CNN: A Colonoscopy Study Has Some Wondering If They Should Have The Procedure. What You Should Know
A new European study on colonoscopies – the largest of its kind – has complicated results, and it’s left some people wondering whether they should have the procedure to screen for colon cancer. (Cohen, 10/10)

Stat: In Gold-Standard Trial, Colonoscopy Fails To Cut Rate Of Cancer Deaths
For decades, gastroenterologists put colonoscopies on a pedestal. If everyone would get the screening just once a decade, clinicians believed it could practically make colorectal cancer “extinct,” said Michael Bretthauer, a gastroenterologist and researcher in Norway. But new results from a clinical trial that he led throw confidence in colonoscopy’s dominance into doubt. (Chen, 10/9)

Bloomberg: Colonoscopy Screening Exams Fail To Prevent Cancer Deaths In Large Study
Colonoscopy screening exams that are recommended for older US adults failed to reduce the risk of death from colon cancer in a 10-year study that questions the benefits of the common procedure. (John Milton, 10/9)

NBC News: Video: Colonoscopies Made No Difference In Death Rates, European Study Finds
In one of the largest studies ever, researchers found colonoscopy screenings cut cancer risk by 18 percent and made no difference in death rates. (10/10)

Stat: Second U.S. Oncology Provider Plans To Go Public 
The U.S. is about to have not just one, but two, standalone publicly-traded oncology providers. (Bannow, 10/10)

Modern Healthcare: American Oncology Network To Combine With SPAC
The oncology provider will be the second of its kind to be publicly traded on NASDAQ as a result of combining with a SPAC. The Oncology Institute was the first cancer specialist to hit the stock market in November 2021 following its merger with blank-check company DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp. (Berryman, 10/10)

In other news about cancer —

The New York Times: After Giving Up On Cancer Vaccines, Doctors Start To Find Hope 
It seems like an almost impossible dream — a cancer vaccine that would protect healthy people at high risk of cancer. Any incipient malignant cells would be obliterated by the immune system. It would be no different from the way vaccines protect against infectious diseases. However, unlike vaccines for infectious diseases, the promise of cancer vaccines has only dangled in front of researchers, despite their arduous efforts. Now, though, many hope that some success may be nearing in the quest to immunize people against cancer. (Kolata, 10/10)

KHN: Miami’s Little Haiti Joins Global Effort To End Cervical Cancer 
More than 300,000 women around the world die from cervical cancer each year. In the U.S., women of Haitian descent are diagnosed with it at higher rates than the general population. The disease is preventable, though, due to vaccines and effective treatments for conditions that can precede the cancer. That’s why health care workers and even the World Health Organization are focusing on Miami’s Little Haiti to try to save lives. (Zaragovia, 10/11)

KHN: Reporter Follows Up On ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Progress And The Bias In Digital Health Records 
KHN correspondent Darius Tahir discussed the latest developments related to the federal “Cancer Moonshot” initiative on Houston Public Media’s “Town Square With Ernie Manouse” on Oct. 4. Tahir also discussed how bias can be embedded in medical records on America’s Heroes Group’s “Roundtable” on Oct. 1. (10/8)

In related news about environmental health —

NBC News: Toxic Herbicides: Map Showing How High Exposure Is By State
On a daily basis, many people in the U.S. could be exposed to a potentially cancer-causing chemical used in the world’s most common weedkillers. Data shows that people in the Midwest, parts of the South and Colorado have the highest exposure. (Jefferies, 10/10)

The Hill: Voters Want More Protection From Harmful Chemicals: Poll
Most American voters say they want more government and industry protection from toxic chemicals, a new poll has found. Not only do the 1,200 respondents to the survey overwhelmingly want assurances that consumer products are free from harmful chemicals, but they are also willing to pay more for the privilege. In the poll — commissioned by the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment — 92 percent of voters agreed that the government should require products to be proven safe before reaching the market, while 63 percent strongly agreed. (Udasin, 10/11)

Stat: A Tiny New HHS Office Has A Mammoth Goal: Tackling Environmental Justice
Ask 10 people how a federal health care agency might tackle “environmental justice,” and you’ll get 10 answers. The only real uniting thread is that the issues are massive, amorphous, and potentially intractable. Which makes it all the more daunting for the two lone staffers currently detailed to the Office of Environmental Justice, one of whom is set to depart soon. (Owermohle, 10/11)

