• California: According to the World Organization for Animal Health, U.S. officials detected a new strain of bird flu called H5N9 at a duck farm in California. It is the first time the H5N9 strain has been detected in the United States. Currently, the H5N1 strain of bird flu is spreading in poultry farms and among dairy cows. While there have also been human cases of the H5N1 bird flu, they have been sporadic and mostly limited to dairy workers who have been exposed to sick animals. Although officials and experts say the H5N9 strain does not pose a grave threat to humans, some scientists are concerned that the continuing spread of H5N1, along with the seasonal flu and other strains of the bird flu, could create new versions of the bird flu virus that could spread more easily among humans. "It does suggest there's enough virus around that reassortment might become more frequent," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan. "With enough H5 in these animals and enough seasonal flu in humans, you get them together, and you have a recipe for a potential pandemic virus." Overall, public health experts say that discovering H5N9 underscores the urgency of containing the bird flu virus. (Nirappil, Washington Post, 1/28)
• District of Columbia: President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order reinstating members of the military who were dismissed for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Under the order, more than 8,000 service members will be restored to their previous rank and receive back pay and benefits. Meanwhile, Trump also signed an executive order calling for the Pentagon to create a new policy that could potentially block transgender individuals from serving in the military. In the new order, it says that "expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service. According to a 2020 NIH study, there may be up to 8,000 transgender individuals who are active-duty service members. However, the true number may be higher due to self-reporting limits and the fear of disclosure. During his first presidency, Trump issued an executive order banning transgender people from military service, something that was later rescinded by former President Joe Biden. (Lotz, Axios, 1/28; Falconer, Axios, 1/28)
• Illinois/Wisconsin: Advocate Health will close all 55 of its clinics inside Walgreens stores, effective Feb. 6. Of the in-store clinics, 47 are in Illinois, and eight are in Wisconsin. According to an Advocate spokesperson, the health system is currently working with Walgreens to navigate the transition and will try to find other roles for impacted employees. The spokesperson added that the health system will focus on other ways to provide patients with access to care, including expanded virtual services. Although Advocate is closing its in-store clinics, Walgreens still has partnerships with dozens of health systems that operate over 100 in-store clinics around the country. Some health systems with their own in-store clinics include Hartford HealthCare and Community Health Network. (Hudson, Modern Healthcare, 1/29)

Amidst pandemic responses, organizations across the healthcare ecosystem collaborated like the unified systems they have long sought to become. Download our guide to uncover the tactics that will help you capture systemness gains and catalyze future collaboration, flexibility, and innovation.