Court Again Blocks Trans Youth Health Investigations In Texas

NBC News: Texas Appeals Court Reinstates Injunction Blocking Investigations Into Parents Of Transgender Kids
A Texas appeals court on Monday reinstated an injunction blocking a state agency from investigating parents whose transgender children receive gender-affirming care. The Texas Third Court of Appeals ruled on a motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Lambda Legal, which had filed a lawsuit on behalf of a transgender teen’s parents who were being investigated for possible child abuse by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (Richards, 3/21)

NPR: A Third Of Trans Youth Are At Risk Of Losing Gender-Affirming Care, Study Says
The recent wave of Republican-led bans attempting to block transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming medical care may be fertile political ground for conservatives in an election year, but a new study shows the bans are putting tens of thousands of vulnerable young people in jeopardy. A report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that more than 54,000 transitioning transgender youth ages 13 through 17 are at risk of losing access to gender-affirming medical care, even in cases where doctors, therapists and parents concur with the need for those treatments. And in at least three states — Alabama, North Carolina and Oklahoma — lawmakers are pushing legislation that would impact about 4,000 18-to-20-year-olds. The figures are staggering considering that only about 150,000 American youth identify as transgender. (Romo, 3/21)

CNN: For Trans Youth's Health, The More Inclusive Adults' Language Is The Better, Study Says 
There is more we can do to make our kids feel seen, accepted and secure -- and it starts with adding more terms for gender identity and sexual orientation to the official forms we give them, according to a new study. Researchers in Minnesota analyzed data from students across the state in grades eight, nine and 11, finding that a significant portion of the youth population identified with terms including lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, pansexual, transgender, genderqueer, genderfluid or nonbinary. Many of the identities the students in the study use are often absent from forms and surveys given to them, which is especially concerning given the high rates of depression and bias-based bullying many students, particularly those who identified as pansexual, nonbinary or transmasculine. A step as simple as expanding identity options could help, according to the study, published Monday in the American Academy of Pediatrics. (Holcombe, 3/21)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Southern Nevada LGBTQ Clinic Growing To Keep Up With Demand
When Rob Phoenix was growing up gay in rural Pennsylvania, he never had someone with whom he could feel comfortable asking questions about sex or his body. Today the 56-year-old family nurse practitioner is doing his best to ensure that others won’t face that situation through his Huntridge Family Clinic, the only LGBTQ-focused health clinic in Southern Nevada. His goal is to provide care for all of a patient’s needs regardless of who they are, their needs or ability to pay. Now, his small clinic on East Sahara Avenue is having a big impact on the LGBTQ community. (Shoro, 3/21)

And more mental health news —

The Washington Post: The Children’s Mental Health Crisis Predates The Pandemic 
The pandemic hasn’t created a children’s mental health crisis out of nowhere; rather, it’s shone a spotlight on a catastrophe that has been hiding in plain sight for a very long time. “This is not a new problem,” Sandy Chung, a pediatrician in Fairfax, Va., and president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, explained to me recently. “Over the last several decades, we’ve been seeing an increase in mental health conditions in children and adolescents.” (Warner, 3/21)

Columbus Dispatch: Harry Miller Talks About Mental Health Struggles On Today Show
In an appearance on NBC’s "Today" show on Monday morning, former Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller spoke publicly for the first time about his medical retirement due to struggles with mental health. Miller on March 10 announced that he was ending his football career after three seasons with the Buckeyes and shared that he contemplated suicide before last fall. He ultimately told coach Ryan Day about having suicidal thoughts and received treatment as a result. His decision earlier this month to open up about his mental illness stemmed from the idea that “somebody has to say something,” he said. (Kaufman, 3/21)

The Baltimore Sun: Abingdon Teens Wins Hershey Microgrant To Do Project For Hospitalized Kids 
A Patterson Mill Middle High School junior is the recipient of the 2021 Hershey Heartwarming Project Action Grant. The $250 microgrant is awarded to youth ages 13 to 17 for initiatives benefiting their community, mental wellness and advocacy, according to a news release. Ashlee Brockwell, 17, of Abingdon will launch her winning “Deck the Doors” project this spring with the help of the Harford County based, youth-led nonprofit We Cancerve Movement, Inc. Brockwell said her project promotes inclusivity and mental wellness among children that are hospitalized or critically ill. (Fontelieu, 3/22)

In other public health news —

NPR: Great Value Buttermilk Pancake Mix Recalled After Potential Contamination
A single lot of Great Value Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix is being recalled after fragments of a cable used in the processing line were found in some products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a notice. The recall stems from "potential foreign material contamination," said Continental Mills, the manufacturer. The mix is sold at Walmart stores, and the affected product was distributed nationwide, according to the recall notice posted to the FDA's website. (Wamsley, 3/21)