State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS), in partnership with Manatt Health, Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR), State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), Bailit Health, and GMMB developed this resource page to serve as an accessible “one-stop” source of COVID-19 information for states. This resource is designed to support states seeking to make coverage and essential services available to all of their residents, especially high-risk and vulnerable people, during the COVID-19 pandemic. SHVS will update this page frequently with new resources as they become available.
| If you have materials you are willing to share with other states through this page, or if there are topics of particular concern that you would like addressed, please contact SHVS. |
Governor Tim Walz announced an allocation of $15 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to help emergency shelters serving vulnerable Minnesotans improve COVID-19 mitigation measures. The funding will support the state’s Emergency Services Program grants, which are awarded to organizations that provide emergency shelter and essential services for people who are homeless. The funds will be competitively awarded, prioritizing investments that acquire or modify shelter spaces to improve prevention of COVID-19 transmission or outbreaks.
Press release announcing some students currently enrolled in institutions of higher learning are temporarily eligible for food assistance
Arizona Launches Initiative Easing Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Sites for Vulnerable Individuals
HHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released an updated list of its Active Work Plan Items reflective of OIG’s audits, evaluations, and inspections that are underway or planned in determination of providers’ compliance with temporary authorities during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The six newly-announced COVID-related work plan items include:
– Audit of HRSA’s Controls Over Medicare Providers’ Compliance with the Attestation, Submitted-Revenue-Information, and Quarterly Use-of-Funds Reporting Requirements Related to the $50 Billion General Distribution of the Provider Relief Fund.
– Medicare Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Program Integrity Risks.
– Audit of National Domestic Violence Hotline and Shelter-in-Place Orders During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
– Indian Health Service Use of Critical Care Response Teams To Support Health Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
– Public Health Actions Affecting Unaccompanied Children: Coordination Between CDC and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
In light of recent postal delays and housing displacements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic crisis, and a wave of natural disasters across the country, state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies face new challenges communicating with their enrollees about their health coverage. Acting now to mitigate these challenges is essential as states are preparing for the end of the public health emergency (PHE) and “catching up” on coverage renewals for a large portion of their enrollees. This expert perspective reviews strategies that state Medicaid and CHIP agencies may consider to help mitigate coverage losses.
Citing the August 8 Executive Order by the Trump Administration, “Fighting the Spread of COVID-19 by Providing Assistance to Renters and Homeowners,” HUD reminded all grantees that received Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) or Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that they may use these funds to provide rental assistance or other aid to individuals experiencing financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic and are at risk of being evicted. In its press release, HUD also announced its toolkit for landlords and Public Housing Authorities to help ensure protections against evictions and foreclosures.
HUD announced nearly $2 billion in CARES Act supplemental Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program awards for states and localities. This is the third and final distribution of the $5 billion authorized by the CARES Act to help communities combat the coronavirus and alleviate economic hardship. HUD indicates that the methodology used to inform the latest distribution targets households facing higher risk of eviction. Specifically, the methodology prioritizes:
– Communities with high rates of individuals in industries with high job loss in states with high unemployment;
– Communities with high rates of businesses in industries with high job loss in states with high unemployment; and
– Concentrations of those most at risk for transmission and risk of eviction, with higher amounts for states with high rates of coronavirus.
Citing the August 8 Executive Order by the Trump Administration, “Fighting the Spread of COVID-19 by Providing Assistance to Renters and Homeowners,” HUD indicated that the funds may be used to provide rental assistance or other aid to individuals who are experiencing financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic and are at risk of being evicted.HUD also announced the full-year allocations for the Office of Community Building and Development’s (CPD) formula programs which includes CARES Act supplemental funding as well as non-supplemental funding.
HUD released guidance for state agencies on how to prioritize use of funds for providing non-congregate shelter for homeless populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the document provides prioritization guidance over various phases of the emergency (e.g., initial request, implementation, after FEMA funding concludes, etc.) on the following funds:- FEMA Emergency Declaration / Major Disaster Declaration for COVID-19 authorizing Public Assistance (PA) Category B Emergency Protective Measures- HUD Emergency Solutions Grant – Coronavirus (ESG-CV)- HUD Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus (CDBG-CV)
FEMA issued guidance defining the framework, policy details, and requirements for determining eligible work and costs reimbursable by FEMA for non-congregate sheltering. The guidance acknowledges that sheltering operations during the COVID-19 public health emergency may require state and local governments to consider strategies for sheltering individuals that does not increase the risk of exposure to or further transmission of COVID-19, thereby increasing the need for non-congregate sheltering.
HUD announced $2.96 billion in CARES Act funding in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) to state and local governments, which will support homeless individuals and those at risk of becoming homeless by making more emergency shelters available, covering the cost of operating emergency shelters and hotel/motel vouchers, providing other essential services and rapidly rehousing homeless individual.
