First Edition: January 4, 2023

The New York Times: Abortion Pills Can Now Be Offered At Retail Pharmacies, F.D.A. Says
For the first time, retail pharmacies, from corner drugstores to major chains like CVS and Walgreens, will be allowed to offer abortion pills in the United States under a regulatory change made Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration. The action could significantly expand access to abortion through medication. (Belluck, 1/3)

Politico: Anti-Abortion Groups Hand Incoming House Majority A List Of Demands
Dozens of influential conservative, religious and anti-abortion advocacy groups are pressuring the new GOP House majority to pass bills implementing national restrictions on abortion — even though the legislation would go nowhere with Democrats in control of the Senate and White House. (Miranda Ollstein, 1/3)

AP: Indiana Medical Board Sets Doctor's Hearing In Abortion Case
Indiana’s medical licensing board next month will hear a case regarding the Indianapolis doctor who this past summer provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio. (Rodgers, 1/3)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers Vows Push For Abortion Access, Medicaid Expansion In 2nd Term
Tony Evers pledged to push for abortion access, the expansion of Medicaid, and more public school funding when he was sworn in Tuesday for a second term as Wisconsin's 46th governor. (Hess and Beck, 1/3)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Clinics Not Providing Teen Birth Control Without Parental Consent
Texas teens will now need their parents’ permission to get birth control at federally funded clinics, following a court ruling late last month. These clinics, funded through a program called Title X, provide free, confidential contraception to anyone regardless of age, income or immigration status; before this ruling, Title X was one of the only ways teens in Texas could obtain birth control without parental consent. (Klibanoff and Dey, 1/3)

Politico: Fears Of Tridemic After Holiday Break
New York City is warning of the rising threat of the “tridemic” — a mix of an increase in Covid-19 cases, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus. In recent weeks, flu cases in New York City already surpassed the rate during the peak of the last four flu seasons. Meanwhile, Covid and RSV cases have increased during the same period as the holidays end and people go back to work and school, city officials said. (Spector, 1/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID-19 In 2022: Cases Reach New Heights, But Serious Illness And Death Decline
Concerns over COVID-19 appeared to take a back seat in many people’s minds during the holidays. But the coronavirus continued to spread in 2022 in San Francisco and across the state, as well as sickening and killing many people. In 2022, the third year of the pandemic, San Francisco had about 118,000 confirmed cases — about 2.5 times as many as in 2021, according to data as of Dec. 27. Statewide, there were about 2 million more cases in 2022 than the year before. (Jung and Kwon, 1/1)

CIDRAP: Global Health Officials Press China For COVID Details; US XBB.1.5 Levels Jump
As 2022 came to a close, the World Health Organization (WHO) met with Chinese officials to get more details about the country's COVID-19 outbreak as several more nations announced testing requirements for people arriving from China. (Schnirring, 1/3)

Stat: 3 Challenges To Watch In Global Health In 2023
For the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, people working in the infectious diseases and global health spheres were largely focused on the new disease. In 2022, however, gears shifted. Covid didn’t go away, but diseases like flu that had been held in abeyance by the new virus and the measures we used to slow its spread — well, they’re baaack. (Branswell, 1/4)

The Washington Post: NFL Player Hamlin's Collapse Sparks Rise In Covid Misinformation
The baseless tweets began to circulate within minutes of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s stunning collapse on the field during “Monday Night Football.” Anti-vaxxers and right-wing provocateurs sought to link the injury that left Hamlin in critical condition and the coronavirus vaccine, without any evidence. Their claims built on years of coronavirus vaccine misinformation that has been seeded across social media. (Zakrzewski and Weber, 1/3)

The Boston Globe: Damar Hamlin Injury: Teamwork Between Bills, Bengals Medical Staff May Have Saved His Life, Experts Say
The fact that Hamlin was alive at all, though, was the product of teamwork between Bengals and Bills medical personnel, and the NFL’s “emergency action plan,” which prepared them for a situation that hadn’t occurred in the league since 1971, when the Lions’ Chuck Hughes suffered a cardiac incident on the field and was later pronounced dead. (Volin, 1/3)

NPR: What Is Commotio Cordis? It Could Have Caused Damar Hamlin To Collapse 
While Hamlin's team and family have yet to confirm exactly what happened, many of the doctors following his case online have narrowed it down to one likely cause: commotio cordis (kuh-MOH-dee-oh KOR-dis). (Treisman, 1/3)

Chicago Tribune: How Common Is Cardiac Arrest In Young Athletes Like Damar Hamlin?
Te’Jaan Ali was playing basketball in a school gym on the South Side of Chicago when he started feeling hot. The heat in the gym — which didn’t have air conditioning — was likely just as bad as the sweltering temperatures outside, which reached 90 degrees on July 18, 2020. Ali, 19, stood in front of a fan and collapsed. Less than two hours later, he died in a hospital emergency room of a heart condition. (Perez and Anderson, 1/3)

