11/08/2021
AOHC Newsletter 11-12-21
Ohio News
National News
Funding Opportunities
Educational Opportunities
AOHC Board and Public Affairs Committee Minutes
For the latest ODH updates on COVID-19, visit Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov.
For Members Only COVID-19 resources - go here!
CDC Data Tracker - County View: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
Agenda Items for ODH Wednesday Calls: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHD_Call_Questions
Ohio News
Ohio Build Announces Second Round of Water Infrastructure Grants
Earlier this week, Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited South Charleston and Wilmington, respectively, where they announced the second round of Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grants. Last week,grants totaling more than $93 million were announced for infrastructure projects impacting 60 counties. Tuesday's announcement included projects in the 28 Ohio counties that did not receive funding in the first round.
"It's astonishing to me that there are communities in Ohio today where it's difficult to get clean water. For our people to thrive and for our communities to grow, clean water and reliable infrastructure are an absolute must," said Governor DeWine. "There is a tremendous need for water infrastructure upgrades all over our state, and through Ohio BUILDS, we're funding projects that will be life-changing in some communities."
A third round of grant recipients will be announced in the future.
December 1 - Save the Date for the Ohio Virtual Day of Action - American Heart Association
Click here for more information: Save the Date: Join Us December 1st for Ohio Virtual Day of Action! (yourethecure.org)
OHIO OFFICE OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT (OBM) TO HOLD SECOND OHIO GRANTS SUMMIT
On Tuesday, December 7, The Ohio Office of Budget and Management is virtually hosting the second Ohio Grants Summit. The first summit was held in September of 2020.
The Ohio Grants Summit is a unique event offering the opportunity to connect local government leaders and financial managers to resources and education to support their management of federal grant funds. This year, the Summit sessions include the following topics:
Ohio Broadband; Emerging Issues in Federal Funds; Allowable Uses of Fiscal Recovery Funds on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure; Preparing for a Single Audit and Accounting for COVID Funds; Federal Procurement; and Compliance and Legal Considerations with Fiscal Recovery Funds
This free event is specifically for local governments and non-profits that apply for and receive grant funding from the State of Ohio.
Don’t miss out on this important and informative event! To learn more and to register, click HERE.
National News
Administration Action on COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Workers
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a regulation requiring COVID-19 vaccination of eligible staff at health care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Facilities covered by this regulation must establish a policy ensuring all eligible staff have received the first dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine prior to providing any care, treatment, or other services by December 5, 2021, and employees must be vaccinated by January 4.
Additionally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a rule that companies with 100 or more employees must ensure their workers are either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4 or that they test negative at least once a week. The administration also said it will push back its forthcoming vaccine mandates for health care workers, and federal contractors until January 4. The delay follows pressure from business leaders concerned about the effect of vaccine mandates on the supply chain.
MRC Operational Readiness Awards
NACCHO is pleased to publish the request for applications (RFA) for 2022 MRC Operational Readiness Awards. The RFA is also available on NACCHO’s MRC webpage and award website. Applications will be accepted between Monday, November 1 and Wednesday, December 1, 2021. Eligible MRC units can apply for either a $5,000 or $10,000 award through the competitive selection process. The aim of this funding is to build the operational readiness capabilities of MRC units to meet the emergency preparedness and response needs of local, regional, and statewide stakeholders. The awards are intended to be flexible to meet the needs of all MRC units, support efforts to build and strengthen MRC capabilities, raise stakeholder awareness of MRC capabilities, and identify or sustain integration of the MRC unit into local, state, and/or regional emergency response plans.
On October 28, 2021, NACCHO staff held an informational webinar on the 2022 MRC ORA. Prospective applicants are encouraged to view the recording of the webinar and slide deck. Please direct any further questions to NACCHO staff at mrc@naccho.org.
Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19, Healthcare-Associated Infections, and Antimicrobial Resistance
NACCHO is requesting applications for a funding opportunity that will support local health departments (LHDs) prevention and response efforts to COVID-19 and other healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistant (AR) threats. NACCHO anticipates LHDs that take part in the BLOC COVID-19 + project will strengthen relationships with facilities, enhance their capacity and confidence in assessing and supporting IPC practices in high-risk facilities, improve implementation of IPC in high-risk facilities, and decrease rates of and negative outcomes associated with COVID-19, HAIs, and AR pathogens in those facilities. Application instructions are available here and the submission deadline is on Wednesday, November 24 at 5:00 PM PT.
There will be an optional informational webinar for interested applicants on Tuesday, November 2 at 2:00PM ET. For more information or questions, please contact infectiousdiseases@naccho.org and check this webpage for a regularly updated FAQ document and a recording of the optional informational webinar.
Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity
Evidence for Action’s released a new open and rolling call for proposals, Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity. Through this CFP they seek to fund researchers, practitioners, community leaders, advocates, policymakers, and/or other stakeholders to investigate the impacts of various social interventions on health and racial equity outcomes. They are interested in projects that develop and disseminate evidence about what works to advance racial equity and improve health and well-being outcomes for people and communities of color.
Barclay-Giel Seed Grants - Surgeon General's Priorities
The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation (COF) for the Advancement of Public Health are seeking applicants for Barclay-Giel Seed Grants. The grants are open to all areas of public health, with the Surgeon General's Priorities of special interest. These include Opioids and Addiction, Tobacco, Community Health and Economic Prosperity, Oral Health, and Emerging Public Health Threats. Additionally, organizations with projects that focus on stopping the spread of health misinformation, in support of the Surgeon General's latest advisory, are strongly encouraged to apply. Proposed projects should have a strong disease and/or injury prevention component that impacts the health of a community by promoting wellness, early detection, and early interventions. Funds are not intended for clinical care or patient treatment. The deadline to apply is November 12th.
Educational Opportunities
COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar for Rural Communities
Register to Attend: COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar for Rural Communities I n recognition of National Rural Health Day, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) is hosting a COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar for Rural Communities . Date: Monday, November 15 Time: 1-2 p.m. ET. To Register: Click here for the registration page.
Intended for community partners and providers working in rural areas, this webinar will offer attendees the opportunity to learn more about federal COVID-19 resources, toolkits, and information. Attendees also will receive information on healthcare workforce mandates, healthcare coverage related to the COVID-19 vaccine, and more. Speakers will include representatives from CMS OMH, the U.S Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and two community partners.
To learn more, visit https://go.cms.gov/ruralhealth or contact us at RuralHealth@cms.hhs.gov.
Link to the BOH CE series page: https://www.kent.edu/publichealth/local-boards-health-continuing-education-lectures.
Exam Prep Course The Kent State College of Public Health is offering a new self-paced course for SITs preparing for the NEHA Registered Sanitarian/Registered Environmental Health Specialist Exam. The course is approved for 18 RS credit hours. Details can be found here: https://www.kent.edu/cde/registered-sanitarianregistered-environmental-health-specialist-exam-preparation-course.
2022 Preparedness Summit: Reimaging Preparedness in the Era of COVID-19, April 3rd - 7th, 2022, Atlanta, GA. For more information