AP: Millions To Lose Medicaid Coverage Under Congress' Plan 
Millions of people who enrolled in Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic could start to lose their coverage on April 1 if Congress passes the $1.7 trillion spending package leaders unveiled Tuesday. The legislation will sunset a requirement of the COVID-19 public health emergency that prohibited states from booting people off Medicaid. The Biden administration has been under mounting pressure to declare the public health emergency over, with 25 Republican governors asking the president to end it in a letter on Monday, which cited growing concerns about bloated Medicaid enrollment. (Seitz, 12/20)

Axios: Medicaid Enrollment To Top 100 Million
The number of Americans on Medicaid is expected to surpass 100 million as early as next month, according to a new projection from the Foundation for Government Accountability. The record uninsured rate — achieved through both ACA subsidies and Medicaid expansion — has been a point of pride for the Biden administration, particularly in light of stark health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic. (Reed, 12/20)

NBC News: Congress Reaches Deal To Keep Puerto Rico's Medicaid Program Funded
Members of Congress reached a deal Tuesday to fund Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program in a way that prevents it from running out of federal money by the end of the year and ensures stable funding for the next five years. Ensuring consistent funding is crucial for the U.S. territory because of the way the money is allocated. (Acevedo, 12/20)

Also —

North Carolina Health News: Settlement To Fix NC Medicaid Review Process 
One of the traditional problems with Medicaid is that many beneficiaries cycle on and off of the program frequently as their income changes. Medicaid – paid for by both the state and federal governments – primarily serves low-income children, some of their parents, people with disabilities and older folks who are very low-income. The parents of those children, for example, might get seasonal work which puts them over the income limits for the program. When they lose those jobs, their children are again eligible, meaning that those parents and children ping pong on and off the public insurance program. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 12/21)

ABC News: DEA Seized Enough Fentanyl To Kill Every American In 2022
The Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday said it has seized more than 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl this year, as the country continues to struggle with an epidemic of drug overdose deaths. The seizures include 50.6 million pills laced with the ultra-deadly synthetic opioid and 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, the DEA said. (Owen, 12/21)

The New York Times: U.S. Drug Agency Doubles Its Catch Of Fentanyl-Laced Pills In 2022 
Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing the country, the agency said. It is a highly addictive man-made opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Two milligrams of fentanyl, an amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. Fentanyl, which is 100 times more powerful than morphine, was linked to the deaths of more than 70,000 Americans in 2021. (Diaz, 12/20)

More on the opioid crisis —

MPR News: Minnesota Opioid Treatment Clinics Overwhelmed As Needs Rise, Staffs Shrink 
Duluth’s Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment is the only licensed opioid treatment program across Minnesota’s Arrowhead, a territory roughly the size of Massachusetts. Its ClearPath Clinic has space for 475 people; some drive for hours to meet with a counselor or re-up on methadone. It’s a lifeline for those trying to break free of addiction.Now, though, the clinic is full. About 40 people sit on a waiting list with few alternatives other than waiting and hoping. Even if they could make it to Brainerd, St. Cloud or the Twin Cities for treatment, many clinics are in similar straits — pushed to near or above their limits amid a nationwide opioid crisis. (Wiley, 12/19)

Bay Area News Group: Fentanyl On Campus: One Bay Area School Saved A Student’s Life. Another Missed The Signs Of An Overdose. Is Your School Ready?
The student gasped for breath. Her eyes widened. Her pupils shrunk. Slumping in a chair in a conference room at W.C. Overfelt High School in late October, she was showing all the signs of overdosing on the powerful opioid fentanyl. Principal Vito Chiala’s safety team had rushed her in when they encountered her walking to class and knew something was off. But now, she was slipping in and out of consciousness. They had all been trained to administer the nasal spray Narcan, which can reverse opioid overdoses. But that was last summer. Did they remember everything? Were they supposed to squirt it into one nostril or two? Was there a safety latch? (Nickerson and Sulek, 12/19)

