Kaiser Health News Original Stories

While Inflation Takes a Toll on Seniors, Billions of Dollars in Benefits Go Unused

With prices of necessities rising dramatically, many older Americans are having trouble making ends meet. They often don’t know that help is available from a variety of programs, and some sources of financial assistance are underused. (Judith Graham, 10/9 )

Did the US Jump the Gun With the New Omicron-Targeted Vaccines?

With fears of a winter surge looming, government agencies have authorized and encouraged vaccination with a newly formulated booster. But the science to support that decision remains inconclusive. (Céline Gounder and Elisabeth Rosenthal, 10/9 )

‘An Arm and a Leg’: The New Cap on Medicare Drug Costs

In this episode, Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KHN, guides listeners through decades of dealings between Congress and Big Pharma. (Dan Weissmann, 10/9 )

Journalists Delve Into Inflation Policy, Hospital Closures, and Needle Exchanges

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. ( 10/9 )

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'Off Beat?'" by Rina Piccolo.

Here's today's health policy haiku:

9/11 grief Still as raw as that Tuesday A scar on my soul

If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to a KHN original story.

Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KHN or KFF.

Breakthrough Discovery IDs How Air Pollution Causes Lung Cancer

Scientists announce the results of research that determines how tiny particles produced by burning fossil fuels are leading to cases of lung cancer in non-smokers.

Financial Times: Scientists Discover How Air Pollution Causes Lung Cancer  An international team of scientists has made a breakthrough in identifying how air pollution causes lung cancer in people who have never smoked, a development that could help medical experts prevent and treat tumors. Researchers found the fine particles in polluted air cause inflammation in the lungs, which activates pre-existing cancer genes that had been dormant. It was previously believed that air pollution triggered genetic mutations that lead to cancer. (Cookson, 9/10)

Al Jazeera: Scientists Discover How Air Pollution Causes Lung Cancer  Scientists say they have identified the mechanism through which air pollution triggers lung cancer in non-smokers, a discovery one expert hailed as “an important step for science – and for society." (9/10)

BBC News: Air Pollution Cancer Breakthrough Will Rewrite The Rules  The team at the Francis Crick Institute in London showed that rather than causing damage, air pollution was waking up old damaged cells. One of the world's leading experts, Prof Charles Swanton, said the breakthrough marked a "new era." And it may now be possible to develop drugs that stop cancers forming. (Gallagher, 9/10)

How polluted is your state? —

The Hill: The 10 Most Polluted States In The US How clean are the air and water in your state? Using 2021 data, U.S. News and World Reports’ feature on the “Best States” has ranked U.S. states on several metrics, including economics, education and health care. The listing also measures natural environment, which is based on a state’s air/water quality and pollution levels. Pollution was determined based on air and water emissions from industry and utilities, and overall measures to long-term human health effects, using information from the Environmental Protection Agency. (Falcon and Nexstar Media Wire, 9/10)

USA Today: Immunotherapy Offers Long-Term Survival For Some Lung Cancer Patients Patients with advanced lung cancer had a better chance at survival when their treatment combined chemotherapy with a drug designed to turn the immune system against cancer, according to two studies released Sunday at a conference in Paris, France. In both trials, 20% of participants who took chemotherapy plus the drug Keytruda, from Merck, survived for at least five years after their diagnosis. That's twice as long as is typical for advanced lung cancer patients. (Weintraub, 9/11)

NBC News: New Cell-Based Therapy For Melanoma More Effective Than Existing Treatment, Trial Finds European researchers announced Saturday that a new treatment for advanced melanoma was more effective than the leading existing therapy in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The treatment, which uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight the cancer, has some similarities to another type of treatment that has proven to be highly effective for blood cancers, called CAR-T therapy. (Sullivan, 9/10)

Stat: Cancer Treatment Devised In 1980s Is Newly Proved Effective  Eight years ago, a Dutch oncologist, John Haanen, set out to change melanoma treatment by arranging one of the largest and most rigorous trials ever for a cell therapy technique originally devised in the mid-’80s. He could not have picked worse timing. (Mast, 9/10)

Health Fund For 9/11 First Responders And Survivors Is Falling Short

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will work to appropriate an additional $3 billion in federal funding to help keep the program afloat.

