Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Nurses Need Supportive Workplaces; Mental Health Justice Act Needed For Public Safety
Modern Healthcare: If We Want Nurses To Care For Us, We Must Take Care Of Them
Stress, burnout and compassion fatigue are conditions now synonymous with nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 75% of nurses in Pennsylvania said they feel more exhausted, overwhelmed, and anxious then they did last spring. But let us be clear. COVID did not create these conditions. Well before the pandemic, many of America’s 4 million nurses had physical and mental health burdens tied to their jobs while the institutions that employ them overlooked or failed to prioritize these problems. (Regina S. Cunningham and Marcus D. Henderson, 7/6)
The New York Times: A Mental Health Crisis Is Not A Crime
Every 10 years, following a national census, the Constitution requires states to draw districts for each of the newly reapportioned 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Since districts were last drawn in 2011, law enforcement officers have killed a person in every one of them. Faced with a pervasive national problem like police violence, we instinctively look for national solutions. Yet a year after George Floyd’s murder sparked one of the largest protest movements in history, congressional action has been modest at best. Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who murdered Mr. Floyd, has been sentenced to 22 and a half years behind bars. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — which would ban chokeholds, restrict the use of no-knock warrants and make some officers personally liable in civil court — remains stalled in the Senate. (Phillip Atiba Goff and Katie Porter, 7/6)
Dallas Morning News: Pastors Need Mental Health Care, Too
I thought about how the pandemic had begun to take more than workspaces, restaurant experiences and lives. It was also affecting how people grieve. This instance was just the beginning. As we were gathering at the funeral home to remember our first member who passed due to COVID-19, there was another death. The daughter-in-law of the deceased passed away just prior to the service. So, a wife was funeralizing her husband and grieving a daughter-in-law. A son was funeralizing his father while dealing with the shock of his wife’s death. (S. Michael Greene, 7/7)
Modern Healthcare: What About Drug Prices In America?
According to a 2021 RAND Corp. study, drug prices on average in the U.S. are 2.5 times those paid by 32 other nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. What’s the best approach to balancing incentives for pharma research and development with the drug affordability challenges we’ve had for decades? (7/6)