KTLA: California Toddler Overdoses On Fentanyl-Laced Marijuana, Police Say
A central California man faces felony charges after his 2-year-old son overdosed on fentanyl, authorities said. Marvin Thomas, 34, was arrested Sunday after Merced police responded to Mercy Medical Center. “The parents transported the child to the emergency room after he experienced life-threatening symptoms consistent with a fentanyl exposure,” police said in a news release. (Sternfield, 12/20)

Axios: Republicans Block Dem Request To Pass Bill To Protect IVF Access
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Tuesday blocked a unanimous consent request to pass a bill that would have set federal protections for IVF and other fertility treatments whose future remains uncertain in the post-Roe era. (Gonzalez, 12/20)

California's governor says a court ruling proves Texas’ abortion law is unconstitutional —

Times Of San Diego: San Diego Judge Strikes Down Anti-Gun Law Modeled After Texas 'Vigilante' Anti-Abortion Law 
The ruling drew a statement of thanks from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and observers said both laws are now likely headed to the Supreme Court. ... “I want to thank Judge Benitez,” said Newsom. “We have been saying all along that Texas’ anti-abortion law is outrageous. Judge Benitez just confirmed it is also unconstitutional.” “The provision in California’s law that he struck down is a replica of what Texas did, and his explanation of why this part of SB 1327 unfairly blocks access to the courts applies equally to Texas’ SB 8,” said Newsom. “There is no longer any doubt that Texas’ cruel anti-abortion law should also be struck down.” (Jennewein, 12/20)

CNN: Federal Judge Rules Against California Gun Law That Mimicked Texas' Abortion Ban
The provision in question in the California law – SB 1327 – was a so-called fee-shifting regime. It said that when a person or entity challenged in a court a state or local gun restriction, they would be on the hook for paying the legal fees of the restriction’s defenders if they lost their case, but would not be able to recover their legal fees from their opponents if they won. The provision was modeled after fee-shifting language in the Texas abortion law, which included similar language directed at legal challenges to abortion restrictions. (Sneed, 12/20)

In other news about abortion —

The Kansas City Star: Planned Parenthood Starts Telemedicine Abortions In Kansas
Telemedicine abortions have begun in Kansas, potentially making it easier for residents of Missouri and other nearby states with abortion bans to end their pregnancies, despite repeated efforts by Kansas legislators to prohibit the procedure. (Shorman, 12/20)

AP: Ohio Attorney General Revisits Comments On Girl's Abortion
Ohio’s attorney general says he laments the pain that ensued after he suggested in a nationally televised interview that an account of a 10-year-old rape victim who sought an abortion in Indiana might have been a fabrication. ... “But as I’m looking back here with some distance, I realize that what I said was not what people heard, and what people heard created a lot of pain — and I regret that deeply,” Yost said Wednesday. “Now, I’m delighted that that guy is in the dock and her rapist looks like he’s headed for a well-deserved life sentence in prison, where he belongs. But I’ve got nothing in my heart but compassion and grief for what that little girl went through.” (Smyth, 12/19)

AP: EXPLAINER: Undoing Of Roe Quickly Shifts Abortion In States
Anti-abortion groups hoped and strategized for decades for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that was delivered in June, ending a court-protected right to abortion after nearly 50 years. The fallout was immediate and far-reaching — and it’s not over yet. The midyear ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established the right to abortion, shaped the national political agenda for the rest of the year and put abortion access in flux. The shifts are expected to keep coming as lawmakers, voters and judges weigh in. (Mulvihill, 12/20)

Politico: Abortion Roiled The Midterms. Now It Will Define The Presidential Race. 
Donald Trump delivered the Supreme Court majority that voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, signed a laundry list of executive actions that chipped away at abortion access and openly embraced the anti-abortion movement, becoming the first sitting president to appear in person at the annual March for Life in 2020.Yet the response from anti-abortion groups when he announced his 2024 presidential campaign was, in more careful and polite terms: Take a number. (Ollstein and McGraw, 12/20)

CNBC: Gen Z Is Re-Thinking College And Career Plans In Post-Roe America: ‘I Want To Leave The Country’
There is an endless list of factors students consider while choosing a college: size, cost, campus life, proximity to home. But since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June — removing nearly 50 years of federal protections for abortions and giving states the right to make the procedure illegal within their jurisdictions — abortion access has become an increasingly influential consideration in students’ college decisions. (Smith, 12/19)