New York Post: Schumer Vows To Seek $3B For Troubled Ground Zero Health Fund Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday that he will push Congress for a $3 billion infusion of federal cash to rescue the financially troubled 9/11 health-care fund. The New York Democrat and Senate majority leader said he will seek to secure the funds in the federal budget to offset the expected shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical care and services for first responders and others affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. (Schnitzer and Fitz-Gibbon, 9/11)

NBC News: A Health Care Program For 9/11 Survivors And First Responders Is Running Short Of Money If the funding shortfall is not addressed, the program will not be able to accommodate any new members starting October 2024, according to a letter from Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York and 11 other GOP House members to the Democratic chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. “If Congress does not quickly address this impending crisis, then the men and women who put their lives on the line and who survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks will lose health coverage to treat the physical and mental illnesses that they sustained on that fateful day,” reads the Sept. 8 letter to Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey. (Salam and Abou-Sabe, 9/9)

WFLA: Health Care Problems Persist For Tampa Bay 9/11 Survivors Enrolled In Troubled Government Program  Bradenton’s Garret Lindgren, a retired New York City firefighter, has been receiving care from the World Trade Center Health Program for a long list of ailments. Lindgren said the program has helped treat several medical problems, but other claims involving a shoulder injury have been denied. Lindgren also suffers from toxic neuropathy, a type nerve damage caused by harmful substances that is not covered. (Buteau, 9/11)

Fortune: Uterine Cancer Is Close To Being Recognized As A 9/11-Related Illness The World Trade Center Health Program recognizes dozens of conditions related to 9/11 and assists with their monitoring and treatment. Now, 21 years later, uterine cancer remains the only cancer that has not been recognized as one of them. Many of the 9/11-related illnesses, like lung cancer, correspond to those experienced by first responders, who are primarily men, says Sara Director, a partner at Barasch & McGarry who represents thousands of 9/11 survivors, many of whom have dealt with uterine cancer. (Mikhail, 9/10)

Likely Telehealth Fraud Cost Medicare $128 Million During Pandemic's First Year

Federal investigators with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General find that 1,714 doctors and health providers billed Medicare nearly $128 million in “high risk” claims during the first year of the covid pandemic when telehealth restrictions were eased.

USA Today: 'Guardrails' Needed? Telehealth Fraud Cost Medicare $128M In First Year Of COVID Pandemic, Feds Say A report by government investigators last week found that more-permissive remote care has come at a price. During the first year of the pandemic, 1,714 doctors and health providers billed Medicare nearly $128 million in “high risk” claims, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. (Alltucker, 9/11)

In updates on the spread of covid —

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Is Still Killing Hundreds Of Americans Daily Mark Pfundheller promptly got his first two Covid-19 shots and a booster, his family said, knowing the disease was a threat related to treatment for an inflammatory disorder that compromised his immune system. The 66-year-old former aviation consultant for Wisconsin’s Transportation Department caught the virus in April at a family wedding near his home in southern Wisconsin, where many guests were infected. Mr. Pfundheller died in a Madison, Wis., hospital on July 2 after an illness including time on a ventilator. (Kamp, 9/11)

Los Angeles Times: Even In 2022, L.A. COVID Death Rate Is Worse Than Car Crashes. Here's Why The Omicron coronavirus variant killed Angelenos at a higher rate than both the flu and car crashes during the early part of 2022, according to county health officials. (Lin II and Money, 9/9)

Bangor Daily News: A Troubling COVID-19 Indicator Has Risen By A Quarter In The Past Month The number of Mainers hospitalized COVID-19 has risen by more than a quarter in the past month, a change that a hospital official said “bears watching” as students return to school and the summer tourist season winds down. (O'Brien, 9/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Illnesses Are Keeping At Least 500,000 Workers Out Of U.S. Labor Force, Study Says  Illness caused by Covid-19 shrank the U.S. labor force by around 500,000 people, a hit that is likely to continue if the virus continues to sicken workers at current rates, according to a new study released Monday. (Guilford, 9/12)

Loss of smell might be permanent for some —

CIDRAP: Long COVID Tied To Loss Of Smell That May Be Permanent  An observational study of 219 unvaccinated long-COVID patients with neurologic symptoms in the Amazon concludes that 64% had a persistently impaired sense of smell, which the authors said could be permanent. (Van Beusekom, 9/9)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Research Fuels COVID-19 Nasal Vaccine Rollout In India The science behind India’s new nasal vaccine for COVID-19 has its roots in St. Louis. India-based drug company Bharat Biotech announced Tuesday that its nasal vaccine had received emergency approval. The vaccine technology was licensed from Washington University. (Merrilees, 9/10)

KHN: Did The US Jump The Gun With The New Omicron-Targeted Vaccines? Last month, the FDA authorized omicron-specific vaccines, accompanied by breathless science-by-press release and a media blitz. Just days after the FDA’s move, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed, recommending updated boosters for anyone age 12 and up who had received at least two doses of the original covid vaccines. The message to a nation still struggling with the covid-19 pandemic: The cavalry — in the form of a shot — is coming over the hill. But for those familiar with the business tactics of the pharmaceutical industry, that exuberant messaging — combined with the lack of completed studies — has caused considerable heartburn and raised an array of unanswered concerns. (Gounder and Rosenthal, 9/12)

Planned Parenthood Leaders Plan Next Steps In Fight For Abortion Rights

Organization leaders from 24 states met in California on Friday to discuss how to copy the Golden State's success across the nation. Meanwhile, some conservative Republicans are softening their rhetoric on abortion.