Politico: On Pennsylvania’s Campaign Trail, The Doctor Will See You Now 
Physicians across Pennsylvania are politicking in unprecedented ways with less than a month to go before the midterm election, making the case that the abortion restrictions proposed by Republicans would threaten one of the state’s most important economic sectors. They’re flanking Democrats at campaign rallies and knocking on doors in flippable state legislative districts. They are registering patients and colleagues to vote. At town halls and in ads, they warn that doctors, residents and medical students will avoid a state where they could be prosecuted for helping a patient terminate a pregnancy — damaging one of the largest and most recession-proof pieces of the economy. (Ollstein, 10/10)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma AG Uses Graphic Description Of Abortion To Attack Doctors
The Oklahoma attorney general’s office unleashed a searing attack last week on physicians opposed to the state’s strict anti-abortion laws, saying they claimed a fundamental right “to dismember a living human and let him or her bleed to death.” “The Legislature is in no way required to stand aside when innocent human lives are at stake,” the state’s solicitor general said in a brief filed with the Oklahoma Supreme Court. (Casteel, 10/10)

Politico: Nebraska Lawmaker Backs States Rights But Also Supports Federal Abortion Ban 'On Principle'
Republican Rep. Don Bacon, up for reelection in a competitive seat in Nebraska, said Sunday he supports a federal abortion ban “on principle” after 15 weeks — reflecting a difference from a common Republican position for decades, that abortion should be decided at the state level. “The voters get to decide. They get to decide by selecting representatives at the state and the federal level,” Bacon said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when asked by host Kristen Welker about his current position that the issue should be decided federally. “But on principle, I believe in the humanity of the unborn child.” (Olander, 10/9)

In abortion updates from Arizona, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Texas —

Reuters: Appeals Court Temporarily Blocks Arizona's Abortion Ban
An appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked Arizona from enforcing a 1901 ban on nearly all abortions in the state, overruling a trial court's decision last month to let the ban proceed. The Arizona Court of Appeals granted Planned Parenthood's request for an emergency stay of Pima County Superior Court's ruling on Sept. 23 that lifted an injunction on the ban. The appeals court said the abortion-rights advocacy group "demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success" in its challenge of that decision. (Shakil and Singh, 10/10)

AP: Judge Blocks Restrictive Ohio Abortion Law As Suit Proceeds
An Ohio law banning virtually all abortions will remain blocked while a state constitutional challenge proceeds, a judge said Friday in a ruling that will allow pregnancy terminations through 20 weeks’ gestation to continue for now. ... “This court has no difficulty holding that the Ohio Constitution confers a fundamental right on all of Ohioans to privacy, procreation, bodily integrity and freedom of choice in health care decision-making that encompasses the right to abortion,” Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins said. (Smyth, 10/7)

The 19th: Abortion Bans Are Preventing Cancer Patients From Getting Chemotherapy
A six-week abortion ban in Ohio has forced people with cancer to travel out of state for abortions that are necessary to continue with life-saving treatment, according to affidavits submitted by abortion providers in the state. (Luthra, 10/7)

The Boston Globe: Massachusetts Has Expanded Abortion Rights. But Even In The Metro Region, Clinics Can Be Distant
Massachusetts has emerged as a safe haven for reproductive health care, following the Supreme Court’s reversal on Roe v. Wade, but there are wide swaths of the state, some densely populated, where it’s impossible to schedule an abortion. (Ebbert, 10/9)

Houston Chronicle: Nearly Half Of U.S. Abortion Clinic Closures Are In Texas
Twelve clinics have shuttered their operations entirely in the state, and the rest have focused on other services, which could include cancer screenings, STI treatments and contraception, according to the review by the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health access. The count did not include a list of clinics that have closed. (Blackman and Goldenstein, 10/7)

In other news about reproductive rights —

The Washington Post: Spread Of Catholic Hospitals Restricts Abortion, Birth Control Access
The Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion is revealing the growing influence of Catholic health systems and their restrictions on reproductive services including birth control and abortion — even in the diminishing number of states where the procedure remains legal. Catholic systems now control about 1 in 7 U.S. hospital beds, requiring religious doctrine to guide treatment, often to the surprise of patients. Their ascendancy has broad implications for the evolving national battle over reproductive rights beyond abortion, as bans against it take hold in more than a dozen Republican-led states. (Sellers and Venkataramanan, 10/10)

