PREPPING FOR NEXT FALL — Federal officials are asking groups representing older Americans what they can do to improve Covid-19 vaccine uptake during the next respiratory illness season, Chelsea and Daniel report. This comes after a lackluster number of long-term care residents got the updated Covid shot this season. The meeting, billed as a White House Long-Term Care Leadership Summit, was one of a series of conversations HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has hosted with long-term care facilities to remind them of their duty to offer residents the shots. During those meetings, groups asked the administration for more support in persuading residents to get vaccinated. The summit, also attended by representatives from long-term care industry groups LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association, the provider group the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association and interest group AARP, was focused on lessons from this year’s fall and winter seasons, according to people who attended. Dr. David Gifford, AHCA’s chief medical officer, told Pulse in a statement that the conversations can help officials and facilities find a “productive and positive path forward. …” “As providers, we remain persistent in educating and encouraging families and residents to get vaccinated and appreciate the partnership of the Biden administration to help reinforce the importance of the vaccines,” he added. Here are the three issues the summit focused on: — Logistics: A LeadingAge spokesperson told Pulse that officials asked providers what they thought was the best timeline for ordering vaccines ahead of next season. Late last year, LeadingAge President Katie Smith Sloan asked Becerra to allow providers to make smaller vaccine orders to meet dwindling demand, a request that wasn’t met. — Access: The switch last year to offering Covid vaccines on the commercial market led to reimbursement challenges, and providers want to be reassured that they will be resolved next season. — Messaging: Providers want to know how to better spread the word to older adults to get the shot. “Many critical efforts must align — and effective public health messaging is critical, as we discussed yesterday,” said Ruth Katz, senior vice president for policy at LeadingAge, in a statement to Pulse. In a statement to Pulse, Gifford highlighted the “significant, systemic challenges with vaccine reluctance that requires a collective endeavor by public health officials, other health care providers, and the public to overcome.” HHS directed Pulse's request for comment to the White House, which did not immediately respond. WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE. The Congressional Digital Health Caucus, led by Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), launched on Thursday. Reach us at bleonard@politico.com or ccirruzzo@politico.com. Follow along @_BenLeonard_ and @ChelseaCirruzzo.
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