Webinar: Cybersecurity Awareness Training for CERT Volunteers. Wednesday, June 26th 2-3pm ET

Register for the webinar: https://fema.cosocloud.com/certcybersecwebinar/event/registration.html 

Questions? Send them via email before the webinar to FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov.

ADRIAN JORDAN APPOINTED CHIEF OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. June 5, 2024

https://www.boston.gov/news/adrian-jordan-appointed-chief-emergency-preparedness  

CIty of Boston

ADRIAN JORDAN APPOINTED CHIEF OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Mayor Michelle Wu today announced the appointment of Adrian Jordan as the City’s new Chief of Emergency Preparedness. With 27 years of experience at the Boston Fire Department (BFD), in this new role, Jordan will lead emergency planning and preparedness as well as communication and coordination during emergency response. The pandemic, increasing cyber-security threats, projected sea level rise, and the accelerating extremes in Boston’s weather and natural disasters have highlighted the need for thoughtful, comprehensive planning in advance of an emergency and clear coordination and communication during an emergency to help Boston and its people manage any emergency or large scale event. Jordan started June 3.

“As the world becomes more unpredictable with weather emergencies and intense climate events, Boston must continue to plan and prepare for every scenario,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Adrian’s experience and leadership will help our city build an even safer Boston for all residents and communities.”

Responsive to more extreme heat earlier in the season, this role and the department has an increasing emphasis on planning for and coordinating the response and recovery to extreme weather events including high heat, severe rain, and major coastal flooding. The office, previously known as the Office of Emergency Management, is being renamed as the Office of Emergency Preparedness to reflect this shifting focus. Chief Jordan will be responsible for developing plans, ensuring their implementation, and leading coordination during extreme weather events. 

During his 27 years at Boston Fire, Jordan has gained expertise in technical rescue disciplines. He has worked in hazardous materials, technical rescue, safety divisions within BFD. Additionally, he has served as an instructor for programming run by Metro Boston Homeland Security Region. A Dorchester resident, Jordan migrated to Boston from Barbados with his parents in the 1990s. He is an avid golfer.

“I am so grateful to take on this new role as Chief of Emergency Preparedness, helping to advance the Mayor’s commitment to protecting Boston residents from the impacts of climate change. Working across city departments, we are taking an all-of-government approach to climate action,” said Chief of Emergency Preparedness Adrian Jordan. “Former Chief Benford has left big shoes to fill, but I’m eager to get to work to ensure in any emergency event, our residents and businesses are safe.”

Central to this role is ensuring that the City has developed thoughtful emergency plans, manages the response to those emergencies, and aids the City, its constituents, and the region in its recovery from emergencies. The Chief works across all City departments to develop comprehensive plans for potential emergencies that Boston may face. This includes ensuring the continuity of operations plans by departments, leading trainings and table-top exercises to test the plans that have been developed, and coaching leaders on how to manage during emergencies.

The Chief works with City departments to ensure that residents, businesses and community partners have the tools they need to weather emergencies that may impact the city. This includes managing the City’s emergency notification system, coordinating standards for deployment of flood barriers on private property, and training residents on what to do in emergencies. This also includes developing programs and policies, in coordination with other departments, that help constituents and businesses recover after an emergency. The Chief plays a central role in ensuring that there is coordination across City departments and supporting lead agencies in the execution of critical tasks.

The Chief also plays a leadership role in coordinating the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region, a consortium of municipal and state agencies in Greater Boston focused on homeland security and disaster preparedness. As Chief, he will oversee management of the UASI grant and facilitate the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region monthly meetings. 

Mayor Wu also announced Matthew Kearney will serve as Deputy Chief with a focus on both operations and resilience. Kearney is a lifelong Boston resident and product of Boston Public Schools, having grown up in West Roxbury and graduating from Boston Latin Academy. He has been with the Office of Emergency Preparedness for over five years holding positions in logistics, planning, and as the Director of Operations. He served for eight years in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, commissioning as a Field Artillery Officer through Army ROTC where he saw the parallels to emergency management and became interested in the field. Kearney is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), holds a bachelor's degree from Bridgewater State University, a master's in Emergency Management from Northeastern University and a master's in Business Administration from Boston University.