Stat: In Post-Roe California, A Painful Wait To End A Wanted Pregnancy
He loved peaches. He loved ice cream. He loved blueberry waffles, evenly gridded, which she’d pulled from the crinkly package in the freezer and popped in the toaster to eat on her way to work. L. knew all this from the way he moved, the way he made her sick. His name was Kai. He was due on December 18. (Boodman, 12/22)

In related news about childbirth —

USA Today: Deadly Deliveries: Childbirth Complication Rates At Maternity Hospitals
How often do women giving birth at individual hospitals experience heart attacks, seizures, kidney failure, blood transfusions or other potentially deadly problems? USA TODAY calculated the rates of severe childbirth complications for hospitals in 13 states where it could obtain data from state health agencies. The rates are often used by hospitals, insurance companies and researchers – but are kept secret from patients. (12/20)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: St. Francis Hospital In Milwaukee To Close Labor And Delivery Unit
Ascension St. Francis Hospital plans to close its labor and delivery unit by the end of the week, which hospital labor leaders said would leave Milwaukee's south side without a hospital to deliver babies. (Volpenhein, 12/20)

Fox News: CDC Says Respiratory Viruses May Continue To Spread For Weeks, ‘Possibly Even Months': Report 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning Americans that the high level of multiple respiratory illnesses could linger for a while. "We anticipate that high levels of respiratory virus activity may continue for several more weeks, or possibly even months," a spokesperson with the CDC warned, according to Fox 5 D.C. (Musto, 12/20)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Sees First Pediatric Influenza Death
In a call with reporters Tuesday, Tom Haupt, the state Department of Health Service's influenza surveillance coordinator, said the child was from Western Wisconsin. There was no evidence that the child had received a flu shot this year, Haupt said. Nationwide, 30 children have died this flu season. (Shastri, 12/20)

AP: Flu Deaths Rise To 40 In Washington State, Vaccines Urged 
The flu is spreading at a high rate in Washington state with deaths at higher rates than are usually seen at this point in the season, according to health officials. The Washington Department of Health said Tuesday that 40 people have died from the flu in Washington including three children, as of Dec. 10. (12/21)

The Atlantic: Maybe Consider Not Kissing That Baby
Barack Obama did it. Donald Trump did it. Joe Biden, of course, has done it too. But each of them was wrong: Kissing another person’s baby is just not a good idea. ... A moratorium on infant smooching might feel like a bit of a downer—even counterintuitive, given how essential it is for infants and caregivers to touch. But kissing isn’t the only way to show affection to a newborn, and the rationale for cutting back on it specifically is one that most can get behind: keeping those same wee bebes safe. An infant’s immune system is still fragile and unlearned; it struggles to identify infectious threats and can’t marshal much of a defense even when it does. (Wu, 12/20)

On the shortage of antibiotics and painkillers —

The Washington Post: Why Is There A Children's Tylenol Shortage? Here's What Parents Can Do. 
The Washington Post spoke with experts about the shortage and to answer common questions about what parents can do to help their children if they can’t find these drugs. Here’s what they said. (Cimons and Amenabar, 12/20)

CNN: China's Covid 'Chaos': How A Shortage Of Fever Drugs Is Sparking A Global Run On Medicines
An unprecedented wave of Covid infections in China has triggered widespread drug shortages, as people scramble to buy fever medicines and painkillers to alleviate flu-like symptoms. The panic buying has spread outside mainland China’s borders, with the generic versions of Tylenol and Advil sold out at drugstores in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and as far afield as Australia, prompting some local pharmacies to limit sales. Even home remedies such as canned peaches are being snapped up by people looking for ways to fight Covid. (He, Chen and Cheung, 12/21)

Bloomberg: Strep A: Scarlet Fever Outbreak In UK Far Bigger Than Previously Thought
A UK outbreak of scarlet fever that has prompted shortages of some antibiotics is far more widespread than previously thought, with about 27,000 cases now reported since mid-September. More than 9,000 cases of the illnesss, caused by group A streptococcus bacteria, were reported in the latest week in England and Wales, according to the UK Health Security Agency. (Pfanner, 12/21)

