Reuters: Biden Administration Seeks To Toughen School Nutrition Standards
School meals for millions of children in the United States would include less sugar, more whole grains, and lower sodium under new standards proposed by the Biden administration on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the updated standards, to be rolled out over the next several years, were essential to tackling health concerns like childhood obesity. "This is a national security imperative. It’s a healthcare imperative for our children. It’s an equity issue. It’s an educational achievement issue. And it’s an economic competitiveness issue," he said in a livestreamed event announcing the standards. (Douglas, 2/3)

The Washington Post: USDA Announces Rigorous New School Nutrition Standards
The new rules, which will be rolled out gradually over the next few years, will limit added sugars, including in flavored milks. Previously, there was no federal standard for how much sugar could be included in school meals. The rules will also further reduce the allowable amounts of sodium, and emphasize whole grains. (Reiley, 2/3)

AP: New Rules Would Limit Sugar In School Meals For First Time
The proposal also would reduce sodium in school meals by 30% by the fall of 2029. They would gradually be reduced to align with federal guidelines, which recommend Americans aged 14 and older limit sodium to about 2,300 milligrams a day, with less for younger children. Levels would drop, for instance, from an average of about 1,280 milligrams of sodium allowed now per lunch for kids in grades 9 to 12 to about 935 milligrams. For comparison, a typical turkey sandwich with mustard and cheese might contain 1,500 milligrams of sodium. (Aleccia, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Fears Mount Around ‘Catastrophic’ Abortion Pills Case As Decision Nears 
Abortion rights advocates delivered a stark warning to the Biden administration’s top health official in a private meeting last week: It’s time to take seriously “fringe” threats that could wind up blocking abortion access across the country. Driving their anxiety is a Texas lawsuit brought by conservative groups seeking to revoke the decades-old government approval of a key abortion drug, mifepristone. ... The case was filed in Amarillo, where U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, nominated by President Donald Trump and known for his conservative views on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, could rule as early as this week. An appeal would land in the right-leaning Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, ultimately presenting the Supreme Court with another major abortion case less than a year after its conservative majority retracted the constitutional right to abortion. (Kitchener and Stein, 2/5)

Vox: Abortion Pills Post-Roe: How Doctors Are Helping Women Have Abortions 
Linda Prine is a family physician and the co-founder of the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline, which counsels women who want to use medication to self-manage their abortions. For women who need abortions in the states where the procedure is fully or partially banned, the medication, mifepristone and misoprostol, is often the best chance they have at receiving abortion care, particularly if they are unable to travel. In 2020, the last year for which full data is available, medication abortions accounted for more than half of all abortions in the United States. While the FDA recently authorized pharmacies to carry the pills, and patients to receive the medication by mail, online pharmacies in the US still won’t sell or ship to states where self-managed abortion is illegal — meaning patients are often relying on overseas providers, which can take weeks. (Cogan and Chamberlin, 2/6)

In other news about abortion rights —

AP: US States Take Control Of Abortion Debate With Funding Focus 
Though the Insight Women’s Center sits at the epicenter of a reinvigorated battle in the nation’s culture wars, the only hint of its faith-based mission to dissuade people from getting abortions is the jazzy, piano rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” playing in a waiting room. The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature is considering allocating millions of dollars in state funds to similar anti-abortion centers that persuade people to bring their pregnancies to term by offering free pregnancy tests and sonograms, as well as counseling and parenting classes taught by volunteers. They’re also considering offering millions more in income tax credits for donors supporting what they call “crisis pregnancy centers.” (Hanna and Mulvihill, 2/5)

Seattle Times: Anti-Abortion Group To Pay Planned Parenthood $960K For Noise Violations 
An anti-abortion group must pay about $960,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho to cover legal fees and a fine for protests that interfered with patient care. The Church at Planned Parenthood was ordered to pay $110,000 in civil damages to Planned Parenthood last month after a Spokane County judge ruled that the group interfered with patient care, violating state law. (Epperly, 2/5)

Des Moines Register: Gov. Kim Reynolds' Iowa Health Care Bill Explained In 60 Seconds
There's a lot to unpack in Gov. Kim Reynolds' wide-ranging health care bill, including several items she highlighted in her Condition of the State address last month. The 44 pages of House Study Bill 91 would: Provide $2 million to pregnancy resource centers that counsel against abortion, and add programming for fathers. (Gruber-Miller, 2/2)

Los Angeles Times: While COVID Raged, Another Deadly Threat Was On The Rise
As COVID-19 began to rip through California, hospitals were deluged with sickened patients. Medical staff struggled to manage the onslaught. Amid the new threat of the coronavirus, an old one was also quietly on the rise: More people have suffered severe sepsis in California hospitals in recent years — including a troubling surge in patients who got sepsis inside the hospital itself, state data show. (Alpert Reyes, 2/5)

