Local businesses forced to close by the pandemic are offered a glimmer of hope, as the WA Government flags the state could be more "economically progressive" than others due to its low COVID-19 case numbers.

The Tasmanian Government has given a green light to the gradual reopening of the state. Here's how it will work.

There are 50 beds inside Geelong's new coronavirus hospital, but the team who worked around the clock to hastily prepare this facility aren't bothered that they so far haven't seen a single patient.

TWO more Melbourne real estate agencies have been punished for underquoting, with one caught telling a client the practice was “just a little (marketing) ploy” to “get people through the door”.

Virgin Australia is expected to announce the airline will go into voluntary administration, with Deloitte tipped to help the company restructure about $5 billion in debt and pay off its creditors.

Australia's troubled second airline, which saw its cash flow collapse because of tough coronavirus travel restrictions, appoints accounting firm Deloitte to act as administrator after the Federal Government rejected calls to bail it out.

Regional centres are concerned they could be badly hit by the potential collapse of Virgin Australia, with higher airfares and less competition.

For Queensland, the pain of a possible collapse of Virgin Australia runs deep, with nearly half of its workforce based in the state.

La Chine a admis samedi que la COVID-19 avait révélé des « lacunes » dans son système de santé.

The question is how many and how soon. In the pandemic, everyone is a moral relativist.

It was welcomed by athletes around the world, but the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until 2021 was easy in comparison to what comes next, writes Tracey Holmes.

The IOC and Olympics organisers have reset the clock on the Tokyo games for a year-long delay from the intended opening — but they warn there is no blueprint for getting to the new start line.

Medicaid and other parts of the healthcare safety net get left behind in the Trump administration's plans for distributing aid to battle the coronavirus.

Energy and Commerce Committee members held a bipartisan teleconference forum with Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, on the Administration’s COVID-19 testing efforts. Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) released a joint statement following the call: “The Committee continued its discussions with federal health leaders today on the Administration’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.  During the call, members received an update on federal efforts to increase COVID-19 testing and encouraged the Administration to continue working to get more testing supplies to communities in need. “The members asked for more specifics on the testing needs that states have identified, how the federal government is going to increase capacity and what level of testing is necessary to reopen the economy. “Testing is an essential tool in reducing the spread of this horrible virus, and we thank Admiral Giroir for providing the Committee an update today.” ###

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) called on the Trump administration to address the lack of financial relief for Medicaid providers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The two Committee leaders voiced concerns that, to date, roughly $70 billion has been distributed to health care providers under the CARES Act in a way that discriminates against Medicaid-dependent health care providers. “HHS’s continued neglect for the needs of Medicaid-dependent providers struggling to deal with the COVID-19 crisis is unacceptable,” the members wrote. “The country is in the middle of a pandemic. The Medicaid program is a first responder, and the providers it relies on must be treated with equity. At a bare minimum that should include expeditious access to the [provider fund] as intended by Congress.”  The Provider Relief Fund that Congress created as a part of the CARES Act, within the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), was intended to support health care providers including those who participate in Medicare and Medicaid. However, to date only Medicare-enrolled providers have been able to access funds, and these funds are being allocated according to a methodology that rewards providers with high levels of privately-insured individuals while providers supporting the safety net are left waiting. This imbalance discriminates against critical health care providers that primarily service the Medicaid population, such as frontline hospitals, nursing homes and home-based providers, behavioral health providers, maternal health care providers and pediatricians. In the letter, sent to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, Pallone and Wyden called on the Trump administration to describe how much funding will go to Medicaid-dependent providers and the steps it has taken to understand the needs of these providers during the pandemic. The full letter is available here. ###

