The goal of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the First Responders Group (FRG) is to determine the response community’s needs and requirements, provide technical assistance, share data and critical information, and develop innovative solutions to the challenges faced during day-to-day and large scale emergencies. (more…)
AF Surgeon General Recaps Achievements
Lieutenant General Thomas Travis, Air Force Surgeon General on April 24, 2013 testified on Defense Health Programs before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense. He reported on the highlights of the Air Force’s progress in working closely with Defense, Army, and Navy colleagues to achieve the Military Health System (MHS) Quadruple Aim through the goals of readiness, better health, better care, and best value. (more…)
State Partnership Notice Issued
The HHS Assistant Secretary for Health’s Office of Minority Health (OMH) issued a notice on April 25th for the “FY 13 State partnership Grant Program to Improve Minority Health” (MP-STT-13-001).
The grant program’s goal is to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations by developing policies and programs to help eliminate health disparities. OMH in leading this effort serves as the focal point in HHS for leadership, policy development and coordination, service demonstrations, information exchange, and coalition and partnership building to address the health needs of minorities. (more…)
FDA Launches Partnership
FDA has established a public-private partnership to help identify counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial medicines including falsified products by deploying the FDA-developed Counterfeit Detection Device (CD-3).
Malaria kills more than 660,000 people globally each year, mostly children. The threat of drug resistance, limited availability of medications, and the increased distribution of counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial medicine pose significant challenges to treating the disease. (more…)
Helping Rural Areas
In January, Governor McDonnell of Virginia established the Rural Jobs Council to ensure that there is a continued focus on rural areas in the state in terms of the business environment and the quality of life. The Council’s Infrastructure Subcommittee held a meeting to discuss and develop ideas related to issues impacting rural communities.
The Rural Jobs Council submitted a report on April 4, 2013 to the Governor including suggestions on broadband, healthcare, plus other issues related to transportation, regionalism, site identification, education, water/wastewater, and ready prepared sites. (more…)
Award Nominations Open
The Partnership for Procurement Excellence (PPE) is now accepting nominations for its first ever Multiple Award Government and Industry Conference (MAGIC) where Acquisition Excellence Awards will be presented. Nominations for the Acquisition Excellence Achievement Awards are due by May 24, 2013. Winners will be recognized at the MAGIC pre-conference dinner on July 10, 2013 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria Virginia.
PPE is a non-profit membership association serving federal civilian agencies, DOD, industry, and academia involved in federal government contracting through the use of multiple award contracting vehicles.
The second annual Multiple-Award Government and Industry Conference builds on the success of last year’s conference providing a one-of-a-kind venue where leaders from senior government procurement executives and contracting officers working with Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) and Multiple Award Contracts (MAC) will join with industry partners to share their insights, plans, and best practices that will help agencies find the best technologies.
The Conference is a good opportunity to discuss what budget cuts mean to the federal contracting environment, provide an update on the expected growth in small business contract wins in GWACs and MACs, how technology-as-a-service may transform the face of MACs, and address what the impact of new strategic sourcing and vendor standardization programs will mean to federal procurement.
“Sequestration has hit agencies hard, and the acquisition of effective and efficient solutions is more important than ever,” said Barbara Kinosky, President, Centre Consulting, and a member of the PPE Board of Directors.
For more information, go to www.magicgov.org.
HIT Moving Forward in NC
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is making progress on developing health IT in the state. More than a year ago, Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the North Carolina Health Information Exchange (NC HIE) agreed to work together to help physicians have access to healthcare data and EMRs. (more…)