AP: Planned Parenthood Maps Strategy To Protect Abortion Rights Planned Parenthood leaders from 24 states gathered in California’s capital Friday to begin work on a nationwide strategy to protect and strengthen access to abortion, a counteroffensive aimed at pushing back against restrictions that have emerged in more than half of the country after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Their goal is to emulate the success liberals have had in California, where state lawmakers passed some of the most robust abortion protections in the country this year, culminating in a statewide election this fall that would make abortion a constitutional right in the nation’s most populous state. (Austin and Beam, 9/9)

More on Republican attempts to curtail reproductive rights —

Politico: Republicans Look To Restrict Ballot Measures Following A String Of Progressive Wins  Republicans across the country are working to make it harder to pass ballot measures — a direct threat to abortion-rights advocates and other liberal groups’ efforts to bypass governors and legislatures and take issues directly to voters. The next major test for the strategy comes in November: Arizona and Arkansas’ GOP-controlled legislatures are asking voters to approve constitutional amendments that would raise the threshold for ballot initiatives from 50 percent to 60 percent. Arkansas’ proposal would apply to constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated state statutes on any subject matter, including abortion. Arizona’s applies only to taxation-related measures, though some see it as a prelude to a broader version. (Messerly, Ollstein and Montellaro, 9/10)

The Guardian: ‘A Wakeup Call’: More Republicans Are Softening Staunch Anti-Abortion Stance A growing number of Republicans are changing their positions on abortions since the fall of Roe v Wade as midterm elections approach in the US, signaling a softened shift from their previously staunch anti-abortion stances. Since the supreme court overturned the federal right to abortion in June, many Republicans are adopting more compromised positions in attempts to win votes in key states through a slew of changes in messaging on websites, advertisements and public statements. (Yang, 9/12)

The Washington Post: The Most Telling GOP Flip-Flops And Walk Backs On Abortion It has pretty much become abundantly clear that the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade has created at least a momentary political problem for Republicans. Perhaps nothing drives home the difficulty of that position like the flip-flops and walk backs by some key Republicans. Here are some of the biggest reversals on this issue of late. (Blake, 9/10)

AP: EXPLAINER: 'Morning After Pill' Not Always Option After Rape  Some leaders in states with strict abortion bans say exceptions for rape or incest victims aren’t needed because emergency contraceptives can be used instead. But medical professionals and advocates for rape survivors say that while emergency contraception is a helpful tool, it’s not always foolproof, and getting access to these emergency measures in the short time frame in which they would be effective may not be realistic for someone who has just been assaulted. (Forliti, 9/11)

More Kids Are Getting Virus That Can Sometimes Cause Polio-Like Syndrome

Doctors across the country are seeing an uptick in hospitalizations for enterovirus D68. Meanwhile, the governor of New York has declared a disaster emergency after polio was detected in more wastewater near New York City, suggesting it is spreading throughout communities.

Stat: Providers Urged To Be Alert For Rare Polio-Like Syndrome In Kids Pediatricians and top health officials are warning about an uptick in activity of a common virus that in rare cases can cause a polio-like syndrome in young children. (Joseph and Branswell, 9/12)

MedPage Today: CDC: More Kids Hospitalized With Respiratory Disease Linked To Non-Polio Enterovirus  Healthcare providers reported an increase in pediatric hospitalizations across the country for severe respiratory illnesses last month, which may be linked to an enterovirus strain that causes rare neurologic complications, the CDC announced in a Health Alert Network advisory on Friday. (D'Ambrosio, 9/10)

CIDRAP: CDC Warns Of Increasing Enterovirus D68 Infections In a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory, it said health providers in several US regions reported increases in hospitalizations for children with severe respiratory illness who tested positive for rhinovirus and/or enterovirus. The two related viruses circulate year-round but typically peak in the spring and fall. EV-D68 is thought to peak in late summer or early fall. The two illnesses have similar clinical and testing profiles. (9/9)

And polio appears to be spreading near New York City —

Reuters: New York To Ramp Up Polio Vaccinations After Virus Found In Wastewater  New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency on Friday in a bid to accelerate efforts to vaccinate residents against polio after the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in four counties. Hochul's executive order followed the discovery of the virus last month in samples from Long Island's Nassau County, bordering the New York City borough of Queens. Earlier this year the virus was found in samples from Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties, all north of the city. (Clifford, 9/9)

AP: Poliovirus Detected In More Wastewater Near New York City  The sample is genetically linked to the polio case from Rockland and provides further evidence of expanding community spread, state health officials said. ... Hochul declared a state disaster emergency that allows EMS workers, midwives and pharmacists to administer polio vaccines and allows doctors to issue standing orders for the vaccine. Data on immunizations will be used to focus vaccination efforts where they’re needed the most. (Hill, 9/9)

Antiviral Tpoxx Moving To Late-Stage Trials As Monkeypox Treatment

The National Institutes of Health has begun enrollment in the next stage of testing for Siga Technologies Tpoxx — a pill used to treat smallpox that has not received federal approval as a treatment for monkeypox yet. Meanwhile, a CDC report says that only 3.5% percent of recipients experienced adverse reactions to the drug.