Early evidence suggests there are health disparities based on race, gender, and geography in both the contraction of COVID-19 and deaths related to the virus. People of color and those who live in urban centers are faring worse from this pandemic. These higher rates of illness and death are rooted in longstanding, structural inequities in our country. While these inequities cannot be fixed overnight, states can begin to foster a more equitable and just COVID-19 response, relief, and recovery effort by employing a few key guidelines. This expert perspective poses a series of questions states can use to inform immediate actions to strengthen their initial responses and lay the foundation for broader reforms to advance health equity.
On Thursday, May 7, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar that reported on how states are tracking the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations and provided a framework for states to examine their COVID-19 response efforts to yield better outcomes for such populations. As the COVID-19 crisis evolves, it has become increasingly clear that vulnerable populations are disproportionately impacted. Unsurprisingly, these disparately affected groups are the same ones that have long experienced stark health disparities, such as communities of color, low income populations, and those that reside in congregate living facilities (nursing homes, jails, shelters, etc.). During the webinar, technical experts from Health Equity Solutions and SHADAC shared findings from recent SHVS publications.
In addition to helping New Yorkers safely separate, the city will also support those who are separating at home by designating Resource Navigators, who work with community-based organizations across the city, to help New Yorkers overcome logistical issues such as accessing medicine or clean laundry.
Recommendations developed by the Connecticut Health Foundation aimed at ensuring the state’s COVID-19 response reaches those who are most at risk.
Webinar on racial inequities of COVID-19 and impact on communities of color
This Health Affairs blog post highlights states’ policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their proactive approaches to addressing a wide range of health concerns.
HUD announced allocations for $1 billion in funding to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees, including all states and insular areas. This allocation is the second CDBG allocation from the CARES Act, with $3 billion of the total $5 billion awarded to date, and was based on: public health needs, risk of transmission of coronavirus, number of coronavirus cases compared to the national average, economic and housing market disruptions, and other factors.
This comprehensive report begins by describing the link between social injustice and COVID-19 outcomes at the local level, including original analysis of economic and disease data for 11 counties with high Black and Latino populations that are among the hardest-hit counties in the United States. The second section of this report provides an action guide for health equity advocates, identifying short-term policy options that respond to the current pandemic and longer-term policy.
Opinion piece written by Dr. Richard Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board announced the allocations of CARES Act ($200 million) and annual FY 2019 appropriations ($120 million) distributed to Local EFSP Boards throughout the country. Local Boards will begin accepting applications from local organizations that can provide emergency food and shelter services. Local Boards’ plans for the funding are due to the National Board by 5/29/20. Organizations seeking to apply should contact their jurisdiction’s Local Board for more details.
HUD announced allocations for $685 million in funding to public housing agencies (PHA) through the Public Housing Operating Fund and can be used for a wide range of preparation, prevention and response actions.
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health announced a $40 million funding opportunity for the development and coordination of a strategic network of national, state, territorial, tribal and local organizations to deliver important COVID-19-related information to racial and ethnic minority, rural and socially vulnerable communities hardest hit by the pandemic. Applications are due by Monday, May 11 at 6 pm ET.
The Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network (SIREN) at the University of California San Francisco, is a research organization focused on the intersection of medical and social services. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, SIREN has developed a resource center of sites aggregating data about health equity, policy, and social risk related to the coronavirus and related financial crisis.
ACF announced intent to award $45 million to states, territories, and tribes to support the child welfare needs of families during the crisis and to help keep families together, as authorized by the CARES Act.
Webinar recording and slide deck from webinar hosted on March 18, 2020.
This analysis shows how the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing life-threatening gaps in the health system’s response for people who are in involved in the criminal justice system.
California has a demonstrated need for hotel and motel rooms around the State to immediately provide non-congregate shelter options for the sick and medically vulnerable.
Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia’s collaborative efforts to release low-level offenders from local and regional jails in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are working, and the administration’s guidelines have been effective in decreasing the jail population.
Recommendations and guidance on COVID-19 response for service providers working with homeless populations, including overnight emergency shelters, day shelters, and meal service providers.
This expert perspective, written by experts at Manatt Health, discusses strategies state Medicaid and CHIP agencies can pursue as part of their response to COVID-19.
This guidance allows practitioners further flexibility in prescribing and dispensing buprenorphine to new and existing patients with opioid use disorder via telephone without examination in person or via telemedicine.
The California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency released guidance for homeless assistance providers on how to protect individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as their volunteers and employees who serve this vulnerable population, from the spread of COVID-19
Second COVID-19 response / stimulus bill.
Summary of Key Healthcare Provisions in the Second COVID-19 Stimulus Bill.
This page includes guidance and a template for COVID-19 1115 waiver demonstrations.