The Washington Post: Senate Vote Blocks Bill To Codify Abortion Rights; GOP, Manchin Oppose 
The Senate on Wednesday did not advance legislation that would write a constitutional right to abortion into federal law — a symbolic gesture that Democrats cast as a first step in a larger strategy to mobilize Americans around reproductive rights as the Supreme Court considers overturning Roe v. Wade and related decisions. Wednesday’s vote was 51 to 49 and well short of the 60 votes necessary under Senate rules. It was largely a reprise of a failed February vote staged by Senate Democratic leaders, but the issue has new resonance after last week’s leak of a draft opinion from Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. suggesting that the high court is poised to overturn Roe and curtail guaranteed nationwide access to abortions. (DeBonis and Roubein, 5/11)

USA Today: Senate Fails To Pass Vote That Would Make Abortion Legal Nationally
Democrats were unable to overcome a filibuster on the Women's Health Protection Act of 2022. The effort failed 49-51. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joined every Republican in opposition, meaning the measure would have failed even if it had mustered the 60 votes needed to send the measure to the floor for an up-or-down vote. "It is not Roe v. Wade codification, it is an expansion," Manchin said before the vote. "We should not be dividing this country further than we're already divided." The bill was not expected to pass, but Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., framed the vote as a way to put every member of the Senate on the record about their stance on abortion in the wake of the leaked decision. (Wells and King, 5/11)

NPR: Women's Health Protection Act To Codify Abortion Protections Fails In The Senate
In a rare occurrence, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote, which was 49-51. Within minutes of the vote, President Joe Biden released a statement that "this failure to act comes at a time when women's constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack – and it runs counter to the will of the majority of American people." "We will continue to defend women's constitutional rights to make private reproductive choices as recognized in Roe v. Wade nearly half a century ago, and my Administration will continue to explore the measures and tools at our disposal to do just that," Biden said, without providing details. (Shivaram, 5/11)

Politico: Senate Fails To Pass Abortion Rights Bill — Again 
Anti-abortion activist groups like the Susan B. Anthony List had lobbied senators on both sides of the aisle to oppose the bill, and plan to run ads against any vulnerable swing-state Democrats who cast their vote for the legislation. “We’re focused on Democratic incumbents who are anywhere close to a battleground state,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of SBA List, told reporters on a Tuesday call. “Certainly [Arizona Senator] Mark Kelly would be way up there. We spent, very recently, a million dollars attacking him in Arizona for just this reason — his abortion decision.” (Ollstein and Levine, 5/11)

Republicans have their own bill —

The New York Times: Republicans Who Support Abortion Rights Have Come Up With Their Own Bill
The two Senate Republicans who support abortion rights, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have raised objections to the Democrats’ bill that is the subject of Wednesday’s vote, and they are promoting alternative legislation. ... Ms. Collins and Ms. Murkowski introduced their own bill, which they describe as codifying Roe v. Wade, in February. Called the Reproductive Choice Act, it is only three pages long and was written without the consultation of reproductive rights groups, according to representatives from those organizations. (Karni, 5/11)

The Washington Post: The GOP And Where It’s Headed On Criminalizing Abortion 
After the public learned last week that the Supreme Court was potentially poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, Republicans’ Senate campaign arm was quick to send out word on where the party stands — or perhaps would be wise to stand — when it comes to criminalizing abortion. “Republicans DO NOT want to throw doctors and women in jail,” said a messaging memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which was obtained by Axios. “Mothers should be held harmless under the law.” (Blake, 5/11)

Politico: Alito’s Draft Opinion Overturning Roe Is Still The Only One Circulated Inside Supreme Court 
The Supreme Court is set to gather Thursday for the first time since the disclosure that it voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, and there’s no sign that the court is changing course from issuing that ruling by the end of June. Justice Samuel Alito’s sweeping and blunt draft majority opinion from February overturning Roe remains the court’s only circulated draft in the pending Mississippi abortion case, POLITICO has learned, and none of the conservative justices who initially sided with Alito have to date switched their votes. No dissenting draft opinions have circulated from any justice, including the three liberals. (Gerstein, Ward and Lizza, 5/11)

CNN: Justices Will Meet For First Time Since Leak Of Draft Opinion On Roe Shook The Foundations Of The Court 
The Supreme Court is set to meet behind closed doors on Thursday for the first time since the astonishing leak of a draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.The justices plan to discuss pending petitions and outstanding cases -- but they're also likely to grapple with the aftermath of that remarkable breach of the court's confidential operations. While the draft opinion calling for the reversal of a near-50-year-old landmark precedent stunned the country, the leak itself stunned the court. (de Vogue, 5/12)

More on the Supreme Court leak —

The New York Times: Fact-Checking Samuel Alito’s Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade 
In the nearly 100-page decision, Justice Alito made or quoted assertions about fetal development, abortion procedures and international laws that have been disputed or are open to interpretation. Here is a fact check. (Qiu, 5/11)

ABC News: 5 Myths About Abortion Debunked As Supreme Court Decides Future Of Roe V. Wade 
Ahead of the final decision, which is expected in either June or July, ABC News spoke to public health experts about five common myths surrounding abortion and what the statistics actually show. (Kekatos, 5/12)

The New York Times: Why The Justice Department Is Unlikely To Investigate The Supreme Court Leak 
Law enforcement officials for the executive branch have legal tools for extracting information, including the ability to issue grand-jury subpoenas to compel the disclosure of testimony and records, like logs of communications held by phone companies. But it is far from clear that the justices want agents of the executive branch grilling their clerks and relatives and going through the computers in their chambers and the cellphones of their associates. As a matter of constitutional principle, they are a coequal branch of government. And none can be sure whether the leaker, if identified, will turn out to be a liberal or a conservative. (Savage, 5/11)

The Boston Globe: Women Politicians Are ‘Spitting Mad’ About The Leaked Roe Draft Opinion — And They’re Actually Showing It
Senator Elizabeth Warren rarely minces words. But as she stood before the Supreme Court last week, protesting a draft decision that would roll back the right to abortion, she showed a churning, incandescent rage, her voice gritty and determined even as it shook with fury. “I’ve never seen you so angry,” a reporter observed to the senator in a widely shared video. The unprecedented leak last week of a Supreme Court draft decision has produced a rare moment in American politics: Women in high office, long cautioned to avoid public displays of rage lest they be labeled hysterical or worse, are unleashing unapologetic, uncompromising anger. (Platoff, 5/11)

The governors of Virginia and Maryland are upset over protests —

The Washington Post: Youngkin, Hogan Ask Justice Dept. To Halt Protests At Justices’ Homes
The Republican governors of Virginia and Maryland, where the homes of Supreme Court justices have become the targets of protests, are demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland enforce a federal law that forbids demonstrations intended to sway judges on pending cases. Demonstrators have gathered over the past week at the homes of several conservative justices, spurred by the leak of a draft opinion suggesting that the high court is preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision guaranteeing access to abortion nationwide. (Vozzella, Cox and Morse, 5/12)

Politico: GOP Governors Call On DOJ To 'Enforce The Law' As Protesters Gather Outside Justices' Homes 
Hogan and Youngkin sent the letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, citing federal statute Title 18, Section 1507 of the U.S. Code, which says it’s illegal with “the intent of influencing any judge” to picket or parade “in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer.” The governors asked Garland to “enforce the law as it is written.” (Ward, 5/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Announces Plan To Lure Businesses To California From States That Ban Abortion
California Gov. Gavin Newsom previewed a plan to lure businesses to California from states that ban abortion on Wednesday, as well as new proposed spending on abortions. Newsom said his plan aims to “solidify California’s leadership on abortion rights.” “California will not stand idly by as extremists roll back our basic constitutional rights,” he wrote in a statement. “We’re going to fight like hell, making sure that all women — not just those in California — know that this state continues to recognize and protect their fundamental rights.” (Bollag, 5/11)

Los Angeles Times: California Could Subsidize Abortions For Uninsured, Out-Of-State Patients
California would set aside $40 million for abortion service providers to help cover uninsured residents and an expected influx of women from other states seeking care if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark ruling in Roe vs. Wade, under a plan unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The subsidies are included in a $125-million plan Newsom will send to legislators on Friday as part of his revised state budget, money earmarked to expand access to abortions and prepare for more women seeking care in California if other states ban or severely limit abortion services. That amount includes an increase of $57 million beyond what was included in his January budget proposal. (Gutierrez, 5/11)

Abortion rights sought in New Jersey, Illinois, Utah, Connecticut, Iowa, and Wisconsin —

AP: NJ Looks To Expand Abortion Access 
New Jersey would expand abortion access and require insurance companies to pay for the procedure under legislation proposed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday. Murphy vowed state agencies also won’t cooperate with other states that might try to prosecute New Jersey abortion providers or women who seek abortions here. (5/11)

AP: Pritzker Calls For Federal Law, Protests To Protect Abortion 
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday urged Congress to act — and activists to take to the streets — to ensure abortion remains widely accessible even if the Supreme Court rolls back its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide. The Democratic governor spoke from a Planned Parenthood Regional Logistics Facility in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis. He said the U.S. Senate must step up in defense of the personal health care decisions of women. A test vote Wednesday failed 51-49. (O'Connor, 5/11)

