Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Data Shows Spike In Maternal Syphilis Rates
CIDRAP: CDC: Maternal Syphilis Rates In US On The Rise
Maternal syphilis rates in the United States tripled from 2016 to 2022, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data published this week. During the 6-years analysis, maternal infections rose 222%, reaching 280.4 per 100,000 births in 2022. (Soucheray, 2/13)
In cancer news —
Modern Healthcare: Cancer Moonshot Helps Establish Care Navigation Payment Codes
Virtual cancer care companies are seeing the benefits from President Biden’s cancer moonshot. The cancer moonshot initiative began under President Barack Obama in 2016, and in 2022 Biden set a goal of reducing cancer deaths by 50% over the next 25 years. The program also aims to expand payment pathways for cancer navigation services, an area of increasing focus among digital health startups. (Perna, 2/13)
Axios: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Released From Hospital, Resumes Duties
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital on Tuesday after being treated for a bladder issue. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center on Sunday "with discomfort and concern from a bladder issue related to his December 2023 prostate cancer surgery," per a Tuesday evening statement from doctors at the hospital. (Falconer, 2/13)
North Carolina Health News: Prostate Cancer Survivors, Advocates Urge More Early Screening, Especially In The Black Community
Victor Taylor is proud to be known around New Bern as “Mr. Prostate Cancer Man.” That’s because ever since he was diagnosed with prostate cancer 18 years ago, he’s been a vocal force working to educate others on the disease. He doesn’t want to scare people, he wants to raise awareness — particularly among Black men, who are nearly two times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men. (Crumpler, 2/14)
The New York Times: Can Exercise Help Prevent Prostate Cancer?
A recent study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine offered a glimpse of how regular physical activity affects the risk of prostate cancer, the second most common and second most fatal cancer in the United States for men. (Minsberg, 2/12)
In other health and wellness news —
NBC News: Familiar Scents Unlock Memories In People With Depression. Could 'Smell Therapy' Help Patients?
Study after study has shown that people with depression have trouble recalling specific memories. ... “It’s not that depressed patients don’t have memories — it’s that they’re having trouble accessing them," said Kymberly Young, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.Young may have found a key: A study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open from her and her team suggests that familiar scents could help unlock those memories. (Bendix, 2/13)
Axios: Polyamory Explained: Rise In Popularity And Legal Protection In The U.S.
This Valentine's Day, more people are thinking about love — beyond monogamy. Media coverage, a buzzy new memoir and shows like "Couple to Throuple" are bringing polyamory into mainstream conversations, but limited laws are only beginning to protect people from the stigma that can come with being in a relationship with more than one person. (Mallenbaum and Montgomery, 2/14)
