The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will make 25 awards with a total investment of $5 million to recruit and train emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in rural areas.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to ensure EMS personnel are trained on mental and substance use disorders and care for people with such disorders in emergency situations. Applicants can also apply to use the funds to buy equipment.

• 25 awards up to $200,000 a year for up to 4 years
• Application Due Date: Monday, March 30, 2020

https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/fg-20-005

The National Pediatric Readiness Project is a multi-phase quality improvement initiative to ensure that all U.S. emergency departments have the essential guidelines and resources in place to provide effective emergency care to children.

The unique needs of children and their families are often left out of hospital disaster plans. Integrate pediatric disaster preparedness into your ED by downloading the All-Hazard Disaster Preparedness Checklist.

Prepare now to be PedsReady before taking the assessment starting June 2020 at pedsready.org.

The Academy monitors updates from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specific to the public health emergency 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on a daily basis. The AAP offers a web page for pediatric health care providers that summarizes the situation, clinical guidance, and the most recent recommendations within the Outbreaks section of Red Book Online. Also see details on the coronavirus outbreak for families within the AAP website for parents (HealthyChildren.org). For more information about AAP response efforts, see www.aap.org/disasters or e-mail DisasterReady@aap.org.

HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Office for the Advancement of Telehealth seeks public input on how the Telehealth Resource Centers may be better designed to serve HRSA’s rural and underserved populations To improve HRSA’s understanding of this issue, HRSA encourages input from a broad range of stakeholders, including healthcare providers –e.g., rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, federally-qualified health centers and look-alikes, other rural hospitals, etc.; researchers; community members; advocates, telehealth experts; State, local and Tribal governments; past and current FORHP grant recipients; and other interested parties. Specific questions pertain to use of TRC services and their effectiveness. The responses and/or a summary of the responses will be shared with the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth in HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Deadline for comments: March 6. https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rfi-telehealth-resource-center-program

Children are potential victims of chemical or biological terrorism, so it is necessary to prepare for and respond to their needs during these events. The updated American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement and new technical report provides clinical information for pediatricians and others who care for children in an emergency regarding chemical and biological terrorism as well as recommendations for the health care sector and the government to improve pediatric preparedness and response. Details on pediatric decontamination strategies and appropriate use of personal and protective equipment are included.

• Policy Statement: Chemical-Biological Terrorism: Impact on Children
• Technical Report: Chemical-Biological Terrorism: Impact on Children