Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fever Scanner Used In Some NFL Stadiums Pulled Off The Market
The Washington Post: Maryland Company 'Retires' A Fever Scanner After FDA Warning
The maker of a fever-scanning system used in a dozen NFL stadiums across the United States said Friday it is pulling one of its other devices off the market after the Food and Drug Administration warned that the company had not been approved to market the device to scan multiple people at once. The company, Certify Global, was among seven manufacturers whose products were tested in research first reported Thursday by The Washington Post. The research found critical flaws in thermal-imaging systems’ ability to accurately detect people’s skin temperature. Companies have advertised the systems as a powerful first line of defense in screening people for covid infections. (Harwell, 3/5)
In other public health news —
Bloomberg: USDA Watchdog Probes Covid Safety Measures For Meat Inspectors
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general has launched an investigation into the agency’s handling of Covid-19 outbreaks at meat processing plants, including whether officials took adequate steps to protect federal inspectors working in the facilities. Meat and poultry slaughterhouses were early epicenters in the pandemic and the department’s press to keep inspectors working in the plants quickly provoked complaints from the union representing them that the USDA wasn’t providing adequate safety protections. At least four meat inspectors had died of Covid by May. (Dorning and Hirtzer, 3/5)
NBC News: Google Advised Mental Health Care When Workers Complained About Racism And Sexism
Benjamin Cruz, a former instructional designer in Google’s Cloud division, was caught off guard when a colleague told them that their skin was much darker than she expected. Cruz, who is Mexican American and prefers to be identified by the pronouns they/them, reported the incident to human resources in 2019 where personnel told them they should “assume good intent,” Cruz recalled in an interview. Unsatisfied, Cruz asked human resources to look deeper into the incident, and an HR official said an investigation into the matter had been closed, Cruz said. So, Cruz sought help from human resources again. The solution? Urge Cruz to take medical leave and tend to their mental health before moving to a new role in the company. (Glaser and Adams, 3/7)
Axios: Cities' Pandemic Struggle To Balance Homelessness And Public Safety
Addressing homelessness has taken on new urgency in cities across the country over the past year, as officials grapple with a growing unhoused population and the need to preserve public safety during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s led to tension when cities move in to clear encampments — often for health and safety reasons — causing some to rethink the role of law enforcement when interacting with people experiencing homelessness. (3/7)
North Carolina Health News: Industry Lobbying Left Nursing Homes Vulnerable
Even before COVID-19, aides caring for elderly and disabled people in nursing homes often were overworked and underpaid, doing everything from changing linens to helping residents eat to physically rotating them to prevent bed sores. Ashley Ford often was one of four aides for as many as 42 residents at the Indiana nursing home where she’s worked since early 2019. She sometimes skipped breaks when work got busy so she wouldn’t leave patients waiting. (Madden, Waddell and Xu, 3/7)
KHN: Push Is On For States To Ban Organ Transplant Discrimination
Griffin Dalrymple is an energetic 7-year-old who loves going to school in Eureka, Montana. But two years ago, the boy described by his mother, Jayci, as a “ball of fire” was suddenly knocked back by severe bacterial pneumonia that hospitalized him for two weeks. As her son lay in the intensive care unit with a tube in his tiny lungs, Jayci began imagining worst-case scenarios. She worried that if Griffin ended up needing a lung transplant, he might be refused because he has Down syndrome. (Reardon, 3/8)
And because you didn't have enough to worry about already —
USA Today: Zombie Apocalypse: CDC Offers Useful Advice For Any Emergency
If zombies were to start roaming the streets – yes, we said zombies – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants you to be prepared. In the midst of providing guidelines on an unprecedented pandemic, the Center for Disease Control updated its tips to prepare for another extreme occurrence: A zombie apocalypse. While the CDC says it began as a "tongue-in-cheek campaign," it actually is a practical guide for any emergency, like hurricanes, earthquakes or floods. "You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this," the CDC wrote on its website. "And hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency." So, what would happen if zombies were to start roaming the streets? (Iyer, 3/5)