Reuters: U.S. Starts Enrollment In Trial Testing Siga's Antiviral For Monkeypox The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Friday it had started enrolling monkeypox patients in a late-stage study testing Siga Technologies Inc's antiviral pill Tpoxx against the disease. The oral and intravenous formulations of Tpoxx are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of smallpox, but does not yet have clearance to treat monkeypox. (9/9)

CIDRAP: Tpoxx Found To Be Well-Tolerated, Safe In US Monkeypox Patients Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided data on safety outcomes on 369 patients who receiving the monkeypox antiviral drug tecovirimat (Tpoxx), noting that few adverse events were reported. (Soucheray, 9/9)

More on the spread of monkeypox —

Houston Chronicle: Monkeypox Case Rate Slowing In Houston Area, Health Officials Say The 14-day average of daily new cases dropped by 43 percent, from .23 cases per 100,000 people, to .13, between Aug. 23 and Sept. 2, the last day for which data is available. As of Wednesday, Houston and Harris County had recorded a combined total of 693 cases. (Gill, 9/9)

The New York Times: Can You Get Reinfected With Monkeypox?  The good news is that experts believe you are not likely to become reinfected with monkeypox after you’ve been infected or vaccinated. Based on what scientists know of other orthopox infections — such as smallpox, monkeypox’s close cousin — immunity to the disease should be lifelong. (Sheikh, 9/8)

NPR: 8 Questions With The Doctor In Charge Of Stopping The U.S. Monkeypox Outbreak NPR caught up with Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, one month into his job as deputy coordinator for the White House Monkeypox Response, to talk about where the outbreak is headed, and what it's like to go from being an HIV doctor and queer health activist to being the out-and-proud face of the government's monkeypox response. (Huang, 9/12)

The New York Times: Monkeypox Shots, Treatments And Tests Are Unavailable In Much Of The World  For the past month, a couple of patients a day have sat across from Dr. Alberto Mendoza at the H.I.V. clinic where he works in Lima, Peru, to hear him confirm what they had feared: They have monkeypox. The men are tormented by the painful lesions the virus causes. They’re also afraid, because the visible sores mark them as men who have sex with men, a dangerous identity in Peru, where there is intense discrimination against homosexuality. But Dr. Mendoza, an infectious disease specialist, has little to offer. “I have no options,” he said in an interview. Neither the antiviral drug nor the vaccine being used against monkeypox in the United States and Europe is available in Peru. (Nolen, 9/12)

Biologist Renee Wegrzyn Chosen As ARPA-H's First Director

Wegrzyn, President Biden's choice for the role, formerly worked as a scientist at DARPA. Separately, the Boston Globe reports on efforts by local power brokers to attract the new new health research agency to be based in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, in FDA news, funding negotiations are heating up.

Stat: Former Government Scientist Appointed First Leader Of ARPA-H  President Joe Biden plans to appoint longtime biologist and former government scientist Renee Wegrzyn as the first director of the nascent Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. (Owermohle, 9/12)

The Boston Globe: Mass. Business, Political Leaders Ramp Up Efforts To Win New Federal Health HQ On Monday, this group of power brokers is announcing the name of the coalition they’ve formed to attract this agency to Massachusetts: The Coalition for Health Advances & Research in Massachusetts (aka CHARM). They also unveiled a website that aims to highlight all the reasons the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, should come here — including the concentration of research hospitals, life sciences companies, and top-tier universities in Greater Boston. (Chesto, 9/12)

Stat: FDA Funding Negotiations Heat Up Ahead Of September Deadline  Negotiations are intensifying over massive, multibillion-dollar legislation to fund the Food and Drug Administration, with just weeks left before the current agreement expires, four sources following the talks said. (Cohrs, 9/9)

USA Today: Skin Lightening Products Are A 'Regulatory Black Hole,' And The FDA Is Warning Against Using Them The FDA has launched an initiative warning about over-the-counter skin lightening products after receiving reports of side effects. The agency's Skin Facts! Initiative, announced last week, is aimed at promoting safe use of skin care products, urging people to be aware of non-prescription products marketed to lighten or bleach the skin. (Hassanein, 9/10)

Stat: USDA Cracking Down On Companies That Ship Animals Without Inspections Earlier this year, a leading animal rights group asked U.S. authorities to investigate medical research labs for allegedly violating federal law after finding numerous instances where nearly 2,000 monkeys were shipped between facilities without required veterinary inspections. (Silverman, 9/9)

Most Americans Think Health Care System Is A Failure

A new AP-NORC poll shows a majority of Americans say health care is not handled well in the country; women as well as Black and Hispanic Americans are particularly critical. Medicare decisions on doctors' pay, Medicare drug cost caps, the Blue Cross antitrust deal, and more are also in the news.