May 8, 2020 (WASHINGTON) – Today, several House committee and subcommittee chairs sent a letter to the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health & Human Services (HHS) regarding recent news reports alleging that the Trump Administration is considering implementing policies that could unnecessarily delay migrant children in HHS care from being reunified with their sponsors.  The chairs again urge the Administration to rescind a Memorandum of Agreement requiring information about sponsors for migrant children be shared by HHS with DHS.  A group of House chairs previously wrote the Administration on this issue last July.  Despite current law, Congressional directives, and the current COVID-19 epidemic, the Administration continues policies that will lengthen the time migrant children spend in HHS care, thus keeping these children in congregate settings and therefore at heightened risk for exposure to COVID-19.  There have been 68 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among children in HHS care. The letter, led by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, has also been signed by: Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee; Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee; Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee; Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Committee Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations Subcommittee; Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Chair of the Judiciary Committee Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee; and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. Link to letter Letter text: We write with deep concern over recent reporting alleging that Administration officials are considering implementing policies that could unnecessarily delay the reunification of unaccompanied minors in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with their sponsors.  These concerns are heightened by the current COVID-19 epidemic, which poses significant risks for all individuals held in congregate settings. We are particularly wary of expanded information sharing under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between your Departments. As we wrote last summer, we continue to have strong concerns that the MOA, which has been used in the past to deport a child’s family and loved ones, will have a chilling effect on reunifications by forcing migrant families to choose between sponsoring children and risking arrest. The effect of that policy undermines the best interests of children in HHS care. This is particularly dangerous given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has already resulted in 68 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among children in ORR care, including 38 children within just one facility in Illinois. HHS previously fingerprinted all adults in a sponsor’s household for a period of about six months in 2018. However, according to HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson, HHS found that the extra screening did not add to the protection or safety of the children.   In addition, the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the MOA resulted in children spending a significantly increased length of time in HHS care, reaching an average length of stay of 93 days in November 2018. The OIG found that the length of stay declined as HHS reduced fingerprinting requirements.  The Administration must not revisit a policy that has been found to be detrimental to the interests of the children in its care. We find it extremely troubling that both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and HHS are reportedly considering ignoring Congressional directives and reimplementing policies that are expected to delay the placement of children in HHS care with sponsors.  The law has been clear – the Administration is not to deter potential sponsors from coming forward by using information shared under the MOA for deportation purposes, except in very limited, specified circumstances.  Yet DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violated the law and utilized the information collected from adults deemed ineligible for sponsorship for deportation purposes.  ICE’s continued use of data collected by HHS for the placement of children in safe homes also represents a violation of the law. In addition, Congress directed HHS in the Fiscal Year 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act not to reverse operational directives from 2018 and 2019 that reduced the length of time children spent in HHS care. Congress also directed HHS to “continue to work on efforts to reduce time in care and to consider additional policy changes that can be made to release children to suitable sponsors as safely and expeditiously as possible.”  We urge you to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of children in your care and rescind the MOA. In the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, this should also include taking all reasonable measures to release children in your care to sponsors as quickly as possible. Thank you in advance for your consideration of these requests. #  #  #

A discussion of administrative decisions hospitals are making during the COVID-19 pandemic, including cutting benefits for employees and furloughing staff.

The post Hospital Administration and the COVID-19 Pandemic (Part II) appeared first on Bill of Health.

The technology enables sponsors to continue gathering cardiac data for clinical trials without interruption or risk to patient safety.

Ousted Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Dr Rick Bright, alleges the Trump administration ignored warnings about the severity of the coronavirus.

The Department announced today that it has reached a settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve a lawsuit filed by the Department against the Administrative Office of the Courts of the State of North Carolina and the Honorable Jerry Braswell, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for North Carolina Judicial District 8-B, in his official capacity.

The former director of information technology for a non-profit organ and tissue donation center has entered a guilty plea to intruding into her former employer’s computer network.

A former jail administrator at the Cibola County Detention Center in Grants, N.M., was sentenced today to 97 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $400 special assessment for violating the rights of inmates in his custody at two separate New Mexico jails.

