Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cancer Mortality Rates Would Plummet More Than 20 Percent If Everyone Had Access To Quality Care
Los Angeles Times: A Plan To Prevent More Than 1 In 5 Cancer Deaths, Without Having To Invent Any New Treatments
The nation’s cancer experts say it is possible to eliminate more than one in five cancer deaths in the U.S. even if researchers never invent another test or treatment. For this plan to work, every single American would have to take full advantage of the best medical care the country has to offer. If they were to do so, the country’s cancer mortality rate would fall by 22%, according to researchers from the American Cancer Society. (Kaplan, 7/10)
NPR: American Cancer Society's Blueprint For Cancer Control
There has been a lot of progress in the fight against cancer. Cancer death rates have dropped, but the gains haven't been experienced equally. Cancer death rates remain high for some minorities, including African-Americans. There are geographic differences, too. Death rates for breast and colorectal cancers have declined faster in New England than in other parts of the country. Cancer is also more likely to be fatal for people living in poverty or those without a college degree. (Chisholm, 7/10)
Stat: Experts Urge Researchers To Share Test Results With Study Participants
Study participants share their blood and spit in the name of biomedical research. Now, a national group of experts says these volunteers should be told what scientists learn about their health from those samples. In a report published Tuesday, an expert committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that scientists and their institutions should routinely — and carefully — consider whether to return study results to participants. The report, which was sponsored by three of the leading federal health agencies, also recommends revising a federal regulation that’s caused confusion about when it’s permissible to share research findings with a participant. (Thielking, 7/10)
The New York Times: 45-Hour Workweek Increases Diabetes Risk In Women
Women who work long hours may be at increased risk for diabetes, a new study has found. Canadian researchers studied 7,065 workers, following their working hours and health over an average of 12 years. They recorded diabetes diagnoses beginning two years after the subjects enrolled in the study. (Bakalar, 7/10)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Which Antidepressant Is Right For You? This Genetic Test Could Help
In May, Myriad Genetics released the first large-scale test of whether treatment guided by genetics (pharmacogenomics) would improve overall outcomes for patients with major depression. The study found that patients were 30 percent more likely to respond to treatment when their medication selection was guided by the company’s GeneSight test. (Harris Bond, 7/11)
NPR: 'Fresh Air': Alisa Roth On 'America's Criminal Treatment Of Mental Illness'
By some accounts, nearly half of America's incarcerated population is mentally ill — and journalist Alisa Roth argues that most aren't getting the treatment they need. Roth has visited jails in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta and a rural women's prison in Oklahoma to assess the condition of mentally ill prisoners. She says correctional officers are on the "front lines" of mental health treatment — despite the fact that they lack clinical training. (Davies, 7/10)
Kaiser Health News: Support Circle: Family Caregivers Share Stories And Tips To Ease Alzheimer’s Toll
Vicki Bartholomew started a support group for wives who are caring for a husband with Alzheimer’s disease because she needed that sort of group herself. They meet every month in a conference room at a new memory-care facility in Nashville called Abe’s Garden, where Bartholomew’s husband was one of the first residents — a Vietnam veteran and prominent attorney in Nashville. “My husband’s still living, and now I’m in an even more difficult situation — I’m married, but I’m a widow,” she tells the group one day. (Farmer, 7/11)
Georgia Health News: Teletherapy A Boon For Rural HIV Patients
To address the unique challenges of HIV in rural Georgia — including a network of 159 counties and swaths of remote land without paved roads or hospital access — the state health department has been expanding its telemedicine infrastructure for both behavioral and specialist care over the last decade. (Hensley, 7/10)