AP: Americans Give Health Care System Failing Mark: AP-NORC Poll  When Emmanuel Obeng-Dankwa is worried about making rent on his New York City apartment, he sometimes holds off on filling his blood pressure medication. “If there’s no money, I prefer to skip the medication to being homeless,” said Obeng-Dankwa, a 58-year-old security guard. He is among a majority of adults in the U.S. who say that health care is not handled well in the country, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll reveals that public satisfaction with the U.S. health care system is remarkably low, with fewer than half of Americans saying it is generally handled well. (Seitz, 9/12)

Stat: Experts Urge Medicare To Overhaul Secretive Panel That Helps Determine Doctors’ Pay A heavyweight group of former Medicare officials and payment experts are calling on the federal government to overhaul how Medicare pays physicians, which they say has morphed into a system that is “mind-numbingly complex and nontransparent.” (Herman, 9/12)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: The New Cap On Medicare Drug Costs On a Sunday afternoon in August, health services researcher Stacie Dusetzina was sitting alone in her office at Vanderbilt University, watching C-SPAN and crying. The U.S. Senate was voting on the Inflation Reduction Act, which among other things is designed to ensure that people on Medicare pay less for expensive drugs. (Weissmann, 9/12)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Blue Cross Antitrust Deal Appealed By Home Depot, Others Three employers have appealed a $2.67 billion antitrust settlement with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, potentially altering the terms of the landmark federal agreement and extending the timeline of the 10-year case. (Tepper, 9/9)

The Boston Globe: Eleanor Slater Hospital Fixed Many Issues, But One Key Problem Remains Last year several top doctors left, raising concerns about the over-institutionalization of patients. Eleanor Slater Hospital is licensed as a long-term acute care hospital. Its patients have a range of conditions and needs, from intellectual and developmental disabilities, long-term injuries from car crashes, ALS, or mental illnesses. Some have spent decades there. Top officials, now gone, argued the hospital wasn’t actually providing acute-level care but instead warehousing people with social, not medical, problems. The department disputed that was the case. (Amaral, 9/9)

Modern Healthcare: Water Shortages Threatening Patient Safety “What’s happening in Jackson and what’s happening around the state are also lessons that can be learned for the rest of the country,” said Scott Kashman, market president and CEO St. Dominic Hospital. “We’re starting to have a broader discussion around the water and infrastructure issues. It's been a long time, and it’s a problem that’s going to need to be solved by some generation-–and it should be ours.” (Hartnett and Kacik, 9/9)

KHN: Journalists Delve Into Inflation Policy, Hospital Closures, And Needle Exchanges  KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act with Newsy’s “The Why” on Sept. 2. ... KHN senior editor Andy Miller discussed the upcoming closure of a trauma hospital in metro Atlanta with WUGA’s “The Health Report” on Sept. 6. ... KHN correspondent Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez discussed rural needle exchanges with The Nevada Independent’s “IndyMatters” on Sept. 6. (9/10)

Boston Children's Hospital Threatened Again

The type of threat wasn't specified, the Boston Globe explains, but two weeks ago the hospital faced a bomb threat. Reports say hospital staff involved with treating transgender children have also been harassed. Other media outlets cover nursing home and nursing staff strikes, and health worker cuts.

The Boston Globe: Police Investigating Another Threat Called In To Boston Children’s Hospital A threat was called in to Boston Children’s Hospital on Friday, less than two weeks after the hospital received a bomb threat, police said. Officer Andre Watson, a Boston Police Department spokesman, said the hospital reported the threat at 11:39 a.m. Friday. Watson said the hospital wasn’t evacuated, and details on the nature of the threat weren’t immediately available. It remains under investigation. (Andersen, 9/9)

In news about striking workers and layoffs —

AP: Strikers Settle Contract At 13 Pennsylvania Nursing Homes Hundreds of striking nurses prepared to return to work as their union announced a tentative contract agreement Friday with 13 of 14 nursing homes across Pennsylvania. After reaching agreement with Comprehensive Healthcare on Thursday, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania announced Friday that bargainers had come to terms with a second operator, Priority Healthcare. (9/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW Nurses May Avoid Strike After Tentative Settlement Reached A proposed settlement that would avert a nurses' strike at one of Wisconsin's largest hospitals was reached Sunday by the negotiating teams for UW Nurses United and UW Health hospital officials in Madison. (Van Egeren, 9/11)