Axios: Employers Expand Reproductive Health Benefits Amid Tight Labor Market
A growing number of employers are expanding health coverage to in-vitro fertilization, surrogacy and other sometimes pricey fertility services in order to compete in the tight labor market amid heightened awareness of women's health. (Gonzalez and Dreher, 10/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: Jill Biden Shares Tale Of Teenage Friend’s Abortion At San Francisco Fundraiser
First lady Jill Biden offered a rare personal glimpse into her views on abortion during a political fundraiser in San Francisco on Friday, retelling the story of how her mother helped care for a teenage friend who got an abortion 60 years ago. (Gardiner, 10/7)

Stateline: Many Patients Can't Afford Health Costs Even With Insurance
The number of Americans with health insurance has climbed to historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but within that silver lining is a darker hue. Many Americans have policies that only provide limited financial protection, to the point that many patients report forgoing needed medical care or prescriptions to avoid being hit with punishing out-of-pocket costs. (Ollove, 10/7)

More on the high cost of health care —

The New York Times: ‘The Cash Monster Was Insatiable’: How Insurers Exploited Medicare for Billions
A New York Times review of dozens of fraud lawsuits, inspector general audits and investigations by watchdogs shows how major health insurers exploited the program to inflate their profits by billions of dollars. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 10/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Why A $158,000 Drug With Unclear Benefits Hurts Whole Health System
Like many patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS—also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—Layne Oliff didn’t have any time to waste. Even before the drug Relyvrio was approved late last month by the Food and Drug Administration, he has had his own do-it-yourself method: He gets sodium phenylbutyrate in liquid form from a New Jersey pharmacy and taurursodiol online from Amazon. That costs him over $7,000 a year, but he says it has been well worth it because he feels the combination has helped stabilize a disease that often causes death within a few years. (Wainer, 10/10)

USA Today: Medicare Part D Drug Prices Vary Widely Between States
New data from the Medicare startup Chapter shows the cost of prescriptions can vary widely from one state to another and even from one zip code to another. For seniors with chronic medical conditions, a difference in geography could mean paying thousands of dollars more per year out-of-pocket for the same medicine. (Wedell, 10/9)

In related news —

Dallas Morning News: CVS Counters Texas ‘Tampon Tax’ With 25% Off Of Menstrual Products
CVS Health will reduce the cost of its branded menstrual products by 25% in Texas to offset a state “tampon tax.” The price reduction will occur in 12 states where the company said it can legally pay on behalf of the consumer. CVS Health will also partner with national organizations working to eliminate taxes on menstrual products in some two dozen other states, the company said. (Skores, 10/11)

The New York Times: ‘A New Frontier’ For Hearing Aids 
The world of hearing health will change on Oct. 17, when the Food and Drug Administration’s new regulations, announced in August, will make quality hearing aids an over-the-counter product. It just won’t transform as quickly or as dramatically, at least at first, as advocates, technology and consumer electronics companies and people with mild to moderate hearing loss have been hoping. (Span, 10/10)

Stat: Maternity Care ‘Deserts’ On The Rise Across The U.S., Report Finds
The home birth had been going well, with the baby having been delivered safely, when midwife Lauren Genter noticed that the mother was losing more blood than normal. (Gaffney, 10/11)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Centene's Medicare Advantage Stars Scores Curtailing Future Growth
Centene will not be allowed to expand its Medicare Advantage footprint in certain locales next year after its plans consistently received poor scores in the federal quality ratings program. (Tepper, 10/10)

AP: Info Expected To Emerge Slowly In Hospital Chain Cyberattack 
Details of an apparent cyberattack on one of the largest health systems in the U.S. were slow to emerge as security experts on Friday warned that it often takes time to assess the full impact on patients and hospitals. Earlier this week, CommonSpirit Health confirmed it experienced an “IT security issue” but it has yet to answer detailed questions about the incident, including how many of its 1,000 care sites that serve 20 million Americans may have been affected. The health system giant, which is the second largest nonprofit health system in America, has 140 hospitals in 21 states. (Foody and Kruesi, 10/7)

NBC News: The Anesthesiologist Who Is Putting You Under May Work For A Private-Equity Firm
North American Partners in Anesthesia is the nation’s largest anesthesia staffing company, employing 6,000 clinicians at 500 facilities in 21 states. The company is owned by two well-heeled private-equity firms, American Securities of New York City and Leonard Green & Partners in Los Angeles. Four of NAPA’s nine directors are private-equity executives. (Morgenson, 10/10)