Salt Lake Tribune: Gov. Cox Says He Opposes Abortion Restrictions Beyond Utah’s Trigger Law
Inspired by a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that suggests the justices have enough votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, some Republican politicians across the country are working to pass severe restrictions on abortion, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says he is not one of them. “I’m very pleased with the law that’s on the books,” Cox said during a Tuesday news conference. The governor’s office later clarified that Cox was referring to Utah’s 2020 trigger law. If Roe v. Wade is reversed, the decision to regulate abortion will return to individual states. That prospect has lawmakers in several states racing to enact new restrictions or expand access to abortion, depending on which party is in control. Other states, like Utah, already have “trigger laws,” which will go into effect if Roe is reversed. (Schott, 5/11)

AP: Governor Candidate: No Abortion Law Change, But Tell Parents 
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski issued a statement Wednesday saying he would not attempt to change existing law in Connecticut concerning abortion if he’s elected governor in November. However, the Madison businessman said the state “should consider” legislation that would impose a parental notification requirement for minors under age 16, except in cases of rape or incest. (Haigh, 5/11)

Des Moines Register: Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst Vote Against National Abortion Protections
Iowa currently bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. If Roe is indeed overturned, Iowans seeking abortions are protected by a separate 2018 decision from the Iowa Supreme Court that found abortion is protected as a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution. However, the Iowa court is hearing a case this year that could allow them to revisit and reverse that decision. Iowa Republicans have been largely united in their support for overturning Roe and restricting abortion. State lawmakers, led by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, are working to amend the Iowa Constitution so that it does not protect abortion — a process that will take at least until 2024. (Pfannenstiel, 5/11)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vos Backs Exception For Rape, Incest If Abortion Ban Goes Into Effect
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wants exceptions for rape and incest if Wisconsin's ban on abortion goes into effect this summer, but he said he doesn't know if his fellow Republicans will go along with that idea. Vos, of Rochester, said the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks will force lawmakers to consider numerous issues. Early in his political career, Vos backed a bill to ban emergency contraception like Plan B on college campuses and he said he may have to think about the idea anew. (Marley, 5/12)

Louisiana, Texas, and Ohio push harder against abortion —

AP: Debate Set On Bill That Could Jail Women Who Get Abortions 
A bill scheduled for debate Thursday in the Louisiana House would make women who get abortions subject to criminal prosecution and prison — a position that has drawn opposition from Louisiana’s anti-abortion governor and groups including Louisiana Right to Life and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops. Republican Rep. Danny McCormick is pushing the bill despite the crescendo of opposition from traditional supporters of abortion rights allies, for the moment, with some opponents of legal abortion. (McGill, 5/12)

AP: Louisiana Gov Slams Bill That Could Jail Women For Abortion
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat with a history of opposing abortion rights, came out Wednesday emphatically against legislation that could subject women to prosecution and prison for getting abortions. Edwards told a Baton Rouge civic club he would veto a measure by Rep. Danny McCormick, an Oil City Republican, according to news outlets. Later, he issued a statement calling the bill “anti-woman.” (5/11)

The Texas Tribune: Inside Texas’ Powerful Anti-Abortion Movement 
Nearly 50 years ago, a high school freshman in Alief was in her sex education class when another student asked the teacher about abortion. It was the first time Kyleen Peloquen, then 14, had heard the word. With the teacher disinclined to provide details, she ran home to ask for an explanation. Her dad, a member of the school board, mumbled his way through a nonanswer. When she finally learned what abortion was, she made up her mind to stop it. (Harper and Klibanoff, 5/12)

AP: Social-Worker, Rights Groups Sue Ohio City Over Abortion Ban 
Groups advocating for professional social workers and women’s rights challenged a small Ohio city’s ban on abortion Wednesday, arguing it is an “extraordinarily broad” infringement on the constitutional rights of due process and free speech. The lawsuit argues that the abortion restriction approved last May by the city of Lebanon, in southwest Ohio, should be declared illegal regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court follows through with a leaked opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. (5/11)

Also —

Axios: Medical Education Of Abortion Could Be Erased In Red States
A key piece of OB-GYN training — how to perform an abortion — could soon be stricken from medical schools' curriculum in states that make the practice illegal. A Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade would not only affect patients but drastically alter medical education and force young doctors to find workarounds to develop a skill deemed essential by professional bodies. "The implications for our field are devastating," Kavita Vinekar, assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Axios. (Reed and Gonzalez, 5/11)

NBC News: The First Women Who'd Be Personally Affected If Roe Is Overturned Are Already Pregnant
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the decision would most immediately and directly affect more than 300,000 women who are pregnant now or will be before July in the 13 states with so-called trigger laws. That's the number of people who — according to an NBC News analysis of 2017 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights — would see their states’ abortion policies change while they’re still at points in pregnancy when they might have otherwise been eligible for abortions. The laws that determine their options, in other words, would transform almost overnight. (Bendix, 5/11)

More reaction, protests from Americans —

Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Bans Off Our Bodies' Abortion Rights Protest To Be Held Cincinnati
"Bans Off Our Bodies" protests will take place in cities across America on Saturday, including Cincinnati. The protests are part of a national response after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion revealed considerations to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. The Cincinnati protest, organized by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, will be held at 11:30 a.m. at Fountain Square. Kersha Deibel, president of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said the Supreme Court draft decision confirmed what many have long feared. (Endale, 5/11)

Fox News: Americans Say Economy, Roe V. Wade Decision Top Voting Motivations As Midterms Approach
Cassandra, a Massachusetts voter, said she will "continue to support the politicians who support women’s rights" as she considers her voting decisions for the midterm elections. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the decision won't have a significant impact on the midterm elections, according to an RMG Research Group survey published Monday. Yet a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted prior to the draft leak found that a majority of Americans support upholding the original ruling. One man, Nick, told Fox News the economy was another top priority. He cited inflation and the "cost of living going up." Inflation slightly eased to 8.3% in April, but remained near 40-year highs, the Department of Labor reported Wednesday. (Barton and Myers, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Karen Prior Has Worked For Roe's Overturn For Decades. This Isn't What She'd Hoped To Feel
The moment Karen Swallow Prior had worked and prayed for her entire adult life came at 8:41 p.m. last Monday as she stood on the porch of her Virginia farmhouse. In the dark her face was lit up by her phone, showing a text message that collapsed the decades: A leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion said a majority of the justices appeared ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. Prior was shocked and thrilled. But within minutes the deep divisions and differences in priorities among antiabortion advocates came into view. (Boorstein, 5/11)

On abortion pills, IUDs, and IVF —

ABC News: Major US Abortion Pill Producer Says It Has Ample Supply If Demand Soars 
A major producer of the abortion pill in the U.S. says it has ample supply if demand suddenly soars in the wake of a Supreme Court decision and that it's working with federal regulators to make the drug available in pharmacies by the end of the year. "We are prepared for any surge," said the spokesperson for Danco Laboratories, which manufactures the brand-name drug Mifeprex."Our supply is stable and plentiful." (Flaherty, 5/11)

The New York Times: What to Know Before Getting an IUD
Ten percent of women in the United States between the ages of 15 and 49 currently use some form of long-acting reversible contraception, a category that includes intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Research has found the vast majority of people with IUDs are satisfied with their contraceptive method, but some women find the insertion process much more painful than they expected. (Pearson, 5/10)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court's Roe’s Overturn Could Make IVF More Complicated, Costly
After numerous rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Genevieve Pearson Adair was excited to have 18 fertilized eggs. But it turned out that 14 of them have the Fragile X gene associated with intellectual and developmental disability. She has kept them frozen, unsure of what to do, hoping for a time when medical science could provide clearer answers. But now, with the constitutional right to abortion hanging in the balance, she fears the right to determine their fate may be taken away from her. (Cha and Wax-Thibodeaux, 5/11)

The Washington Post: U.S. Surpasses Record 100,000 Overdose Deaths In 2021 
More Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021 than any previous year, a grim milestone in an epidemic that has now claimed 1 million lives in the 21st century, according to federal data released Wednesday. More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, up 15 percent from the previous year, according to an estimate released by the National Center for Health Statistics. The tally of 107,622 reflects challenges exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic: lost access to treatment, social isolation and a more potent drug supply. (Kornfield, 5/11)

Politico: U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Surpass 107,000 Last Year, Another Record
The rapid spike in overdose fatalities — deaths are up nearly 50 percent in two years — presents a grave challenge to the Biden administration as it seeks to manage the twin crises of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and worsening opioid epidemic. Drug policy experts argue the administration needs to apply the same urgency to stopping opioid deaths that it’s brought to its Covid-19 response. “We need to learn to walk and chew gum at the same time,” said Jerome Adams, former U.S. surgeon general and a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Opioid Crisis Task Force. “Covid is not going to go away.” (Mahr, 5/11)

USA Today: Illicit Fentanyl Propels Overdose Deaths In US To New Record
Though the numbers are subject to change as medical examiners finish death investigations and report all cases nationwide, experts say the figures underscore the powerful and dangerous reach of predominately illicit drugs and drug combinations. While prescription painkillers and heroin drove the nation's overdose epidemic last decade, the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is now responsible for most overdose deaths. Overdose deaths from fentanyl climbed to 71,238  last year from 57,834 in 2020, according to the CDC. (Alltucker, 5/11)