Crain's Detroit Business: Beaumont-Spectrum Lays Off 400 In Cost Cuts Post-Merger Beaumont Health Spectrum Health is laying off 400 management and non-patient facing workers statewide, it confirmed Friday. The newly merged health system said in a statement that it will cut 400 positions from its staff of 64,000 as part of a cost-reduction plan alluded to in its first consolidated financial report Aug. 18. (Watson, 9/9)

CNBC: Amazon Plans Job Cuts In Health-Care Unit After Shuttering Telehealth Amazon is preparing to cut more than 150 jobs as it winds down its telehealth offering known as Amazon Care, according to filings submitted in Washington state. Amazon said 159 employees will be laid off from Amazon Care, based on Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filings submitted late Thursday. The WARN Act requires employers to provide advance notice, generally within 60 days, of mass layoffs or plant closings. (Palmer, 9/9)

Calls To 988 Mental Health Line Rising

NPR says that in the first month since launch, 988 has seen a 45% increase in overall call volume and other text-based contacts, with the latter demonstrating enormous growth. Meanwhile, the U.S. will reportedly dedicate $35 million to boost 988 efforts for Native Americans.

NPR: New 988 Mental Health Crisis Line Sees Rising Use Since Launch New data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that in August – the first full month that 988 was operational — the Lifeline saw a 45% increase in overall volume of calls, texts and chats compared to August 2021. (Chatterjee, 9/10)

Fox29: US To Award $35M In Grants To Tribes For 988 Mental Health Crisis Line Most people in Santa Clara Pueblo in northern New Mexico know each other. So when a tribal member needs mental health services or help for substance abuse, calling a tribal office might lead to an aunt, cousin or other relative. Confidentiality is important, pueblo Gov. Michael Chavarria said shortly after federal officials visited to talk about new grant funding available for tribes to spread the word about a nationwide mental health crisis hotline. (Fonseca, 9/11)

In other mental health news —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Morehouse School Of Medicine Report Highlights Cost Of Mental Health Inequities A lack of investment in mental health has taken nearly 117,000 lives and cost $278 billion from 2016-2020, with underserved and underrepresented communities across the country experiencing the brunt of the effects, according to a report released Wednesday by the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. (Thomas, 9/12)

Fox News: Sleep Disruptions May Be Linked To Mental Health Disorders, New Study Reveals There may be a link between poor sleep and several mental health disorders, according to a new study. These mental health disorders include anxiety, Tourette syndrome and autism, researchers say, according to a press release from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) released earlier this month. (Reilly, 9/11)

The Washington Post: After A Veterinarian’s Death, A DC Bridge Could Get A Suicide Barrier  On April 13, Dr. Peter Tripp, a 29-year-old veterinarian who made a career of taking care of animals and a habit of taking care of people, walked out of his Northwest Washington apartment to the nearby William Howard Taft Bridge and jumped to his death. (Vargas, 9/10)

US Makes Strides In Tackling National Child Poverty Problem

The New York Times reports America's high child poverty rate set it apart from other rich nations but that efforts to expand safety nets have driven a 59% drop in child poverty since 1993. Also: the baby formula shortage, stress in pregnancy, news on nutrition, and more.

The New York Times: Expanded Safety Net Drives Sharp Drop In Child Poverty For a generation or more, America’s high levels of child poverty set it apart from other rich nations, leaving millions of young people lacking support as basic as food and shelter amid mounting evidence that early hardship leaves children poorer, sicker and less educated as adults. But with little public notice and accelerating speed, America’s children have become much less poor. A comprehensive new analysis shows that child poverty has fallen 59 percent since 1993, with need receding on nearly every front. (DeParle, 9/11)

The New York Times: Store Shelves Are No Longer Bare, But Baby Formula Remains In Short Supply  More than six months after one of the largest infant formula manufacturing plants in the United States issued a recall and was then shut down because of contamination concerns, a newborn staple remains in short supply. In parts of the country, parents and their families are scrambling to locate precious containers of formula for their babies and many large retailers remain out of stock of popular brands. Some companies like Walmart and Target are limiting the number of containers that can be purchased at one time. (Creswell and Corkery, 9/12)

USA Today: Pregnancy Stress Linked To Negative Baby Emotions, Crying: Study The researchers asked questions such as, “Over the past hour, did you feel you could not control important things?” and scored the maternal stress levels. They looked at three patterns of stress: baseline levels, stress levels over a 14-week period, and how much these stress levels changed or fluctuated. (Martin, 9/10)

