WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued several key updates last week, outlining developments on public health surveillance, medical education reforms, organ transplant oversight, homelessness initiatives, and rural healthcare access.
On August 26, 2025, HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed a traveler-associated case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Maryland. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is leading the response after a patient returned from El Salvador with the condition. Officials emphasized that the risk to the public remains low. In coordination with the CDC, USDA initiated targeted surveillance within a 20-mile radius spanning parts of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. To date, no detections of NWS have been found in livestock, wildlife, or other animals in the United States. The last U.S. outbreak occurred in the Florida Keys and was resolved in 2017. In June, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a five-part plan to strengthen monitoring efforts, which includes additional trapping along the U.S.–Mexico border and establishing a domestic sterile fly production facility to bolster preparedness.
On August 27, 2025, HHS launched a major initiative urging U.S. medical schools and training organizations to integrate comprehensive nutrition education into their curricula. The program is part of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, which seeks to reduce chronic disease rates through prevention-focused care. According to HHS, over one million Americans die annually from diet-related illnesses, yet most physicians receive little or no nutrition training. Secretary Kennedy called for “immediate, measurable reforms” to ensure future physicians can provide evidence-based dietary guidance. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon joined the initiative, stressing the need for medical programs to align training with current research. Medical institutions are required to submit written plans by September 10, 2025, detailing how they will incorporate nutrition education into six core areas, including licensing exams, residency training, and continuing education.
Also on August 27, 2025, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), under HHS, introduced a new public dashboard to enhance oversight of the U.S. organ transplant system. The tool tracks instances when organs are allocated outside the standard match sequence, known as “allocation out of sequence” (AOOS) events. HRSA Administrator Tom Engels stated that the dashboard will promote transparency and help identify potential systemic issues affecting patients awaiting transplants. The platform is part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), including new misconduct reporting processes and improved monitoring requirements for procurement organizations.
HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced $19 million in supplemental funding to expand housing capacity for individuals experiencing homelessness who also have serious mental illnesses (SMI). The funding, provided through the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, supports state-level initiatives to improve coordination between public health, housing, and justice systems. SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dr. Art Kleinschmidt said the investment will “build data-driven capacity” to better address the intersection of mental illness and homelessness. The funding also prioritizes programs like Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), enhances partnerships with local housing authorities, and promotes the integration of artificial intelligence tools and health information exchanges to strengthen data-sharing infrastructure.
Finally, on August 29, 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott in Austin to celebrate the passage of state legislation supporting the Make America Healthy Again agenda. The new laws aim to improve public health through enhanced nutrition education, physical activity programs, and stronger food labeling requirements. Measures include restrictions on certain food additives in school meal programs and prohibitions on using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase sugary drinks and candy. Secretary Kennedy praised Texas lawmakers for bipartisan action, while Governor Abbott highlighted the reforms’ potential to improve healthcare access across the state’s rural regions. The initiative is bolstered by the federal One Big Beautiful Bill, which allocates $50 billion through the Rural Health Transformation Fund to support hospitals nationwide.
This comprehensive set of actions spotlights HHS’s multifaceted strategy to address emerging health threats, improve preventative care, enhance system transparency, and strengthen healthcare access across the country.
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