More on the spread of covid —

CIDRAP: COVID And Flu Markers Continue Downward Trends
After a modest holiday bump for COVID-19 and an early surge for flu, levels of both illnesses continue to fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in separate reports. Proportions of the more transmissible Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant continue to rise, and the CDC estimates that it now makes up 66.4% of new cases, up from about 60% the previous week. The proportion of XBB.1.5 is rising in all parts of the country but is dominant across the eastern seaboard and in the south. All other Omicron lineages are declining, including CH.1, which appears to be partly fueling upward COVID-19 levels in the United Kingdom. (Schnirring, 2/3)

ABC News: 'I Felt Powerless': Black Americans Suffering From Long COVID Say They Have Trouble Accessing Care
Throughout the pandemic, Black Americans have made up a disproportionate share of cases, hospitalizations and deaths compared to any other racial or ethnic group. Now, doctors and advocates are warning the Black community is facing another barrier: access to long COVID care. (Kekatos, 2/6)

In updates on the covid vaccine rollout —

AP: California Won't Require COVID Vaccine To Attend Schools
Children in California won’t have to get the coronavirus vaccine to attend schools, state public health officials confirmed Friday, ending one of the last major restrictions of the pandemic in the nation’s most populous state. Gov. Gavin Newsom first announced the policy in 2021, saying it would eventually apply to all of California’s 6.7 million public and private schoolchildren. (Beam, 2/3)

Reuters: U.S. House Plans Vote To End Foreign Air Traveler COVID Vaccine Mandate 
The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a bill that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Friday. The Biden administration in June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the country by air must test negative for COVID-19 but has not lifted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements. (Shepardson, 2/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: U.S. Could Run Out Of Free Vaccines And Treatments By Summer, White House Says
The Biden administration has repeatedly said the federal government would continue to make vaccines and treatments available to Americans at no cost once the COVID-19 public health emergency expires on May 11 — at least while the current supply lasts. But those supplies could run out as early as this summer, the White House’s COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told Dr. Bob Wachter in a webinar hosted by UCSF. (Vaziri, 2/3)

AP: 'Died Suddenly' Posts Twist Tragedies To Push Vaccine Lies 
Results from 6-year-old Anastasia Weaver’s autopsy may take weeks. But online anti-vaccine activists needed only hours after her funeral this week to baselessly blame the COVID-19 vaccine. A prolific Twitter account posted Anastasia’s name and smiling dance portrait in a tweet with a syringe emoji. A Facebook user messaged her mother, Jessica Day-Weaver, to call her a “murderer” for having her child vaccinated. In reality, the Ohio kindergartner had experienced lifelong health problems since her premature birth, including epilepsy, asthma and frequent hospitalizations with respiratory viruses. ... But those facts didn’t matter online, where Anastasia was swiftly added to a growing list of hundreds of children, teens, athletes and celebrities whose unexpected deaths and injuries have been incorrectly blamed on COVID-19 shots. Using the hashtag #diedsuddenly, online conspiracy theorists have flooded social media with news reports, obituaries and GoFundMe pages in recent months, leaving grieving families to wrestle with the lies. (Swenson and Fichera, 2/4)

On flu and RSV —

The Denver Post: “Huge Jump” In Pregnant Women Hospitalized With Flu May Be Due To Lagging Vaccinations
Pregnant women may be at higher risk from the flu this season, but it appears to have more to do with falling vaccination rates than with the virus itself. Dr. Michelle Barron, senior director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth, said about half of the system’s female patients between the ages of 18 and 44 have been pregnant so far this year. During the 2019-2020 flu season — the last normal one before the pandemic — only about 17% were, which is more typical, she said. (Wingerter, 2/3)

KHN: A Technicality Could Keep RSV Shots From Kids In Need 
After more than five decades of trying, the drug industry is on the verge of providing effective immunizations against the respiratory syncytial virus, which has put an estimated 90,000 U.S. infants and small children in the hospital since the start of October. But only one of the shots is designed to be given to babies, and a glitch in congressional language may make it difficult to allow children from low-income families to get it as readily as the well-insured. (Allen, 2/6)

