clinics.
Source: Arizona Republic
Feb 1, 2023 - Notice from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking comments on revisions to the information collection titled "ASPA COVID-19 Public Education Campaign Market Research," which includes five components: 1) COVID-19 Current Events Tracker (CET); 2) qualitative data collection in the form of focus groups, interviews, and dyads; 3) copy testing surveys; 4) message matrix surveys; and 5) creative testing surveys and experiments. Information collected will be used to inform the development of campaign messaging and strategy. Comments are due by March 3, 2023.
Source: Federal Register