Shaquita Ogletree Council for Strong America provided a Capitol Hill briefing on “Caring for the Youngest Victims of Our Nation’s Opioid Crisis.” Congressman Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) discussed the fifty-eight bills that were passed by the House of Representatives in recent days along with an additional $4 billion for states and said the action was in
n Friday, the Administration and the state of Kentucky received a blow when a judge struck down the Medicaid work requirement that was set to go into effect on July 1. The ruling by Judge James Boasberg came late on Friday. The Judge directed the state to go back to CMS and HHS to review
HHS has announced that they are soliciting applications for Regional Partnership Grants (RPGs), which fund collaborations among child welfare agencies, substance abuse agencies, courts, and other community partners to improve the well-being of children affected by family substance use. This solicitation covers new funds that were included under the 2018 appropriations bill. These RPGs have
On Friday, June 22 the House of Representatives passed HR 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018. That legislation will become a vehicle for a much larger package of legislation that addresses opioids and will eventually be sent to the Senate for action. For child welfare advocates, the bill includes legislation drafted
The Administration has revived its assault on the ACA when, on Thursday, June 7, the Justice Department said it would not defend the Act against a lawsuit by some conservative states that are once again seeking to have the law declared unconstitutional. This comes against a backdrop of some other states, or at least
On Friday, June 15, the House Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education reported out their bill for FY 2019. The full bill won’t be released until it is considered next week in the full Committee but some items were made public. Overall the Subcommittee is spending the same amount for FY 2019 that was spent and approved
On Thursday, June 7, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report that indicated that 45,000 people committed suicide in 2016. The report indicated that more than half the victims did not have a known mental health condition. There were a variety of contributing factors both for those with a known
The Senate Finance Committee will consider a package of opioids legislation this Tuesday, June 12. Before the Memorial Day break, Senate Finance members announced a package of 22 bills. The bill mainly addresses the Committee’s jurisdiction over the Medicare and Medicaid programs but the three bills that deal with child welfare address funding under the
Shaquita Ogletree The Congressional Baby Caucus (co-chaired by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN)) sponsored a briefing to focus on the drug impact of opioids on that population. Highlighting a recent report in the New York Times, Congresswoman DeLauro said that the solution could not be to tear families apart and punish
Shaquita Ogletree The National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse (NHCVA) and Futures Without Violence sponsored a briefing last month, Health Solutions to Women, Children, and Families Affected by Trauma and Abuse. The panel included the First Lady of Massachusetts, Lauren Baker, Sabrina Matoff-Stepp, Office of Women’s Health, HHS, Tiffany Flowers, Pathways Counseling Center, Iowa,
