First Edition: April 12, 2023

KFF Health News: As Montana’s Mental Health Crisis Care Crumbles, Politicians Promise Aid
When budget cuts led Western Montana Mental Health Center to start curtailing its services five years ago, rural communities primarily felt the effect. But as the decline of one of the state’s largest mental health providers has continued, it’s left a vacuum in behavioral health care. It started in places like Livingston, a town of 8,300 where, in 2018, Western closed an outpatient treatment clinic and told more than 100 patients to travel 30 miles over a mountain pass to Bozeman for stabilizing mental health care. This spring, Western closed that clinic too, a crisis center in one of Montana’s fastest-growing cities. (Houghton, 4/12)

KFF Health News: California Bill Would Mandate HPV Vaccine For Incoming College Students
When she was a college freshman, Joslyn Chaiprasert-Paguio was told by a doctor she had a common sexually transmitted infection called the human papillomavirus but not to worry. Four years later, a few days before her wedding, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which caused complications when she became pregnant. She had a hysterectomy eight years later, after the disease returned in 2021. The 38-year-old medical journal editor of Menifee in Riverside County, California, hadn’t been immunized as a teenager because there wasn’t yet a vaccine for HPV, which causes nearly all cervical cancers and a handful of other potentially lethal forms of the disease in men and women. Now, her 10-year-old daughter, Samantha, is scheduled to get her first shot this month. “This is the only vaccine that prevents cancer,” Chaiprasert-Paguio said. (Scheier, 4/12)

The Washington Post: Antiabortion Group Asks Court To Let Texas Abortion Pill Ruling Stand 
An antiabortion group seeking to block access to a widely used abortion pill asked a federal appeals court late Tuesday to allow a lower court’s ruling that would pull the medication off the market to proceed. The Justice Department had on Monday appealed the ruling last week by a federal judge in Texas that suspended the Food and Drug Administration’s approval — in 2000 — for the drug mifepristone. ... Any delay in blocking access to the pill would “perpetuate substantial harm on the public,” the antiabortion group, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, argued in the filing Tuesday shortly before a midnight deadline. (Pietsch, 4/12)

The Hill: 69 Republicans Ask Appeals Court To Allow Ban On Abortion Pill To Go Forward
A group of 69 Republican members of Congress filed a brief urging an appeals court to uphold the decision of a federal judge in Texas last week that would halt the prescription of a widely used abortion pill, after over 200 congressional Democrats lobbied for a reversal of the ruling. The House Republicans that signed on were led by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and included the likes of Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.). They argued that the federal government approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, which has been approved for over 20 years, is “unlawful.” (Neukam, 4/11)

The Hill: 240 Democrats Ask Appeals Court To Block Texas Judge’s Abortion Pill Ruling 
Two hundred and forty Democratic members of Congress are asking an appeals court to block a Texas judge’s ruling last week that will halt the prescription and distribution of mifepristone, a widely used pill for abortions and managing early miscarriages. The lawmakers — 50 senators and 190 House members — signed onto an amicus brief that was submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday backing the Biden administration’s appeal of last week’s ruling. (Schnell, 4/11)

The Hill: Can The FDA Just Ignore The Texas Abortion Pill Ruling? Some Lawmakers Think So 
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) have called for the FDA to ignore the opinion from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspending the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. Federal officials have so far been cool to the suggestion; an official at Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Monday it would set a “dangerous precedent.” However, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has said all options remain on the table as the Biden administration seeks to protect access to standard abortion care. (Choi, 4/11)

AP: New York Latest State To Stockpile Abortion-Inducing Pills
New York joined other Democratic-led states Tuesday in stockpiling abortion pills in response to a Texas court ruling that could limit access to the commonly used drug. At the governor’s direction, the state Department of Health will begin purchasing 150,000 doses of misoprostol, one of two commonly used abortion-inducing drugs, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced. (Khan, 4/11)

AP: Pending Abortion Ban Can’t Be Prevented, Montana Judge Rules
A bill to restrict abortions in Montana will become law — at least temporarily — if the governor signs it, a judge ruled. Monday’s ruling denies a request by abortion rights advocates to preemptively block legislation that would ban the abortion method most commonly used in the second trimester. District Court Judge Kathy Seeley said the request by Planned Parenthood of Montana was made before the bill became law, so there is nothing to block. (4/11)

