On Thursday, the Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force presented two deliverables during their final public meeting. The first deliverable is the Final Report, which includes four overarching suggested outcomes as the Task Force vision for change, five proposed priority actions to spur this change and of course, 55 final recommendations intended to disrupt the predictability of who is harmed first and harmed worst in times of national crisis. This work was unanimously approved in the September 2021 Task Force meeting. While this is the final public meeting for the Task Force, the work is not done. To effect change and monitor progress to advance health equity for all, the Task Force presented a second deliverable which includes a proposed implementation plan and suggested accountability framework. This proposed plan and framework was discussed and voted upon as well.
As part of the release of the Final Report and proposed implementation plan, the Task Force will be hosting stakeholder briefings with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs and with the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Please note that each attendee must register to access these briefings. Please feel free to send this invitation to your members and network. These briefings are only for stakeholders and are not open to the press. If any other accommodations would make this meeting more accessible to you, please indicate that in the registration form. We will provide ASL and Closed Captioning. Please note that this briefing will be recorded.
–
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is hosting the first event in the COVID-19 Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) across the country are getting a COVID vaccine for various reasons -- going back to school, playing sports, and protecting their family and communities. Native youth and parents, young people, and Tribal community members are invited to join the AMA to ask any questions they might have about COVID-19 vaccines or booster shots to an expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC). This AMA is focused on knowledge sharing and helping Tribal communities dispel any myths about COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots. Submit questions ahead of time with this form so presenter(s) have time to review them. Please come prepared to ask questions or share your own insights and experiences. The presenter will be Dr. Kimberley Fox, the director of the Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD) within CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). For any question, please contact Darby Galligher at dgalligher@nihb.org
This AMA will be free and streamed live on Zoom and NIHB Facebook.
–
Dear Tribal Leaders,
On November 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a new emergency temporary standard to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus on the job. The nation’s unvaccinated workers face grave danger from workplace exposure to coronavirus, and immediate action is necessary to protect them. Under this standard, covered employers must develop, implement and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose to either be vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work.
OSHA is offering robust compliance assistance to help businesses implement the standard, which can be found at this landing page.
Department officials will hold a briefing with Tribal leaders via Zoom
Date: November 5, 2021
Time: 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM ET (US and Canada)
Call-in number: +1 669 254 5252
Meeting ID: 161 045 0061
Here is a link to the White House fact sheet on these two vaccination policies: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/04/fact-sheet-biden-administration-announces-details-of-two-major-vaccination-policies/ [whitehouse.gov]
Please RSVP to Lujan.Theresa@dol.gov if you plan to attend at 3pm ET. This briefing is intended for tribal leaders and staff. You will have the opportunity to ask policy questions by stating in the zoom chat function that you would like to ask a question, but please do not raise casework or specific business or individual questions in the briefing, in the interest of time. Attendees are encouraged to review the guidance found in links ahead of the briefing.
–
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is excited to announce the 2021 Don't Miss Your Shot: COVID-19 Youth Summit. The Youth Summit will be virtually held on Friday, November 19, 2021.
NIHB is hosting Don’t Miss Your Shot: COVID-19 Youth Summit to provide opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, their parents/caregivers, and those that work with AI/AN youth with the tools necessary to have effective COVID-19 vaccine conversations and to address vaccine misinformation.
This Youth Summit is targeted towards AI/AN youth, parents/caregivers, and those that work with AI/AN youth.
Additional event details and registration information coming soon!
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUA) for both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines authorizing use of a single booster dose for all individuals 18 years of age and older after completion of primary vaccination with any FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Starting at noon today, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet to discuss updates to the existing booster dose recommendations. View the meeting agenda.
CDC will share additional information following the ACIP meeting.
Friday, November 19th at 7:30 pm CT/6:30 pm MT
Keeping the Circle Strong: We Can Do This Indian Country
Join Native Roots Radio and the We Can Do This campaign for the town hall where tribal leadership, community advocates, and health experts will talk about the COVID-19 pandemic in Indian Country and the available vaccines. Watch it live on Facebook at https://bit.ly/KeepingtheCircleStrong or on YouTube at https://bit.ly/YTCircleStrong.
–
Dear Public Health Community,
On behalf of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, I am pleased to invite you to a virtual Public Health Community Appreciation Town Hall. The event is on Monday, November 22, from 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET.
Federal, state, and local public health professionals have been leaders in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic since it first reached the U.S., ensuring their communities had access to accurate information about the pandemic and critical public health interventions and resources. They have ensured widespread access to testing, vaccines, contact tracing, and monoclonal antibodies, launched far-reaching public education campaigns, and developed strategies to make and keep our schools safe. Public health professionals have been asked to coordinate and participate in every step of their state or local pandemic responses. In doing so, they have made enormous personal sacrifices and epitomized public service.
This Thanksgiving season we express our sincere gratitude to the entire public health community. The White House COVID-19 Response Team, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will share their reflections, as well as public health professionals from a variety of fields on the accomplishments of the public health community. Viewers will also hear from state and local health officials on the major investments being made to improve public health infrastructure for the future.
Please use the link below on the day of the event to tune in. We look forward to seeing you there.
Thank you,
Dr. Bechara Choucair; National Vaccinations Coordinator, White House COVID-19 Response Team
****
Date: Monday, November 22
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Please click the following link during the event to attend.
White House Virtual Event: Public Health Community Appreciation Town Hall - YouTube
A recording will also be available at this link after the event.