NBC News: Weight Loss After 40: Doctors Recommended To Give Weight Counseling The recommendations, published in August in the Annals of Internal Medicine, were developed by the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative, a national coalition of health professionals and patient representatives. The group, which advises the federal government, said midlife women gain an average of about 1.5 pounds a year due to factors such as aging, becoming more sedentary and the hormonal changes of menopause. (Stenson, 9/11)

NBC News: A Big Breakfast And Light Dinner Doesn’t Burn More Calories: Study The common notion that eating a big breakfast and light dinner helps people burn more calories may be misguided. New research published Friday in the journal Cell Metabolism found that eating the bulk of one's calories in the morning doesn't help people lose weight any more than eating those calories at night. (Bendix, 9/10)

In other health and wellness news —

The Washington Post: The Army Is Creating An Exoskeleton Suit For Soldier Back Pain The new suit, which weighs just three pounds, is a soft harness that soldiers strap around their shoulders and legs. Soldiers can press a button on the suit by their left shoulder, which activates the straps running along their back to help ease the burden when lifting heavy objects like artillery rounds, boxes or guns. Its name is a mouthful, dubbed the Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply, or SABER. It is developed by the U.S. Army and Vanderbilt University, and slated to be deployed in the field in 2023. (Verma, 9/10)

AP: Donating Late Son's Medical Equipment Brings Mother Solace After Itza Pantoja’s severely disabled son died at age 16, she made it her mission to ensure that the wheelchairs, beds and other equipment and supplies that had helped him would get to others in need. Pantoja’s lengthy struggle to find an organization that would take the large donation ended when she got word that a group in Chicago was interested. So she and her family packed up a U-Haul and drove the 1,240 miles from San Antonio to drop it off. ... The mother’s effort highlighted not only how hard it can be to get such equipment — even with insurance — but also the difficulty that can be encountered when trying to donate it. (Stengle, 9/10)

KHN: While Inflation Takes A Toll On Seniors, Billions Of Dollars In Benefits Go Unused  Millions of older adults are having trouble making ends meet, especially during these inflationary times. Yet many don’t realize help is available, and some notable programs that offer financial assistance are underused. A few examples: Nearly 14 million adults age 60 or older qualify for aid from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as food stamps) but haven’t signed up, according to recent estimates. Also, more than 3 million adults 65 or older are eligible but not enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs, which pay for Medicare premiums and cost sharing. And 30% to 45% of seniors may be missing out on help from the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy program, which covers plan premiums and cost sharing and lowers the cost of prescription drugs. (Graham, 9/12)

In Oregon, Problem Drinking Drives Effort For More Alcohol Tax

Oregon has among the highest rates of problem drinking in the U.S., and rising deaths, The New York Times reports, even as some efforts to curb excessive drinking have fallen aside. Meanwhile, in California, an effort to expand services offered by optometrists is controversial.

The New York Times: Rise In Deaths Spurs Effort To Raise Alcohol Taxes  Oregon is a drinker’s paradise. The state boasts more craft distilleries than Kentucky and is second only to California in the number of wineries. Some call Portland “beervana” for its bevy of breweries. But Oregon also has among the highest prevalence of problem drinking in the country. Last year, 2,153 residents died of causes attributed to alcohol, according to the Oregon Health Authority — more than twice the number of people killed by methamphetamines, heroin and fentanyl combined. (9/11)

In health updates from California —

Los Angeles Times: California Politics: A Sleeper Bill On Newsom's Desk To Keep An Eye On AB 2236 would expand what procedures an optometrist can perform in California with additional training. It’s one of 571 bills currently on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. The governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto those bills, which also includes a doctor transparency measure that had previously struggled to gain traction the last two years. More on that bill later. (Gutierrez, 9/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Scant Data On Health Impact Of Heat Wave Shows Bay Area Unready For Climate Change Bay Area hospitals treated dozens of people for heat-related ailments this week, during what may have been the worst hot spell ever in Northern California, but the true public health impact is unknown because there are few coordinated efforts to track illnesses and injuries caused by weather events, health experts said. (Allday, 9/9)

The Imprint: Antipsychotic Drug Use On California Foster Kids Drops 58%, Study Finds California has dramatically curbed its use of antipsychotic medication to control emotionally troubled foster children, according to a new study, raising hopes of a changing culture in the years since a Bay Area News Group investigation exposed the rampant use of those powerful drugs. (Loudenback and Fitzgerald, 9/11)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

The Texas Tribune: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Declares Emergency Over Greg Abbott’s Busing Policy Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a public health emergency in response to Texas continuing to bus migrants to the nation’s capital. (Neukam, 9/9)

The Texas Tribune: New West Texas Clinic Opens In Rural Health Care Desert On a recent Thursday morning, John Hodges walked one of his older patients out the door. “God bless you for being here, John,” the patient said, shaking the nurse practitioner’s hand on his way out. (Lozano, 9/12)

