Here are six updates from HHS and CMS from the last two weeks:
1. HHS is set to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency past mid-July, after having extended the emergency declaration since January 2020.
2. A group of federal and industry safety leaders issued an urgent call for healthcare organizations to rebuild the foundations for safe care that deteriorated during the pandemic.
3. Around $10 billion in federal aid to support the purchase of more tests, therapeutics and vaccines remains tied up in a congressional stalemate.
4. A third round of free at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government is now available at covidtests.gov. The tests are shipped to Americans' homes, with each household eligible for a total of eight tests.
5. HHS and the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity released the first installment in its climate and health series. The series aims to connect weather forecasts for extreme events like heat waves, wildfires and droughts to health resources to reduce the number of weather-related illness and death.
6. The Department of Health and Human Services will implement continuous monitoring of its systems, after an audit conducted by the department's Office of Inspector General found its information security program "not effective" for fiscal year 2021.