April COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases Updates
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Dear AAPCHO member,
Thank you for your continued efforts to support Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) communities in your health centers. To ensure that you and other AAPCHO members are informed of the latest news and resources about COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, AAPCHO offers a monthly resource, event, and research update. Below are the latest updates since our previous outreach.
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Concerns and Preparations for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE)
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On Thursday, March 16, AAPCHO convened a roundtable for Members to share their questions, concerns, and promising practices for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Below are some of the key concerns, preparations, and assets AAPCHO Members and partners shared as well as policy and advocacy priorities.
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- Strategies for workforce retention and cross training.
- Patient education on changes to visits, workflows, insurance, and access to COVID-19 care.
- Operationalization of workflows for new infection prevention and control guidance.
- Engaging homebound patients after the loss of flexibilities with telehealth.
- Protections for staff through continued paid sick leave during isolation or quarantine.
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Reimbursement for services continued funding for COVID-19-related costs.
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- Increasing in-person visits for people with upper respiratory symptoms and update testing strategies.
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Sending in-language mailers to patients covered by Medicaid to explain eligibility status and next steps.
- Switching to HIPAA-compliant video visit software that does not require patients to download an application.
- Utilizing partnerships with community based organizations to spend down COVID-19 outreach, test-to-treat, and vaccination funds.
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Transition COVID-19 workflows into general health center operations.
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- Improved language and pathways to ask and talk about health.
- More investment in and less stigma around mental health.
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Increased awareness and acknowledgement of disproportionate impacts of crises on historically and multiply marginalized groups.
- Application of knowledge and lessons from COVID-19 to other chronic and infectious diseases (e.g. TB).
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- Reimbursement rates for audio only visits.
- Updates to the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine vial doses.
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Consistency between federal and state guidelines on isolation/quarantine for the general public and health care workers.
- Changes to provider and pharmacists dispensing allowances for COVID-19 therapeutics.
- Updates on access to free/affordable COVID-19 testing and therapeutics.
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Please note that many of the unwinding strategies, flexibilities, policies, and protocols are state-specific. If you would like more information, support, resources, or would like AAPCHO to help connect you to your state Primary Care Association (PCA) email us at training@aapcho.org.
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Staying Informed: Understanding Local Impacts of the Public Health Emergency Ending
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Photo courtesy of the Vaccine Equity Cooperative
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Tuesday, April 11
8:00am HT/11:00am PT/2:00pm ET
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On Tuesday, April 11, Vaccine Equity Cooperative will convene a webinar with discussions on impacts of the end of the COVID-19 PHE, culturally appropriate resources, long-term public health and safety plans, and opportunities to prevent disease and promote healthy communities.
Register now »
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How to Support Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant Communities Before and After the End of the Public Health Emergency
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Photo courtesy of NRC-RIM
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Thursday, April 20
9:30am HT/12:30pm PT/3:30pm ET
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Asian-American, Native-Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander COVID-19 Public Education Campaign
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) We Can Do This has developed an updated COVID-19 campaign. AAPCHO is working with HHS, members, and partners to disseminate resources from the Test-to-Treat campaign, including patient handouts and provider resources to guide patient discussions.
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| Supporting Healthy Communities During Ramadan Toolkit
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Photo courtesy of NRC-RIM
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| Photo courtesy of NRC-RIM
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NRC-RIM released a new toolkit that includes key messages and resources for Ramadan and COVID-19 including preparation checklists, calendars, and messaging guides for questions from members of Muslim communities. Available in Arabic, Dari, English, Pashto, Rohingya, Somali, and Tigrinya.
View the full toolkit »
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Conversation Guide: End of the PHE
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NRC-RIM created a conversation guide to support workforce in discussing changes and potential impacts of the end of the PHE on RIM communities.
The guide includes topics such as the healthcare costs, access, insurance coverage and renewals, staying safe, and more.
View the conversation guide »
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Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) Data Policy Platform and Data Dashboards
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Preliminary RECOVER Study Results
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CDC All State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (STLT) COVID-19 Vaccine Updates
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On Thursday, March 20, the CDC All-STLT Task Force provided current updates for COVID-19 response which included resources for vaccines. Key updates relevant for health center providers and community health workers are:
1. All doses of Moderna 10 expire on April 1, 2023. DO NOT ADMINISTER DOSES OF MODERNA 10 AFTER APRIL 1;
2. Pfizer bivalent booster doses are now FDA-approved for children ages 6 months - 4 years who received 3 prior monovalent doses;
3. COVID-19 vaccine and booster uptake is low among pediatric populations. 95% of pediatric patients are either unvaccinated or not up-to-date; and
4. Providers of the J&J vaccine are now required to report cases of myocarditis or pericarditis following a vaccine dose.
Read the summary notes for the call »
Join STLT Response Updates Listserv »
Resources for COVID-19 Vaccine Updates
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Thank you for your commitment and innovative work on the frontlines in providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care for your community. If you have any questions, need resources related to vaccine distribution, and/or require other types of technical assistance, please feel free to reach out by replying to this email or let us know here.
Sincerely,
John Nguyen-Yap, MSW
Associate Director of Health Equity
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