Don’t Miss Your Opportunity to Connect with Lawmakers on May 13
As the General Assembly quickly approaches its May 31 adjournment deadline, state lawmakers are making critical decisions that directly impact Illinois’ hospitals and health systems. IHA remains engaged with legislators on the hospital community’s top advocacy priorities, including legislation to protect the 340B Drug Discount Program. This makes May 13 one of the most important advocacy opportunities we’ve had in years.

Successful outcomes on these priorities require clear, coordinated advocacy from hospitals across the state, making it critical you join us for IHA’s annual Hospital Advocacy Day in Springfield on Wednesday, May 13. This is a yearly opportunity for you to meet face-to-face with your state lawmakers and reinforce the hospital community’s priorities. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by May 1.  

IHA will coordinate meetings with your legislators; please indicate in the RSVP form which state legislators you would like to meet with and your order of preference. IHA will distribute briefing materials and talking points on Monday, May 11 to ensure you are fully prepared for meetings.

Staff contacts: Stacey Dunlap, Nichole Magalis

CDC Data Show Weekly ED Visits for Tick Bites Higher Than Usual
Visits to emergency departments (EDs) for tick bites are higher than normal in many parts of the country right now, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tick Bite Tracker. In all regions except the South Central United States, the CDC said weekly rates of ED visits for tick bites are the highest for this time of year since 2017. While the Northeast region is currently leading the nation in ED visits for tick bites, with 49 reported incidents, the Midwest region is reporting the second highest number of ED visits at 33 so far this year. In response, CDC is urging the public to take steps to prevent tick bites.

Advisory: Chinese Cyber Actors Shift Tactics for Malicious Activity
A joint cybersecurity advisory released April 23 by U.S. and international cybersecurity agencies warns of a “major shift” in tactics used by China-nexus cyber actors that has serious implications for connected devices and complex networks. The advisory says threat actors are increasingly using large-scale “covert networks” of compromised devices to hide and route malicious activity. These networks, often composed of vulnerable small-office or home-office routers, Internet of Things devices, and smart devices, enable attackers to mask their origins, skirt traditional defenses, and operate at a massive scale.

This shift is particularly relevant for hospitals and health systems, which are considered critical infrastructure and have been exposed in the past to China-affiliated malware campaigns such as Volt Typhoon and Flax Typhoon. Compromised devices involved in these campaigns are often “end-of-life” technologies that no longer receive security updates and can be commonly found in healthcare environments. 

It is recommended that hospitals and health systems review their inventories for outdated or unpatched connected devices; review work-from-home technology policies; strengthen network monitoring for abnormal traffic patterns; and adopt more behavior-based defenses rather than relying solely on known threat indicators.

FDA Accelerates Action on Treatments for Serious Mental Illness
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday announced it is speeding up regulatory action on a new class of psychedelic-based therapies, following an April 18 executive order (EO) that called on the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services to accelerate access to treatments for patients with serious mental illness, including devastating, complex, and treatment-resistant conditions. FDA said it is supporting the development of serotonin-2A agonists for conditions such as treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders, including issuing national priority vouchers for studies of the drugs psilocybin and methylone for alcohol use disorder. FDA also noted it would aim to balance urgency with rigorous science and to expect final guidance for study sponsors soon.