AP: Court Throws Out Wyoming Doctor's Pill Convictions 
A federal appeals court on Friday threw out the convictions of a doctor accused of overprescribing powerful pain medication and ordered a new trial for him. The Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case of Shakeel Kahn, who worked in both Arizona and Wyoming, hinged on the instructions given to jurors during his trial and came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of him and another doctor convicted in Alabama in a case stemming from the nation’s opioid addiction crisis. In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the government needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that doctors accused of overprescribing medication intended to act without authorization and sent Kahn’s case back to the 10th Circuit, which previously had upheld his conviction. (2/3)

More on the opioid crisis —

CNN: American Pain: Twin Brothers Ran A Massive Painkiller Ring In Florida That Was Linked To Thousands Of Deaths, The FBI Says 
Throngs of people hang outside the American Pain clinic in Boca Raton, Florida, waiting their turn. Inside, a doctor greets them one by one and prescribes them pain medication, a handgun peeking out from under his white coat. American Pain is a one-stop shop, supplying both prescriptions and painkillers. At the door, a hulking bouncer warns people not to snort their pills in the parking lot. That would attract the kind of attention that the clinic’s owners, twin brothers Chris and Jeff George, are trying to avoid. (Karimi, 2/3)

AP: Maine Sets Another Record For Overdose Deaths, Report Says 
More than 700 people died from drug overdoses last year in Maine, setting the third straight record, officials said. A report by the attorney general’s office Thursday notes there were 716 suspected or confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2022, compared to 636 deaths the year before and 504 deaths in 2020. (2/3)

Anchorage Daily News: ‘It’s So Vital’: New Mat-Su Facility Adds Detox Beds In A State With Few Options For Residential Addiction Treatment
More than five years ago, on the day her son died of a heroin overdose, Karen Malcolm-Smith vowed to help create a place where Alaskans suffering from addiction could get help when they need it most — when they’re ready to embark on the often physically and emotionally grueling process of drug detoxification. (Berman, 2/5)

The Washington Post: To Curb Drug Deaths, Communities Turn To Reddit, Texts And Wastewater 
When New York City’s overdose prevention center detects an unusually potent bag of illegal fentanyl, it quickly sends out a “bad batch alert” on the “canary network” to warn other drug users of the urgent danger. Staffers walk drug user encampments in East Harlem, Washington Heights and the South Bronx to spread the news. Word goes out on social media. The city’s health department is notified, along with other organizations. ... OnPoint NYC’s approach is one of many attempts to warn large numbers of users about the imminent threat of fatal overdoses from the opioid fentanyl and other drugs laced with it. (Bernstein and Kornfield, 2/5)

The Boston Globe: Tackling The Opioid Crisis From Within The Construction Industry 
Accidental overdoses have been on the rise in Rhode Island, where data around the opioid epidemic has been trending in the wrong direction for the last several years. Andrew Cortés, the founder and executive director of Building Futures Rhode Island, sees the toll addictive opioids like carfentanil and fentanyl are taking on the construction industry. In fact, one of every five opioid-related deaths were found in construction workers. (Gagosz, 2/6)

WTOP: How To Rescue Loved Ones From A Deadly Opioid Overdose
In the case of an opioid overdose, one of the best emergency treatments you can get a hold of is naloxone, also known as Narcan. It is designed as an opioid antagonist, which means it can reverse and block the effects of other opioids in the victim’s body. The NIH says Narcan “should be given to any person who shows signs of an opioid overdose or when an overdose is suspected.” “It’s a very safe, very effective medication,” said Lovitt Atwood. “You can’t overdose on it. It’s not addictive, you can use it on adults and kids. It’s safer than Tylenol.” (Lukert, 2/5)

On Narcan in schools —

Politico: Teen Overdose Deaths Lead California Schools To Stock Reversal Drug 
With overdoses near record highs because of the prevalence of fentanyl, Gov. Gavin Newsom called in his recent budget proposal for $3.5 million to supply middle and high schools with naloxone — even as a potential deficit looms and some programs face cuts.“ ... The second-largest school district in the country isn’t waiting. Los Angeles Unified placed naloxone in each of its schools last fall. And Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced this week that the district will allow students to carry the overdose antidote to stem the “devastating epidemic” brought on by fentanyl. (Jones, 2/5)

CBS News: New York City Public Schools Aren't Stocked With Narcan, Officials Say, Despite Spike In Youth Opioid Overdoses 
According to the New York City health department, 72 people ages 15-24 died from opioids in 2021, compared to 94 in 2020. Narcan is a prescription medication that is used to reverse an opioid overdose -- health officials say it can restore breathing -- but CBS2 News has learned New York City Public Schools, which has over 540 high schools, doesn't have Narcan in any of its buildings, nor is staff trained on how to use the life-saving tool should a child need it. A spokesperson told us, "Narcan is not stocked in schools, but staff is permitted to carry and administer the medication if they have training. In case of a suspected overdose, 911 is called." (Bisram, 2/6)