KHN: Hospitals Have Been Slow To Bring On Addiction Specialists 
In December, Marie, who lives in coastal Swampscott, Massachusetts, began having trouble breathing. Three days after Christmas, she woke up gasping for air and dialed 911. “I was so scared,” Marie said later, her hand clutched to her chest. Marie, 63, was admitted to Salem Hospital, north of Boston. The staff treated her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung condition. A doctor checked on Marie the next day, said her oxygen levels looked good, and told her she was ready for discharge. (Bebinger, 10/11)

On telemedicine —

AP: Telemedicine Was Made Easy During COVID-19. Not Any More
Telemedicine exploded in popularity after COVID-19 hit, but limits are returning for care delivered across state lines. That complicates follow-up treatments for some cancer patients. It also can affect other types of care, including mental health therapy and routine doctor check-ins. Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state, according to the Alliance for Connected Care, which advocates for telemedicine use. (Murphy, 10/9)

Stat: As Telepharmacies In Small Towns Struggle, National Chains Move In
In February 2019, the town of Albion, Ind. — population 2,500 — welcomed its first pharmacy in more than a decade. The Pill Box Pharmacy opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a plaque to commemorate a special milestone: It would be the state’s first telepharmacy. (Palmer, 10/11)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: BIO Chief Executive Michelle McMurry-Heath Exits After Clashes With Board 
The chief executive of the biotechnology industry’s top lobbying group in Washington resigned on Monday, the organization said. Michelle McMurry-Heath left the Biotech Innovation Organization after she was on leave following disagreements with some board members, The Wall Street Journal reported. (Hopkins, 10/10)

The Boston Globe: Dr. Beryl Benacerraf, Groundbreaking Ultrasound Researcher And Physician, Dies At 73
In an unusual way, Dr. Beryl Benacerraf seemed all but destined to become a towering presence in the field of ultrasound, though part of her journey to international renown was difficult. While growing up, she wrestled with undiagnosed dyslexia, which made many school subjects challenging, though it later helped her excel in her life’s work. (Marquard, 10/10)

Reuters: AstraZeneca's COVID Vaccine Suffers A Setback In Nasal Spray Trial
Attempts by Oxford University researchers and AstraZeneca Plc to create a nasal-spray version of their jointly developed COVID-19 shot suffered a setback on Tuesday as initial testing on humans did not yield the desired protection. An antibody response in the respiratory mucous membranes was seen in only a minority of participants in the trial, which was in the first of usually three phases of clinical testing, the University of Oxford said in a statement on Tuesday. (10/10)

More on the vaccine rollout —

Reuters: White House Says COVID Booster Campaign Going Well, Should Pick Up 
The White House expects the rate of vaccination in its fall booster campaign to pick up over the coming weeks, and its COVID response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha on Friday characterized the initial pace as "a really good start." Jha estimated that between 13 million and 15 million Americans will have gotten the so-called bivalent booster by the end of [last] week. (Aboulenein and Erman, 10/7)

Reuters: Norwegian Cruises Loses Challenge To Florida Ban On Vaccine Mandates
A divided U.S. appeals court has rejected a challenge by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd to a Florida law barring businesses from requiring customers to show documentation proving they received a COVID-19 vaccine. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling on Thursday said the ban on "vaccine passports" adopted by Florida last year regulates economic conduct and not speech, so it does not violate Norwegian's free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. (Wiessner, 10/7)

Chicago Tribune: If You Misled Others About Your COVID Status, Getting Vaccinated Or Prevention Measures, You’re Not Alone
During the height of the pandemic, 4 in 10 Americans misled others about their COVID-19 status or their adherence to public health measures designed to prevent the spread of the virus, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Network Open, a journal of the Chicago-based American Medical Association. (Lourgos, 10/10)

In other news on the spread of covid —

CIDRAP: Omicron Tied To Less Preterm Birth, Maternal Illness Than Delta
The risk of maternal critical care admission and preterm birth were much lower amid dominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant than during the Delta-dominant period, finds a Scottish study published late last week in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 10/10)

Los Angeles Times: With COVID On The Retreat, How Safe Are Holiday Gatherings?
“People should plan on being able to get together with the people that they love,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said recently. But that optimism, as always, is tinted with caution. Families with members who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness should consider taking some additional precautions, officials say. (Money and Lin II, 10/10)

