AHA partners with FBI to address violence in health care settings
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has partnered with the FBI to mitigate “targeted violence,” such as physical assaults, verbal threats, harassment, and large-scale attacks, in health care settings.
The partnership between AHA and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit aims to promote violence prevention strategies, as well as address escalating threats and instances of violence against the health care workforce.
AHA said it will offer a variety of resources for hospitals and health systems to implement threat assessment and threat management principles or enhance any existing efforts.
The resources include an issue brief outlining the steps to take when a potential threat is identified, as well as a dedicated webpage with a resources from the FBI on prevention and management of a threat and an AHA podcast on FBI prevention strategies.
Click here to access the full list of resources.
HHS announces $3.7B toward lowering home energy costs
This week, the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $3.7 billion to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides funding to states, tribes, and territories that support low-income households struggling to afford their energy bills.
The funding will help households across the country maintain safe and healthy indoor temperatures, especially during the winter.
“At HHS we are committed to ensuring that all households across the country are safe and healthy, including their indoor temperatures. That is what LIHEAP does,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. “This critical program protects against the negative health impacts of unsafe indoor air temperatures, particularly for those who are most vulnerable, including older adults, young children and people with disabilities. With the help of LIHEAP, households across the country can afford their energy bills without compromising their ability to pay for other essentials like housing, food, and health care.”
Penn State College of Medicine launches center to promote health equity in rural communities
Penn State College of Medicine announced this week the launch of its Center for Advancing Health Equity in Rural and Underserved Communities (CAHE-RUC), a partnership between Penn State College of Medicine and the national non-profit community-based organization, Asian Health Coalition. The center aims to study, address, and reduce health disparities underserved communities throughout Pennsylvania, where 70 percent of the state is rural.
The center will initially focus on reducing cancer health disparities and improving health literacy and education in cardiovascular health, cancer, and diabetes for minority, underserved, and rural populations. Penn State College of Medicine plans to expand the center to also include patient-centered health research.
“Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease experienced by populations that are historically and systematically disadvantaged,” said Karen Kim, M.D., MS, dean of Penn State College of Medicine, in a statement. “Our faculty, students, and staff across our Departments, Centers and Institutes are committed to understanding mechanisms and innovative interventions to mitigate rural health disparities across the spectrum of basic, translational and clinical sciences to community-engaged research and inclusive policies.”