AP: Feds Say Cyberattack Caused Suicide Helpline's Outage
A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation’s new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials told The Associated Press Friday. Lawmakers are now calling for the federal agency that oversees the program to prevent future attacks. “On December 1, the voice calling functionality of the 988 Lifeline was rendered unavailable as a result of a cybersecurity incident,” Danielle Bennett, a spokeswoman for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said in an email. (Seitz, 2/3)

Houston Chronicle: Houston 988 Crisis Hotline Center Answers Nearly Half Of State's Calls
Calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline have surged in Texas and the United States since its launch last summer, highlighting the demand for mental health services in the wake of the pandemic and the related workforce challenges. (Bauman, 2/3)

In related news about cyberterrorism —

Health News Florida: IT 'Security Event' At Tallahassee Memorial Postpones Procedures And Diverts EMS Patients 
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare has canceled elective surgeries through Monday and diverted some emergency patients as it continues to work through an online IT “security event.” The health system said the issue began affecting its systems late Thursday and forced the hospital to shut down its IT network. After that, nonemergency procedures were halted and EMS diversions began. (2/6)

On billing and finances —

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Lawmakers Try To Force Hospitals To Lower Prices
Indiana lawmakers are pursuing measures to lower health care costs by empowering competition in a marketplace dominated by huge hospital conglomerates. Their ideas include making certain processes more efficient and, most significantly, imposing penalties if hospitals don't bring prices down in line with national averages. (Dwyer, 2/6)

Axios: Only A Quarter Of Hospitals In Full Compliance With Transparency Rule, Per Report
Only a quarter of hospitals studied were fully compliant with a federal price transparency rule, according to a new report by Patient Rights Advocate — but compliance is a spectrum. The findings come as Congress has expressed bipartisan concern over compliance with the Trump administration rule and potential interest in legislating on the topic. (Owens, 2/6)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna 2022 Profits Swelled Thanks To Evernorth Subsidiary
The growth of Cigna’s healthcare services subsidiary helped fuel a 24% increase in net income to $6.7 billion last year, the health insurance reported Friday. Revenue rose 4% to $180.5 billion in 2022, according to Cigna's financial report. The company's Evernorth operations, which include pharmacy benefit management, specialty pharmacy and care delivery, generated $140.3 billion last year, a 6% improvement over 2021. (Kacik, 2/3)

AP: Mississippi Weighs Easing Restrictions On Public Hospitals 
The Mississippi Senate voted Friday to ease some restrictions on community-owned hospitals by letting them consolidate or collaborate with health care facilities outside their current service areas. Republican Sen. Joey Fillingane, of Sumrall, said the bill is an effort to maintain access to health care in a state where several hospitals face financial difficulties because they serve large numbers of uninsured patients. “There’s all sorts of barriers that we’re trying to eliminate to allow these hospitals to have as much flexibility as they can in order survive and thrive,” Fillingane said. (Pettus, 2/3)

Fierce Healthcare: Should There Be More Public Benefit Corporations In Healthcare?
Health tech unicorn Aledade recently announced that it made the strategic decision to become a public benefit corporation (PBC). The company joins just a handful of others in healthcare that are structured this way. So what exactly is a PBC, and why does it matter? (Landi, 2/3)

More health care industry news —

Philadelphia Inquirer: U.S. News Best Medical School Rankings Debated As Penn, Harvard And Other Elite Schools Drop Out
When Glenn N. Cummings met with Bryn Mawr College students recently to discuss preparing for the medical school admission exam, he casually mentioned some news that stopped the meeting cold. Top-ranked Harvard had just announced it would no longer participate in the annual rankings of the best medical schools by U.S. News & World Report. (Avril, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: Is Virtual Reality Healthcare? Here's What's Preventing Adoption
Kids undergoing a bone-setting procedure scuba dive with brightly colored fish while physicians complete their work. Residents of a skilled nursing facility use a headset to guide their physical therapy exercises. It’s not science fiction or a video game: Healthcare organizations are increasingly turning to virtual reality to complement care. (Turner, 2/6)

Modern Healthcare: Post-Acute Care Providers Use Technology To Save Time, Fight Burnout
Six years ago, clinicians at Vitas Healthcare were struggling. The organization, which operates 49 hospice programs in 14 states, was maintaining information about patient care manually. Because about 80% of the company’s end-of-life services are delivered in the home, staff members were carrying overflowing binders, paper planners and weekly schedules from site to site. Any patient condition changes or schedule updates had to be called in, often several times a day. (Devereaux, 2/6)