Bloomberg: Medical Credit Cards Cause Financial Pain For Struggling Patients, Senators Say
Credit cards offered by banks including Wells Fargo & Co. and Synchrony Financial intended to cover expensive health-care services may be causing unnecessary financial pain for consumers, said a group of US senators, who cited potentially deceptive promotions. (Smith, 1/3)

AP: EPA Investigating Colorado For Discriminatory Air Pollution
EPA is investigating whether Colorado's regulation of air pollution from industrial facilities discriminates against Hispanic residents and other racial minorities, according to a letter released last week. (1/3)

Politico: EPA Clampdown On Soot Pollution Imminent
With high stakes for both public health and industry, EPA is set to reveal at least the broad contours of its plans for tightening air quality standards for a particularly pernicious pollutant. Following a review that took much longer than first expected, the White House regulations office last week sent the proposed soot standards rule back to EPA, clearing the way for its public release. (Reilly, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: 3M Tries To Contain Legal Battles Over ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Earplugs
3M Co. ’s decision to quit making “forever chemicals” represents a tactical retreat aimed at containing its potential liability over its products in legal fights expected to last for years, analysts say. 3M is defending itself against allegations that chemicals and products it has made for decades have contaminated drinking water and pose health risks. (Tita, 1/3)

The Boston Globe: Transgender Worker Denied Health Care Files Discrimination Complaint
Lillian Bernier, 31, has worked as a machinist since 2019 at Turbocam, a Barrington, N.H.-based company that makes parts for the HVAC, automotive, aviation, and space exploration industries. She claims that the company’s refusal to provide gender-transition health care coverage amounts to discrimination against her based on her sex, transgender status, gender identity, and disability. (Alanez, 1/2)

AP: California Seeks Sterilization Victims To Pay Reparations
About 600 people alive today can’t have children because California’s government sterilized them either against their will or without their knowledge, and now the state is trying to find them so it can pay them at least $15,000 each in reparations. (Beam, 1/4)

The New York Times: Social Media Use Is Linked To Brain Changes In Teens, Research Finds
The researchers found that children who habitually checked their social media feeds at around age 12 showed a distinct trajectory, with their sensitivity to social rewards from peers heightening over time. Teenagers with less engagement in social media followed the opposite path, with a declining interest in social rewards. (Barry, 1/3)

CIDRAP: College Students' Mental Distress Still High 15 Months After COVID Pandemic Began
A survey of nearly 45,000 college students in France reveals a high prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 15 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Van Beusekom, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: Many Patients Aren't Getting Hepatitis C Medication
Michael Mendez said that when learned he had hepatitis C, “I didn’t even know what it was.” Mendez, 47, had been homeless for years in Los Angeles, and said he hadn’t gone to a doctor the entire time he was living on the streets. When Mendez got a roof over his head, at the Arroyo Seco Tiny Home Village, he decided to stop at the UCLA Health mobile clinic that rolled weekly to the Highland Park site — and soon learned about the infection that could jeopardize his life. (Reyes, 1/1)

CNN: Sesame Joins The Major Food Allergens List, FDA Says
Sesame has joined the list of major food allergens defined by law, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. The change, which went into effect on January 1, comes as a result of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act, or FASTER Act, which was signed into law in April 2021. (Rogers, 1/2)

CIDRAP: Study Finds Antibiotic Resistance Rates In US Hospitals Vary By Age, Care Setting
An analysis of electronic health record and antimicrobial susceptibility data at US hospitals found that resistance patterns for some bug-drug combinations vary by care setting and patient ages, researchers reported yesterday in JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance. (Dall, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: Psychedelics' Use Studied For Alcohol, Drug Disorders
Melanie Senn’s father, long dead, appeared to her as she lay back in the dimly lit room at the Santa Monica clinic, a mask over her closed eyes, and the psychedelic trip began. More precisely, it was his thumb. It was disembodied and huge, materializing in her mind to wipe away her own image. Just as a parent might lick a thumb, she said, and use it to clean the dirtied cheek of a child. (Reyes, 1/2)

CIDRAP: Demand For Blood Thinners Rapidly Fluctuated Amid COVID
Last week in The American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, a team led by University of Southern California researchers reported disruptions in the demand for anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications at US hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Van Beusekom, 1/3)

CIDRAP: Essential Oils May Help COVID Patients With Loss Of Smell
People who have COVID-19–related loss of smell may benefit from visual-olfactory training using patient-preferred essential oils, according to a clinical trial published late last week in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. (Van Beusekom, 1/3)