Colorado tries to stem its fentanyl crisis —

AP: Colorado Lawmakers Scramble To Address Fentanyl Crisis On 2022 Session's Last Day 
On the last day of the 2022 session, Colorado’s Democratic-led Legislature scrambled Wednesday to pass key bills to attack the fentanyl crisis and promote more affordable housing after overcoming a stonewalling effort by House minority Republicans that put dozens of bills in limbo earlier this week. Gov. Jared Polis and fellow Democrats had pledged at the start of the four-month session to tackle rising crime and soaring inflation — key issues highlighted by minority Republicans heading into this year’s midterm elections. (5/11)

Colorado Sun: Here's What's In Colorado's New Fentanyl Bill
With just hours to spare in its 2022 lawmaking term, the Colorado legislature on Wednesday night sent House Bill 1326, the Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act, to Gov. Jared Polis to be signed into law. The contentious legislation, which was still being amended up until its passage, is lawmakers’ response to rising fentanyl overdose deaths in the state. More than 900 Coloradans died from a fentanyl overdose last year, according to state health department data, including four children under the age 1, and 35 people between the ages of 10 and 18. In 2020, 540 people died from a fentanyl overdose in Colorado. (Najmabadi and Paul, 5/11)

In other news on the drug crisis —

AP: Judge To Decide How Much Pharmacies Owe Over Opioid Crisis
A hearing has begun in federal court in Cleveland for a judge to determine how much CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies should pay two Ohio counties to help them ease the ongoing costs and problems caused by the opioid crisis. A jury in November found the pharmacy chains responsible for recklessly distributing massive amounts of pain pills in Lake and Trumbull counties. It was the first time pharmacies in the U.S. have been held responsible for the opioid crisis. (Gillispie, 5/10)

Axios: Opioid Abuse Treatments Don't Reach Those Most At Risk
Drugs for treating opioid abuse aren’t reaching most high-risk patients, potentially widening gaps in care as overdose deaths hit record highs. New provisional data show a 15% surge in overdose deaths during the pandemic, rekindling a debate over whether enough Americans in the throes of the addiction crisis have access to potentially life-saving treatments. Nearly 53% of patients with opioid use disorder were not prescribed buprenorphine, which reduces the risk of future overdoses, according to a new analysis of insurance claims from about 180,000 people. (Bettelheim, 5/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Narcan Is A Powerful Tool In Stopping Overdoses. Here's How Many Lives In San Francisco It's Saved So Far
Based on computer modeling using public health data, city and UCSF researchers estimated that robust access to naloxone, commonly known by the commercial name Narcan, could have reduced fentanyl-involved overdose death rates in San Francisco by about 12%. Based on the number of deaths in 2021, that would translate to about 57 people. “We’re still preventing a good number of deaths even in the context of a profound increase in mortality,” said Dr. Phillip Coffin, the city’s substance use research director and the lead author of the study. (Jung, 5/10)

Also —

AP: Child Dies Of Suspected Fentanyl Overdose, Parents Arrested 
The parents of a 15-month-old toddler were arrested for her death after the child was found unresponsive in their Northern California home where police found drug paraphernalia and fentanyl, authorities said. Evan Frostick, 26, and Madison Bernard, 23, were arrested at their Santa Rosa apartment and booked for alleged cruelty to a child likely to produce great bodily injury or death, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Christian Mahurin said Wednesday. (5/11)

CBS News: Biden Commemorates 1 Million American Lives Lost To COVID-19 
President Biden is commemorating the 1 million American lives lost to COVID-19 early Thursday, hours before he hosts the second Global COVID Summit at the White House, a virtual gathering of world leaders, non-governmental organizations and private sector companies. In recognition of the disease's high toll, Mr. Biden will be issuing a proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff. In remarks he recorded for the opening of the summit, Mr. Biden will speak about those Americans who have died as a result of the two-year-long coronavirus pandemic. (Cordes, Tin, Van Dercook and Brown, 5/12)

Reuters: A Million Lives Lost
The pandemic tore apart families and divided an already politically polarized nation. COVID-19 laid bare the economic inequities between white-collar workers who could work safely from home and essential workers in grocery stores, fire stations and hospitals who had to go out and risk exposure to help others each day. Reuters photographers witnessed the devotion of doctors and nurses as they tackled a virus none of them had ever seen before. They stood beside the beds of patients sickened by the virus and unable to breathe. A year into the pandemic, they captured the joy and hope vaccines offered and the grief and despair as mostly unvaccinated Americans continued to die by the thousands each day. Here are some of the key moments during the pandemic. (Perkins, 5/11)

Politico: How We Got To 1 Million Covid Deaths – In Four Charts
Patricia Dowd, 57, died of Covid-19 on Feb. 6, 2020.She is believed to be the first pandemic death. In the 27 months since, nearly 1 million people in the U.S. have succumbed to the coronavirus, a figure so large that it engulfs individual stories like Dowd’s into a national maw of grief with which the country is struggling to reckon. It’s as if the entire population of Delaware, Montana or Rhode Island, or all of Austin, vanished in just two years’ time. (Goldberg and Choi, 5/11)

Axios: Deaths From COVID Begin To Rise Again
Deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise again after several weeks of upward ticking case rates sparked by Omicron variants. The U.S. averaged roughly 365 daily deaths, up 7% from about 342 two weeks ago. That's still a fraction of where things stood several months ago when the daily average was in the thousands. The increase in deaths comes after several weeks of declines. While increasingly transmissible Omicron variants have generally not appeared to cause more serious illness, some people are still dying. (Reed and Beheraj, 5/12)

Covid continues its rampage across the U.S. —

Los Angeles Times: 'Significant Uptick' In California Coronavirus Outbreaks
Coronavirus conditions are likely to worsen, with case rates continuing to rise and hospitalizations starting to increase, according to the top health official in the San Francisco Bay Area’s most populous county. “We are also seeing a pretty significant uptick in reports of outbreaks, from schools, work sites and other congregate facilities,” Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County public health director and health officer, said at a news conference Tuesday. “Many of them are related to social gatherings. It’s spring — school is ending and people are gathering, and COVID is spreading.” (Lin II, 5/10)

Des Moines Register: Iowa COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Rise For Third Week In A Row
The number of newly reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rose for the third consecutive week, according to data released Wednesday from the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. New reported COVID-19 cases increased to 3,172 over the past week, or an average of 453 per day, according to the state health department. There were 124 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa on Wednesday, a rise of 38 from last week, according to federal data. Of those, 13 patients required intensive care for COVID-19 complications, another increase from the nine cases reported last week. (Lane, 5/11)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID-19 Cases Rise In Southern Nevada, Triggered By Omicron Sub-Variant
A fresh wave of COVID-19 infections has hit Southern Nevada, triggered by a new omicron sub-variant, waning immunity and riskier behavior, a top official with the Southern Nevada Health District said Wednesday. Like much of the country, Southern Nevada is seeing increases in new reported coronavirus cases, said Cassius Lockett, the district’s director of disease surveillance and control. Reported cases represent an under-count of infections, since many people now are testing for the virus using at-home rapid tests, their results going unreported. (Hynes and Dylan, 5/11)

The Boston Globe: Mass. COVID-19 Cases And Hospitalizations Are Rising, But Experts Think We May Be Nearing The Peak
In a troubling trend for a state trying to return to normal, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Massachusetts have been rising gradually for weeks. But experts say the spring wave could soon subside without reaching the heights of last winter’s deadly Omicron surge. “It’s too early for me to be confident we are peaking, but I do think we are getting close,” said Matthew Fox, a professor of epidemiology and global health at the Boston University School of Public Health. “I don’t think this will be a very strong or prolonged wave because we have so much built-up immunity from immunization and prior infection.” (Finucane, 5/11)

AP: Guardians Hit With COVID-19 Outbreak, Manager Francona Out 
The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has sidelined manager Terry Francona and several of the team’s coaches, leading to the postponement of Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. ... It’s the first coronavirus-related postponement since the season started on April 7. (5/11)

AP: Hawaii Public School Students To Remain Masked For Summer
Public school students in Hawaii will be required to wear masks while indoors for summer classes and related activities. State officials said at a news conference Wednesday that the measure is meant to keep students and families safe. Hawaii is the only state in the nation that still has a universal indoor mask requirement for public school students. (Jones, 5/11)

In covid research —

CIDRAP: Kids' Odds Of Spreading COVID-19 In Households Rising With New Variants
A systematic review and meta-analysis published today in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that while children account for less household COVID-19 transmission, their infectiousness appears to be on the rise as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge. (5/11)

CIDRAP: Severe COVID, Similar Illnesses May Raise Risk For Psychiatric Disorders
A new study shows that the more than 32,000 survivors of severe COVID-19 and more than 16,000 survivors of other severe respiratory infections studied in England were at significantly higher risk than the general population for new anxiety disorders, dementia, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and new neuropsychiatric drug prescriptions in the first year after hospital release. (Van Beusekom, 5/11)

CBS News: Researchers Testing Light Technology That Could Protect Against The Next Pandemic
New technology could add another layer of protection against the next pandemic by simply turning on a light. Researchers are exploring a new way of using ultraviolet light to make indoor air safer. "It's been known for 80 years or so that ultraviolet light can kill bacteria and inactivate viruses in the air so that they're no longer infectious," Don K. Milton, professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, told CBS News. (Lapook, 5/10)

