HHS will provide $35 million in funding to support mental health programs for children and young adults, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia and New York.

• District of Columbia: HHS will provide approximately $35 million to fund mental health programs for children and young adults through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Office of Minority Health. The funding will be divided between seven grant programs that will help strengthen and expand mental health services and suicide prevention programs for children and young adults. In total, $9.2 million of the $35 million will come from the American Rescue Plan. (Lagasse, Healthcare Finance News, 3/10)

• District of Columbia: The White House said last week that it would extend the federal mask mandate for passengers on airplanes and public transit through April 18—marking the mandate's third extension since it was implemented in January 2021. Over the next month, CDC will evaluate the best course of action moving forward. "During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor," a Biden administration official said. "This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science." (Wehrman, Roll Call, 3/10)

• New York: Pfizer on Friday announced the completion of its $6.7 billion acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals. Currently, Arena's lead drug candidate is etrasimod—an oral treatment that is used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases. "We are excited to add the impressive experience and pipeline of Arena Pharmaceuticals to Pfizer's inflammation and immunology therapeutic area, helping us further our purpose of developing breakthroughs to change the lives of those with immuno-inflammatory diseases," said Mike Gladstone, global president and general manager of Pfizer Inflammation and Immunology. "In particular, we're hopeful that we can accelerate clinical development of etrasimod successfully to have a positive impact on those living with these debilitating diseases." (Adams, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/11)