The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services made the declaration last week to focus federal resources on a growing public health threat.  As of Wednesday, August 10, there were 9,492 confirmed cases in the United States.  On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the clinical characteristics of monkeypox cases and will give ongoing guidance through Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity.

Nonprofit organizations, tribes, and local governments are eligible for the next round of grants from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for community service and volunteerism.  The funding for 2023 will prioritize evidence-based interventions proven to work in communities with concentrated poverty and/or historically underrepresented and underserved individuals.  The programs present a unique opportunity for organizations that work in rural to help support public and community health and create potential career pathways while also addressing longstanding workforce capacity challenges.  The deadline to apply for federal grants is January 4, 2023.  Single-state applicant deadlines to State Commissions may be significantly earlier.

NIH is recruiting participants for a study titled RECOVER researching Long COVID-19 or Post-Acute Sequalae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). They are looking for participants in adult, pediatric, and pregnant cohorts. Study participants can be in the acute or post-acute (>4 weeks prior) phase of COVID-19. Interested patients can enroll here. The study website also has a library of past PASC seminars available to clinicians. The next seminar of the series is on Tuesday, Aug. 9 from 12:00 – 1:30 pm and is titled “Clinical Spectrum of PASC: Focus on Mental Health.” To register for the webinar, click here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a dear colleague letter on July 27, 2022, describing important clinical manifestations and treatment considerations of monkeypox. The letter highlights that many persons with monkeypox are presenting with oral, genital, and anal mucosal lesions that may not be overtly visible on the exam. These lesions can be associated with significant pain which can have a profound impact on activities of daily living and often requires intervention. 

A well-trained staff is a crucial component of an effective telehealth program. This best practice guide highlights strategies for training staff on telehealth and shares resources to enhance your practice.

Telehealth and remote work are going to continue to be a “way of life” even after the pandemic is over. This newly released publication provides health center leadership with ideas and best practices on how to adapt policies and procedures for a remote and hybrid workforce. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved’s (ACU) STAR² Center and the Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality (HITEQ) Center (both HRSA-funded National Training & Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAPs)) collaborated on this publication.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced the availability of nearly $15 million to grow the nursing workforce, improve access to nursing education and advance health equity. The funding includes the Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academies Program, which is $10 million for a new initiative to invest in the nursing preceptor workforce in order to help unclog this challenge in the nurse training pipeline. A second funding initiative, the Registered Nurse Training Program, will invest indirectly in increasing the number of nursing students trained in acute care settings, with a specific focus on training in addressing social determinants of health in order to advance health equity in underserved areas. Learn more about HRSA’s funding opportunities.

Amazon’s recent acquisition of One Medical for $3.9 billion signals the tech giant is confident it can transform primary care in the United States. But while Amazon has tremendous resources — as well as a proven ability to turn economic sectors upside down — the company faces enormous challenges in blazing a new path through America’s huge, tangled health care sector. In their new article for Harvard Business Review, the Commonwealth Fund’s David Blumenthal, M.D., and Lovisa Gustafsson ask if profit-driven entrepreneurship and bottom-up innovation can finally take U.S. health care from worst to first. Read more.