Bloomberg: Long Covid Disables Millions Globally, Even As Rates Ease, Study Shows
Long Covid eases with time, according to a study that found about 1% of coronavirus patients had persistent symptoms for a year or more. In the first rigorous assessment of the magnitude of long Covid on a global scale, researchers found 6.2% of people who had Covid-19 in the pandemic’s first two years experienced at least one of three main groups of symptoms three months later. (Gale, 10/10)

Reuters: FDA Expands Use Of GSK's Vaccine During Pregnancy To Prevent Whooping Cough In Infants
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday allowed the use of GlaxoSmithKline's Boostrix vaccine during the third trimester of pregnancy to prevent whooping cough in infants younger than two months of age. "When the Boostrix vaccine is given during pregnancy, it boosts antibodies in the mother, which are transferred to the developing baby," the agency said. (10/7)

On monkeypox —

CIDRAP: Monkeypox Study Spotlights Role Of Sexual Transmission 
A significant proportion of patients reported attending large mass gatherings before developing monkeypox symptoms. Of 161 patients with available information, 37 (23%) met their sexual partners at such gatherings, including the Maspalomas Festival on Spain's Gran Canaria island, and various other Pride-related festivities in Europe and the United States, the authors said. Thirty percent of patients said they developed lesions or rash as a first symptom. (Soucheray, 10/10)

Fox 5 San Diego: San Diego Monkeypox Cases Reach 419
The California Department of Public Health on Friday provided an update on the state’s Mpox outbreak, confirming a total of 419 reported cases in the San Diego region. Data released by the CDPH’s Division of Communicable Disease Control shows the area ranking third in highest case counts statewide. Neighboring Los Angeles was at the top of list with a total of 2,049 cases. (Coakley, 10/8)

NPR: Monkeypox Cases In The U.S. Have Been Falling Since A Peak In Early August 
New daily monkeypox cases have been falling, and the CDC says cases are probably going to plateau or decline over the next few weeks. (10/11)

On E. coli —

CIDRAP: Frozen Falafel Tied To 20 E Coli Illnesses In 6 States
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Oct 7 announced an Escherichia coli O121 outbreak that has sickened 20 people from 6 states is linked to frozen falafel sold at Aldi stores. (10/10)

On flu and RSV —

NBC News: How Bad Will Flu And Covid Be This Winter? Hospitals Brace For Rough Season
Flu cases are already rising in parts of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pediatricians, too, are seeing a growing number of children sick with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and enteroviruses. (Edwards and Syal, 10/10)

NPR: There's A Spike In Respiratory Illness Among Children — And It's Not Just COVID
The United States is seeing a significant spike in respiratory illness among children. Sick kids are crowding emergency rooms in various parts of the country, and some pediatric hospitals say they are running out of beds. But this uptick in illness has largely been due to viruses other than the coronavirus, like RSV, enteroviruses and rhinovirus. (López Restrepo and Louise Kelly, 10/11)

The Washington Post: For Decades, Fear And Failure In The Hunt For An RSV Vaccine. Now, Success
In the mid-1960s, researchers at D.C.’s top pediatric hospital set out to vanquish a diabolical virus that filled wards with wheezing infants each winter. Their weapon: a vaccine designed to target respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. The virus had been identified only a decade earlier but was already known to be one of the most challenging illnesses to rattle the lungs of young children, surpassing influenza. There was every reason to think the vaccine would succeed. Scientists grew the virus in a laboratory, then inactivated it with a chemical — similar to the method used to create the world-changing polio shot. Instead of a miracle, a catastrophe began to unfold. (Johnson, 10/10)

Houston Chronicle: UT's Narcan Program Can't Keep Up With Student Demand
The University of Texas at Austin has run out of its Narcan supply twice since spring, when it began providing the opioid overdose reversal medication free to students at some of its libraries. (Ketterer, 10/7)

NPR: Is 'Rainbow Fentanyl' A Threat To Your Kids This Halloween? Experts Say No
The DEA says they identified a deliberate new marketing scheme by Mexican cartels and street dealers who want the pills to "look like candy to children and young people." "It looks like candy," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told NBC News. "In fact, some of the drug traffickers have nicknamed it Sweet Tarts, Skittles." (Mann, 10/11)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Fentanyl Deaths Down, But Stories Still Tragic
Two people lay unconscious on the floor of the dilapidated apartment. Only one could breathe, although just faintly. “What drugs; what drugs did they take,” a Metropolitan Police Department officer shouts on video caught on body cameras during the Aug. 27 incident. (Torres-Cortez, 10/8)