News Service of Florida: Appellate Judge Criticizes State Over Delay In Granting Medical Marijuana Licenses An appeals court judge chided Florida health officials for not following up on promises to grant additional medical marijuana licenses as required by state law, saying potential applicants are “understandably frustrated” and offering a legal playbook for entrepreneurs who have been shut out of the cannabis market for years. (Kam, 9/9)

News Service of Florida: State Board Of Governors Will Discuss How To Spend A $40 Million Boost For Nursing Education State higher-education officials are slated to discuss how universities plan to spend $40 million aimed at bolstering the number of “high-quality” nursing graduates in Florida. (9/9)

Bloomberg: NJ Labor Unions Urge State To Recoup Health-Insurer Funds, Delay Premium Vote Unions representing hundreds of thousands of New Jersey public workers urged the state to recoup controversial payments to its health insurance provider and delay a vote planned for next week on whether to increase their premium costs. (Tozzi, 9/9)

Oklahoman: Adult Day Centers Ready To Help Clear Oklahoma's Disability Waitlist Thousands of families in Oklahoma remain on the waiting list for access to disability services for their loved ones, according to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Prior to finding the adult day center location in Edmond, the Rooks family was one of many facing the dilemma that occurs when a developmentally disabled child becomes an adult. (WIlliams, 9/11)

Different Takes: Did You Have Your Childhood Polio Vaccines?; Get Ready For Yearly Covid Boosters

Opinion writers examine polio, covid boosters and monkeypox.

USA Today: Polio Emergency In New York Makes Me Rush To See If I Am Vaccinated Polio fits into the category of oldies but not goodies. And unfortunately, it looks like it's back and many of us are trying to figure out if we're vaccinated against this terrible virus. (Carli Pierson, 9/9)

The Washington Post: Regular Covid Boosters Help End Pandemic. But U.S. Should Aim Higher Since the coronavirus hit the United States in 2020, Americans have wondered what normal life with covid-19 will look like, and when the country would get there. The Biden administration this week mapped out a vision for the near future, in which Americans should expect to get yearly coronavirus vaccinations, akin to the flu vaccines that come every fall. (9/10)

Stat: Don’t Let Shrill Debates Keep You From Getting A Covid Booster Even before the new Covid booster shots arrived, the arguments about them got shrill. There’s a dizzying kaleidoscope of defensible opinions about the new Covid shots. (Matthew Herper, 9/12)

CIDRAP: No Question Monkeypox Is An STI  Whether or not monkeypox (MPX) should be labeled a sexually transmitted infection (STI) isn't much of a debate among STI experts. So far, more than 95% of cases in the United States have been acquired during sexual contact among men who have sex with men (MSM). To not call it an STI is nearly equivalent to saying syphilis isn't an STI because exceptions to sexual transmission are common in some settings. (H. Hunter Handsfield, MD, 9/9)

Viewpoints: Pro-Choice Students Take Steps To Protect Rights; Plastic Chemicals Shown To Be Obesogens

Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.

The Tennessean: How Pro-Choice Young Adults Are Living In A Post-Roe V Wade World Dobbs v. Jackson will impact youth and adults from conservative areas most due to the “trigger bans” which provide each state the ability to enact restrictions on abortion. This will have a bearing on my college peers and in other Southeast states. (Ilana Drake, 9/10)

Bloomberg: Plastic Might Be Making You Obese  The global obesity epidemic is getting worse, especially among children, with rates of obesity rising over the past decade and shifting to earlier ages. In the US, roughly 40% of today’s high school students were overweight by the time they started high school. Globally, the incidence of obesity has tripled since the 1970s, with fully one billion people expected to be obese by 2030. (Mark Buchanan, 9/11)

The Atlantic: How Masking Changed My Experience Of Being Deaf I’m sorry for participating in the deaf apocalypse.” For a hearing friend and me, this line, delivered in sign language, became a running gag early in the pandemic. She and I had moved in as temporary “corona-roomies” during the spring of 2020. (Rachel Kolb, 9/11)

The Star Tribune: Nurses Are Striking To Put Patients Before Profits In Our Hospitals As bedside nurses in the Twin Cities and Duluth, we have experienced firsthand the growing crisis of care in our hospitals. Patients are being treated in hallways or left to sit for hours in waiting rooms. They're waiting longer with their call lights on, for medication, or for help to visit the restroom. The consequences are undeniable — last year, adverse events for patients increased by 33%, meaning more patient falls, bed sores or fatalities within Minnesota hospitals. (9/9)

Stat: Why Do People Decline Social Risk Assistance Their Doctors Offer?  After decades of research documenting the profound effects of social factors on health, such as income, education, employment, food security, and neighborhood, the health care sector has finally begun grappling with these so-called social drivers of health. (Caroline Fichtenberg and Emilia De Marchis, 9/12)

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