AP: Indiana Birth Control Bills Move With Abortion Ban In Flux 
Indiana residents could have over-the-counter birth control access under a bill state lawmakers sent to the governor Tuesday, a move proponents say will prevent unwanted pregnancies in a state that passed an abortion ban last summer. The state House bill is key to providing women quicker access to contraceptives, bill sponsor Republican Sen. Sue Glick said Tuesday, especially in areas where they struggle to receive primary care. (Rodgers, 4/11)

AP: Florida Fight Over 'Baby Boxes' Part Of Bigger Culture War 
Safe Haven Baby Boxes and A Safe Haven for Newborns are two charities with similar names and the same goal: providing distressed mothers with a safe place to surrender their unwanted newborns instead of dumping them in trash cans or along roadsides. But a fight between the two is brewing in the Florida Senate. An existing state law, supported and promoted by the Miami-based A Safe Haven, allows parents to surrender newborns to firefighters and hospital workers without giving their names. A new bill, supported by the Indiana-based Safe Haven Baby Boxes, would give fire stations and hospitals the option to install the group’s ventilated and climate-controlled boxes, where parents could drop off their babies without interacting with fire or hospital employees. (Spencer, 4/11)

NBC News: Biden’s Drug Czar Declares Fentanyl Laced With Animal Tranquilizer An ‘Emerging Threat’ Facing U.S.
President Joe Biden’s drug czar on Wednesday declared that fentanyl mixed with xylazine, an animal tranquilizer known as “tranq” that has been linked to a rising number of overdose deaths across the U.S., represents an “emerging threat” facing the nation. The declaration from Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, requires the Biden administration to develop a federal plan to address the crisis. (Arkin, 4/12)

Stat: EPA Proposes Limits On Carcinogenic Gas Used To Sterilize Medical Devices
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on the use of a carcinogenic gas called ethylene oxide. The hope is to reduce ethylene oxide emissions by 80%, which the agency said is part of the Biden administration’s Cancer Moonshot and its “commitment to securing environmental justice and protecting public health.” (Trang and Lawrence, 4/11)

ABC News: Workplaces Are The Most Common Mass Shooting Sites, Data Shows 
The Violence Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that's funded by the National Institute of Justice, has found the current or former workplaces of perpetrators were the most common sites for mass shootings, which the organization defines as four or more people killed by a firearm. "Most of the shooters had been fired," the organization said. ... The second most common location for mass shootings was at retail locations, which represented 16.9% of all recorded mass shootings, and the third most common location was restaurants and bars, which represented 13.4% of all recorded mass shootings, according to the Violence Project. (Pereira, 4/11)

New York Post: Louisville Shooter Connor Sturgeon Was Star Athlete But Suffered 'Multiple Concussions'
The man suspected of killing five and injuring eight at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, was a star athlete in high school who allegedly suffered so many concussions, he wore a helmet at basketball games. (Reyes, 4/10)

The New York Times: Gunman In Louisville Bank Shooting Bought Rifle Legally And Left Note 
The 25-year-old man who opened fire on Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville, killing five people, told at least one person that he was suicidal before the rampage and legally purchased the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting at a local dealership last week, officials said on Tuesday. “We know he left a note,” Representative Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat whose district includes Louisville, said of the gunman at a news conference. “We know he texted or called at least one person to let them know he was suicidal and contemplating harm.” (Williams, Bogel-Burroughs and Arango, 4/11)

The Hill: Louisville Doctor Pleads For Policy Makers To ‘Do Something’ On Gun Violence
A Louisville doctor involved in treating the injured victims of a mass shooting that killed five people at a bank on Monday pleaded for policy makers to take action on gun violence. “To everyone who helps makes policy … I would simply ask you to do something. Because doing nothing, which is what we have been doing, is not working,” said University of Louisville Hospital Chief Medical Officer Jason Smith at a press conference. ... “For 15 years I’ve cared for victims of violence and gunshot wounds. And people say ‘I’m tired,’ but ... it’s more than tired. I’m weary,” Smith said. “There’s only so many times you can walk into a room and tell someone they’re not coming home tomorrow.” (Mueller, 4/11)

The Washington Post: Louisville Mayor Rebukes Ky. Law Requiring Shooting Weapon To Be Auctioned
Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) told viewers during a news conference Tuesday that the firearm that was used to kill five people and injure eight in Louisville on Monday will ultimately be put up for auction. ... Greenberg explained that a law the state passed in 1998 prohibits law enforcement from destroying confiscated firearms — even when they have been used in crimes. “The laws we have now are enabling violence and murder,” added Greenberg, who himself survived a shooting at his campaign office in February 2022. (Melnick, 4/12)