Also —

The CT Mirror: CT COVID Testing Company Got Paid After Breaking Contract With State
Sema4, the Stamford-based health care technology firm that provided COVID testing services for the state of Connecticut since the beginning of the pandemic, was paid nearly $3 million after it dropped out of its contract last December, about half-way through its term — even though the state could have stopped payments. The state’s one-year contract with Sema4 for COVID testing, signed in July 2021, explicitly allowed the state to withhold payments if the contract was breached. (Altimari, 5/11)

AP: Biden Marks 1M US COVID Deaths, To Co-Host 2nd Global Summit
President Joe Biden will appeal for a renewed international commitment to attacking COVID-19 as he convenes the second global COVID-19 summit at a time when faltering resolve at home jeopardizes that global response. Eight months after he used the first such summit to announce an ambitious pledge to donate 1.2 billion vaccine doses to the world, the urgency of the U.S. and other nations to respond has waned. (Miller and Cheng, 5/12)

Bloomberg: Untapped Global Vaccine Stash Raises Risks Of New Covid Variants
Shots that were once rare are now piling up and even expiring, a problem on the agenda of a second global Covid-19 summit the US is co-hosting on Thursday. President Joe Biden kicked off the first summit eight months ago by announcing the US would donate another 500 million doses to the international vaccination campaign, nearly doubling its total pledge. But now, vaccine makers are idling production or face shutdowns as demand for shots wanes, even with the world still far from a target of inoculating 70% of humanity. Republicans in Congress have so far blocked additional funding for the US and international vaccination campaigns. (Wingrove, Paton and Sguazzin, 5/11)

Health care groups say 'pandemic' designation should continue —

Modern Healthcare: AHA, AMA Ask HHS For COVID-19 Emergency Extension
Leading healthcare organizations want the federal government to maintain its pandemic posture for at least a few more months, they wrote in a letter delivered to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Tuesday. The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and fourteen other healthcare organizations urge Becerra to extend the department's COVID-19 public health emergency until the global outbreak has subsided. The public health emergency designation allowed federal agencies to relax numerous policies for healthcare providers and state governments, including permitting continuous Medicaid enrollment and additional Medicare reimbursement for treating COVID-19 patients in hospitals. (Goldman, 5/11)

And federal covid aid appears stuck —

Axios: Biden Administration And GOP Clash Over Vaccine Strategy
Congressional Republicans' concerns about wasting COVID vaccines are colliding with the Biden administration's commitment to making the shots as widely accessible as possible, adding another wrinkle to the stalled COVID funding negotiations. Some Republicans are growing skeptical of the currently available vaccines' ability to contain the Omicron variant, and don't want to allocate money for more doses without a firmer plan in place for the fall. (Owens, 5/12)

Roll Call: Democrats Mull COVID-19 Aid Options As House Preps New Bill 
Third time’s a charm. Or so Democrats hope as they attempt to negotiate a third COVID-19 funding deal after their previous two bipartisan agreements — one for $15.6 billion in domestic and international aid, and a second for $10 billion in only domestic funds — stalled out. The House is taking the lead on the latest iteration. But it’s not yet clear whether they’ll hold out for a bipartisan, bicameral agreement or attempt to move a Democrat-led version that would provide more funding, closer to President Joe Biden’s original $22.5 billion request. (McPherson, 5/11)

The Washington Post: GOP Opposition Leaves Covid Aid In Peril As White House Warns Of Surge
A bipartisan push in Congress to adopt another round of coronavirus aid is in fresh political peril, as Republicans continue to block Democrats from swiftly approving as much as the Biden administration believes is necessary to prepare for an expected new surge. Five days after federal health officials warned a new wave could infect 100 million people, lawmakers still find themselves struggling to overcome familiar partisan divides. There appears to be no immediate pathway in the Senate for a long-stalled agreement to spend $10 billion to boost the availability of tests, therapeutics and vaccines nationwide. (Romm, 5/11)

ABC News: Breakthrough Deaths Comprise Increasing Proportion Of Those Who Died From COVID-19
A growing proportion of COVID-19 deaths are occurring among the vaccinated, a new ABC News analysis of federal data shows. In August of 2021, about 18.9% of COVID-19 deaths occurred among the vaccinated. Six months later, in February 2022, that proportional percent of deaths had increased to more than 40%. ... "These data should not be interpreted as vaccines not working. In fact, these real-world analyses continue to reaffirm the incredible protection these vaccines afford especially when up to date with boosters," said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor.(Mitropoulos, 5/10)

CIDRAP: Mix-And-Match MRNA COVID Vaccines May Offer More Omicron Protection
Researchers in Singapore discovered that a Moderna COVID booster following a two-dose Pfizer vaccine series induced a stronger neutralizing antibody response against the Omicron variant in adults compared with an all-Pfizer series, according to a study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (5/11)

The New York Times: Moderna Vaccine Provokes Strong Immune Response In Children 6 To 11
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine elicits a strong immune response in children aged 6 to 11, researchers reported on Wednesday — another signpost in what has become a long and tortuous road to protecting young children against the virus, even as cases again inch upward. On Monday, Moderna requested authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for the vaccine’s use in this age group. But authorization, if granted, is unlikely to bump up the low immunization rates among young children by much. (Mandavilli, 5/11)

KHN: Why Won’t More Older Americans Get Their Covid Booster?
Even as top U.S. health officials say it’s time America learns to live with the coronavirus, a chorus of leading researchers say faulty messaging on booster shots has left millions of older people at serious risk. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers have dismayed researchers, who note this age group continues to be at the highest risk for serious illness and death from covid-19. (Szabo, 5/12)

In other news from Moderna —

Bloomberg: Moderna CFO Lasts One Day On Job After Probe At Former Company
Moderna Inc.’s chief financial officer stepped down just one day after starting his new job, becoming the latest high-ranking executive to leave the Covid-19 vaccine maker as it faces questions about its long-term growth. Jorge Gomez departed after his former employer, the dental-supply company Dentsply Sirona Inc., said Tuesday it was investigating the use of incentives to sell products to distributors, as well as other actions to achieve executive-compensation targets. Gomez, 54, had been Dentsply Sirona’s CFO for almost three years. (Langreth, 5/11)

On Paxlovid —

KHN: Is Paxlovid, The Covid Pill, Reaching Those Who Most Need It? The Government Won’t Say 
As the nation largely abandons mask mandates, physical distancing, and other covid-19 prevention strategies, elected officials and health departments alike are now championing antiviral pills. But the federal government isn’t saying how many people have received these potentially lifesaving drugs or whether they’re being distributed equitably. Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill, along with Merck’s molnupiravir, are aimed at preventing vulnerable patients with mild or moderate covid from becoming sicker or dying. More than 300 Americans still die from covid every day. (Recht, 5/12)

The Atlantic: Could Paxlovid Treat Long COVID?
Even in the rosiest scenario, Paxlovid won’t be a panacea. But if it has a chance of doing something, even for just a fraction of long-haulers, “we have to at least try,” says Jeanne Marrazzo, the director of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, “because we have nothing else.” Millions of people in the United States alone are estimated to have developed long COVID’s harrowing symptoms since the pandemic’s start; their numbers grow with each additional wave. “This is an intervention that should [have been] under clinical trial yesterday,” says David Putrino, a neuroscientist and rehabilitation specialist at Mount Sinai. And yet there are, to date, no well-designed studies investigating Paxlovid’s potential as a long-COVID drug, and none publicly poised to begin. (Wu, 5/10)

The Charlotte Observer: Atrium Health Plans To Combine With Advocate Aurora Health
Setting its sights on national growth, Charlotte-based health care giant Atrium Health announced major plans on Wednesday to double its size through a deal with a Midwestern hospital system. This is Atrium Health’s largest business deal to date — a strategic combination with Illinois and Wisconsin-based hospital system Advocate Aurora Health. The move will result in the fifth largest health system in the country, Atrium CEO Gene Woods told The Charlotte Observer in an interview Tuesday ahead of the announcement. (Smoot, 5/11)

Chicago Tribune: Advocate Aurora Plans To Combine With Southern Health System To Create Hospital System Giant 
The new nonprofit organization would have 67 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care across Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Advocate Aurora now has 27 hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin, after years of trying to grow through mergers and attempted mergers. ... Advocate Aurora and Atrium plan to form a joint operating company to be called Advocate Health, though Atrium’s hospitals would keep the Atrium name, Advocate’s Wisconsin hospitals would keep the Aurora name, and its Illinois hospitals would still be called Advocate. As part of the union, no money would change hands, and existing assets would remain in the states where they are now. (Schencker, 5/11)

On hospital staffing —

Bloomberg: Hospital Labor Costs More Than A Third Higher Since Pandemic
Hospital labor costs have soared by more than a third during the pandemic, a new report shows, the latest evidence of the pressures it has exacted on health-care providers. Labor costs rose 37 percent per patient between 2019 and March 2022, according to health-care consultancy firm Kaufman Hall, which called the first quarter of this year “a perfect storm of expense, volume, and revenue pressures.” The costs are weighing on even some of the largest chains, with HCA Healthcare and Universal Health Services recently warning that higher wages will continue to eat into profits. But while the biggest chains are still profitable, Kaufman Hall previously forecast that more than one third of US hospitals would lose money last year. (Coleman-Lochner, 5/11)

