Black Americans More Likely To Die From Treatable Health Conditions
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund sees wide racial disparities in treatments leading to higher rates of death among Black people. The return of head lice, more problems with a sleep apnea device and that wasn't deadly smallpox in those vials in the Pennsylvania lab.
Axios:
Most States Ranked Poorly In Quality Of Care For People Of Color, Report Says
Black Americans in almost every state were more likely than white Americans to die from preventable and treatable health conditions, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund out Thursday shows. A lack of health care access, and "timely, high-quality care," were correlated to poorer health outcomes, the authors conclude. (Fernandez, 11/19)
Axios:
Health Care Is A Hemisphere-Wide Concern For Latinos
Health care performance is significantly worse for U.S. Latinos when compared with non-Hispanic white people, while some Latin Americans are also concerned about equitable access to health care in their countries. A report compiled by the Commonwealth Fund underlines profound racial and ethnic health care disparities across the United States. (Reyes, 11/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Sleep Apnea Device Recall From Philips Causes New Worry
Over the summer, Royal Philips NV set off a scramble among sleep apnea sufferers when it recalled millions of machines that many use to breathe at night, citing concerns that the foam in the devices could pose a health risk. Last week, users were thrown another curveball when the Food and Drug Administration warned the replacement machines that the Dutch health giant has been cranking out since September may be harmful, too. The FDA didn’t order a recall of some 250,000 replacement devices Philips has sent to users, but said it was concerned that a silicone-based foam used in the substitute devices could emit harmful gases. That has raised new questions among users about what to do. (Roland, 11/18)
The Hill:
CDC: No Trace Of Virus Causing Smallpox Found In Lab Vials, Despite Labels
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday determined that vials found at a Pennsylvania facility this week with labels reading "smallpox" did not contain the virus that causes it. "There is no evidence that the vials contain variola virus, the cause of smallpox," the CDC said in a statement, adding that the agency is "in close contact with state and local health officials, law enforcement, and the World Health Organization about these findings." (Jenkins, 11/18)
NBC News:
Flu Season: What Outbreaks On College Campuses Tell Us
Flu outbreaks on college campuses most likely indicate a bad flu season ahead, but experts say the unpredictable nature of the flu virus means it’s too soon to know for sure how this season will unfold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently investigating an outbreak of influenza at the University of Michigan, where at least 528 students have tested positive for the flu since Oct. 6. The University of Florida, Florida State University, Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., and the University of Rhode Island are also seeing steep upward trends in campus flu cases this month. (11/19)
KHN:
A Covid Head-Scratcher: Why Lice Lurk Despite Physical Distancing
The Marker family opened their door on a recent evening to a woman dressed in purple, with a military attitude to cleanliness. Linda Holmes, who has worked as a technician with LiceDoctors for five years, came straight from her day job at a hospital after she got the call from a dispatcher that the Marker family needed her ASAP. According to those in the world of professional nitpicking, Pediculus humanus capitis, the much-scorned head louse, has returned. (Ellen Bichell, 11/19)
Also —
KHN:
The ER Charged Him $6,500 For Six Stitches. No Wonder His Critically Ill Wife Avoided The ER
Jason and DeeAnn Dean recently relocated to her hometown of Dellrose, Tennessee, where she grew up on a farm. Both in their late 40s, they’re trying to start a green dream business that combines organic farming with a health and wellness consulting company. They want to inspire people to grow their own food in this fertile rolling farmland, just north of the border with Alabama. Until the business fully launches, Jason is working construction. In May, he was injured on the job site when a piece of sheet metal slipped and caught him on the kneecap. He bled quite a bit. After closing the wound with a butterfly bandage, he thought that might be enough. But on his drive home, he figured it’d be best to have a professional stitch it up. (Farmer, 11/19)