The Washington Post: Tennessee Governor Signs Order Aimed At Strengthening Background Checks 
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) on Tuesday signed an executive order attempting to strengthen the state’s background checks for gun purchases. He also called on state lawmakers to pass what are known as red flag laws that would temporarily remove guns from people deemed dangerous. Lee’s announcement comes two weeks after six people, including three children, were killed at a private Christian school in Nashville, setting off statewide protests and calls for gun reform. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 4/11)

AP: Free COVID Testing Will Fade With US Health Emergency In May 
When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends in the U.S. next month, you’ll still have access to a multitude of tests but with one big difference: Who pays for them. For the first time, you may have to pick up some or all of the costs, depending on insurance coverage and whether the tests are done at home or in a doctor’s office. But there’s still time to get some free tests before the May 11 change, and there could still be free ones available afterward. (Perrone, 4/11)

CIDRAP: Traditional Values Closely Linked To Following COVID-19 Precautions, Except In US
A new study from researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles shows the US population's response to COVID-19 precautions stood in sharp contrast to other countries. Worldwide, people who professed to have more traditional or socially conservative values were more likely to adhere to COVID-19 recommendations, but in the United States people with those values were more likely to dismiss such recommendations. (Soucheray, 4/11)

The Washington Post: After A Pandemic Lull, Strep Cases Are Bad Again. Here’s What To Know.
Even as the winter’s respiratory virus season fades, strep throat infections remain high, and in some cases pediatric formulations of some antibiotics are in short supply. We spoke to infectious-disease experts to answer common questions about strep, its symptoms and the antibiotic shortages affecting some parts of the country. (Amenabar and Bever, 4/11)

AP: New Mexico Marks 1st Child Death Of The State's Flu Season
New Mexico health officials are reporting the first pediatric death during the state’s current flu season. The state Department of Health announced Tuesday that a 2-year-old Otero County girl died from a flu-related illness. There have been over 230 pneumonia and flu-related deaths in New Mexico since last fall. (4/11)

AP: Moderna Says Potential Flu Vaccine Needs More Study
Moderna shares slipped Tuesday morning after the COVID-19 vaccine developer said its potential flu vaccine needs more study in a late-stage clinical trial. The company said an independent data and safety monitory board found that the potential vaccine “did not meet the statistical threshold necessary to declare early success” in the study. The board recommended that the trial should continue. (4/11)

Reuters: China Records World's First Human Death From H3N8 Bird Flu, WHO Says
A Chinese woman has become the first person to die from a type of bird flu that is rare in humans, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, but the strain does not appear to spread between people. The 56-year-old woman from the southern province of Guangdong was the third person known to have been infected with the H3N8 subtype of avian influenza, the WHO said in a statement late on Tuesday. (4/12)

ABC News: Syphilis Cases At Highest Levels In 70 Years In Alarming Trend
The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States shows "no signs of slowing," new federal data shows. A total of 2.53 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were recorded in 2021, according to a new report published Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's a 5.8% increase from the 2.39 million cases reported in 2020 and a 7% increase from five years ago when 2.37 million STIs were recorded in 2017. (Kekatos, 4/11)

AP: STDs Are On The Rise. This Morning-After-Style Pill May Help 
U.S. health officials released data Tuesday showing how chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases have been accelerating, but doctors are hoping an old drug will help fight the sexually transmitted infections. Experts believe STDs have been rising because of declining condom use, inadequate sex education and reduced testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Stobbe, 4/11)

The New York Times: U.S. News Releases New Rankings For Top Law And Medical Schools, Despite A Boycott 
U.S. News & World Report issued new rankings on Tuesday for the nation’s Top 14 law schools and Top 15 medical schools, just months after many of the schools dropped out of the rankings, saying they were unreliable and unfair. Although U.S. News said it was addressing some of the criticism with new methodology, the outcomes remained strikingly similar. Yale Law School, which ignited the exodus when it dropped out in November, kept its No. 1 status, though it is now tied with Stanford, which was previously No. 2. (Hartocollis, 4/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Former Outcome Health Executives Found Guilty Of Fraud 
A federal jury convicted three former executives of the once-highflying startup Outcome Health on several charges that they ran a billion-dollar scheme that defrauded customers including major pharmaceutical companies such as Novo Nordisk A/S as well as investors including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The verdict caps the fall of an executive team led by Rishi Shah, who was close to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and a budding star in Democratic circles before fraud was revealed in a Wall Street Journal article in 2017. Chicago’s then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared at a company press conference “as Outcome goes, so goes Chicago.” (Winkler, Keilman and Thomas, 4/11)