North Carolina Health News: Cooper's Budget Would Address Health Care Worker Shortages 
In the proposed state spending plan that Gov. Roy Cooper released on Wednesday, he not only makes another push for Medicaid expansion but also recommends making a $45 million investment into North Carolina’s health care workforce. Cooper put forward a $29.3 billion budget, nearly $2.3 billion more than initially planned for in the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Fiscal Research Division of the North Carolina General Assembly revised its Revenue Consensus Forecast upward earlier this week to show that collections over the past year totaled $4.2 billion more than predicted. (Blythe, 5/12)

Axios: Staffing Shortages Slam Hospitals
More than four in 10 hospitals have seen staffing shortages limit their ability to discharge patients because of a lack of post-acute care, according to a survey provided exclusively to Axios by CarePort Health, a care coordination software company. Health care staffing shortages in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt across the industry and are noticed by patients. Among the hardest hit are the facilities that fall on the spectrum of post-acute care. (Reed, 5/11)

In other health industry news —

Stat: Seven Health Insurance CEOs Raked In A Record $283 Million Last Year
The CEOs of America’s seven largest publicly traded health insurance and services companies cumulatively earned more than $283 million in 2021 — by far the most of any year in the past decade. Soaring stock prices overwhelmingly fueled executives’ fortunes, according to a STAT analysis of annual proxy disclosures from UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, Centene, and Molina Healthcare dating back to 2012. (Herman, 5/12)

WUSF Public Media: Tampa Partners With TGH On A Wellness Initiative To Promote Healthy Habits 
Tampa is partnering with Tampa General Hospital on a multi-year preventative wellness initiative aimed at improving the overall health of residents. According to a press release, the Tampa General Hospital Foundation is contributing $1 million to help launch TampaWell in its first year. "More than ever before, we have a great opportunity to create a unique and holistic wellness ecosystem that not only improves the health of our residents and the health of our economy, but also differentiates Tampa as the most attractive wellness destination nationwide," TGH president and CEO John Couris said in the release. "TampaWell will be the first of its kind in the nation — a wellness revolution and community movement that will improve the community's health and resilience." (Lisciandrello, 5/11)

AP: Hospital Gives LSU-Eunice $698K To Expand 2 Programs 
A hospital in Louisiana’s largest system is giving Louisiana State University at Eunice $698,000 to expand allied health programs. Ochsner Lafayette General says it wants to boost the nursing and surgical technology programs at the college, news agencies report. (5/11)

AP: Idaho Hospital Sues Ammon Bundy And Associate For Defamation 
An Idaho hospital that went on lockdown in March after far-right activists protested outside is suing Ammon Bundy, Diego Rodriguez and their various political organizations for defamation and “sustained online attacks.” St. Luke’s Health System filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Bundy, his gubernatorial campaign, and his People’s Rights Network organization. The hospital system is also suing Diego Rodriguez — the grandfather of the child involved in the protection case — as well as Rodriguez’s website Freedom Man Press and the Freedom Man political action committee. Rodriguez is an associate of Bundy’s who has been active in Bundy’s political campaign. (Boone, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Abbott Could Restart Baby Formula Production Within Two Weeks 
Abbott Laboratories said it could resume infant formula production within two weeks at a Michigan manufacturing plant that has been shut since February because of bacterial contamination concerns, exacerbating a nationwide formula shortage. The Illinois-based company said Wednesday it would resume production pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which has been conducting an investigation into whether bacterial contamination at the plant caused the illnesses of four babies, two of whom died, after being fed Abbott-brand formula. The babies were infected by a bacteria called cronobacter sakazakii, which is known to survive in dry foods such as infant formula powder. (Walker, 5/11)

NBC News: Baby Formula Shortage Has Anxious Parents Stalking Shelves Nationwide
In Evans, Georgia, William Zachary and his wife have spent hours driving around in search of formula for their 6-month-old twins, which they use to supplement breast milk. This week, Zachary planned the most efficient route he could think of for a search during his lunch break, which involved stopping at Walmart, Kroger, Publix and other stores. He came back empty-handed. Since shortages started ramping up after Abbott Nutrition’s voluntary recall in February, Zachary’s twins have had six different types of formula — whatever the family can get their hands on. Some seem more suited to the twins than others. “Our oldest son is lactose-intolerant. We think one of the twins is, too — when he doesn’t have sensitive versions, he ends up being fussier,” Zachary said. “It ends up being a bit of an issue, but I’d rather them be fed.” (Chuck, 5/12)

Houston Chronicle: Is Homemade Baby Formula Safe? Pediatricians, Nutritionists Weigh In
Some desperate parents have been turning to the internet for homemade baby formula recipes amid a nationwide shortage. But pediatricians and nutritionists have a word of advice for anyone who is considering making formula at home: Don’t. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has strict regulations to ensure baby formula meets nutritional and safety requirements, and advises against making it at home. That’s because it’s “extremely difficult” for parents and guardians to mimic the nutrition levels, said Dr. Amy Hair, the program director of neonatal nutrition at Texas Children’s Hospital. (MacDonald, 5/11)

In other pharmaceutical news —

AP: Arkansas Sues Drug Companies Over High Insulin Prices 
Arkansas on Wednesday sued several drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers over the cost of insulin for diabetes, accusing the companies of conspiring to inflate the price of the medication. The lawsuit filed in state court accuses manufacturers Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Eli Lilly of conspiring with pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts, Caremark and Optum and violating Arkansas’ deceptive trade practices law with the high insulin prices. (DeMillo, 5/11)

Axios: Fast-Track Drug Approval Process Marked For Limited Changes
A week after the maker of a controversial Alzheimer's drug announced it would largely stop marketing it, Congress is readying legislation that tinkers with the pathway used by the FDA to approve the drug, but avoids making large-scale changes. Aduhelm's approval created heightened scrutiny around whether the FDA's "accelerated approval" process is being used appropriately. But as the drug fades largely into the background, so are the calls for stringent reforms. (Bettelheim, 5/11)

Stat: Roche Anti-TIGIT Cancer Immunotherapy Fails Second Clinical Trial 
Roche said Wednesday that its experimental cancer immunotherapy directed against a target called TIGIT suffered its second consecutive setback, failing this time to slow tumor growth in a large study involving the most common type of lung cancer. The study’s disappointing outcome is a significant blow to the Swiss pharma giant’s effort to develop the antibody treatment called tiragolumab — the most important cancer drug in its research pipeline, and a linchpin in its strategy to greatly expand the pool of patients who might benefit from treatments that work by activating the immune system to find and kill tumors. (Feuerstein, 5/11)

The New York Times: California Can’t Keep Semiautomatic Guns From Young Adults, Court Rules 
An appeals court panel ruled on Wednesday that California’s ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons to adults under the age of 21 violated the right to bear arms found in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Judge Ryan Nelson, writing for a two-to-one majority in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, struck down a ruling by a federal judge in San Diego that upheld what Judge Nelson called an “almost total ban on semiautomatic” rifles for young adults. (Thrush, 5/11)

Los Angeles Times: California's Under-21 Sales Ban On Semiautomatic Rifles Overturned 
Some gun control advocates have blamed the shift on Trump appointees taking seats in courts across the country and in California in recent years, a sentiment some shared Wednesday as well. “Trump judges continue to shred the Constitution,” state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) wrote on Twitter of the 9th Circuit decision. “The latest: 18 year olds have a ‘constitutional right’ to own mass killing machines.” (Rector, 5/11)

EdSource: Students From Across California Share Experiences With Campus Gun Violence 
Since the Columbine school shooting in 1999, more than 292,000 students have faced gun violence in their schools. As of April 2022, there have been 23 school shootings in the U.S. this year, according to Education Week’s school shooting tracker. With the recent introduction of California bills such as SB 906, requiring parents to disclose their possession of firearms at home, debates about whether states and schools are doing enough to keep their students and staff safe have only intensified. As California leads the nation in the number of mass shootings in the past 40 years, students, teachers and parents are seeking ways to ensure safety in schools. We asked students who have survived a school shooting or shooting threats about how those experiences have impacted them. (Torres, Tagami, Berny, Gutierrez, Verano, Blanco-Rico and Adams, 5/10)

In related news on gun violence —

NBC4 Washington: New Plan Lays Out Recommendations For Reducing Gun Violence In DC
In the face of a countrywide increase in violent crime, the nation’s capital is getting a new road map to reduce gun violence within its borders. Researchers say the District already has the resources to decrease the violence, but now its office of gun violence prevention has a detailed plan to use them in the most effective way. Written by the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, the Washington, D.C. Gun Violence Reduction Plan lays out over a dozen recommendations based on prevention, intervention and community transformation. (Morris, 5/11)

NBC News: Many Cities Are Putting Hopes In Violence Interrupters, But Few Understand Their Challenges
As calls for alternatives to policing intensify, several cities have set their sights on violence interruption to solve the problems of gun violence and over-policing in communities of color — but many say they need more social and professional support to succeed in the job long term. ... Over the last two years, lawmakers in Indianapolis; Savannah, Georgia; and Knoxville, Tennessee, have either started or expanded violence interruption programs — which aim to reduce gun violence through community-based mediation — and even the Justice Department said last year it would give $444 million in grants to support a wide variety of violence reduction efforts, including community-based violence intervention and prevention strategies. (Ali, 5/10)

