Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
200 Homicide Total In D.C. Is Highest In 18 Years
The Washington Post: D.C. Records 200th Homicide Of The Year, A Mark Not Seen Since 2003
A man was fatally shot at a gas station in Southeast Washington just after 10:15 p.m., becoming the latest victim of months of rising violence that has frustrated and angered city leaders and residents. Police identified him as Dawann Saunders, 30, of Maryland. Homicides rose in 29 major U.S. cities through September compared with the same period last year, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, a Washington-based institute. Killings across the country spiked nearly 30 percent in 2020, the FBI has said. Baltimore surpassed 300 killings for the seventh consecutive year, and homicides in Philadelphia reached 497 on Monday, 13 percent higher than this time last year. (Hermann, 11/23)
Bloomberg: P&G Recalls Old Spice, Secret Sprays After Carcinogen Found
Procter & Gamble Co. is recalling certain lots of Old Spice and Secret aerosol antiperspirants in the U.S. after the carcinogen benzene was detected in the products. The recall extends to aerosols with an expiration date through September 2023, P&G said Tuesday in a statement. The company is also recalling Old Spice Below Deck aerosol sprays. The recall follows findings from an independent laboratory, Valisure, that detected benzene in the antiperspirants earlier this month, as first reported by Bloomberg. Valisure tested 108 batches of antiperspirant and deodorant sprays from 30 brands including Old Spice, Secret and others, and detected benzene in 59 batches. (Edney, 11/23)
San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Declares Water Shortage Emergency, Asks City Users To Conserve 5%
San Francisco has some of the most conservation-savvy water users in California and its reservoirs contain enviable reserves, a crucial resource two years into a statewide drought. Now the city is demanding its water customers use even less. (Johnson, 11/23)
Also —
CNBC: No Health Insurance? You Could Be Among Millions Who Qualify For Help
If you lack health insurance, it may not be as out of reach as you might think. An estimated 10 million individuals who are uninsured could qualify for financial help with private insurance through the public marketplace, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 7 million could get coverage through Medicaid and/or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP. “If you haven’t looked to see what you qualify for, you really should,” said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow with the foundation. “By our estimate, millions of people could be pleasantly surprised.” (O'Brien, 11/23)
Obituaries —
The New York Times: Zena Stein, 99, Dies; Researcher Championed Women’s Health
Dr. Zena Stein, a South African-born epidemiologist whose influential work encompassed the effects of famine on children, the health of entire communities afflicted by poverty and the impact of the AIDS crisis on women in Africa, died on Nov. 7 at her home in Coatesville, Pa. She was 99. Her daughter Ida Susser confirmed her death. Dr. Stein came of age in South Africa during World War II and started her career in the early years of institutionalized apartheid. Those backdrops shaped her approach to epidemiology: She aimed to identify the social, economic and political conditions that can affect the health of a population as well as individuals, an approach known as social medicine or community-based medicine. (Williams, 11/23)
