A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths that occurred between 2017 and 2019 were preventable. Researchers found six underlying causes accounted for the majority of fatalities: mental health conditions, hemorrhaging, heart problems, infections, blood clots, and cardiomyopathy. The leading causes varied by race and ethnicity. Twenty-two percent of pregnancy-related deaths took place during pregnancy, 25% occurred on the day of delivery or within a week after, and 53% of the deaths occurred between a week and a year after giving birth. A death is considered preventable if the committee determines that there was at least some chance of the death being averted by one or more reasonable changes to patient, community, provider, facility, and/or systems factors.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has published an updated Managed Care Organization (MCO) directory on its website. The directory includes contact information for all the Physical Health and Behavioral Health MCOs.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule applicable to noncitizens who receive or wish to apply for benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and states that support low-income families and adults. The new rule makes it clear that Noncitizens who receive health or other benefits to which they are entitled will not suffer harmful immigration consequences. Learn more.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is hosting a webinar to focus on Medicare updates and resources prior to the start of Medicare Open Enrollment. The webinars will be held on September 28 and 29 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. Click here to register for the Sept. 28 webinar that will cover Medicare Plan Finder basics, updates, user tips, and information about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. Click here to register for the Sept. 29 webinar that will cover a Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) overview, general program and cost updates, OEP Media outreach campaigns, Call Center overview and activities, vaccination campaigns, State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) overview, OEP resources and fraud awareness, and prevention.

Negotiations are ongoing in Congress as legislators try to craft a continuing resolution (CR) that can get enough bipartisan support to pass. Because the CR must pass by September 30 to keep the government funded, pressure is rising. However, several significant issues still need to be addressed, including military aid for Ukraine, COVID-19 and Monkeypox funding, disaster relief, and permitting reform.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. The Task Force concluded that more research is needed to recommend for or against screening children and adolescents without signs or symptoms. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here.

The American Lung Association’s Ask, Advise, Refer to Quit Don’t Switch (“Ask, Advise, Refer”) training is now being offered as a live, interactive, virtual workshop. This training is ideal for frontline healthcare professionals, patient navigators, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, clinical support staff, community health workers, and tobacco treatment specialists. The curriculum is based on the CDC’s AskAdviseRefer (AAR) model and utilizes updated tools and strategies for facilitating the routine assessment of tobacco use status and lung cancer risk and low-dose CT scan eligibility among all patients, delivery of brief advice to quit tobacco use, referral to a clinician for a shared-decision making an appointment for those identified as high risk for lung cancer and referral of tobacco users to evidence-based cessation programs such as Freedom From Smoking®. Click here for details and registration.

Patients who are new to telehealth may need additional support getting started. This page shares information with patients on the basics of telehealth, a video about types of telehealth, and the benefits of telehealth. Learn more.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, has released a notice of federal funding available for Public Health AmeriCorps through AmeriCorps’ State and National program. Earlier this year, the agency launched Public Health AmeriCorps, a $400 million American Rescue Plan partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders. The 2023 grants competition prioritizes programs working to address community public health needs, including health inequities exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, and is open to nonprofit, faith-based, tribal, and community-based organizations; higher-education institutions; state, local, and territorial government entities, including local public health departments. Organizations that previously have not received AmeriCorps funding are encouraged to apply for these grants.