In other news about suicide and mental health —

AP: North Carolina Sees Increase In Child Homicides, Suicides 
The number of North Carolina children who died by either homicide or suicide has more than doubled over the past decade, and a report released this week shows homicide was the leading cause of death among children from age 1 to 17 in 2020. The state Child Fatality Task Force’s report said that in 2020, 92 children died as a result of homicide, making it the leading cause of death for that age group. It was the second-leading cause of death among children aged 1 to 4, news outlets reported. (5/11)

The Boston Globe: Advocates Renew Call For Suicide Prevention Barriers On R.I. Bridges After Latest Incident
A co-founder of Bridging the Gap for Healing and Safety, Bryan Ganley, said three people have jumped from the Newport Pell Bridge in the past three months. “Those three suicides show us there is a deficit in our ability to keep our people safe in this state,” he said. “There is something seriously wrong.” Ganley – a 40-year volunteer for The Samaritans of Rhode Island who has been advocating for suicide-prevention barriers on local bridges since a friend took his own life in the 1980s – called for state officials or the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to put up temporary barriers while they pursue a more permanent solution. (Fitzpatrick, 5/11)

Stat: Mental Health App Makers Brace For FDA To Tighten The Reins
In April 2020, as the horrors of the pandemic were beginning to unspool, the Food and Drug Administration announced an emergency policy giving companies wide berth to release apps to address a mental health crisis that experts feared would only get worse under lockdown. The policy was intended to aid people in need while relieving pressure on the health care system and FDA. But it was also a boon to emerging companies developing novel, software-based treatments — sometimes called digital therapeutics — for depression, ADHD, substance use, and other conditions. In the years since, they’ve been able to test drive their products in the real world without seeking FDA marketing authorization, which can require years of expensive clinical trials. Now, companies that took advantage of the freedom to advance their product pipelines are watching anxiously as FDA prepares to roll back the allowances. (Aguilar, 5/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Selling Spring Grove Hospital Campus In Catonsville To UMBC For $1; Facility To Shutter In Coming Years 
The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved the sale of the Spring Grove Hospital Center’s 175-acre campus in Catonsville to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for a nominal $1, despite concerns from mental health groups that the state lacks detailed plans to replace services provided by the centuries-old psychiatric facility. The university’s retiring president, Freeman A. Hrabowski III, told state officials that acquiring the sprawling property neighboring UMBC’s campus has been an ambition of his for three decades. Hrabowski said the university has no plans yet for the property, which it will lease back to the state for years to come. (Stole, 5/11)

The New York Times: Common Medications Can Prolong Back Pain When Overused, Study Says 
The very treatments often used to soothe pain in the lower back, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is the most common type of pain, might cause it to last longer, according to a new study. Persistent use of pain-relieving steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, can actually turn a wrenched back into a chronic condition, the study found. (Kolata, 5/11)

In other news about inflammation and pain —

Stat: In Radical Claim, Study Suggests Inflammation Wards Off Chronic Pain
For two decades, Luda Diatchenko investigated the underlying biology of pain like a detective chasing clue after clue: What role does this gene play? How about that protein? She always wondered, though, what she would find if she could look at how every gene inside a cell behaves as pain evolves in the body. It’d be like Sherlock Holmes trading his magnifying glass for video of the crime as it was being committed. But when such technology finally became cheaply available in 2018 — thanks to advances in RNA sequencing — the footage shocked her. (Mast, 5/11)

In other public health news —

CNBC: Doctors Say Pandemic Side Effects Are Becoming Serious Health Problems
In September 2021, I collapsed from exhaustion. My vision went blurry. Then, my eyelids grew so heavy that I could barely keep them up for milliseconds at a time. Panicked, I stumbled approximately 50 yards toward a nearby friend, and slumped over her shoulders. She guided me to a shady spot under a tree, where I floated in and out of consciousness for about two hours. As far as I knew, I was a healthy guy in my late 20s with no known risks of major health issues. I chalked it up as a one-off. But over the next few months, at unpredictable moments on random days, I’d hit a wall — going from perfectly fine to lying in the fetal position with a crushing headache, in the snap of a finger. (Albert-Deitch, 5/11)

The New York Times: Why Heart Disease In Women Is So Often Missed Or Dismissed 
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in America, killing nearly 700,000 people a year. But studies have long shown that women are more likely than men to dismiss the warning signs of a heart attack, sometimes waiting hours or longer to call 911 or go to a hospital. Now researchers are trying to figure out why. They have found that women often hesitate to get help because they tend to have more subtle heart attack symptoms than men — but even when they do go to the hospital, health care providers are more likely to downplay their symptoms or delay treating them. Health authorities say that heart disease in women remains widely underdiagnosed and under treated, and that these factors contribute to worse outcomes among women and heightened rates of death from the disease. (O'Connor, 5/9)

Fox News: 'Fountain Of Youth' To Prevent Some Effects Of Aging May Have Surprising Source: Study
We have long searched for ways to slow or prevent the inevitable effects of aging. But a new study suggests we might have to close our eyes and pinch our nose to drink the fountain of youth. Fecal transplants, where one stool is implanted into another, from young to old mice, reversed some of the effects of aging in the retina and brain, according to a recent paper published in Microbiome. "This ground-breaking study provides tantalizing evidence for the direct involvement of gut microbes in ageing and the functional decline of brain function and vision and offers a potential solution in the form of gut microbe replacement therapy," said Simon Carding, head of the Gut Microbes and Health Research Programme at the Quadram Institute in the United Kingdom. (Sudhakar, 5/11)

Chicago Tribune: Millennials Wanted: Northwestern-Led Study On Lung Health Aims To Enroll 4,000 Young Adults 
Northwestern University and the American Lung Association are leading a first-of-its-kind study that aims to enlist 4,000 millennials across the country to better understand why some people develop lung problems. Northwestern and the American Lung Association are working with other institutions nationwide on the study, which will observe the lung health of millennials — in this case, people ages 25 to 35 — over the course of years. Other studies have looked at cardiovascular health over time, and at the health of baby boomers, but this study will focus on lung health among U.S. millennials, said principal study investigator Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. (Schencker, 5/11)

Press Association: Is Coffee Bad For Health? Scientists Link Espresso To Cholesterol
Men who drink espressos could have higher cholesterol levels than women, a new study suggests. Previous studies have linked naturally occurring chemicals in coffee with higher levels of cholesterol in the blood, an issue which is linked to heart problems including stroke. To examine the link between brewing method and cholesterol, a team of academics from Norway set out to look at the way people drink their coffee and also assess the levels of cholesterol in their blood. (Pickover, 5/10)

Stat: Transfusion Of Brain Fluid From Young Mice Improves Memory In Old Mice
For a human, one of the first signs someone is getting old is the inability to remember little things; maybe they misplace their keys, or get lost on an oft-taken route. For a laboratory mouse, it’s forgetting that when bright lights and a high-pitched buzz flood your cage, an electric zap to the foot quickly follows. But researchers at Stanford University discovered that if you transfuse cerebrospinal fluid from a young mouse into an old one, it will recover its former powers of recall and freeze in anticipation. They also identified a protein in that cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, that penetrates into the hippocampus, where it drives improvements in memory. (Molteni, 5/11)

KHN: Census Undercount Threatens Federal Food And Health Programs On Reservations 
The 2020 census missed nearly 1 of every 17 Native Americans who live on reservations, an undercount that could very well lead to insufficient federal funding for essential health, nutrition, and social programs in remote communities with high poverty rates and scarce access to services. The census counted 9.7 million people who identified as a Native American or an Alaska Native in 2020 — alone or in combination with another race or ethnicity — compared with 5.2 million in 2010. But the Indigenous population on the nation’s approximately 325 reservations was undercounted by nearly 6%, according to a demographic analysis of the census’s accuracy. Indigenous people on reservations have a history of being undercounted — nearly 5% were missed in 2010, according to the analysis. (Graf, 5/12)

And Barbie gets hearing aids —

NBC News: Barbie Unveils Its First Doll With Hearing Aids
Barbie is releasing a new collection of dolls to be more inclusive of all children — starting with its first doll that wears hearing aids. ... The company announced the addition of new dolls to the Fashionista collection. The line includes the first Barbie with behind-the-ear hearing aids, a Ken doll with vitiligo and a doll with a prosthetic leg. (Sung, 5/11)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Florida Residents May Become Uninsured In 2023 Without Premium Tax Credits 
President Joe Biden signed a relief package — the American Rescue Plan Act — into law last year that made Obamacare premium tax credits (PTCs) bigger and made more people qualify for those based on their income. When you enroll in an Obamacare marketplace plan, you can have the credit paid to your insurance company to make that monthly plan cheaper. Or, you can get a credit back when you file your tax return for the year. Research from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation suggests that if Congress lets these credits expire, states with the largest losses would include Florida, Georgia, and Texas — states that did not expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act and that had large growth in enrollment for health plans on the Obamacare marketplace for 2022 with the enhanced PTCs. (Zaragovia, 5/11)

