HHS

Updated HHS Health Equity Action Plan Focuses on Care Access

February 14, 2024 - HHS has unveiled the 2023 update to its Health Equity Action Plan, hitting key points like childhood health and well-being, equitable access to care, and maternal and infant health equity, among other things. The plan update comes mandated as part of President Joe Biden’s whole-of-government equity agenda elucidated in Executive Order 13985,...

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HHS Launches 3 Public-Private Partnerships for Food Is Medicine Efforts

by Sara Heath

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra used last week’s Food is Medicine summit to unveil three new public-private partnerships with Instacart, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Feeding America, all with the...

HHS Finalizes Religious Rights Rules Protecting Patient Care Access

by Sara Heath

HHS has finalized the last piece of the puzzle to restore the government’s process for handling complaints of conscience and religious discrimination, which the agency said will improve patient...

HHS Unveils Updated Language Access Plan for Health Equity

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is cracking down on language access and patient rights to medical interpreters as a part of agency efforts to improve health equity. The HHS Language...

HHS Honors Community Health Centers for Clinical Quality Improvement

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have awarded this year’s round of Gold Health Center Quality Leader digital badges to...

HHS Slates $3.7B for Utility Bills, Social Determinants of Health

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is investing $3.7 billion to help with utility bills, particularly home energy costs, via the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program...

HHS & Partner Agencies Target COVID Tests, Long COVID Treatment

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services is going all-in on COVID-19 detection and treatment again as case counts and hospitalizations tick up across the nation. In a recent announcement, the...

HHS Proposal Codifies Antidiscrimination, Protects Patient Access to Care

by Sara Heath

A new proposed rule out of the Department of Health and Human Services seeks to update parts of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to further prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in...

$2M HHS Grant Targets Black Maternal Health Disparities in Florida  

by Sarai Rodriguez

Evara Health is among the recipients of a $65 million HHS funding initiative, supporting underserved communities in creating innovative approaches to reduce Black maternal health...

OCR Settles Patient Discrimination Case About Discharge Communication

by Sarai Rodriguez

In a case that shines a spotlight on patient discrimination, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reached a settlement with MCR Health...

HHS Pledges $2.5M to Produce Prescription Programs for Food Insecurity

by Sarai Rodriguez

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with the Indian Health Service (IHS), has slated $2.5 million to support the development of produce prescription, a growing approach to...

HHS Unveils Plan for COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Uninsured After PHE End

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released its plan to maintain COVID-19 vaccine access for the uninsured even after the end of the public health emergency (PHE) in May. The HHS...

HHS Slots $120M for Community Clinics to Boost Mental Healthcare Access

by Sarai Rodriguez

Community Certified Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) across the country are set to receive $120 million in funding opportunities from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in...

HHS, OCR Close Case on Medical Racial Discrimination, Care Access

by Sara Heath

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has officially reached an agreement with Florida’s Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue to ensure patient access to care and health equity following an...

HHS Issues $139M in Funding to Support Chronic Disease Prevention

by Sarai Rodriguez

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Indian Health Service (IHS), has awarded $139 million in grant funding to address diabetes disparities through chronic disease prevention...

Did HHS Pandemic Relief Funds Promote Health Equity?

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services was mostly successful in its pursuit of health equity during the pandemic, at least in terms of pandemic relief fund spending, according to a new assessment...

HHS to Restore Religious Nondiscrimination Rules for Patient Care Access

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making moves to reverse a 2019 rule that expanded religious nondiscrimination and moral conscience protections. The agency said this latest action...

HHS & ACL Slot $125M to Address Flu, COVID-19 Vaccine Access Barriers

by Sarai Rodriguez

The Administration for Community Living (ACL), an agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has released $125 million in funding to address flu and COVID-19 vaccine access...

HHS Proposal Fortifies LGBTQ, Sex Antidiscrimination Rule in Healthcare

by Sara Heath

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed a rule that would reinstate parts of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), codifying LGBTQ+ and sex antidiscrimination...

Becerra: Health Equity, Justice Remain “North Star” for HHS

by Sara Heath

After nearly a year of health equity work, Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said the department will continue to make justice in the medical space a top...