Axios: Health Experts Want FDA Safety Review Of Fast-Tracked Alzheimer's Drug
Doctors and scientists are urging the Food and Drug Administration to convene an expert panel to review safety concerns around an Alzheimer's drug that won fast-track approval in January. It's the latest concern over whether the FDA is cutting corners evaluating Alzheimer's drugs, prompted by its controversial 2021 approval of Biogen's Aduhelm, which came over the objections of an advisory panel and without evidence the drug actually slowed the decline of memory and brain function. (Gonzalez, 2/6)

Fox News: First Drug Proven To Slow Alzheimer's Won't Be Available To Most Patients For Several Months
The first drug proven to slow Alzheimer’s is on sale, but most U.S. patients will not be able to receive the treatment for several months. Experts say some reasons behind the slow debut for Leqembi, from Japanese drugmaker Eisai, are minimal insurance coverage and many health systems requiring a setup that takes a long time. (Mion, 2/6)

In other pharmaceutical news —

The Boston Globe: A Pill For Postpartum Depression Is On The Horizon
Stephanie Hathaway knows the agony of postpartum depression all too well, having been tormented by intrusive suicidal thoughts after each of her two daughters were born. Both bouts were excruciating, but the second, in 2017, was unremitting. (Cross and Saltzman, 2/4)

NBC News: Women Suing J&J Speak Out After Company's Failed Legal Maneuver
Plaintiff Deborah Smith’s case was held up for 15 months because of the attempted maneuver, a legal strategy colloquially known as the Texas Two-Step. J&J’s approach relied on the creation of a subsidiary called LTL Management that could take on the liability for talc-related legal claims. Within days of its creation in 2021, LTL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (Bendix and Wile, 2/4)

Fortune: Cancer Vaccines Are Already A Reality—But Your Doctor Might Not Tell You About Them Unless You Ask
Doctors don’t always offer cancer-preventing or cancer-treating vaccines to patients—due to lack of knowledge, or bias against certain racial, gender, or age groups. “Patients need to advocate for themselves,” says Dr. Nina Bhardwaj, director of immunotherapy at the Vaccine and Cell Therapy Laboratory and co-director of the Cancer Immunology Program at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. (Prater, 2/4)

NBC News: At-Home Brain Stimulation: Brain Zapping Devices To Improve Focus Grow In Popularity
In 2021, Craig Gibbons was diagnosed with Lyme disease. His doctor prescribed him antibiotics, but the medication failed to eliminate one of his most debilitating symptoms: a lasting brain fog that made it difficult for him to focus or recall information. So he went with a different approach: at-home brain stimulation. (Lovelace Jr., 2/4)

The Boston Globe: Why You Can’t Get In To See Your Primary Care Doctor. ‘It’s Almost Frightening.’
Across Massachusetts, people have been struggling to make appointments with primary care physicians, with doctors saying demand is higher than ever at a time when an increasing number of providers are leaving the field. The problems are further straining the state’s health care system, potentially leaving patients sicker and in need of more intensive care down the road. (Bartlett, 2/5)

Wyoming Public Radio: Physician Recruitment And Retainment Is Already A Problem In The State But Some Bills Could Make That Even Worse
Doctors have always been hard to find and keep in a rural state like Wyoming. So the state created incentives like WWAMI (which stands for the states served by the UW School of Medicine: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) to try to get Wyomingites to come back and practice in their home state after medical school. The program has been successful but recent bills going through the legislature are causing some of those in the program to decide not to come back and help fill the physician gap. (Kudelska, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: Jobs Report: Healthcare Jobs Trends In 4 Charts 
With hiring levels consistently on the rise, the outlook for employment in healthcare is brighter than some other industries. Some sectors of the industry, however, continue to be plagued by staffing shortages and trouble with recruitment. Since the pandemic hit, most areas in healthcare have averaged hiring growth annually, outweighing minor fluctuations month-to-month and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. (Devereaux and Broderick, 2/3)

Stat: After 'Losing My Life' Giving Care, A Writer Looks At The Caregiver Crisis
Laura Mauldin was immersed in Deaf culture from childhood — but she’s not deaf. She went to a school that happened to educate many deaf children, and so she grew up learning American Sign Language. That early experience was formative, and set her on a path to become a professor and writer in the field of disability studies. (Cueto, 2/6)

In other news about health care workers —

Bloomberg: Record UK Health Strike Piles Pressure On Stretched Service
Health care workers are walking out in record numbers this week, crippling the National Health Service and piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to resolve multiple disputes over pay for public-sector workers. (Pham and Akil Farhat, 2/6)