In more health news from the eastern U.S. —

AP: New Georgia Law Requires Recess, But Has Several Exceptions
A new Georgia law requires daily recess for most elementary students, but doesn’t say how long recess should last and includes some exceptions. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the law, which covers students through fifth grade, on Monday, news outlets reported. “It is time for our students to get moving and learn how to play with each other again,” state Rep. Demetrius Douglas, the Stockbridge Democrat and former Georgia football player who sponsored the bill, told WSB-TV. (5/11)

North Carolina Health News: NC Advocates Reduce HIV Transmission And Stigma
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, North Carolinians sheltered in place, masked up and maintained distance, all in an effort to stop the spread of the infectious disease. Along the way, many people may have forgotten about getting tested for other infectious diseases, such as HIV. But that disease hasn’t gone away. One recent study found that, especially during the onset of the pandemic, HIV testing decreased by as much as 97 percent in multiple locations across the U.S. And testing numbers stayed down by as much as half, even after lockdowns were lifted, as positivity rates increased. (Thompson, 5/12)

North Carolina Health News: Filling NC's Maternal Health Care Desert 
Eight women — three OB-GYNs, three nurse midwives, one gynecologist and one nurse practitioner — comprise the maternity unit at Mission Hospital McDowell. In the 18-county region that makes up western North Carolina, the McDowell County facility is one of just eight hospitals where someone can deliver a baby. To fill the gaps in obstetric and gynecological care in this mountainous region, the McDowell providers travel from the hospital in Marion more than thirty minutes across winding mountain roads up to Spruce Pine to offer regular prenatal clinics. They also spend time working out of the McDowell County Health Department — anywhere they can reasonably get to. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 5/11)

The Washington Post: 911 D.C. Call Taker Put On Leave After Entering Wrong Address For Call 
A D.C. 911 operator has been put on leave after sending help to the wrong address on Monday, delaying an emergency response to a call in which a woman was found dead, according to District officials. The D.C. fire department and Office of Unified Communications, which runs the District’s 911 center, are investigating. (Hermann, 5/11)

The Baltimore Sun: There Is A Rapidly Expanding, Virtually Unregulated Competitor To Medical Cannabis In Maryland. It’s Called Delta-8
You no longer need a medical card to legally get high on cannabis in Maryland. The state spent years setting up a medical cannabis industry that is tightly regulated at every step from seed to sale. Dispensaries, processors and cultivators spent millions of dollars creating an entirely new industry under the impression that everyone would compete under the same rules. Now, anyone can walk into one of hundreds of CBD stores, head shops and gas stations across the state and legally buy a cannabis-derived product that has a psychoactive effect similar to a gummy from a dispensary. It’s called Delta-8. (Bologna, 5/12)

Stat: Dr. Oz Spouts Misinformation, But His Rise May Have Silver Lining For Science
In his run for the U.S. Senate, Dr. Oz repeatedly reminds audiences that, yes, he is a “Doctor.” He refers to himself as a “world-class” surgeon, pausing during campaign stops to measure voters’ blood pressure and pose for pictures with former patients. He’s spent the past year warning voters that “America’s heartbeat is in a code red.” His Trump-like slogan even has a health care twist: “Heal America.” Even as Mehmet Oz brazenly promotes his medical bona fides, the surgeon-turned-TV star has spent much of his career embracing untruths, including touting astrology as a legitimate medical tool and the myth that apple juice contains unsafe levels of arsenic. Still, though, Oz’s strategy of touting his medical career — coupled with a surprise endorsement from President Trump — seems to be working: If the latest polls hold up, he’s poised to eke out a win in Pennsylvania’s Republican primary on May 17. (Facher, 5/12)

AP: Fired Connecticut Health Commissioner Alleges Discrimination 
A former Connecticut health commissioner who was fired in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic has filed a lawsuit against the state, accusing the governor of discriminating against her, a Black woman, by elevating several white people to lead the crisis response. Renee Coleman-Mitchell, who was ousted on May 12, 2020, says in her a federal court filing that she was never provided severance pay or consideration for another position as promised by Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat. She said she has been unable to find another job because of the damage done to her reputation. (5/11)

AP: New Report Addresses Barriers Faced By Massachusetts Latinos 
While the diverse Latino population in Massachusetts continues to struggle through the pre-pandemic issues of reduced educational and economic opportunity, and health care disparities, there is reason for optimism, according to a new report released Wednesday. Even though Massachusetts is among the nation’s wealthiest states, Latino communities have struggled economically relative to Latinos nationwide, according to an introduction to the report by Boston Indicators, the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston, and the Latino Equity Fund. (5/11)

In news from the Midwest and western U.S. —

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Investigating About 10 Cases Of Mysterious Hepatitis In Children 
Missouri health officials say they are investigating about 10 cases of a mysterious form of hepatitis that has sickened hundreds of healthy, young children across the U.S., the United Kingdom and several other countries. Officials with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services are working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the investigation and will not yet say where the cases were reported in Missouri or how severe they were, said Lisa Cox, DHSS spokeswoman. “We are in the process of collecting information, so what we do have is very limited, preliminary and likely to change,” Cox said. (Munz, 5/11)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Patient Visitation Rights Bill Inches Forward Ahead Of Friday Deadline 
Letting people die alone is “just unacceptable,” Sen. Bill White argued Tuesday as the Missouri Senate moved his bill establishing patient visitation rights closer to the finish line. “I can’t think of a better word — it was unacceptable to the human condition what occurred to people in those hospital facilities,” said White, a Republican from Joplin, of visitation restrictions imposed by hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many GOP lawmakers have prioritized enshrining patients’ right to have visitors in the wake of the pandemic, speaking frequently about people who died alone while hospitals were not accepting or limiting visitation in efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. (Zokovitch, 5/10)

Colorado Sun: How Colorado’s Changing Climate Is Putting Children’s Health At Risk
This March, Colorado State Sen. Faith Winter stood at a podium in the State Capitol and spoke to a gathered crowd about reducing the state’s air pollution. After introductions, Winter, Gov. Jared Polis and others unveiled a package of environmental bills that aim to increase access to public transit, build more energy efficient buildings, and construct safe walkways and e-bike trails in the Denver area. “We know that ozone can cause cancer and heart disease and lung disease,” the Westminster Democrat said, noting that in 2021, the Front Range experienced one of its worst summers with regard to air pollution. “My daughter had cross-country practices canceled because her developing lungs couldn’t be out in our air.” (Santoro, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: LAUSD Passes Controversial Deaf Education Plan Despite Opposition
The vote capped weeks of controversy and close to three hours of public debate over Resolution 029-21/22, which will create a new deaf and hard-of-hearing education department within the district’s special education program. The vote also will pull American Sign Language into the district’s dual-language and bilingual program. But by far the most controversial change will be to make ASL-English bilingual education the districtwide standard for early intervention with deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Supporters say the move addresses the district’s urgent need for language equity. Opponents decry it as a violation of their parental rights.(Sharp, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Medical Scans Are Latest Casualty Of China Supply Chain Breakdowns 
Doctors in the United States are prioritizing only the most critical patients and hospitals are rationing supplies of a crucial drug after a covid lockdown in China temporarily closed a GE Healthcare factory that is a vital source for a key ingredient in medical imaging. The shutdown of the facility in Shanghai in April halted production of contrast media, an iodine solution that medical staff inject into blood vessels to allow a device such as a CT scanner or fluoroscope to see inside the body. Contrast media, also known as dye, is used virtually every hour in hospitals across the country to help measure arterial blockages around the heart, guide placement of stents in catheter labs, diagnose and treat strokes, and more. Oncologists use contrast to monitor cancerous tumors. (Rowland, 5/11)

In other news from China —

Bloomberg: China's First Covid-19 Patients Still Suffering After Two Years
Two years after being hospitalized with Covid-19, more than half of patients still experience symptoms like fatigue and sleep disruption, according to a study in the original epicenter of Wuhan that underscores the pandemic’s lasting burden. Full recovery has remained elusive for people who suffered through the virus’s first wave, meaning patients had poorer health than the general population and required more attention from health-care services, according to a study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. (Fourcade, 5/11)

And more global covid news —

Bloomberg: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Orders Covid Lockdown On First Confirmed Case
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered all cities to be put under lockdown after the state for the first time Thursday said it has Covid-19 in its borders. “A serious situation has been created due to the introduction of a stealth omicron mutant virus into our precincts,” its official Korean Central News Agency said. At a party meeting attended by Kim, authorities elevated the country’s national quarantine measures to “maximum emergency,” it added. (Lee and Cha, 5/12)

AP: EU Lifts Mask Recommendation For Air Travel As Pandemic Ebbs 
The European Union will no longer recommend medical masks be worn at airports and on planes starting next week amid the easing of coronavirus restrictions across the bloc, though member states can still require them, officials said Wednesday. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it hoped the joint decision, made with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, would mark “a big step forward in the normalization of air travel” for passengers and crews. (Jordans, 5/11)

In abortion news from Canada —

Politico: Trudeau Government Funds Abortion Services Amid Fallout From Roe V. Wade Disclosure 
The Canadian government has announced funding to improve access to abortions as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces questions about his direction on abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court disclosure on Roe v. Wade. Trudeau is under pressure to make good on his promises to expand access to abortion services since POLITICO reported last week on a draft of a majority opinion that would overturn the landmark decision. (Forrest, 5/11)

