Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fauci's Memoir Reveals Covid Response Details, Highlights His Life In Service
Stat: Inside Anthony Fauci’s ‘On Call’: 9 Health And Science Takeaways From The Memoir Of America’s Most Famous Doctor
Anthony Fauci spent 40 years in the top echelons of government. It was no accident. To read the forthcoming memoir by the country’s former top infectious disease expert, “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” a copy of which was obtained by STAT, is to get a sense of his finesse while advising seven presidents. He strove, he writes, to speak with complete candor and stay out of politics, while remaining strategic in pushing for policies he considered vital to public health. “On Call" is officially being released Tuesday. (Mast, 6/16)
The Atlantic: Anthony Fauci: The First Three Months Of The Pandemic
On new year’s day 2020, I was zipping up my fleece to head outside when the phone in the kitchen rang. I picked it up to find a reporter on the line. “Dr. Fauci,” he said, “there’s something strange going on in Central China. I’m hearing that a bunch of people have some kind of pneumonia. I’m wondering, have you heard anything?” I thought he was probably referring to influenza, or maybe a return of SARS, which in 2002 and 2003 had infected about 8,000 people and killed more than 750. SARS had been bad, particularly in Hong Kong, but it could have been much, much worse. (Fauci, 6/16)
The Hill: Greene Alleges Fauci Committed 'Crimes Against Humanity' With COVID Response
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), speaking at a Turning Point Action conference on Saturday, vowed to have former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci sent to prison over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Dr. Anthony Fauci should be tried for crimes against humanity,” Greene said at the conference, in comments highlighted by Mediaite, leading to the crowd chanting, “lock him up.” (Roy, 6/15)
In other news about health care personnel —
The Washington Post: Study: Subbing Lower-Paid Staff For RNs Could Cause Patient Deaths
If hospitals substitute lower-wage staff for registered nurses, patients may suffer, a new analysis suggests. Published in the journal Medical Care, the study coincides with a nationwide RN shortage and reports of widespread burnout among RNs. To fill the gap, many hospitals have turned to “team nursing,” a model that uses fewer RNs as supervisors of a team of lower-wage health-care workers such as licensed practical nurses and nurse assistants. (Blakemore, 6/15)
The Baltimore Sun: Ellicott City Nursing Home Accused Of Providing Poor Care
The owner of an Ellicott City nursing home will be required to pay the state $400,000 and allow an independent monitoring company to oversee the facility for three years under the terms of a settlement agreement announced Friday afternoon by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. (Roberts, 6/14)
The Wall Street Journal: When Caring For Your Parents Comes At A Cost To Your Career
Tens of millions of Americans are straining under the burden of two jobs: the work they’re paid to do, and the task of providing care for older family members. The double shift can come at a career cost. Caregivers who are also working full time report turning down promotions or seeking less-demanding assignments. Some switch companies, or say they’ve had to choose care duties over their careers. (Ansberry, 6/15)