“I am extremely excited to take on this new role with OEP,” said Deputy Chief Matthew Kearney. “I am humbled to be fortunate of this opportunity to work for the City I grew up in and feel so passionately about.”

In preparation for more frequently intense heat, Mayor Wu is taking an all-of-government approach to address extreme heat. Multiple departments are working together to implement a variety of immediate and long-term heat mitigation strategies. This summer, the City will deploy a number of innovative new cooling approaches throughout our neighborhoods to help residents and visitors stay safe and enjoy the summer. This year’s offerings include outdoor misting towers to be deployed at fire stations and parks during heat emergencies and advisories and be set up at Open Streets events. Additionally, the Office of Emergency Preparedness will distribute Pop-Up Cooling Kits with misting tents during heat emergencies and at outdoor events hosted by departments and community organizations and will provide personal cooling kits to residents. The City will install three new “cool spots” at BCYFs Menino in Roslindale, Tobin in Mission Hill and Gallivan in Mattapan, expanding the pilot program to nine locations. These additions will complement the City’s existing network of pools and spray pads found across Boston. 

The City of Boston’s Tree Alliance program has also awarded $116,000 in funding to five non-profit partners: Boston Food Forest Coalition, South Boston NDC, Speak for the Trees, Tree Eastie, and WE Tree Boston. These organizations will plant over 170 trees starting in the spring of 2024. The City will also be expanding green infrastructure to support cooling work throughout Boston neighborhoods. This includes the development of cool roofs over certain MBTA bus shelters and retrofitting stamped brick and paved intersections to become planted areas and rain gardens. This work is included in the broader strategy to mitigate extreme heat in Boston as laid out in Mayor Wu’s Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston report. The Heat Plan provides a citywide framework to prepare Boston for hotter summers and more intense heat events. The Heat Plan presents 26 strategies that will help build a more just, equitable, and resilient Boston. 

Visit boston.gov/heat regularly to learn more about the latest strategies for staying cool and access the most up-to-date resources available. Each individual, family, and community’s plan may look different: from visiting a cooling center, to accessing one of Boston’s public pools or parks, or requesting a pop-up cooling kit for use at an outdoor event. In all extreme heat situations, please look out for your community, specifically heat-sensitive residents like elders, children, or unhoused people. 

Health Care Security: Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. Founder/CEO and Clinical President of Digital Health Company Arrested for $100M Adderall Distribution and Health Care Fraud Scheme

 