CBS News: BF.7: What To Know About The Omicron COVID Variant
Since the COVID variant Omicron emerged in late 2021, it has rapidly evolved into multiple subvariants. One subvariant, BF.7, has recently been identified as the main variant spreading in Beijing, and is contributing to a wider surge of COVID infections in China. (Mohammed, 12/20)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Efficacy Against Infection In Kids Dropped Amid Omicron 
The estimated effectiveness of two COVID-19 vaccine doses was 61% among children and 67% among adolescents in Argentina during Delta variant predominance and 16% and 26%, respectively, during the Omicron period, finds a test-negative, case-control study published in BMJ. (Van Beusekom, 12/20)

CNBC: Long Covid Patients Face Battle Claiming Disability Insurance Benefits
Mike Yada remembers the day in August 2020 when it became clear that his unusual symptoms — which emerged after a mild case of Covid-19 earlier in the year — were worsening. “I went for an easy hike, but by the end I was so winded that I couldn’t walk back to my car,” said Yada, who, pre-Covid, would have easily traversed the flat terrain near the beach. He had to call an Uber for the one-mile ride back to his parked car. (O'Brien, 12/20)

Minnesota Public Radio: COVID Nearly Killed Him, Then The Hard Part Began
Gabe Pastores is walking on a treadmill and cracking jokes. Given what he’s been through the past two years, he’d count those as giant steps. “Next, I’m gonna sing…‘Cover of the Rolling Stone,’” he half-seriously tells his pulmonary rehab specialist. Pastores, 58, loves classic rock, and the intro to that ‘70s song by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show could not be more appropriate. (Richert, 12/21)

On masks and mandates —

CIDRAP: Study: Wearing Surgical Masks Over N95s Can Cause Dangerous Leaks 
For optimal protection against respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, procedure masks shouldn't be worn over N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. (Van Beusekom, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Reinstates Mask Mandate In Government Buildings Amid Surging COVID
Oakland will require all employees and visitors to wear a face mask when entering city facilities beginning immediately — an attempt to get a handle on the “tripledemic” hitting the Bay Area of COVID, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. (Ravani, 12/20)

The New York Times: It’s Time for New Yorkers to Mask Up Again, Mayor Adams Says
Mayor Eric Adams put his face mask on again on Tuesday and encouraged New Yorkers to do the same. Mr. Adams held a news conference at City Hall to urge residents to take precautions in the face of a winter surge of Covid-19 cases and other illnesses. “With the holiday season in full swing and cases of Covid-19, flu and R.S.V. rising, we are asking New Yorkers to protect themselves and their loved ones once again,” Mr. Adams said. It was the mayor’s first Covid briefing in months, and he does not typically wear a mask in public. (Fitzsimmons, 12/20)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Senate Committee Calls For Ban On Mask And COVID Vaccine Mandates
A Texas Senate committee wants the state to ban mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates, a sign pandemic policy may become a flashpoint in the upcoming legislative session. The Republican-led Senate Health and Human Services Committee included the coronavirus recommendations in a newly released 37-page report. (Morris, 12/20)

In other pandemic news —

Politico: Biden Administration Wants Supreme Court To End Title 42 — Just Not Yet
The Biden administration said it could no longer wind down the so-called Title 42 policy by Wednesday, even if the Supreme Court allowed it to follow through on a lower court’s ruling to effectively terminate the border directive that has prevented the entry of millions of migrants. The response on Tuesday from the Department of Justice comes a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay of a federal district court judge’s order that required the Biden administration to lift the implementation of Title 42 by Wednesday morning. (Ward and Gerstein, 12/20)

Axios: Congress's Pandemic Prep Effort Receives Mixed Reviews
The $1.7 trillion omnibus Congress is poised to pass this week has provisions addressing the ability to respond to future pandemics, but some experts say its lack of new spending, including on COVID-19, will leave Americans vulnerable. (Sullivan and Owens, 12/21)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Public Health Officials Look To Mend Relationships After COVID-19
Public health officials in Michigan have spent much of this year trying to return to normalcy after the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are looking forward to mending relationships with schools and businesses that were stressed by the pandemic. They also face other statewide challenges in 2023. (Hall, 12/20)