Today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske released President Obama’s strategy to stem the flow of illegal drugs and their illicit proceeds across the Southwest border and reduce associated crime and violence in the region.

The former director of information technology for a non-profit organ and tissue donation center was sentenced today to two years in prison for hacking into her former employer’s computer network.

A Georgia temporary staffing company and its owner/president have agreed to plead guilty to making a false statement to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Patriot Services Inc. and its owner/president, Stephanie Blackmon, have each agreed to plead guilty to a one-count charge of making a false statement to the SBA, which was filed today in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

Fleet Management Ltd., a Hong Kong-based ship management firm, pleaded guilty today to a criminal violation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 for its role in negligently causing the discharge of more than 50,000 gallons of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay from the Cosco Busan when the vessel struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge in dense fog on Nov. 7, 2007.

A Liberian-incorporated shipping company pleaded guilty today in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to failing to keep accurate oily water discharge records and using falsified records to conceal the discharge at sea of untreated bilge from one of its cargo ships.

While no words can lessen the sorrow being felt today by these families, I hope their loved ones know they have the unending respect and gratitude of this nation. They certainly have mine.

Wheaton Community Hospital, the City of Wheaton, Minn. and Dr. Stanley Gallagher (collectively WCH) have agreed to pay $846,461 to settle allegations that their hospital admission practices violated the False Claims Act.

Innospec Inc., a Delaware corporation, pleaded guilty today to defrauding the United Nations (UN), to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn to a felony offense related to his attempted bombing of a downtown Dallas skyscraper in September 2009.

The United States filed False Claims Act counterclaims against Saehan Bank and crossclaims against Steve Yong Kim and Young Soon Kim in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

As part of the Obama Administration’s launch of the first-ever Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, Attorney General Eric Holder today emphasized the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to protecting U.S. intellectual property as central to America’s economic prosperity and public safety.

Steven Jinwoo Kim, 40, of Houston pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2009, to one count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization and recklessly causing damage.

Univision Services Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Univision Communications Inc., pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with a scheme to obtain increased radio broadcast time.

Saehan Bank has agreed to pay the United States $2.2 million to settle allegations arising under the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act with respect to a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, the Justice Department announced.

A grant administrator and her daughter have been charged with participating in a scheme resulting in the theft of approximately $150,000 in federal grant funds awarded to a non-profit corporation in the Territory of American Samoa.

Attorney General Eric Holder welcomed the confirmation of the new Director of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Stacia A. Hylton, and Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Michele M. Leonhart.

Attorney General Eric Holder today joined President Barack Obama and other administration officials to announce the presidential initiative aimed at establishing a coordinated and comprehensive federal approach to supporting military families.

"The MOVE Act’s enactment in 2009 was the most important advancement in the area of military and overseas voter law in more than 20 years," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

The former administrative assistant to a U.S. senator was charged today by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia with violating criminal conflict of interest laws.

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred William Alexander of Pasadena, Calif., and his two companies, Retirement Plan Services Inc. and Lyons Pensions Inc., from selling or administering pension plans or employee welfare-benefit plans.

UBS AG has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market and has agreed to pay a total of $160 million in restitution, penalties and disgorgement to federal and state agencies.

Michael C. Finton, aka “Talib Islam,” pleaded guilty today to attempting to bomb the federal courthouse in Springfield, Ill., in September 2009 and was immediately sentenced to serve 28 years in prison.

Garsh Lending LLC, a lender located in Miami, has agreed to pay the United States $300,000 to settle allegations involving a Small Business Administration loan.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the launch of a public awareness campaign at a Federal Interagency Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Task Force event to bring attention to the challenges faced by children and families affected by drug abuse and highlight the work being done across the country to address these issues.

JPMorgan Chase &s role in anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market and has agreed to pay a total of $228 million in restitution, penalties and disgorgement to federal and state agencies.

Thomas W. Richardson of Mansfield, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft before the Honorable Jane J. Boyle in Dallas.