In mental health news —

AP: As Suicides Rise, US Military Seeks To Address Mental Health
After finishing a tour in Afghanistan in 2013, Dionne Williamson felt emotionally numb. More warning signs appeared during several years of subsequent overseas postings. “It’s like I lost me somewhere,” said Williamson, a Navy lieutenant commander who experienced disorientation, depression, memory loss and chronic exhaustion. “I went to my captain and said, ‘Sir, I need help. Something’s wrong.’” As the Pentagon seeks to confront spiraling suicide rates in the military ranks, Williamson’s experiences shine a light on the realities for service members seeking mental health help. For most, simply acknowledging their difficulties can be intimidating. And what comes next can be frustrating and dispiriting. (Khalil, 10/10)

NPR: A Lawsuit Accuses Amazon Of Selling Suicide Kits To Teenagers
Amazon is facing a lawsuit accusing it of selling so-called suicide kits, brought by the families of two teenagers who bought a deadly chemical on the company's website and later used it to take their own lives. (Hernandez, 10/9)

The Washington Post: How To Know If It’s Depression Or Just ‘Normal’ Sadness
To start, depression is a syndrome that involves far more than sadness. Aside from a sad or flat mood, depression typically causes insomnia, loss of libido and appetite, social withdrawal, low energy, feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts, feelings and actions. (Friedman, 10/10)

In other health and wellness news —

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Beware Of Deadly Wild Mushrooms: Portage County Man Survives Poisoning, Thanks To Experimental Drug At UH
A recent rash of nearly lethal poisonings have experts worried that mobile naturalist apps may be lulling otherwise cautious citizens into a false sense of security, and they’re warning Ohioans against eating any mushrooms found growing in the wild. (Kroen, 10/10)

USA Today: Farmworkers Face Health Risks During Wildfire Season. How Bad Is It?
Farmworkers are an understudied population, yet vulnerable to certain health risks and barriers during wildfires, which are being exacerbated by temperature-revving climate change that’s increasing their frequency, according to research from the University of Washington and others. (Hassanein, 10/10)

The New York Times: Fall Allergies Are Real. And They’re Getting Worse
Ragweed, a tall, willowy plant that grows in cities and rural areas alike, is the most common culprit behind fall allergies, said Dr. Michele Pham, an allergist and immunologist at the University of California, San Francisco. Just one pesky plant can release one billion grains of pollen, she said, which can irritate and inflame our sinuses. Ragweed starts to bloom in August and typically peaks in mid-September, but it can continue to grow into November. (Blum, 10/8)

KHN: If You’re Worried About The Environment, Consider Being Composted When You Die
Would you rather be buried or cremated when you die? If you feel the way I do, the answer is neither. I cringe at the thought of my body burning up at well over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit or being pumped full of toxic chemicals and spending the rest of eternity in a cramped box 6 feet underground. So here’s another question: How do you feel about having your body reduced to compost and used to plant a tree, grow flowers, or repair depleted soil in a forest? (Wolfson, 10/11)

In technology news —

NPR: AI App Could Diagnose Illnesses Based On Speech
Voices offer lots of information. Turns out, they can even help diagnose an illness — and researchers are working on an app for that. The National Institutes of Health is funding a massive research project to collect voice data and develop an AI that could diagnose people based on their speech. (Molina Acosta and Weiner, 10/10)

Stat: Which Diet And Health Habits Are Backed By Science? There's A Tool For That
A new tool from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, unveiled Monday in Nature Medicine, uses a 5-star rating system to show how much evidence exists to support some diet and lifestyle changes. (Cueto, 10/10)

WUSF Public Media: A Sarasota County Hospital Is Dealing With A Surge In Patients After Ian. But Help Has Arrived 
Hurricane Ian continues to strain Florida's healthcare system more than a week after the storm tore through the state. Some hospitals are still closed after flooding and high winds damaged their buildings. Others struggled to operate without running water. (Colombini, 10/10)

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

AP: Town Employee Quietly Lowered Fluoride In Water For Years
Residents of a small community in Vermont were blindsided last month by news that one official in their water department quietly lowered fluoride levels nearly four years ago, giving rise to worries about their children’s dental health and transparent government — and highlighting the enduring misinformation around water fluoridation.