Stat: Why Did EMS Workers Fail Tyre Nichols?
By the time medics arrived, Tyre Nichols was sitting on the ground, handcuffed and propped against a police car. The 29-year-old’s face was bloody and he was groaning in pain. On Jan. 7, after pulling Nichols over for a traffic stop, Memphis police officers had tased him, pepper-sprayed him, punched him, kicked him in the head, and beaten him with a baton. He weighed about 150 pounds, according to his mother, and suffered from Crohn’s disease. Other than helping Nichols back up when he slumped over, the emergency medical technicians  who’d arrived on the scene barely engaged with him, according to police body camera footage of the incident. (Renault, 2/6)

NBC News: Trans Physician Uses Life Savings To Keep Clinic Open After Insurers Deny Reimbursements
Tiffany Najberg, a Louisiana doctor who is transgender, said three insurance companies refused to reimburse her since she legally changed her name nearly two years ago. (Yurcaba, 2/3)

In obituaries —

The Washington Post: Dennis O'Leary, Doctor Who Briefed Media After Reagan Shooting, Dies At 85 
Dennis O’Leary, a Washington hospital administrator who was thrust into the world spotlight in 1981 as the spokesman for medical teams treating President Ronald Reagan after he was shot by would-be assassin John W. Hinckley Jr., died Jan. 29 at a hospice center in Kansas City. He was 85. The cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease, his wife, Margaret, said. ... Over nearly two weeks, Dr. O’Leary was the public face of the world’s biggest news event. (Murphy, 2/2)

Reuters: Pope Francis Says Laws Criminalizing LGBT People Are A 'Sin' And An Injustice 
Pope Francis said on Sunday that laws criminalizing LGBT people are a sin and an injustice because God loves and accompanies people with same-sex attraction. ... "The criminalization of homosexuality is a problem that cannot be ignored," said Francis, who then cited unnamed statistics according to which 50 countries criminalize LGBT people "in one way or another" and about 10 others have laws including the death penalty for them. (Pullella, 2/6)

AP: Pope, Anglican, Presbyterian Leaders Denounce Anti-Gay Laws 
Pope Francis was backed by the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion and top Presbyterian minister in calling for gays to be welcomed by their churches as he again decried laws that criminalize homosexuality as unjust. The three Christian leaders spoke on LGBTQ rights during an unprecedented joint airborne news conference Sunday while returning home from South Sudan, where they took part in a three-day ecumenical pilgrimage to try to nudge forward the young country’s peace process. (Winfield, 2/6)

The Washington Post: Clergy Protest Legislation Targeting Transgender Children In Missouri 
Jewish and Christian clergy have taken an active role in protesting what one advocacy group has called the “most dangerous” session of the Missouri Legislature for the LGBTQ community it has seen in years. All told, Missouri lawmakers have introduced 27 bills that the American Civil Liberties Union has deemed anti-LGBTQ — more than any other state in the group’s database. (Miller, 2/4)

In mental health news —

The Wall Street Journal: More Money For Mental-Health Programs Gets Bipartisan Support In Many States 
Governors in at least a dozen states—including California, South Carolina, Ohio and Georgia—are pushing for more money for mental health.  ... The budget proposals seek to address the nationwide scarcity of mental-health workers, the mental-health needs in schools and growing demand for emergency services. They represent a rare bipartisan point of agreement for more government action and underscore how dire many think the problem has become. (Frosch, 2/5)

Bloomberg: TikTok, Instagram Blamed For Students' Mental Illness But It's Hard To Prove
About half of adolescents have had a mental health disorder at some point in their lives, and some school districts are putting at least part of the blame on social media companies that they say addict America’s youth. It won’t be easy to prove in court, but Seattle schools will try, having sued over the issue. (Lowenkron, 2/3)

In other health and wellness news —

CNN: More Than 400 Products Including Breakfast Sandwiches And Fruit Cups Recalled Due To Possible Listeria Contamination
More than 400 food products sold under dozens of brand names were recalled due to possible Listeria contamination, the US Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. The recall by Fresh Ideation Food Group LLC includes ready-to-eat sandwiches, salads, yogurts, wraps and other products sold in nine states and Washington, DC, from January 24 through January 30. (Salahieh, 2/6)

Fox News: Are You An Intermittent Faster? If So, Binge Eating Could Be In Your Future, New Study Suggests
Intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular weight-loss strategy over the past decade. Yet a new study from Texas A&M University published in the journal Appetite suggests that it could raise the risk of binge-eating and other food disorders. (Rudy, 2/3)

