Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Each Of Past Three Years Has Been Deadliest On Record For Transgender People, Advocates Say
The New York Times: Violence Against Transgender People Is On The Rise, Advocates Say
On Oct. 21, a body was found off a county road west of Corpus Christi, Tex., with bullet wounds to the chest, abdomen and shoulders. The victim was Stephanie Montez, a transgender woman. But because the police misidentified her as a man, it was not until last week that Ms. Montez, 47, was known to be among the more than two dozen transgender Americans killed this year. (Astor, 11/9)
Reuters: 1 In 5 U.S. Adults Used Tobacco In 2015: Government Study
One in five adults in the United States was using some form of tobacco in 2015, according to national survey data released on Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, conducted in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration, found 21 percent of U.S. adults, or 49 million people, were tobacco users. Of them, about 87 percent reported smoking cigarettes, cigars or some form of pipe. (Steenhuysen, 11/9)
Los Angeles Times: Fidget Spinners Sold At Target Contain Dangerous Levels Of Lead, Advocacy Group Says
Fidget spinners — the multipronged, whirling gadgets that became so popular this year that some schools banned them as a distraction — have been marketed as playful diversions meant to help people calm down and focus. But now a consumer advocacy group says that two types of fidget spinners being sold at Target could be dangerous. The items — Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass and Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal — were found to contain as much as 330 times the federal legal limit for lead in children's products, according to lab tests conducted for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or U.S. PIRG, Education Fund. (Bhattarai, 11/9)
Kaiser Health News: Experts Explain Why Lead Found In Fidget Spinners Is No Idle Threat
That fidget spinner your kid can’t put down? It turns out it may be putting children at risk for lead exposure. That’s according to a report out Thursday from a consumer advocacy group, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. The organization tested the toys — which represent the latest iteration of a long line of skill-based amusements that include yo-yos and spinning tops — for lead. (Luthra, 11/10)
Reveal: Trump’s Budget Kills Funds For Clean Tap Water In Struggling Small Towns
St. Joseph, population 1,029, is one of thousands of small towns across the country that have no access to safe, clean drinking water. ...Trump wants to eliminate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, which awards water and sewer loans and grants to towns with 10,000 or fewer people. (Loftis, 11/9)
Minnesota Public Radio: How To Protect Yourself From Infection When You Go To The Hospital
Despite advances in modern medicine, it's still a reality in America that you can go to the hospital for treatment, and end up sicker with a nasty hospital-acquired infection. How do these infections spread in our healthcare facilities, and what can patients do to protect themselves? (Miller, 11/9)
NPR: Algae Toxins In Drinking Water Sickened People In 2 Outbreaks
The city of Toledo and nearby communities have earned the dubious distinction of being the first to report outbreaks of human illness due to algae toxins in municipal drinking water, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both areas take their drinking water from Lake Erie. Blue-green algae are common there and in many other in freshwater lakes, were they can multiply in the heat of summer and produce toxins, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. (Jochem, 11/9)
Dallas Morning News: Caring Through The Hurt: Experts Tell How To Cope When Elderly Parents' Behavior Worsens
People with Alzheimer's or dementia are plagued by more than just memory loss. A mother who was always calm may become agitated; an unfailingly kind father may turn aggressive or belligerent. Dementia affects brain tissue, and that can cause personality changes, says Dr. Diana Kerwin, chief of geriatrics at Texas Health Dallas and founder of Texas Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders. Restlessness, wandering, even delusions are common behaviors associated with dementia. Sometimes memory loss can also trigger paranoia. If Mom can't remember where she left her purse, she may accuse family members of stealing it. (Jacobs, 11/9)
