On March 18, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., renewed the public health emergency (PHE) declaration for the national opioid crisis, extending key federal flexibilities for another 90 days. While opioid-related overdose deaths have declined by 25.5% over the past year, synthetic opioids like fentanyl remain the leading cause of drug-related fatalities, with 150 Americans dying daily from overdose. In rural areas, rates of drug overdose deaths are rising and have surpassed rates in urban areas. The PHE, first declared in 2017, allows HHS to maintain expanded authorities for data collection, demonstration projects, and research initiatives aimed at improving treatment access and coordination. Sec. Kennedy emphasized the Administration’s commitment to treating the opioid crisis as a national security emergency, continuing efforts to prevent substance use, reduce overdose deaths, and support recovery programs.

Effective with dates of service on and after April 1, 2025, the Department of Human Services utilizes an alternate payment methodology (APM) for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) that agree to accept it to make a supplemental payment at the medical assistance (MA) Program Fee Schedule rate for either a LARC device and its insertion, or the removal of a LARC device, in addition to payment for an encounter. The full bulletin is available for more information on how to opt-in to the APM and detailed billing instructions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) notified state health departments that they were cancelling several types of public health grants, effective the previous day. The CDC cancelled around $11 billion in grants directed toward COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and initiatives to bridge health disparities, while SAMHSA cancelled around $1 billion in grants focused on mental health services.

The Trump Administration is withholding millions of dollars allocated for family planning services from more than a dozen organizations. Enacted in 1970, the federal family planning program known as Title X makes millions of dollars available to clinics that provide health care services like birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing for people from low-income households. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Time Magazine in an email that the department is withholding Title X funds from 16 organizations “pending an evaluation of possible violations of their grant terms, including based on Federal civil rights laws and the President’s Executive Order 14218, ‘Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,’” which Trump signed on Feb. 19. The Executive Order declares that undocumented immigrants are prohibited “from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.” Source: Time Magazine

HRSA announced the grant opportunity for the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program, which was scheduled to start on May 1, will now start on August 1. Successful grant applicants will be notified in July.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have released a pair of documents that describe DEI practices they may consider “illegal” and “discriminatory”:

·    The one-pager is entitled “What to Do if You Experience Discrimination Related to DEI at Work”, and outlines types of activities that the EEOC and DOJ consider discriminatory. As with many documents from the new Administration, it encourages people within an organization to report perceived violations to the government.

·        The FAQ document elaborates on the topics in the one-pager. FAQ #7 is particularly important: “When is a DEI initiative, policy, program, or practice unlawful under Title VII?”

The Senate confirmed Dr. Oz as the new Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in a party line 53-45 vote. In a letter earlier this week to Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Dr. Oz affirmed his opposition to abortion and gender-affirming care for trans people, including for minors, leading to his confirmation.

A coalition of states sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop the termination of $11 billion in grant funding to public health departments and programs, including COVID Funding. Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania joined 20 other states and Washington, D.C. in filing a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration. The suit comes about a week after state and local agencies were notified about funding cuts to services that support mental health care, substance use treatment, infectious disease monitoring and more. Thursday night a federal judge in Rhode Island granted the request from Democratic state officials to temporarily prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting state health grants.

The University of California Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation (RHI) Program is accepting is now accepting applications for its next cohort of Rural Health Innovation Scholars. This program provides full-tuition scholarships for public health professionals living and working in rural communities to earn their Master of Public Health degree online. Scholars also receive a paid membership in the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

Since its launch, the program has funded 81 professionals across 32 states, and we are excited to support another 25 scholars beginning in Spring 2026.

Scholars come from a variety of backgrounds, including healthcare, policy, and community leadership, and continue working in their rural communities while completing their degree. Participants will study alongside a diverse cohort of public health students while also engaging in a smaller group with a specialized rural health curriculum. This structure allows scholars to gain broad public health training while focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities in rural health.

The deadline to apply for the next cohort is August 3, 2025. For more information, visit UC Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation Program.