NPR: Many ERs Offer Minimal Care For Miscarriages. One Group Wants That To Change
By the time she completed her residency in emergency medicine, Dr. Andreia Alexander had seen all manner of injuries and complications — everything from kidney stones and broken bones to stab wounds and seizures. She was prepared, as an ER saying goes, for "anyone, anything, anytime." (Adams, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Vendor Cyberattacks Put Patient Data At Risk 
Cybercriminals seeking to seize sensitive health information are increasingly targeting vulnerable vendors to get around the safeguards healthcare providers, insurers and other entities have erected to protect patient data. (Berryman, 1/3)

Modern Healthcare: LCMC Health Buys 3 HCA Healthcare Hospitals In Louisiana 
LCMC Health has acquired three HCA Healthcare-owned hospitals in southeast Louisiana for $150 million, following approval by state regulators, the nonprofit system announced Tuesday. (Hudson, 1/3)

The Colorado Sun: After Years Of Profits, Some Colorado Hospitals Face A Downturn
After years of churning out profits, many Colorado hospitals are now facing a downturn, according to recently filed financial disclosures. UCHealth, for instance, reported a $157.5 million loss in the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2022. The loss was driven largely by investment losses — reported at more than $200 million. But the sagging stock market was not the only economic stressor for the hospital system. (Ingold, 1/3)

Modern Healthcare: Amazon-One Medical Deal Clears Regulatory Barrier In Oregon
The Oregon Health Authority cleared the Amazon-One Medical transaction Dec. 28. The regulator concluded the acquisition would be unlikely to affect access and cost for Oregonians and ruled out a more comprehensive review because One Medical operates only five primary care clinics and treats few patients in the Beaver State. (Perna, 1/3)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: New HCA Healthcare Executive Strives To Bring ‘World-Class Care Close To Home’
Jackie DeSouza-Van Blaricum began on Tuesday as president of HCA Healthcare Far West Division, with oversight of eight hospitals and multiple health care facilities throughout Las Vegas and California. Headquartered in the Las Vegas Valley, the division encompasses the Sunrise Health System, including Sunrise, Sunrise Children’s, Southern Hills and MountainView hospitals. (Hynes, 1/3)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Proposal To Restructure Public Health Faces Uphill Battle
By 2019 life expectancy in Indiana was 77 years, almost two years below the national average. So Gov. Eric Holcomb convened a special commission in 2021 to look at steps Indiana could take to improve health overall. The answer, when the commission delivered its final report in August: Restructure the state’s public health system, a proposal that came with a suggested price tag of about $242 million a year. (Rudavsky, 1/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: L.A. County Calls For Indoor Masking This Week
Hoping to avoid a post-holiday spike of new COVID-19 cases, Los Angeles County health officials are asking residents to wear a high-quality mask  indoors through the end of the week. “Ten days of mask-wearing as many return to work, in school, can slow transmission, minimize disruptions to work and learning,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said at a briefing last week. (Vaziri and Beamish, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: California To Receive $470 Million From CVS In Opioid Settlement
California is expected to receive about $470 million from a multistate settlement with CVS over allegations that the pharmacy chain contributed to the country’s opioid crisis, the state attorney general’s office said Tuesday. (Martinez, 1/3)

Iowa Public Radio: Nearly Half Of Iowa Drivers In Serious Crashes Had Drugs In System
A new study has found nearly half of Iowa drivers involved in a traffic crash tested positive for at least one drug. The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration screened people involved in crashes for drugs at seven Level 1 trauma centers nationally, ranging from Massachusetts to California. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was one of the centers included. (Krebs, 12/29)

Reuters: Former Colorado Funeral Home Owner Sentenced To 20 Yrs For Selling Body Parts
A former Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts without permission. (Shiffman, 1/4)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta Picks Grady Health System To Operate Atlanta Diversion Center
Atlanta City Council approved legislation Monday to authorize Mayor Andre Dickens to contract with Grady Health System as the lead operator of the Center for Diversion and Services that is set to open this year. (Nobles III, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: California Hospitals Still Stressed By Flu, RSV, COVID Levels
The start of the year is bringing with it a mild reprieve in the so-called tripledemic, but some Southern California hospitals remain stressed by the still-high circulation of flu, COVID-19 and RSV. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is still so busy that it cannot always accommodate transfers of patients from other hospitals, according to Dr. James Stein, the facility’s chief medical officer, in a statement. (Money, Lin II and Martinez, 1/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: California COVID Sick Pay Can Continue For 2022 Illness That Extended Into New Year
California’s COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave law expired Saturday, the end of 2022. But state officials say that people who got sick before the end of the year, with illness or recommended isolation that extended into this year, still are entitled to stay on leave and be paid for it this year under the law’s provisions. (Vaziri and Beamish, 1/3)