Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Becerra Wants More Money For Mental Health Treatment
CBS News: Mental Health Shouldn't Be "Treated Like A Stepchild" To Physical Health, Says HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
The comments by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, on the eve of National Mental Health Awareness Month, come as the Biden administration has urged Congress to pour billions into a variety of behavioral health efforts. "One of the things that we're doing that I hope will be instrumental in letting all of us, including these children, get through COVID is that we're going to be devoting far more resources towards mental health care, making sure that families and these children have access to the mental health services they need," Becerra told CBS News correspondent Enrique Acevedo in a wide-ranging interview taped on Friday. (Tin, 5/2)
Tampa Bay Times/WUSF Public Media: Climate Change Also Affects Mental Health. Call It Eco-Anxiety
Anna Lynn Heine has thought about dropping out of Eckerd College more times than she cares to admit. Or she’ll work on an essay and wonder what is even the point. Anxiety about the planet’s future has also kept the 21-year-old from enjoying dinner with family or drinks with friends. A plastic cup can send her into an existential spiral. “Where did this food come from? Where’s this plastic going to go and how many fossil fuels were burned for it to arrive at my table?” she’ll ask herself. “And is this going to go to a landfill if I don’t finish it?” (Wong, 5/2)
ABC News: Navy Allowing Many USS George Washington Sailors To Move Off Ship After Deaths And Suicides
After a series of deaths and suicides among the crew of the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier dry-docked in Virginia for maintenance since 2017, the Navy will begin allowing hundreds of sailors to live off ship this week. Within the last year, seven sailors assigned to the ship have died, four of them likely suicides. "The 7 deaths are for the following reasons: 2 health-related death, 1 undetermined, 1 confirmed suicide, and 3 apparent suicides that remain under investigation," a Naval Air Force Atlantic official told ABC News in a statement. (Seyler, 5/2)
The Hill: Naomi Judd’s Death Spotlights A National Mental Health Crisis Worsened By COVID-19
Millions of Americans struggled with their mental health well before COVID-19, but the pandemic hasn’t made shouldering mental illness any easier – an issue brought to light over the weekend after the death of country music star Naomi Judd. Judd was 76 years old and the mother of the country music duo The Judds, performing for decades alongside her daughter Wynonna. On Saturday, Wynonna and her sister Ashley announced their mother had died, “to the disease of mental illness.” (Ali, 5/2)
WLRN 91.3 FM: Survey On Teen Health And Mental Health Dropped At The 'Worst Time,' Pediatric Expert Says
Florida teenagers will no longer be asked if they've gotten into a fight, use drugs or feel hopeless in a biennial survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This month, the state opted to end its participating in the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The questionnaire had been distributed to thousands of teens in Florida since 1991. "This is the worst time one could pick to do this," said Dr. Mobeen Rathore, associate chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UF Health Jacksonville, and past president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "This comes at a time when it is more important than ever to have this sort of data for the health and well-being of our young people." (Hudson, 5/2)
The Boston Globe: A Red Sox Joint Philanthropic Effort Targets Mental Health Of Athletes And Fans
Despite the efforts of a few brave souls such as Naomi Osaka, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Kevin Love, plus a PSA here and there, the perception remains that elite athletes possess a superior immune system when it comes to mental health. A joint philanthropic effort is going to try hard to lay bare that myth, with the hope that more honesty can bring about more healing — not just among the athletes, but among those who look up to them. Citing statistics that 26 percent of the general population in the US has a diagnosed mental disorder and 35 percent of elite athletes live with a mental health condition, Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation, said athletes “are significantly less likely to seek mental health than the general public” via Zoom at a Fenway Park event Monday. (Silverman, 5/2)
