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Oklahoma voters approved expanding the state’s Medicaid initiative, the first state to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ballot question, which passed with nearly 50.5% of the vote, initiates a state constitutional amendment to provide Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the poverty level.

A bipartisan group of senators introduced the Lifting Our Communities through Advance Liquidity for Infrastructure Act, AHA-supported legislation that would restore tax exemption for advance refunding bonds.

The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance for the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, outlining key considerations to satisfy requirements for chemistry, manufacturing and control, nonclinical and clinical data.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the reestablishment of the Ready Reserve Corps, a uniformed services that provides trained and ready personnel available on short notice to fill critical public health needs.

Hospitals face a triple threat with financial losses due to COVID-19, AHA President and CEO said on CNBC.

The Senate passed by unanimous consent legislation (S. 4116) extending the Paycheck Protection Program loan application period through Aug. 8. It’s unclear if the House will take up the legislation before the July 4th recess.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of two COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests. The tests from Inform Diagnostics Inc. and Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory LLC detect in respiratory specimens nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AHA has suspended three award programs that entail site visits to finalist organizations for 2021: the AHA Quest for Quality Prize; the Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care; and the Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service.

Three of the five most effective cloth face coverings tested by the National Institute of Standards and Technology were 100% cotton and had a visible raised fiber or nap, such as found on flannels, the agency announced.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing on 22 bills intended to improve access to mental health services during times of crisis such as COVID-19, including legislation supported by the AHA.

The AHA, Association of American Medical Colleges, Children's Hospital Association and Federation of ����������s, which brought a lawsuit challenging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ hospital price transparency rule, urged the Department of Health and Human Services to delay the effective date of the rule until the matter is settled by the courts.

More than 350 hospital and health system leaders from across the country this afternoon participated in an AHA Virtual Advocacy Day to urge senators to include priorities that support hospitals and health systems in the next COVID-19 legislative package.

An AHA report released finds that the financial strain facing hospitals and health systems due to COVID-19 will continue through at least 2020, with total losses expected to be at least $323 billion in 2020.

The Administration for Community Living July 1 at 2 p.m. ET will host a webinar featuring leaders sharing COVID19-related and other resources and research to help support older adults and persons with disabilities residing in rural communities.

The University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s Project ECHO July 2 will host at 12 p.m. ET a collaborative webinar on COVID-19’s treatment using dexamethasone and other steroids. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is the university’s effort to demonopolize knowledge and amplify the capacity to provide best practice care for underserved people all over the world.

SARS-CoV-2 infections may be 10 times higher than reported cases, according to new data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnership with commercial laboratories to test de-identified clinical blood specimens for antibodies in Connecticut, South Florida, the New York City area, Missouri, Utah and western Washington state.

The AHA outlined a number of actions Congress could take to help the nation prepare for the next pandemic, noting that the current pandemic also remains a challenge.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced an agreement with drug maker Gilead Sciences to allow U.S. hospitals to purchase up to 500,000 treatment courses of remdesivir through September, which HHS and state health departments will allocate as they did the previous 120,000 treatment courses donated by the drug maker.

“I just can’t imagine going back because people recognize the value of this.” That’s what Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said recently about the increased use of telehealth, signaling that doctoring from a distance — which has shown itself to be a lifesaving tool during the COVID-19 pandemic — could be here to stay. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it will extend the Medicare Care Choices Model by one year, through Dec. 31, 2021; already participating hospices can enroll eligible beneficiaries through June 30, 2021.