Stat: Biden Admin Shares Ownership Data For Thousands Of Hospitals
Citing its commitment to transparency and promoting competition, the Biden administration on Tuesday released a massive spreadsheet with ownership data on all Medicare-certified hospitals in the country. The new data span more than 7,000 hospitals and include details like whether the owner is an individual or an organization. (Bannow, 12/20)

On health care costs and debt —

The Wall Street Journal: Many Hospitals Get Big Drug Discounts. That Doesn’t Mean Markdowns For Patients.
A decades-old federal program that offered big drug discounts to a small number of hospitals to help low-income patients now benefits some of the most successful nonprofit health systems in the U.S. Under the program, hospitals buy drugs at reduced prices and sell them to patients and their insurers for much more, often at facilities in affluent communities. (Mathews, Overberg, Walker and McGinty, 12/20)

KHN: Hundreds Of US Hospitals Sue Patients Or Threaten Their Credit, A KHN Investigation Finds 
Despite growing evidence of the harm caused by medical debt, hundreds of U.S. hospitals maintain policies to aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills, using tactics such as lawsuits, selling patient accounts to debt buyers, and reporting patients to credit rating agencies, a KHN investigation shows. The collection practices are commonplace among all types of hospitals in all regions of the country, including public university systems, leading academic institutions, small community hospitals, for-profit chains, and nonprofit Catholic systems. (Levey, 12/21)

KHN: Upended: How Medical Debt Changed Their Lives 
Some lost their homes. Some emptied their retirement accounts. Some struggled to feed and clothe their families. Medical debt now touches more than 100 million people in America, as the U.S. health care system pushes patients into debt on a mass scale. Debtors are from all walks of life and all corners of the country. Here are their stories ― how they got into debt, what they’ve given up for it, and how they’re living with the burden. (Levey, Pattani, Noguchi and Sable-Smith, 12/21)

KHN: The Case Of The Two Grace Elliotts: A Medical Billing Mystery 
Earlier this year, Grace Elizabeth Elliott got a mysterious hospital bill for medical care she had never received. She soon discovered how far a clerical error can reach — even across a continent — and how frustrating it can be to fix. (Kreidler, 12/21)

In other health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Joint Commission Healthcare Quality Standards Overhauled
The Joint Commission is retiring 14% of its quality standards during the first round of a review process that seeks to refocus hospital safety and quality goals and decrease administrative burden, the healthcare accrediting organization will announce Tuesday. (Devereaux and Hartnett, 12/20)

Crain's Chicago Business: Northwestern Medicine Plans $389M Expansion Of Chicago-Area Hospital
The Chicago-based healthcare system plans to add 96 inpatient beds, 84 of which would be medical and surgical beds and 12 of which would be intensive care unit beds, according to an application submitted to the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board. Plans also include the relocation and expansion of the emergency department, as well as adding more imaging equipment and inpatient rehabilitation services. (Davis, 12/20)

WJCT News: Baptist Health Opens A Six-Story Hospital In Fleming Island
Baptist Medical Center Clay opened a hospital in Fleming Island on Monday, the most recent — and largest— addition to the Baptist Clay Medical campus that originally launched in 2013. The full-service, six-story hospital is the culmination of two years of construction and a $234 million investment from Baptist Health. (Troncoso, 12/20)

AP: Women Sexually Abused By ICU Nurse Sue Colorado Hospital 
Two women who say a nurse sexually assaulted them while they were unconscious in intensive care filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Colorado hospital where they were being treated, alleging the hospital’s management didn’t do enough to prevent the abuse. (Slevin, 12/21)

Kansas City Star: The Crisis In Caring For Alzheimer’s Patients At Home
Everyone who knew Ellen DeFoe, back before Alzheimer’s turned her brain against her, thinks of her the same: She was the kind one. Ellen, with her hair swept up and lipstick always immaculate, was the one who would help anyone — bring food, run an errand, clean a neighbor’s house without a second thought. (Adler, 12/21)

