Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Coverage Of Disasters In Media Linked To Child Mental Harm
WUSF Public Media: An FIU Study Finds Media Coverage Of Disasters Can Harm Kids' Mental Health
Media coverage of natural disasters like hurricanes can be vital to public safety, but it can also have negative impacts on children's mental health, according to researchers at Florida International University. They analyzed hundreds of children who were already participating in a national long-term study known as the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, or ABCD, before Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on parts of the country in 2017. Researchers then followed up with families months after the storm with questionnaires about how it affected them in terms of damage to property, disruptions to life and emotional trauma. (Colombini, 12/21)
In other public health news —
Axios: FDA Investigates Listeria Outbreak Linked To Fresh Express
The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday an investigation into listeria infections in multiple states linked to Fresh Express packaged salads, which has recalled of some of its products in response to the outbreak. The outbreak "has been associated with 10 illnesses, 10 hospitalizations and one death" in eight states from July 26, 2016 to Oct. 19, 2021, per an FDA statement. Fresh Express said Monday some items made in its Streamwood, Illinois, facility had the "potential to be contaminated" with listeria monocytogenes. (12/21)
Indianapolis Star: The Leading Cause Of Death For New Moms Isn’t Delivery Complications. It’s Substance Abuse
The leading cause of death for Hoosier women in the year following childbirth isn’t a medical complication from the delivery: It’s substance use disorder. Almost 30 women died from substance use in 2019 in Indiana. The year before, 32 women died from substance abuse during pregnancy or in the year following childbirth — over those two years, that accounts for almost half of the women who died from childbirth. In one regard that's not surprising. Substance use is one of the most common causes of death in Indiana, for all Hoosiers. (Gibson, 12/20)
AP: After SCOTUS Hearing, A New Look At Baby 'Safe Haven' Laws
For years, Nicole Olson had longed for a baby and gone through a rigorous and emotional adoption process. Then Olson and her husband got a call asking if they’d like to adopt a newborn. That day. As soon as possible. The baby had been relinquished through what’s known as a safe haven law. Such laws, which exist in every state, allow parents to leave a baby at a safe location without criminal consequences. The laws began to pass in state legislatures in the early 2000s in response to reports of gruesome baby killings and abandonments, which received copious media attention. Infants are at the highest risk of being killed in their first day of life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Galvan, 12/22)
