Earlier today, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health issued new guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act authorizing licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized. HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement: “Giving pharmacists the authorization to order and administer ...

Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing that it has resolved a compliance review of the State of Alabama after the state removed ventilator rationing guidelines that allegedly discriminated on the basis of disability and age. This is the first enforcement action taken ...

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the second contract for ventilator production rated under the Defense Production Act (DPA), to Philips. Philips’s contract, at a total contract price of $646.7 million, is for a production schedule allowing for the delivery of 2,500 ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile by the end of May 2020 ...

Today, IHS is announcing its expansion of telehealth across IHS federal facilities. Telehealth services means patients can stay home and reduce their risk of infection and also keep healthcare workers and others in waiting rooms and emergency departments safe from COVID-19. “Expanding telehealth allows more American Indians and Alaska Natives to access healthcare they need ...

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $1.3 billion to 1,387 health centers as part of a historic U.S. response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. HRSA-funded health centers may use the awards to help communities across the country detect ...