In a wide-ranging talk to biotech executives, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci delivered a grim assessment of the devastation wrought around the world by the coronavirus. COVID-19 is the disease that Dr. Fauci always said would be his “worst nightmare” – a new, highly contagious respiratory infection that causes a significant amount of illness and death. “In a period of four months, it has devastated the whole world,” Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Tuesday during a conference held by BIO, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. “And it isn’t over yet.” Read more.

The Wolf administration issued an order requiring nursing homes to test all residents and staff by mid-summer for coronavirus. Facilities are responsible for contracting with a commercial laboratory for the testing. According to a report issued by the Department of Health, within 615 facilities, there were 16,167 cases among patients, 2,807 among staff, and 4,094 deaths or approximately 69 percent of the overall COVID-19 attributable deaths statewide. The order from Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine applies to all 693 nursing homes in the state, requiring them to complete the tests by July 24.

All employers, not just those with high levels of coronavirus exposure in the workplace, now must determine whether employees who have COVID-19 contracted it at work. The new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement reverses the previous, April 10, 2020 guidance which required only employers in the healthcare industry, emergency-response organizations and correctional institutions to record work-related coronavirus cases. To comply with the May 26 OSHA’s guidance, whenever an employee becomes ill with COVID-19, the employer needs to conduct a mini-investigation. Employers will have to look for information about the cause of an employee’s virus infection while respecting the employee’s privacy. If the employee contracted the coronavirus at work or while performing work-related activities, the employer must record the illness on the OSHA Form 300.

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) distributed approximately $15 billion in Provider Relief Funds (PRF) to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a previous payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation. Most of these providers are Medicaid-only providers, meaning that Medicaid is their only source of reimbursement. Although few if any FQHCs are likely to qualify for this latest PRF funding, most FQHCs have already received at least one direct deposit from the PRF. There is $50 billion remaining in the fund and NACHC this week sent a letter to HHS Sec. Azar urging that a portion of this funding go to health centers and particularly to health centers with more than 500 employees (who were ineligible for a Paycheck Protection Program loan) and look-alikes, that only qualified for one of the three FQHC COVID-19 funding streams from HRSA.

Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the creation of the Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps, a public service initiative that will support efforts this fall to increase testing and contact tracing and provide critical new job opportunities in the public health sector. As announced by the Administration, the Corps will also provide a unique opportunity for Pennsylvania to recruit and train COVID-19-impacted dislocated and unemployed workers into public service for contact tracing roles, which would help address Pennsylvania’s health and economic needs. The goals/responsibilities of this task force include:

• Partnering with local public health agencies, community organizations and the nonprofit community to expand Pennsylvania’s existing testing and contract tracing initiatives
• Leveraging additional resources to fund testing and contact tracing initiatives
• Exploring creative ways to recruit experienced Pennsylvanians with health care and public health experience to support this initiative
• Coordinating existing resources deployed by the commonwealth, including community health nurses and county health departments who are currently conducting testing and contact tracing throughout the state
• Engaging partners in the workforce development system, existing allied health training program and AmeriCorps programs to build and strengthen a public health workforce across the commonwealth
• Leveraging existing workforce development resources to recruit, train, and connect the public health workforce with employment opportunities
• Engaging public health and healthcare employers to connect trained workers with long-term career opportunities

The Wolf Administration announced it has selected Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) of Philadelphia as its health care emergency preparedness vendor, effective July 8, 2020. The agreement is part of the Department of Health’s annual federal health preparedness grant. Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said, “We are looking forward to the opportunity to expand our existing hospital preparedness program, as well as creating an inclusive environment for all members of our health care system through our health care coalitions.” Health Care Coalitions (HCC):

• Are a formal collaboration among healthcare organizations and public and private partners that are organized to prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency, mass casualty or catastrophic event
• Include the key components of comprehensive healthcare membership, regional presence developed within states/territories to cover larger geographic areas and preparedness capability operationalization through plans, exercises, trainings, response and after-action reports

The Hospital and Healthsystem of Pennsylvania (HAP) previously held the contract. Click here to read the Department of Health’s announcement. As PACHC learns more about changes under the new vendor the PA Association of Community Health Centers will make health centers aware.