Founder/CEO and Clinical President of Digital Health Company Arrested for $100M Adderall Distribution and Health Care Fraud Scheme 06/13/2024 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Office of Public Affairs Founder/CEO and Clinical President of Digital Health Company Arrested for $100M Adderall Distribution and Health Care Fraud Scheme WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that the founder and CEO of a California-based digital health company and its clinical president were arrested today in connection with their alleged participation in a scheme to distribute Adderall over the internet, conspire to commit health care fraud in connection with the submission of false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement for Adderall and other stimulants, and obstruct justice. Ruthia He, the founder and CEO of Done Global Inc., was arrested in Los Angeles and will make her initial appearance at 1:30 p.m. PDT/4:30 p.m. EDT in Los Angeles. David Brody, the clinical president of Done Health P.C. (collectively, Done), was arrested in San Rafael, California, and will make his initial appearance at 10:30 a.m. PDT/1:30 p.m. EDT in San Francisco, California. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is among the federal entities investigating the case. “The individuals charged today allegedly disregarded the first rule of medical care—do no harm—in order to maximize profits, and there is no place for such fraud in our healthcare system,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The indictment levied against these individuals sends a clear message: the Department of Homeland Security, our Homeland Security Investigations personnel, and our partners across the federal government will hold accountable those providers and prescribers who prey on their patients.” “As alleged, these defendants exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to develop and carry out a $100 million scheme to defraud taxpayers and provide easy access to Adderall and other stimulants for no legitimate medical purpose,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Those seeking to profit from addiction by illegally distributing controlled substances over the internet should know that they cannot hide their crimes and that the Justice Department will hold them accountable.” “As alleged in the indictment, the defendants provided easy access to Adderall and other stimulants by exploiting telemedicine and spending millions on deceptive advertisements on social media. They generated over $100 million in revenue by arranging for the prescription of over 40 million pills,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These charges are the Justice Department’s first criminal drug distribution prosecutions related to telemedicine prescribing through a digital health company. As these charges make clear, corporate executives who put profit over the health and safety of patients—including by using technological innovation—will be held to account.” According to court documents, He and Brody allegedly conspired with others to provide easy access to Adderall and other stimulants in exchange for payment of a monthly subscription fee. The indictment alleges that the conspiracy’s purpose was for the defendants to unlawfully enrich themselves by, among other things, by increasing monthly subscription revenue and thus increasing the value of the company. Done allegedly arranged for the prescription of over 40 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants, and obtained over $100 million in revenue. “The internet is a place of remarkable innovation, allowing its users to make innumerable types of transactions with greater ease. Such transactions, however, must always be legal,” said Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division Matthew Yelovich for the Northern District of California. “The indictment alleges that He and Brody used an internet-based infrastructure to illegally distribute drug sales and to conspire to commit health care fraud. This office will always prosecute health care fraud and illegal drug distribution on the internet as vigorously as we do traditional frauds and illegal drug distribution.” He and Brody allegedly obtained subscribers by targeting drug seekers and spending tens of millions of dollars on deceptive advertisements on social media networks. They also allegedly intentionally structured the Done platform to facilitate access to Adderall and other stimulants, including by limiting the information available to Done prescribers, instructing Done prescribers to prescribe Adderall and other stimulants even if the Done member did not qualify, and mandating that initial encounters would be under 30 minutes. To maximize profits, He allegedly put in a place an “auto-refill” function that allowed Done subscribers to elect to have a message requesting a refill be auto-generated every month. He wrote that Done sought to “use the comp structure to dis-encourage follow-up” medical care by refusing to pay Done prescribers for any medical visits, telemedicine consultation, or time spent caring for patients after an initial consultation, and instead paying solely based on the number of patients who received prescriptions. “The defendants in this case operated Done Global Inc., an online telehealth website that prescribed Adderall and other highly addictive medications to patients who bought a monthly subscription. The defendants allegedly preyed on Americans and put profits over patients by exploiting telemedicine rules that facilitated access to medications during the unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Instead of properly addressing medical needs, the defendants allegedly made millions of dollars by pushing addictive medications. In many cases, Done Global prescribed ADHD medications when they were not medically necessary. In 2022 the FDA issued a notice of shortages in prescription stimulants, including Adderall. Any diversion of Adderall and other prescription stimulant pills to persons who have no medical need only exacerbates this shortage and hurts any American with a legitimate medical need for these drugs. The DEA will continue to hold accountable anyone, including company executives, that uses telehealth platforms to put profit above patient safety.” “As more health care needs are met through telemedicine, we will not tolerate fraud schemes that seek to recklessly exploit digital technologies,” said Honorable Christi A. Grimm of the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the enrollees of federal health care programs by ensuring that requirements for the appropriate, legal prescribing of stimulants and other drugs are always met, and those who choose to violate them are held accountable.” He and Brody allegedly persisted in the conspiracy even after being made aware that material was posted on online social networks about how to use Done to obtain easy access to Adderall and other stimulants, and that Done members had overdosed and died. They also allegedly concealed and disguised the conspiracy by making fraudulent representations to media outlets to forestall government investigations and action and induce third parties to continue doing business with Done. “Healthcare fraud is not a victimless crime. It levies a tremendous cost on our nation’s healthcare systems and economy,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that it is only a matter of time before anyone engaging in fraudulent activity is caught and brought to justice.” “Instead of prioritizing the health of their customers, He and Brody’s telemedicine company allegedly prioritized profits—more than $100 million worth—by fraudulently prescribing medications like Adderall and other stimulants,” said Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation. “This led customers to addiction, abuse, and overdoses, which the company tried to conceal by making false representations to the media in order to deter oversight by government agencies.” He, Brody, and others also conspired to defraud pharmacies and Medicare, Medicaid, and the commercial insurers to cause the pharmacies to dispense Adderall and other stimulants to Done members in violation of their corresponding responsibility; Medicare, Medicaid, and the commercial insurers to pay for the cost of these drugs; and Done members to continue to pay subscription fees to Done. He and others allegedly made false and fraudulent representations about Done’s prescription policies and practices to induce the pharmacies to fill Done’s prescriptions. As a result, Medicare, Medicaid, and the commercial insurers paid in excess of approximately $14 million. The indictment also alleges that He and Brody conspired to obstruct justice after a grand jury subpoena was issued to another telehealth company and in anticipation of a subpoena being issued to Done, including by deleting documents and communications, using encrypted messaging platforms instead of company email, and ultimately failing to produce documents in response to a subpoena issued to Done by a federal grand jury. If convicted, He and Brody each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances counts. The DEA, HHS-OIG, HSI, and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating the case. Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Trial Attorney Raymond Beckering III of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina Green, Katherine Lloyd-Lovett, and Lloyd Farnham for the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case. The DOJ  Fraud Section leads the DOJ Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this DOJ program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit. Any patient of Done or medical professional who has been involved with the allegedly illegal conduct should call to report this conduct to the DEA hotline at 646-466-5159. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #

