Billy Wynne

Subcommittee Demonstrates Bipartisan Support for Increasing Access to Effective Behavioral Health Services The Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement convened a hearing to discuss gaps and opportunities in communities to increase access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. The hearing provided an opportunity for members to discuss community-driven solutions and…

FNS and FRAC Award $16 Million for WIC Outreach Projects The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced that it has partnered with the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) through a cooperative agreement to award $16 million in subgrants to improve outreach in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,…

Biden-Harris Administration Addresses Unsheltered Homelessness The Biden-Harris Administration announced the launch of the new ALL INside initiative to address unsheltered homelessness. Through this initiative, the US Interagency Council on Homelessness and its member agencies will partner with state and local governments to get unsheltered people into homes in six areas: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix…

Research Highlights the Economic Burden of Health Disparities to the US Economy A recent study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) estimates the total cost of racial and ethnic health inequities to the US Economy in 2018 was $451 billion. Further, the study estimates the total cost of education-related…

New Report Finds that Chronic Pain Impacts 21 Percent of Adults The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a study that finds that among US adults, the incidence of chronic pain is higher than that of diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and other common chronic conditions. Chronic pain was defined as pain felt every or…

Comments Requested on Proposed Payment Updates for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics; Due June 2 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently issued a request for state and stakeholder comments on updates proposed to the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Technical Guidance initially published under the 2015 Substance Abuse…

Inflation Reduction Act, CMMI and Other Policies May Be Inhibiting Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Innovation, Prices and Patient Access EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing to discuss how current legislation, regulations and other agency actions are shaping pharmaceutical and medical device innovation, prices and patient access. Topics…

Department Details ‘Project NextGen’ to Accelerate the Development of Innovative Tools to Combat COVID-19 and Future Pandemics; Program Funding Could be Impacted by Debt Limit Discussions The Department of Health and Human Services provided additional details on the Biden-Harris Administration initiative called Project NextGen, which involves an initial investment of $5 billion to accelerate the…

Nominations for Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee; Due September 29 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a request for nominations for members to serve on the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HIPAC).   HICPAC is tasked with providing advice and guidance to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…

Agency Awards Funding to Support Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative; Related SAMHSA Funding Opportunity Applications Due June 20 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the award of over $147 million to 49 recipients to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. The initiative is part of the…