The Wall Street Journal: 3M To Stop Making, Discontinue Use Of ‘Forever Chemicals’ 
3M Co. said it would stop making so-called forever chemicals and cease using them by the end of 2025, as criticism and litigation grow over the chemicals’ alleged health and environmental impact. 3M Chief Executive Mike Roman said that the decision was influenced by increasing regulation of the chemicals known as PFAS, and a growing market for substitute options. (Maher and Tita, 12/20)

Stat: Why EPA's Proposal For Two ‘Forever Chemicals’ Will Be Controversial
By the end of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency has promised to propose new national drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, two of the most studied pollutants among the thousands of compounds known as PFAS, or, more colloquially, “forever chemicals.” (Trang, 12/21)

In news about antibiotic resistance —

Stat: McDonald's Sets Targets For Limiting Antibiotic Use In Beef
After being accused of backtracking on a commitment to reduce its use of medically important antibiotics, McDonald’s has set specific targets to ensure “responsible use” of these medicines in 10 countries that are its most important sources for beef. (Silverman, 12/20)

CIDRAP: In Europe, Jumps In Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Linked To Ukraine 
Two reports published last week in Eurosurveillance show an increase in multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in countries that have taken in refugees and hospital patients from Ukraine. The reports from the Netherlands and Germany show a significant rise in MDROs in both countries starting in March, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with many isolates collected from patients who had fled from or were evacuated from hospitals in Ukraine. Among the MDROs reported were bacteria harboring carbapenemase-producing New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) genes, which confer resistance to most antibiotic classes. (Dall, 12/20)

In other health and wellness news —

Bloomberg: Philips Found Low Health Risk In Test Of Recalled Apnea Devices
Royal Philips NV said tests on its recalled sleep apnea devices showed the products are unlikely to result in “an appreciable harm” to the health of patients, expressing a degree of confidence that sent shares higher. (Roach, 12/21)

The New York Times: Simple Steps for Managing Holiday Loneliness
The holidays are a time for joy and togetherness, but for many they can also spur feelings of loneliness. There aren’t comprehensive statistics for how many people feel starved for connection this time of year, but there are clues: A 2017 AARP survey, for instance, found that 31 percent of adults aged 18 and older have felt lonely during the holidays. And the past few holiday seasons have been especially fraught: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a global uptick in loneliness, which experts describe as the difference between how much connection a person wants and how much they’re actually getting. (Pearson, 12/20)

The Colorado Sun: A Cold Front Is Coming. Here’s What You Need To Know To Stay Safe
Forecasters are warning that Thursday could be the coldest day Denver has felt in more than three decades, anticipating a blast of bitter cold, arctic air that is expected to affect the entire state. The Colorado Sun has gathered important information to answer questions and help keep you safe ahead of the upcoming deep freeze. (Prentzel, 12/20)

The Washington Post: How To Cure (Or Prevent) A Hangover
Tis the season for eggnog, mulled wine, champagne — and hangovers. So, what can you do to prevent the morning-after misery as you enjoy your end-of-year festivities? Most of the evidence for hangover cures is thin, and there is no surefire way to avoid a hangover short of avoiding alcohol altogether. But there are some things you can do before, during and after drinking that can lower your risk for a hangover. (O'Connor, 12/20)

GMA: Mom Shares Warning After 5-Month-Old Develops Hair Tourniquet Syndrome
A Missouri mom is warning fellow parents about a rare condition caused by a strand of hair that sent her 5-month-old son to the emergency room. Sara Ward, from St. Louis, shared a Facebook post explaining that her 5-month-old son, Logan, started developing a condition called hair tourniquet syndrome on Jan. 22 and over the course of a week, had to be rushed to his pediatrician's office, urgent care and later, the emergency room at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. (Yu, 12/21)

The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kidney Transplant Reunites Florida, Arizona Classmates 35 Years Later
"I'd give my kidney for a ..." It's not the most common idiom being bandied about, but you hear it from time to time, as a means of expressing a strong desire. Rarer, still, is the person who says, "I'd give my kidney." Period. No qualifiers. (Harper, 12/21)