Grant Opportunity: Up to $2 million. Bezos Earth Fund invites applications for $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge Deadline: July 30, 2024 (Phase 1)

Bezos Earth Fund invites applications for $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge

June 13, 2024

Deadline: July 30, 2024 (Phase 1)

The Bezos Earth Fund has opened submissions for the $100 million AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge.

According to the Bezos Earth Fund, people are already using artificial intelligence to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, detect methane leaks and forest fires, and advance a clean energy economy. While climate and nature organizations working on the ground understand global conditions and what it takes to implement workable environmental solutions, many of these frontline organizations don’t have sufficient technology expertise, infrastructure, or funding to apply AI solutions on their own. Meanwhile, AI researchers and technology providers understand the potential and practical application of rapidly evolving technologies but may not have experience implementing climate or nature solutions on the ground.

The AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge aims to explore new ideas for multiplying the impact of climate and nature efforts using modern AI. The first round of awards will focus on biodiversity conservation, advancing sustainable proteins, and power grid optimization. In addition, the fund is open to supporting visionary wildcard solutions for climate and nature. Up to 30 applicants will be selected as seed grantees and receive funding and mentorship from experts at the forefront of climate, nature, and AI. Larger awards will be made to a subset of this group.

The first round of the challenge invites grant proposals from eligible organizations: U.S.-based 501(c)(3) entities and global academic institutions.

Phase 1 proposals are due July 30, 2024, and the first phase will award up to 30 seed grants, with each receiving $50,000 and an exclusive invitation to participate in Phase 2. In Phase 2, grantees will enter a virtual innovation sprint and receive targeted support and resources from AI experts as they develop detailed implementation plans. Following Phase 2, Implementation Grantees will bring their solutions to life over the course of two years; during this time, they will test, iterate, and report on the effectiveness of their approaches. 

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge website.

Link to complete RFP

Grant Opportunity: $250 to $5,000. Spark Good Local Grants, through which Walmart U.S. stores, Sam’s Clubs, and Distribution Centers award local cash

 

Walmart Foundation invites applications for Spark Good Local Grants

June 13, 2024

Deadline: July 15, 2024

Walmart Foundation invites applications for its Spark Good Local Grants, through which Walmart U.S. stores, Sam’s Clubs, and Distribution Centers award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5,000 designed to address the unique needs of the communities where they operate. 

Spark Good Local Grants are awarded through an open application process to eligible organizations operating locally and directly benefiting the service area of the facility from when they are requesting funding. 

To be eligible, applicants must meet one of following criteria: organizations holding a current tax-exempt status as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; listed on the IRS Master File and conducting activities within the United States; classified as a public charity under section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) (types I or II); and deed verified; a recognized government entity (state, county, or city agency), including law enforcement or fire departments, that are requesting funds exclusively for public purposes and deed verified; or a K-12 public or nonprofit private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college, or university; or a church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and clothing closets and deed verified.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Walmart Foundation website.

Link to complete RFP