Tag: President Joe Biden

POTUS | A Proclamation on National EMS Week 2024

Written by AAA Staff on May 17, 2024. Posted in Events.

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During National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, we honor our Nation’s courageous EMS providers, who put it all on the line to deliver urgent, life-saving care to people across our country in times of great need.

Whether paramedics, emergency medical technicians, 911 and 988 dispatchers, or other first responders, EMS providers routinely work long hours away from loved ones to keep other families whole. They risk their own lives and health, staring down storms, floods, or fires and rushing to rescue people in need. For many Americans, they are a beacon of hope in some of life’s toughest moments and let us know we are going to be okay. We have a duty to show up for them the way they show up for us.

That is why my Administration is working to get every EMS department in America the equipment and support they deserve. During my first months in office, we passed the American Rescue Plan, investing billions of dollars to support EMS roles. Today, we are working with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to keep EMTs on the job and to help them handle trauma and burn out. We are working to get departments the resources they need to provide better training and equipment for EMS providers. To help ease staffing shortages, we are also helping communities recruit and train more firefighters, who often provide emergency medical services as well. We are fighting to ease the burden of student loans. In all, we have cancelled debt for 4.6 million student borrowers, including for nearly 900,000 public service workers by fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which many non-profit or government EMS provider employees could be eligible for.

I have often said that courage lies in every heart, and the expectation is that it will one day be summoned. It is summoned every day for America’s EMS providers. They embody the best of our Nation — bravery, honor, and respect, never failing to answer the call to help others. This week, we thank them and the unions that protect so many of our EMS providers and promise to always have their backs.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 19 through May 25, 2024, as National Emergency Medical Services Week. I call upon public officials, doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMS providers, and all the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to honor our brave EMS workers and to pay tribute to the EMS providers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Biden Issues Exec Orders Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations

Written by Scott Moore on September 10, 2021. Posted in Regulatory.

The Biden Administration Issues Several Executive Orders Requiring Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination

On September 9, 2021, the Biden Administration issued several Executive Orders which impact more than 100 million workers in an effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic. The two Executive Orders, Executive Order on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees and Executive Order on Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors were highlighted during a Presidential press conference.

During his announcement, President Biden said that there are more than 80 million Americans, who are not vaccinated. As a result he stated that “it is essential that Federal employees take all available steps to protect themselves and avoid spreading COVID-19 to their co-workers and members of the public.” Additionally, the President stated he issued these orders “to promote the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service, it is necessary to require COVID-19 vaccination for all Federal employees, subject to such exceptions as required by law.”

The orders will require that all Federal employees and employees of Federal Contractors mandate vaccination. The President stated that if businesses and individuals want to work with the federal government, they must be vaccinated. Under the order, The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force), will issue guidance to all covered agencies consistent with these Orders within seven (7) days.

The President also announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) will be issuing emergency rules that will require employers of 100 or more employees to require vaccination or mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for all workers. Additionally, the President announced that he is expanding requirements for employers to provide paid leave to employees so that they can obtain the COVID-19 vaccinations. He provided no details on how much the paid leave requirement will be expanded.

Lastly, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will be expanding the vaccination requirements for healthcare facilities that bill Medicare. Currently, the Biden Administration requires that all long-term care staff working for facilities that bill Medicare must be vaccinated against COVID-19. In the latest announcement, CMS stated that it will be expanding the mandatory vaccination requirements to other Medicare-certified facilities, including hospitals, dialysis facilities, ambulatory surgical settings, and home health agencies, and others, as a condition for participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS is developing an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period that will be issued sometime in October.

The President’s expanded COVID-19 plan follows numerous states, such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, California, Massachusetts, and several others that have already enacted mandatory vaccination requirements for healthcare, county or municipal, and long-term care workers. Many of states that have enacted mandatory vaccination requirements provided for no vaccination exceptions, or made provisions for medical exceptions to the vaccination requirements.

We will not know the specific vaccine mandate requirements under these new rules until the Task Force, the U.S. DOL, and CMS publishes these emergency rules. It is important for employers to understand that they are still required to engage any employee seeking an accommodation from the mandatory vaccination requirements in the interactive process as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. We recommend employers follow a consistent documented process and seek legal advice when handling any accommodation requests.

We will continue to monitor developments with these new requirements. Be sure to contact the AAA if you have questions about these Executive Orders or need assistance in ensuring you are in compliance.

Presidential Proclamation for EMS Week 2021

Written by AAA Staff on May 16, 2021. Posted in Events, Executive, News, Press.

From Whitehouse.gov’s Briefing Room on Presidential Actions

A Proclamation on Emergency Medical Services Week, 2021

Every day, in communities across the country, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers put themselves on the line to save lives, safeguard dangerous situations, and deliver hope to families and communities in crisis. With selflessness, professionalism, and grace under fire, they provide essential care — never more so than during our battle with COVID-19 over the past year. This year’s Emergency Medical Services Week theme, “THIS IS EMS: Caring for Our Communities,” honors our heroic frontline workers who provide vital emergency medical care and ease the burden of crisis for Americans in need of help.

Through service, compassion, and dedication, EMS providers represent the very best of the American spirit. In the face of unprecedented challenges, their expertise, endurance, and hard work have been a literal lifeline for families in every community. Whether responding to the enormous suffering caused by COVID-19, the devastation of extreme climate events, or daily medical emergencies, EMS providers — many of whom are volunteers — prepare, sacrifice, and put others ahead of themselves. Not only do they assume the heightened risks associated with emergency care during a pandemic, but they also spend countless hours away from families and friends in order to serve their communities.

In the face of these challenges, EMS providers have not hesitated to take on new roles, including supporting COVID-19 testing, therapeutics, and vaccination sites. To help support the women and men who do this vital work, my American Rescue Plan included $100 million to support the mental well-being — including the mental health — of our health care professionals, paraprofessionals, public safety officers, and EMS providers. My Administration has also made it a priority to ensure that our State, local, Tribal, and territorial partners have the resources they need so that EMS providers are trained and equipped to respond to public health emergencies safely and effectively, now and in the future.

During Emergency Medical Services Week, we extend our deepest gratitude to all EMS providers. Their courage, selflessness, and commitment are extraordinary examples of what it means to serve this great country. We also extend our sincere condolences to the loved ones of EMS providers who have given their lives in the line of duty. This week and every week, I urge all Americans to express their appreciation for our Nation’s EMS providers — and to bring greater safety to their lives, and to all of our lives, by getting vaccinated to help bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 16 through May 22, 2021, as Emergency Medical Services Week. I call upon public officials, doctors, nurses, paramedics, Emergency Medical Service providers, and all the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.