Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Grandchild's Death, Road Wrecks: Human Peril Tied To Those Super-Fast Amazon Deliveries
ProPublica/The New York Times: How Amazon Hooked America On Fast Delivery While Avoiding Responsibility For Crashes
When she added Gabrielle's name to the chart in her kitchen, Judy Kennedy could picture the annual ritual. At birthdays she would ask her newest grandchild to stand up straight, heels against the door frame, so she could mark Gabrielle’s height beside that of her other granddaughter in the Maine house the family has lived in since the 1800s. But there are no lines for Gabrielle. In January, the 9-month-old was killed when a driver delivering Amazon.com packages crashed a 26-foot rented box truck into the back of her mother’s Jeep. The baby was strapped into a car seat in the back. (Callahan, 9/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Amid Rising Hot-Car Deaths, Auto Makers Agree To Back-Seat Alerts
In an effort to prevent child heatstroke deaths, an alliance of major car makers announced an agreement to include rear-seat alert systems in nearly all new cars and trucks—a move that a key child-safety group called inadequate. The agreement, which the auto industry had largely resisted in the past, pre-empts pending legislation in Congress that would mandate rear-seat monitoring features on U.S.-sold vehicles. The push, fueled with bipartisan support, comes after 53 children died in hot cars last year, marking a record, according to noheatstroke.org. So far this year, 38 children have died from vehicular heatstroke. (Byron and Foldy, 9/4)
Howard Center For Investigative Journalism: Code Red: Baltimore’s Climate Divide
Urban heat islands vividly illustrate the price humans will pay in the world’s growing climate crisis. With an abundance of concrete and little shade, they get hotter faster and stay hotter longer. And the people who live there are often sicker, poorer and less able to protect themselves. Rising temperatures in these neighborhoods will mean more trips to the hospital for heart, kidney and lung ailments. Drugs to treat mental illness and diabetes won’t work as well. Pregnant women will give birth to children with more medical problems. (9/3)
PBS NewsHour: Here’s Who Could Lose Food Stamps Under Trump’s Proposed Changes
An analysis from policy firm Mathematica suggests 9 percent of households nationwide that currently receive food stamps, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, would no longer qualify for those benefits under this proposed rule. But that percentage could be much higher in certain states. (Santhanam, 9/5)
The New York Times: How To Safeguard Children Against Cyberbullying
The bullying started with some teasing and mean comments, but escalated significantly when Mallory Grossman, 12, a cheerleader and gymnast from New Jersey, began middle school. It spread to social media where a group of children tormented her. They took pictures of Mallory at school, without her knowledge, posted them online and taunted her with text messages containing screenshots of the vicious comments made about her. “They called her horrible names, told her you have no friends and said, when are you going to kill yourself,” said her mother, Dianna Grossman. (Valencia, 9/5)
The New York Times: Fighting The Shame Of Skin Picking
When Deborah Huffman went for her annual physical a few years ago, she saw a new doctor who handed her a paper gown, instructing her to leave it open in the back. The doctor returned a few minutes later to find Ms. Huffman wearing the gown, sobbing. What was wrong? “I pick at my skin,” Ms. Huffman, who is now 65, remembers saying. The doctor peered at Ms. Huffman’s exposed back, which was dappled with scabs and open lesions. (Gellman, 9/5)
Wyoming Public Radio: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation In The Mountain West
A district court judge ruled last year that a federal law banning female genital mutilation was unconstitutional. He said it’s up to the states to make laws about this cultural practice. While we don’t know how many people undergo the procedure in the Mountain West, many hope to amplify the conversation as some states pass laws and others don’t. (Beck, 9/4)