News Service of Florida: A Federal Judge Will Hear Arguments This Week On Florida's Medicaid Transgender Rule
A federal judge Wednesday will take up a battle about whether Florida’s Medicaid program should pay for treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender people. (10/10)

CBS News/AP: Vanderbilt University Medical Center To Pause Gender-Affirming Surgeries For Minors To Review Practices
Officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced Friday that they are pausing gender-affirming surgeries for minors in order to review their practices. (10/10)

Axios: Columbia University To Pay $165M To Survivors Of Ex-Gynecologist
Columbia University and its affiliated hospitals will pay $165 million to 147 patients who reported instances of sexual abuse or misconduct by former gynecologist Robert Hadden. (Habeshian, 10/7)

The Washington Post: Unions Fight Plan To Privatize Western Maryland Hospital Center Services
Unions representing nurses and other health-care workers at Western Maryland Hospital Center are fighting what they say is Gov. Larry Hogan’s final chance to outsource care at the Hagerstown facility before he leaves office. The powerful three-member Board of Public Works, which includes the governor, is scheduled Wednesday to vote on expediting contracts that would outsource key functions of the public, long-term-care hospital, which cares for patients with complex conditions who often have been turned away from private facilities. (Portnoy, 10/10)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: More Than 12,000 Wisconsin Medicaid Members' Data Potentially Exposed
The state Department of Health Services is warning more than 12,000 Medicaid members that their personal health data — including first and last name, date of birth, gender, county location, Wisconsin Medicaid member identification number and Social Security number — may have been exposed to "unauthorized individuals." (Shastri, 10/8)

Missouri Independent: WIC Benefits Program Enrollment Plummets In Missouri
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified economic hardship and unemployment, Missouri saw one of the nation’s sharpest drops in participation in WIC, a federal benefits program for low-income women and children, according to a report released last week. (Bates, 10/10)

The Atlantic: Can You Hide Your Pregnancy In The Era Of Big Data? 
I’m a health-privacy scholar, so I know that pregnant individuals are of particular interest to retailers because their purchasing habits change during pregnancy and after birth. (Anya E.R. Prince, 10/10)

Miami Herald: Preeclampsia Threatens Pregnant Women In Florida 
The prevalence of preeclampsia, a life-threatening hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that features high blood pressure, is rising in South Florida, posing a threat to many mothers and infants. (Giselle Carre, 10/10)

USA Today: Period Poverty: On International Day Of The Girl Child, End Pink Tax
In honor of International Day of the Girl Child, we are bringing awareness to an issue that uniquely challenges girls and women: period poverty. The Journal of Global Health Reports states that more than 500 million experience period poverty. (Breanna and Brooke Bennett, 10/11)

The Washington Post: A Winter Pandemic Wave Is Looming. Get The Booster
Will there be an autumn or winter wave of covid? Right now, in the United States, daily cases and deaths are gradually declining off a still-high plateau. On the horizon, however, there are worrisome signals of a possible new wave. (10/10)

The Baltimore Sun: Mental Health Treatment Doesn’t Have To Be Such A Mess. Here’s What Maryland Can Do Now
It’s no secret that the United States has chronically underinvested in mental health and addiction treatment, but recently the combined scourges of COVID, the opioid epidemic and economic woes have pushed the system to the breaking point. (Shannon Hall, 10/10)

The Tennessean: Cutting Corners To Fix Nursing Staffing Shortage Is Dangerous
From major health systems to community care facilities, the clinician staffing shortage has reached crisis levels across the health care industry. (Tony Braswell, 10/7)

Stat: Medicare's Cuts To Home Health Are A Step In The Wrong Direction
Older Americans want to be cared for in their homes for as long as they can. But that’s not always possible, especially when families are spread out. Home health care workers make such care a reality for many families, including mine. (Terry Wilcox, 10/11)

The Boston Globe: Protecting Transgender Health Care For The Kids Who Need It 
The three-pronged war — to deny funds, ban gender-transition health care, and harass those who offer such care — this week spurred three of the nation’s major health care organizations to urge Attorney General Merrick Garland “to investigate the organizations, individuals, and entities coordinating, provoking, and carrying out bomb threats and threats of personal violence against children’s hospitals and physicians across the U.S.” (10/8)