The Washington Post: At Least 77 People Died Homeless In D.C. In 2022, Medical Examiner Says 
At least 77 homeless people have died in the District so far in 2022, according to D.C.’s medical examiner, perishing by intoxication, hypothermia, homicide and other causes as officials and the White House battle a problem entrenched in American life. (Moyer, 12/20)

Salt Lake Tribune: 5 Deaths In SLC’s Frigid Outdoors Prompt An Emergency Action To Expand Homeless Shelters
After a cold snap that officials suspect contributed to the deaths of five unsheltered residents in recent days, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall signed an emergency order Tuesday that will expand shelter space in Utah’s capital. (Apgar, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Can End Homelessness With $8.1B A Year, New Report Says
A new report estimates California could end homelessness by 2035 if it spent at least $8.1 billion every year on the problem, a daunting goal that points out the enormity of the challenge despite ramped-up efforts in recent years. (Fagan, 12/20)

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

The Boston Globe: Mass. Dept. Of Correction Aims To Improve Treatment Of Mentally Ill Inmates, After Settlement With Federal Investigators
Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins on Tuesday announced an agreement with the state Department of Correction to settle a federal investigation that found the prison system did not do enough to address the needs of inmates with serious mental health issues. (Fonseca, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: L.A. County Facing Crisis In Mental Health Staffing
Los Angeles County is seeing a serious shortage in staffing by mental health workers at county-run clinics and other facilities, the Los Angeles Times reports. Filling vacant spots has proven to be a major challenge in a time of rising demand. (Beamish and Hao, 12/20)

Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Health Commissioner: Measles Likely To Ramp Up After Holidays
The Columbus measles outbreak is continuing to grow, with 81 cases reported since the first infections were confirmed in early November. As of Tuesday, 29 people have been hospitalized with the measles, according to Columbus Public Health. (Filby, 12/20)

Bay Area News Group: Saratoga Man Charged With Unlicensed Botox After Miami Bust
A Saratoga man has been charged with posing as a doctor to perform an unlicensed Botox injection on a woman, which comes on the heels of him avoiding a jail sentence after he was prosecuted for similar acts in Miami, according to authorities and court records. (Salonga, 12/20)

ScienceDaily: Developing Antibiotics That Target Multiple-Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Researchers have designed and synthesized analogs of a new antibiotic that is effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria, opening a new front in the fight against these infections. (Hokkaido University, 12/20)

ScienceDaily: Promising Antimalarial Drug Proves Ineffective At Saving Children's Lives 
A large-scale study has found that rectal artesunate (RAS) has no beneficial effect on the survival of young children with severe malaria when used as an emergency treatment in resource-constrained settings. (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 12/20)

CIDRAP: Drugs That Fight Inflammation, Clots Tied To Better 6-Month COVID-19 Survival 
Critically ill COVID-19 patients who received interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor agonists and antiplatelet drugs had a higher than 99.9% and 95.0% probability of improved 6-month survival, respectively, according to the latest data from the REMAP-CAP randomized clinical trial. (Van Beusekom, 12/19)

CIDRAP: Pharmaceutical, Diagnostics Companies Look To Patients To Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance
Like many people living with cystic fibrosis (CF), Gunnar Esiason and Ella Balasa have a lot of experience with antibiotics. (Dall, 12/19)

FiercePharma: Eisai Peddles US Rights To Epilepsy Drug Fycompa To Catalyst
With Eisai on the verge of scoring a potential approval for its Biogen-partnered Alzheimer’s disease drug lecanemab, the Japanese pharma is thinking big. (Dunleavy, 12/20)

NBC News: Mark Cuban’s Next Act On Drug Costs: Tackling Insulin
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban says it’s not a matter of if his online business will sell low-cost insulin — but when. “It may be a month, it may be six months, it may be two years,” said Cuban, referring to when his business, the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co., could begin offering insulin directly to consumers. (Lovelace Jr., Dunn and McFadden, 12/20)

