- Upcoming Secretarial events and travel -

• Monday 3/25 - Secretary Becerra traveled to Pennsylvania for events focused on the inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Affordable Care Act.
• Tuesday 3/26 - Secretary Becerra will travel to South Carolina for events focused on the IRA and maternal health.
• Thursday 3/28 - Secretary Becerra will travel to Michigan for events focused on the IRA and reproductive health.

- Upcoming HHS IEA Events -

- Key Moments from HHS Last Week -

• On Saturday, March 23, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm met with Director-General Jean Kaseya of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to recognize our historic relationship and ongoing partnership.
• On Friday, March 22, HHS issued four new reports showing that President Biden’s efforts to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are linked to historic gains in Americans’ health insurance coverage. 
• On Thursday, March 21, HHS, through the Administration of Children and Families (ACF), released the Understanding Water Affordability Across Contexts, LIHWAP Water Utility Affordability Survey Report.
• On Tuesday, March 19, the Biden-Harris Administration, through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and HHS, launched the pilot of the Clean Energy Connector, a tool that connects families to solar energy through HHS’ Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
• On Tuesday, March 19, HHS, through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced a new voluntary model that empowers primary care providers in eligible Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to treat people with Medicare using innovative, team-based, person-centered proactive care. 
• On Monday, March 18th, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (DHS CRCL), and the FEMA Office of Equal Rights (OER) announced the successful completion of a language access compliance review of COVID-19 public health messaging in 19 states. 

- Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) -

• HRSA Nurse Corps Scholarship Program: Eligible nursing students can apply to the Nurse Corps Scholarship Program.  If accepted, HRSA will pay your tuition, fees, and other educational costs, along with a monthly stipend. In return, after you graduate, you work at an eligible health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses (critical shortage facility).  You are eligible if you are a U.S. citizen (born or naturalized), a national, or a lawful permanent resident; are an accepted or enrolled student in a nursing degree program at a United States accredited school of nursing; begin classes no later than September 30; don’t have any federal judgment liens; don’t have an existing service commitment; and aren’t overdue on a federal debt.  The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program application is open now through May 2, 7:30 p.m. ET.  For more information, visit HRSA’s website.
• Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program (OIFSP): 
  The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program (OIFSP) supports training programs that increase the skills and knowledge of peer support specialists and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals who provide services to families affected by opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders. Additionally, the program focuses on supporting children and adolescents in high-need and high-demand areas who have experienced trauma and are at risk for mental health disorders.  HRSA will award approximately $16.8 million to up to 28 grantees over a period of four years through this funding opportunity. Eligible applicants include state-licensed mental health nonprofit and for-profit organizations, such as universities, community colleges, and technical schools; domestic community-based organizations; and tribes and tribal organizations.  Applications are due by May 6, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. You can find more information here.  
• Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP): The CCP is a short-term disaster relief grant for states, U.S. territories, and federally recognized tribes. CCP grants are awarded after a presidential disaster declaration. CCP funding supports community-based outreach, counseling, and other mental health services to survivors of natural and human-caused disasters. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information, visit here.
• Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants: This program helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information, visit here.

- Additional Resources -

• Updated 988 Partner Toolkit: The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has created new social media shareables designed for use as social media posts, stories, and threads. The partner toolkit can be found here.
• COVID-19 Tests: The Biden-Harris Administration and Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) are committed to ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 tests. ASPR will continue to provide COVID-19 tests directly to long-term care facilities, schools, community health centers, and food banks. More information on these efforts is available at covid.gov.
• PSA for Faith Leaders to Help Families Keep Their Medicaid Coverage. Many states have resumed their regular processes for renewing individuals’ Medicaid and CHIP coverage following the end of the continuous enrollment requirement. Now through April 2024, everyone is going to need to renew their Medicaid and CHIP coverage. Families can renew their coverage by finding their state Medicaid agency here.  Find the PSA here.