USA Today: Bird Flu H5N1 Virus Found In Mammals. What Does This Mean For Humans?
One of the world’s largest outbreaks of bird flu, which led to the slaughter of millions of chickens to limit its spread, appears to be spilling over into mammals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the avian influenza A virus has been detected in mammals such as skunks, bears, a raccoon and a red fox. (Rodriguez, 2/3)

AP: NFL Will Offer Free CPR Training During Super Bowl Week 
Inspired by the lifesaving medical attention Damar Hamlin received on the field during a game last month, the NFL and American Heart Association will provide free CPR education in Arizona throughout Super Bowl week as part of the NFL Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center. ... People who visit the mobile training unit will receive hands-only CPR training from experts and receive CPR information that can be shared in their communities. (Maaddi, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Ohio Train Derailment: Officials Urge People To Stay Away From Hazardous Scene 
Authorities warned Sunday night that a “major explosion” or toxic gas release could happen at the site of a train derailment in northeastern Ohio, ordering anyone within a mile to evacuate or face possible arrest. ... Because some cars were carrying hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride and phosgene, firefighters could not safely put out the blaze. By Sunday afternoon, investigators said the area remained a hot zone. (Salcedo and McDaniel, 2/5)

The New York Times: Train Derailment In Ohio Sparks Huge Fire And Prompts Evacuations
“Those with children in their homes who decline to evacuate may be subject to arrest,” Gov. Mike DeWine added. There were no reports of injuries or deaths, Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine, said at a news conference on Saturday. But 1,500 to 2,000 residents had been asked to evacuate the area near the derailment, officials said. (Medina, 2/4)

On Medicaid coverage —

AP: As Many As 80K Marylanders Could Lose Medicaid Eligibility
Maryland officials are preparing for as many as 80,000 residents who could no longer qualify for Medicaid coverage this spring, as the federal government reinstates a requirement that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic for states to verify the eligibility of recipients. Michele Eberle, the executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, said that beginning in May, the state can start ending Medicaid coverage for people who no longer qualify. Maryland, she added, is in a better position to reach people than many other states to either continue Medicaid coverage or move them into other health plans. (Witte, 2/5

Columbus Dispatch: Medicaid's Pandemic Benefits Are Ending: Here's What You Need To Know
For nearly 200,000 Ohioans, the end of the federal government's public health emergency for COVID-19 will likely mean the end of their Medicaid benefits. It's called an unwinding, and it basically means that a requirement for states to keep people continuously enrolled during the pandemic (even if their income changed) will come to an end on March 31. (Staver, 2/5)

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

AP: Legal Recreational Pot Sales Begin For Missouri Adults
Recreational marijuana sales in Missouri officially began Friday after the state health department unexpectedly began approving dispensary permits early. Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since a ballot measure passed in 2018, but voters went a step further this November by approving a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug for anyone 21 or older. The new law made Missouri the 21st state to allow recreational use. (Ballentine, 2/3)

NBC News: Washington Woman With Tuberculosis Refuses Treatment, Prompting Court Orders
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in Washington has obtained multiple court orders requiring a Tacoma resident to get treatment for her active tuberculosis, officials told NBC News on Friday. The woman has thus far refused to isolate or take the necessary medications, according to Nigel Turner, the department's division director of Communicable Disease Control. (Bendix, 2/4)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania Law Makes It Easier To Treat Sexually Transmitted Infections Like Chlamydia And Gonorrhea
The approach, called expedited partner therapy (EPT), allows a person with a diagnosed STD to ask a doctor for a prescription for a sex partner, and the doctor can fill that prescription without evaluating the partner, or even knowing that person’s name, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. A doctor can fill out a script addressed simply to “EPT,” and a pharmacist will fill it. The person the prescription is meant for can pick it up at a pharmacy anonymously or can have their partner pick it up. (Laughlin, 2/3)

Columbus Dispatch: Dispatch Investigation Shows Medical Board Failed On Sexual Misconduct
Operating in secret for decades, the State Medical Board of Ohio failed to properly investigate sexual misconduct cases, leaving serious abuse and even criminal behavior unaddressed, only sporadically referring it to law enforcement. (Smola Shaffer, Filby and Wagner, 2/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Hoped To Mandate Treatment For Up To 100 More Mentally Ill Homeless People. Years Later, No One Is In The Program
New data shows that a program in San Francisco to mandate more homeless people struggling with addiction and mental illness into treatment has largely failed, pointing to the city’s ongoing struggle to help thousands of people suffering on its streets. (Moench, 2/3)

