Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Coca-Cola Ends Relationship With Powerful Pro-Sugar Group ILSI
Bloomberg: Coca-Cola Severs Longtime Ties With Pro-Sugar Group
Coca-Cola Co. has ended its long association with the International Life Sciences Institute, a blow to the powerful food organization known for its pro-sugar research and policies. The beverage giant ended its membership at the “global, regional and country level” as of this month, Coke said in a statement in response to inquiries from Bloomberg News. The decision was made after a routine review, the company said without offering additional details. The departure is a major setback for ILSI at a time when health-conscious consumers are increasingly turning away from sugar-laden beverages. The group, which was created in 1978 by a former Coke executive, still lists companies such as PepsiCo Inc. and Kellogg Co. as members, but Coke had been a prominent supporter and financial backer. (Pulley, 1/13)
In other health industry news —
CIDRAP: Depression, Anxiety, PTSD Reported In ICU Staff During Pandemic
Almost half (45.4%) of intensive care unit (ICU) physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers in England reported a mental disorder during the pandemic, including suicidal thoughts, according to survey results published in Occupational Medicine yesterday. Across June and July 2020, 709 ICU healthcare workers from nine ICUs voluntarily completed the 5-minute online survey. (1/13)
NH Times Union: Mass General, Wentworth-Douglass End Push For Merger With Exeter Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital are pulling the plug on a proposed merger with Exeter Hospital. More than two years after launching an effort to form a new Seacoast-based nonprofit health care network to serve local patients, hospital officials announced Wednesday that the proposal is off. (Schreiber, 1/13)
The Baltimore Sun: Dr. Robert B. Welch, Ophthalmologist Who Co-Directed Wilmer Retina Service At Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dies
Dr. Robert B. Welch, an internationally renowned ophthalmologist who had been co-director of the Wilmer Retina Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and had been chairman of ophthalmology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, died of pneumonia Jan. 5 at the Blakehurst Retirement Community in Towson. The former longtime Roland Park resident was 93. (Rasmussen, 1/14)