The state House and Senate passed HR 836, a concurrent resolution, terminating the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued by the Governor. The House and Senate believe they do not need the Governor’s approval to end the proclamation. In response, Gov. Wolf issued a press release outlining the impact ending the Emergency Proclamation would have on the state, including:

• Pennsylvania will be the first and only state in the United States without an active disaster emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Telehealth and other health care services provided by out-of-state providers for Pennsylvanians would end
• Hospitals and alternative care sites would no longer be able to add capacity or repurpose facilities (i.e., beds) without having to abide by the 60-day notice requirement
• License renewal and training requirement suspensions for healthcare professionals, child care workers, direct care workers, and direct support professionals, among other professional groups who provide life sustaining services to our children, seniors, and vulnerable residents would end, meaning all of these workers would need to choose between not returning to work until those credentials could be renewed or trainings completed or the option of returning to work with the understanding that they are practicing out of compliance with Pennsylvania law and regulation, very well opening themselves up to personal liability

The Governor also argued in his press release in response to the action that the General Assembly’s claims that the resolution ended the business guideline orders is not true. “Not only does any concurrent resolution need to come to the Governor for approval or disapproval, but the disaster declaration is separate from the orders signed by Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine under the Disease Prevention Act that include provisions for business reopening and for worker and building safety. Those orders remain in place. The legislature did nothing to end those.” Governor Wolf and his General Counsel Gregory Schwab said the administration would be going to court to get clarification as to whether the administration has to comply with the Legislature’s termination of the declaration. The Senate Republican Caucus filed a Petition for Review on Wednesday in Commonwealth Court, to assert what they say is the Legislature’s right, under state law, to terminate disaster emergency declarations.

CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

Call details are below. Conference lines are limited so we highly encourage you to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. You are welcome to share this invitation with your colleagues and professional networks. These calls are not intended for the press.

Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page at: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts

CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls (Tuesdays at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern)

Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to:

• Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without Walls;
• Rapidly Expand the Healthcare Workforce;
• Put Patients Over Paperwork; and
• Further Promote Telehealth in Medicare

 This week’s Office Hours:

Tuesday, June 16^th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4527348

Audio Webcast link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=5b097cf5-075d6589-5b094dca-0cc47adc5fa2-a36963157ab9f1a5&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2176

Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (Fridays at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern)

Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters.

This week’s Lessons from the Front Lines:

Friday, June 19^th at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Code: 2258722

Web Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=5290c7b7-0ec4decb-5290f688-0cc47adc5fa2-aab7a40991a3db3b&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2203

To keep up with the important work the White House Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=36fa2226-6aae0b0d-36fa1319-0cc47a6d17cc-2d06c219f858d641&u=http://www.coronavirus.gov/. For information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.

Continuing his commitment to small businesses (SBs) and small diverse businesses (SBDs), Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced new procurement changes to improve opportunities for minority-, women-, LGBT-, veteran- and disabled-owned businesses to compete for state government contracts and succeed in the commonwealth’s economy.

These actions are the direct result of the governor’s Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities in Commonwealth Procurement and in Pennsylvania’s Economy executive order signed in 2015. The order created the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO) within the Department of General Services, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities and led to the 2018 Statewide Disparity Study which examined disparities in the commonwealth’s contracting system and made recommendations for improvement.

There are three new changes taking effect.

Visit the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunity for more detailed information on the new policies and programs as well as the Wolf Administration’s efforts to diversity state contracting and opportunities for small and diverse businesses.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that beginning Wednesday, June 17, nine more COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will open in Walmart parking lots across the state, bringing the total to 19 sites at Walmart locations. Quest Diagnostics and Walmart are working with the department to provide no-cost testing for residents living in areas where there are fewer testing sites. Another testing site has also been added in Venango County, which previously had only one site, bringing the total of new testing sites to 10.

Beginning June 17 these sites will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to test up to 50 registered patients daily. Registration is required one day in advance. There is no COVID-19 testing inside Walmart stores or Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Centers.

The testing sites that will open on Wednesday include:

• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1887 Elmira St, Sayre, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1665 N Atherton St, State College, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 108 Washington Towne Blvd N, Edinboro, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 2501 W State St, New Castle, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1566 W Main Street Ext, Grove City, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 9300 State Route 61, Coal Township, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 980 N Susquehanna Trail, Selinsgrove, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 120 AJK Blvd, Lewisburg, PA
• Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 1169 South Main St, Mansfield, PA

More information about these testing sites and others, including a map of the sites available in Pennsylvania, are listed on the department’s website