The New York Times: The Diabetes Drug That Could Overshadow Ozempic
Some research has found that Mounjaro may be even more powerful than either Ozempic or Wegovy. One major study comparing these drugs found that taking tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, led to sharper reductions in blood sugar levels and greater weight loss than the other drugs. However, that study compared different doses of semaglutide and tirzepatide, making it tricky to determine how these medications stack up head-to-head, said Dr. Dean Schillinger, a professor of medicine and diabetes expert at the University of California, San Francisco. It was also sponsored by Eli Lilly, the company that manufactures Mounjaro. (Blum, 4/11)

NBC News: Promising New AI Can Detect Early Signs Of Lung Cancer That Doctors Can't See
Researchers in Boston are on the verge of what they say is a major advancement in lung cancer screening: Artificial intelligence that can detect early signs of the disease years before doctors would find it on a CT scan. The new AI tool, called Sybil, was developed by scientists at the Mass General Cancer Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. In one study, it was shown to accurately predict whether a person will develop lung cancer in the next year 86% to 94% of the time. (Lovelace Jr., Torres, Kopf, Martin, 4/11)

Stat: How Many? One-Third Of Late-Stage Trials Testing Multiple Sclerosis Drugs Were Never Published
The results from more than one-third of late-stage clinical trials that tested multiple sclerosis drugs were never published in peer-reviewed journals — and studies with negative or inconclusive findings were more likely to remain unpublished, according to a new analysis. (Silverman, 4/11)

The Washington Post: New Food Safety Law Endangers Kids With Sesame Allergies, Parents Say 
On Jan. 1, a law intended to safeguard the more than 1.5 million Americans with a sesame allergy — including the McDermott and Tibbs children (and, full disclosure, my son as well) — took effect. The law mandates, among other things, careful cleaning to prevent cross-contact between food products with and without sesame. In a twist few would have expected, however, many food companies have chosen to add small amounts of sesame flour to products that were previously sesame-free, instead of conducting the careful cleaning required for foods without sesame. (Weese, 4/11)

AP: Kansas To Raise Age To Buy Tobacco To 21 Starting July 1
Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill Tuesday that will require Kansans to be 21 or older to legally buy tobacco products, starting July 1. The current age to buy cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and tobacco products is 18. (4/11)

The Hill: North Dakota Governor Signs Bill Restricting Transgender Women In School Sports
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed into law two bills that ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports in K-12 school and college in the state, putting it on a growing list of Republican-led states that have taken similar action. (Neukam, 4/11)

AP: Officials: Mississippi Getting Designated Burn Center Again 
After the October closure of Mississippi’s only accredited burn center threatened to upend access to care, the state’s next designated burn center will be housed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, the state Department of Health announced Tuesday. (4/11)

AP: NH To Distribute More Than 700 Overdose Reversal Kits 
New Hampshire is planning to distribute more than 700 drug overdose reversal kits in various public locations throughout the state. The “NaloxBoxes” provide access to naloxone, medication approved to reverse opioid overdoses. Any business or community entity is eligible to request a NaloxBox unit to install in an accessible and highly visible area, the state Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release on Tuesday. (4/11)

The Washington Post: After Age 60, 10,000 Steps Might No Longer Be The Right Fitness Goal 
Perhaps you’ve heard that you should take 10,000 steps every day for your health. But that’s not actually a hard-and-fast rule. Research is finding that you might be able to take fewer steps as you age and still get serious benefits. If you’re over age 60, for example, you might be able to cut a 10,000-step goal by almost half and stay healthy. “There is no single magic number,” says Amanda Paluch, a physical activity researcher and assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. (Stanten, 4/10)

The New York Times: Defibrillators Can Save A Life, But Almost Nobody Has One At Home 
But emergency medicine specialists are divided on whether it makes sense for anyone to buy one. For one, there is the expense — the devices often cost more than $1,000, making them far less affordable to the average person than home medical devices like a blood pressure monitor or a pulse oximeter. While there are efforts to develop cheaper A.E.D.s, they are still underway, according to Monica Sales, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. The price is not the only thing that gives some specialists pause. The odds are so stacked against a dramatic save that it has proved impossible to show that personal A.E.D.’s make a difference. (Kolata, 4/11)