CIDRAP: Pseudomonas Outbreak In Norway Linked To Disposable Washcloths
Norwegian researchers described a nationwide Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak in Norway linked to disposable washcloths. The outbreak began in November 2021, when the Norwegian Institute of Public Health was notified by the University Hospital of North-Norway of three patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who had died from bloodstream infections caused by indistinguishable P aeruginosa strains, only a few days apart. (5/6)

ScienceDaily: Some Shunts Used After Epilepsy Surgery May Risk Brain Shifting And Chronic Headaches 
Surgeons who observe persistent fluid buildup after disconnecting epileptic and healthy brain areas should think twice before installing low-pressure nonprogrammable drainage shunts, according to a study co-authored by Rutgers pediatric and epilepsy neurosurgeon Yasunori Nagahama that found chronic headaches could result from these procedures. (Rutgers University, 5/11)

CIDRAP: Study Suggests Link Between Diet And Antibiotic Resistance In Gut Bacteria
A study published yesterday in mBio suggests a diverse, high-fiber diet is associated with fewer antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in gut bacteria. In the study, researchers from the US Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyze stool samples from 290 healthy adults participating in the USDA Nutritional Phenotyping Study. The analysis revealed a large diversity, both in abundance and composition, of ARGs, with people having a high ARG abundance generally having a higher diversity of resistance mechanisms. (5/11)

In covid research —

CIDRAP: Recent Cancer, Active Treatment Tied To Higher Risk Of Worse COVID-19
Patients diagnosed as having cancer within 1 year after testing positive for COVID-19 and those undergoing treatment are at a 10% higher risk for infection-related hospitalization and 17% higher risk of death than other patients, suggests a study published yesterday in PLOS One. (5/5)

CIDRAP: Crowded Homes, Low Income Tied To Higher Risk Of COVID-19 In Pregnancy
Pregnant women living in low-income neighborhoods and homes that are crowded were more likely to contract COVID-19 during the pre-vaccination period of the pandemic, according to a study yesterday in Obstetrics & Gynecology. (5/6)

CIDRAP: Over 40% Of COVID Patient Stool Samples Had Viral RNA But No Live Virus
Over 40% of 79 stool samples from COVID-19 patients admitted to one of four hospitals in Spain contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA but no live virus, suggesting a negligible ability to replicate in this medium and a very low likelihood of fecal-oral viral transmission, finds a study published yesterday in Scientific Reports. (5/6)

The New York Times: Pregnant? Need Help? They Have An Agenda
With the Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade this year, the American anti-abortion movement is preparing for a near future in which abortion is more restricted, in more parts of the country, than at any time in the past 50 years. Anti-abortion activists have spent decades fighting Roe while waiting for this moment, in part by establishing a national network of about 2,600 so-called crisis pregnancy centers, through which they try to deter women from getting abortions, often with deceptive practices — and, in some cases, using taxpayer dollars. (Carly Thomsen, Carrie N. Baker and Zach Levitt, 5/12)

The New York Times: If Roe Goes, Will The Right To Birth Control Be Next?
In the wake of last week’s leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, President Biden — never a strong champion of the ruling, and an outright opponent of it earlier in his career — has set about defending the constitutional right to abortion largely by talking around it. “Every other decision relating to the notion of privacy is thrown into question,” he said last week, suggesting that the logic of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft could threaten a broader range of rights, including the right to birth control. (Spencer Bokat-Lindell, 5/11)

The Boston Globe: What To Expect When You’re Expecting? A Host Of Disinformation
Making new humans is a dangerous and mysterious endeavor — not that you would know it from reading the Supreme Court’s recently leaked draft opinion that would allow US states to force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. For 40 weeks, a human body builds another human body inside itself. Doctors understand surprisingly little about this science-fiction-sounding process. What is a placenta, really? Can preeclampsia, a common cause of maternal death, be prevented? We do not know. (Emily Dreyfuss and Catesby Holmes, 5/12)

Also —

Stat: Covid-19 Deaths In The U.S.: Reinforcing The 'Two Americas' Notion 
The notion of Covid-19 causing two Americas was on many minds in the summer of 2021. The Washington Post and LA Times both wrote about it; Dr. Anthony Fauci mentioned it in an interview. One America had high demand for Covid-19 vaccines, the other had widespread vaccine hesitancy and opposition to mask and vaccine mandates. This narrative helped shape the understanding of what happened as well as what the country should be doing now to control the pandemic. But Covid has been dividing the nation since the start of the pandemic. Our recent analysis of Covid-19 deaths by region, published in PLoS One, supports the two Americas idea. (Michael A. Stoto, Samantha Schlageter and John Kraemer, 5/12)

Columbus Dispatch: What Is House Bill 296? How Would It Present Overdose Deaths?
Every month, we resuscitate someone in our lobby who is literally dying from a drug overdose. Without interruption, this process can lead to death. Our team, like many first responders, has access to a drug called naloxone, which blocks the opiate’s effect on the brain and ultimately reverses the overdose. Every overdose averted using naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a life saved and a chance at recovery. (Adam Rowan, 5/11)

Kansas City Star: Missouri Needle Exchanges Will Fight Drugs, Hepatitis C, HIV 
Envision the last time you visited your pharmacy. You went through the front door. You had a mild cold or some allergies. There were bright lights and plenty of options available to meet your needs. Maybe there was even a security guard inside to make sure you were safe. A positive, routine experience. Normal. (Galen Hoff, 5/12)

Bloomberg: The Promise Of Artificial Intelligence Hasn't Borne Fruit In Health Tech 
Without much fanfare, some of the biggest names in tech have been pulling back on once-enthusiastic efforts to disrupt healthcare. Within the past nine months, Alphabet Inc. has dismantled its healthcare division Google Health while IBM sold its Watson Health data and analytics business to a private equity firm, having struggled to turn a profit. It turns out healthcare is a highly complex industry and much of the hype around the transformative promise of artificial intelligence may have been overblown. (Parmy Olson, 5/11)

The New York Times: When Hope Hinges On An Unapproved Drug 
My patient was so close. After emails to politicians and pharmaceutical executives, after a social media campaign and months spent swinging between hope and fear, Michael Forbes had won. A drug company decided that he could receive a new, unapproved drug for advanced lung cancer that might prolong his life. When the news came, his family posted a video of Mr. Forbes, 55, dancing to “Lovely Day” on a balcony overlooking the ocean. (Daniela J. Lamas, 5/12)

The Tennessean: Does Your Mental Health Make You Feel Like You’re Dragging An Anchor?
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’ve been thinking a lot about something a relative said recently. Not long ago they underwent an aortic valve replacement. Most cardiac valve conditions left unrepaired lead to chronic fatigue, limits on activity output, bouts of sleepiness, and can even foster depression. (Michael Yates, 5/12)

The CT Mirror: Connecticut Needs Comprehensive Sex Education
I have been exceptionally lucky as a sexual health educator to have worked in LGBTQ+ inclusive and sex-positive environments. However, working in these settings has also made it painfully obvious how lacking the sex education folks have received before coming to us really is. Many clients are seriously undereducated on sexual health and wellness, which reflects poorly on the systems we have in place to educate young people on sexuality. It’s well-known that sex education is inconsistent in quality between towns and states. Curricula range from abstinence-only programs to comprehensive, LGBTQ+ inclusive sexual health education. Many states (including Connecticut) don’t require sex education at all; over half the states that do mandate sex ed have no requirements about its medical accuracy. (Kimberly Adamski, 5/12)

Chicago Tribune: I Watched Male Loved Ones Deny Their Hearing Loss. Left Untreated, It Devastated Their Lives
The gift I would bestow on all fathers is the courage to address the curse that took the intellect of my father, one grandfather and my father-in-law: age-related hearing loss, also known as ARHL. Not being able to hear or properly process information made these men first defensive, then blameful, isolated and in denial. Eventually it rendered them less companionable and less interesting to people around them, ignored and, ultimately, avoided by those who might have helped them prevent the dementia that resulted from ARHL. (Louise Andrews, 5/11)

Modern Healthcare: Addressing Concerns About Improper Denials In Medicare Advantage 
A Medicare Advantage plan denied coverage for a walker a physician ordered for a 76-year-old patient at risk of falling. The insurance company reported denying the walker because the patient received a cane in the past five years. A cane no longer provided the support the patient required to walk safely, and no Medicare coverage requirement imposes such five-year limit. Another plan denied the MRI a physician ordered to assess why a 69-year-old's pain and weakness continued five months after a fall. The insurance company's stated reason was that the patient did not first receive an X-ray. An X-ray could not detect the damage the physician suspected, and no Medicare rule mandates such X-ray prior to MRI. (Christi Grimm and Dr. Julie Taitsman, 5/11)

Chicago Tribune: Working In A Clinic Taught Me To Celebrate Patients, No Matter Their Prognosis 
As an oncologist who often works with patients walking the thin line between life and death, I am always humbled by working in the clinic. It’s where I constantly realize that my troubles are incomparable to the pain that my patients experience. However, the more I am humbled, the more I discover there is to learn. The more I learn about humility, the more I look forward to growth. (Young Kwang Chae, 6/11)