Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: UC Partnership Will Inhibit Patient Care; Exciting New Cancer-Treatments Announced
Los Angeles Times: UC Betrays Its Values When It Partners With Catholic Hospitals That Restrict Care
More than 500 abortion restrictions have been introduced in state legislatures this year. Laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender young people are sweeping the nation. These attacks make Californians feel lucky to live in a state that prides itself as a leader in reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. Yet at a moment when we need to be standing up for access to these essential services, the University of California, where I work as an obstetrician/gynecologist and researcher, is considering formalizing and expanding partnerships with facilities that prohibit UC doctors, nurses, residents and medical and nursing students from providing this exact care. (Daniel Grossman, 6/22)
Bloomberg: Four Cancer-Treatment Developments Worth Celebrating
When it comes to health breakthroughs, Covid-19 vaccines have received the lion’s share of recent attention – and rightly so, as they are key to ending a global pandemic that has killed millions and disrupted the lives of almost everyone on the planet. But there have also been big advancements in the field of cancer treatments. The American Society of Clinical Oncology held its annual meeting earlier this month, giving drugmakers and researchers the chance to share their findings on the latest developments in cancer research and drug research. There was much to celebrate. Here are four particularly promising takeaways: (Sam Fazeli, 6/21)
Stat: FDA Should Lead The Way On New ALS Treatments
Following the Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to give the green light to aducanumab, the first treatment approved for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly two decades, the agency has been loudly criticized by some for moving too quickly. In the case of another deadly neurological illness — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS — it is moving too slowly. (Calaneet Balas, 6/22)
NBC News: The WHO Alcohol-Pregnancy Warning For Childbearing Women Overlooks Men, As Usual
The World Health Organization is advising that “women of childbearing age” should be a focus of alcohol prevention efforts — regardless of whether they know they’re pregnant. The suggestion was included in an early draft of the organization’s global action plan on alcohol, which argues that anti-alcohol campaigns should target women specifically due to the risks alcohol poses to the health of a fetus. Yes, even a fictitious, does-not-yet-exist fetus. (Danielle Campoamor, 6/21)
The CT Mirror: Achieving Results For Nursing Home Residents, Yet More To Do
One of the most meaningful steps forward Connecticut was able to take this year during the 2021 legislative session was in our state’s nursing homes. After the terrible early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the continued spread of the virus through these homes in the months that followed, we realized many of the issues plaguing nursing home residents and were able to enact change. (State Sen. Saud Anwar MD, 6/21)
Scientific American: How End-Of-Life Doulas Help Ease The Final Transition
Birth and death are the bookends of life, yet we welcome one and dread the other. Why is it that birth is celebrated, but death is taboo? When a friend was expecting her first child, she needed additional support through her pregnancy, so she hired a birth doula. The idea of women helping other women during childbirth is not new. Since the beginning of time, women have labored and birthed at home, attended by a midwife and their female friends and kin. This camaraderie of women, once universal, was a way to provide birth support and also to pass on knowledge about pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. (Virginia Chang, 6/19)
The Baltimore Sun: As A Sexually Active Gay Man, I Can’t Donate Blood Or Tissue In America. That’s Ridiculous
My blood type is O negative, I am healthy, I can run a half-marathon, I do not smoke or use drugs, I only have two to three drinks a week, and I am in a committed relationship. Yet, due to homophobic stereotypes and outdated policies, gay men like myself -- termed “MSM” or “men who have sex with men” -- cannot freely donate blood and soft tissue in America. According to the most recent Food and Drug Administration guidance, updated last year, MSMs must undertake a three-month deferral from male-to-male sexual activity before blood donation. Shockingly, that’s an improvement on the original full ban on blood donation implemented in 1985 (for any male who had a sexual encounter with another male after 1977) and the 2015 version of the policy, which required a 12-month deferral. (Greg Brightbill, 6/21)
Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Leaders Must Help Rebuild Primary Care
When people cross a bridge, they take its stability for granted. They don’t consider it might collapse. So should it be in healthcare. Whether a patient or a family member is trying to stay healthy or manage a chronic condition, they need reliable partners to navigate an uncertain and risky passage. Primary care is healthcare’s foundation and the only part of the system associated with longer lives, improved health outcomes, and reduced racial and ethnic health disparities. Relationships with a primary-care doctor can last a lifetime. A worried parent, the adult child of a frail elder, or someone facing troubling symptoms understands the comfort of a clear treatment plan and reassuring words from someone who knows their values. (Christopher F. Koller and Dr. Robert Phillips, 6/22)