Stat: Diabetes Treatments Are Improving. Disparities Are As Wide As Ever
Despite advancements in insulin treatments over the past three decades, disparities in outcomes have widened among people with diabetes taking them, a new study found. For example, the share of Mexican Americans taking insulin who achieved good blood-sugar control sharply dropped to 10% during the period of 2013 to 2020 from 25% during 1988 to 1994, researchers reported Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. (Chen, 12/20)

NPR: Is Paxlovid The Best Treatment Option If I Get COVID? 
It's the most effective treatment to prevent severe COVID – a pill called Paxlovid that studies show can be close to 90% effective in reducing the risk of severe disease. (Fran Kritz, 12/16)

The Washington Post: Ron DeSantis Threatens Vaccine Progress 
Vaccines work. A mathematical model, based on country-level data, found they directly saved some 15.5 million lives worldwide in the first year they were available, and millions more indirectly. (12/18)

Stat: Fixing Price Instability Can Improve Access To Affordable Prescription Drugs
The high cost of prescription drugs is a very real problem in the United States. The average American spends approximately $1,300 per year on prescription drugs, more than residents of any other country in the world. And for some new medications, it seems the sky’s the limit when it comes to cost. (Matthew Gibbs, 12/15)

Newsweek: Medical Experts, Not Activists, Must Lead Discussion Of Puberty Blockers
Puberty blockers suppress estrogen and testosterone, hormones critical to children's physical development. Little is known about the long-term implications of these powerful drugs because of a lack of research on the topic, but existing studies show that puberty blockers negatively impact bone density (increasing the likelihood of osteoporosis) and brain development during adolescence. (Kate Anderson, 12/20)

The Washington Post: The Pass The Pump Act Is The Best Gift Congress Could Give To Families
Lawmakers’ one last, incomplete chance to show parents they haven’t been forgotten is to pass the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act — a bill expanding protections for breastfeeding workers — before this Congress ends. (Alyssa Rosenberg, 12/20)

The Washington Post: China's New Covid Nightmare May Become A Global Catastrophe 
China’s “zero covid” policy was unsustainable and abruptly scrapped, but the absence of a coherent fallback strategy threatens a fresh set of nightmares for its population, its economy and the Communist Party leadership. A new crisis could shake the whole world. (12/20)

Bloomberg: When To Take A Rapid Covid Test Before Your Holiday Party
For many people, this holiday season feels like a return to 2019, with crowded stores, holiday parties and travel plans. But one Covid concession we should retain at the end of 2022 — and well into 2023 — is the use of rapid antigen tests, especially before attending large gatherings or meeting with people at high risk. (Faye Flam, 12/20)

Stat: Realigning The U.S.'s Moral Compass For Sickle Cell Disease
Even as the United States has made commitments to health as a human right and reversing health disparities and has invested significantly in orphan diseases, it continues to overlook sickle cell disease (SCD), the most common inherited blood disorder worldwide, which affects more than 100,000 Americans, most of whom are Black or Hispanic American. (Amar Kelkar, Julie Kanter and Payal Desai, 12/21)

The CT Mirror: Life Is Fragile. Gun Culture Is Changeable
Life is fragile, and it’s all that we have. More guns equals more gun deaths. No other country has anywhere near as many gun deaths as we do here in the U.S. The Second Amendment talks about “a well-regulated militia.” It was written in 1791, when arms were far less deadly than they are today. There is no right to own a bazooka, a sidewinder missile or an AR-15. Let’s get real. (Peter Hansen, 12/21)

The Washington Post: Fentanyl Use Exploded While Government Slept. Here's What To Do Now. 
Fentanyl is an opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, giving users a sense of euphoria but also putting them in mortal peril. Too much in the bloodstream can trigger respiratory failure and ultimately cardiac arrest. (12/20)

The CT Mirror: CT's Black Veterans Need Mental Health Services
In 2021, there were over 150,000 veterans living in Connecticut. Recently, a Black veteran from Hamden, Conley Monk Jr., filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), alleging that they have denied VA benefits and disability compensation claims for Black veterans at a higher rate than white veterans for decades. (Francine Erfe, 12/20)