The Baltimore Sun: Diverse Baltimore County ‘Village’ Helps Seniors Stay Safer, Healthier, While Still Living At Home 
An icy wind sweeps across the grounds of the busiest mosque in the Baltimore area, swirling up little patches of snow, but the atmosphere inside a ranch house on the 8-acre campus is as warm and friendly as a neighbor’s kitchen. The aroma of kofta, a curried meatball dish, fills a cozy front room. White-haired men surround a folding table to watch an impromptu game of chess, some standing, others sitting, speaking in an animated mix of Urdu, Punjabi and English. (Pitts, 2/6)

Side Effects Public Media: Evictions On The Rise In The Midwest Put Public Health At Risk
The trouble for Rolland Carroll started last fall. That’s when the 61-year-old said his apartment complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, informed him that his federal housing aid for his one-bedroom apartment had been reduced months ago. He owed more than $2,000 in back rent. “I was in shock,” Carroll said. “Like, how the heck could I owe this amount of money without you guys saying something months ago?” (Krebs, 2/2)

KHN: Why Two States Remain Holdouts On Distracted Driving Laws
He had lost a grandson to an overdose just hours before, but aiding stranded motorists was second nature to the 73-year-old retired school custodian, who remembered thousands of students’ names and regularly brought food pantry donations to a retirement community. “He always was there to help people,” said his son Bobby Herrick, who was in the car with him that night. Just moments later, a truck driver trying to text his wife a picture of the hand sanitizer he had purchased swerved onto the shoulder and plowed into the vehicles, according to court and crash records. (Berger, 2/6)

KHN: Journalists Probe Problems In Providing Care For Foster Kids And Propping Up Addiction Treatment 
KHN senior editor Andy Miller discussed the problems with Georgia’s foster care system on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers” on Jan. 26. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Bram Sable-Smith discussed Howard Buffett’s $30 million donation for a recovery center on KMOX’s “Total Information A.M.” on Jan. 25. (2/4)

Bloomberg: 'Last Of Us' Keeping You Up? Killer Fungi Like Cordyceps Explained
As the world gets warmer, fungi could adapt in a way that would make our bodies more welcoming hosts. “The question that I’m asked all the time is ‘Could a fungal disease emerge to cause a pandemic?’,” says Arturo Casadevall, a microbiologist and immunologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies how fungi cause disease. “The answer is: I don’t know. But there’s no reason that it can’t.” (Lisa Jarvis, 2/4)

The New York Times: Doctors Aren’t Burned Out From Overwork. We’re Demoralized By Our Health System
Doctors have long diagnosed many of our sickest patients with “demoralization syndrome,” a condition commonly associated with terminal illness that’s characterized by a sense of helplessness and loss of purpose. American physicians are now increasingly suffering from a similar condition, except our demoralization is not a reaction to a medical condition, but rather to the diseased systems for which we work. (Eric Reinhart, 2/5)

Stat: FDA: Base Blood Donation Policy On Science, Not Stigma
As a doctor, I have dedicated my life to saving the lives of others. But as a gay doctor, I have long been unable to do one simple thing that saves lives: donate blood. For more than 30 years, policies in the United States have banned gay and bisexual men from donating blood. That could change — ending decades of discrimination — if the Food and Drug Administration’s newly announced proposal for blood donation is made permanent. (Scott Jelinek, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Nurses Have Solutions To The Staffing Crisis, If Leaders Will Listen 
The nursing shortage is having a devastating impact on the nation’s fragile healthcare system. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted why nurses are critical to healthcare, but it’s also exposed a harsh reality—nurses are undervalued and undersupported. And the challenges they face are unprecedented. (Kate Judge, 2/6)

Stat: How Technology Can Improve Access To Mental Health Care
From telehealth and TikTok to artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the mental health care industry is embracing technology — but it’s making many clinicians uneasy. From concerns about the ethics of mental health influencers to the inaccuracy of mental health advice on TikTok and to complaints about teens misdiagnosing themselves, many experts are uncomfortable about the role technology is playing in mental health support. (Jessica Watrous, 2/6)

Columbus Dispatch: 'Doctors Have Our Ultimate Trust'. Ohio Must Stop Those Who Prey On Patients
There are few people we are more vulnerable with than our doctors. On our physician's instruction, we ingest medications, change habits, submit to invasive examinations and — when circumstances call for it — agree to be sedated and displayed nearly naked on surgical tables for operations. (2/6)

Dallas Morning News: What Would Life Be Like With Multiple Sclerosis And No Insurance Or Help?
My transformation from doctor to patient, while I was directing a clinic for underserved and uninsured fellow Texans, highlighted the gross inequalities in our health care system. I can’t know exactly how my life with MS would have played out, but without insurance, it would have been different: (Dr. Lisa Doggett, 2/6)