First Edition: June 14, 2021

KHN: In Alleged Health Care ‘Money Grab,’ Nation’s Largest Hospital Chain Cashes In On Trauma Centers
After falling from a ladder and cutting his arm, Ed Knight said, he found himself at Richmond, Virginia’s Chippenham Hospital surrounded by nearly a dozen doctors, nurses and technicians — its crack “trauma team” charged with saving the most badly hurt victims of accidents and assaults. But Knight’s wound, while requiring about 30 stitches, wasn’t life-threatening. Hospital records called it “mild.” The people in white coats quickly scattered, he remembered, and he went home about three hours later. (Hancock, 6/14)

KHN: In Mental Health Crises, A 911 Call Now Brings A Mixed Team Of Helpers — And Maybe No Cops
By the time Kiki Radermacher, a mental health therapist, arrived at a Missoula, Montana, home on an emergency 911 call in late May, the man who had called for help was backed into a corner and yelling at police officers. The home, which he was renting, was about to be sold. He had called 911 when his fear of becoming homeless turned to thoughts of killing himself. “I asked him, ‘Will you sit with me?’” recalled Radermacher, a member of the city’s mobile crisis response team who answered the call with a medic and helped connect the man with support services. “We really want to empower people, to find solutions.” (Houghton, 6/14)

KHN: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: When Your Insurance Company Says No, How To Ask For A Yes 
Jeannine Cain started her career dealing with insurance companies for various medical offices. Later she worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield, and now she is a health care data consultant. She really knows how things operate behind the scenes. When her son got a jumbo-size medical bill, she put her knowledge to work — and wrote an appeal letter. Now she’s sharing that knowledge — and the letter — with us. (Weissmann, 6/14)

KHN: Journalists Discuss New Alzheimer’s Drug, Women’s Alcohol Use, The Hip-Hop And Opioids Link
KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed the FDA’s approval of a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease on WAMU’s “1A” on Wednesday. ... KHN correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed the increase in alcohol use and misuse by young women on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Wednesday. (6/12)

Bloomberg: Biden Says U.S. May Be Able To Send 1 Billion More Vaccine Doses
President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S. may be able to provide 1 billion more doses of coronavirus vaccine to the world by 2023, and again raised the possibility that the virus may have escaped from a Chinese laboratory. “There’s a possibility over in 2022, going into 2023, that we would be able to be in a position to provide another billion U.S., but that’s not done yet,” he said Sunday at a news conference in Cornwall, England, following the completion of the Group of Seven summit. (Wingrove and Jacobs, 6/13)

AP: IMF Chief: 1 Billion Vaccine Doses Only A Start 
The International Monetary Fund managing director says there’s a moral imperative for the world’s richest countries to back programs to end the COVID-19 pandemic but the donation of excess vaccines is only the first step. Kristalina Georgieva’s comments in a virtual press conference at the Group of Seven summit Sunday in England came after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped G-7 leaders would agree to provide at least 1 billion vaccine doses for poorer countries. Humanitarian groups have welcomed the donations, but are calling for money, increased production and logistical support to help developing countries where the virus is still raging. (6/13)

AP: Aid Groups Appeal To G-7 For Cash To Get Shots Into Arms
Rich nations must do more than just donate surplus vaccines if they hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic, according to public health experts and humanitarian groups that are calling for money, increased production and logistical support to help developing countries where the virus is still raging. The appeal came after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped leaders of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations will agree to provide at least 1 billion vaccine doses for poorer countries. The G-7 leaders, who are holding their annual meeting this weekend in Cornwall, southwest England, continue to debate other forms of aid to get lifesaving vaccine shots into arms. (Kirka, 6/12)

CNN: G7 Calls For New Study Into Origins Of Covid And Voices Concern On China
World leaders attending the Group of Seven summit on Sunday issued a call for a new study into the origins of Covid-19, including in China, after an initial report was deemed lacking because Beijing had refused to cooperate. They agreed to speak out against human rights abuses in China, a matter that had been hotly debated behind closed doors over the course of the three-day summit. (Liptak and Sullivan, 6/14)

Politico: G-7 Nations Call For Thorough Probe Of Covid Origins In China 
The G-7 nations on Sunday called for a “timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened” investigation into the origins of Covid-19, including in China. “Strengthening transparency and accountability, including reiterating our commitment to the full implementation of, and improved compliance with, the International Health Regulations 2005,” the countries said in a joint statement. “This includes investigating, reporting and responding to outbreaks of unknown origin. We also call for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 Covid-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the experts’ report, in China.” (Ward, 6/13)

Politico: Pompeo Insists Covid-19 Leaked From A Chinese Lab 
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted on Sunday that Covid-19 originated from a Chinese lab. “There’s a pile of evidence a hundred feet high,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday,” without offering specifics. Asked directly by Fox host Chris Wallace whether he believed the coronavirus had leaked from a Chinese lab, Pompeo declared flatly, "I do." (Reingold, 6/13)

CBS News: Biden's Ex-COVID Adviser Faults Trump Administration For "Deadly Sins" At Start Of Pandemic
Andy Slavitt, who until last week was President Biden's senior adviser for the COVID-19 response, said Sunday that the Trump administration committed three "deadly sins" in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic that cost American lives. In an interview with "Face the Nation," Slavitt said the country would have grappled with the pandemic last year regardless of who was in the White House, but detailed the three errors made by the prior administration: Former President Donald Trump's downplaying of the virus and its existence; his quashing of dissent from public health experts; and his stoking of divisions across the country. (Quinn, 6/13)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Still Lacks A Permanent Commissioner 
The contested decision by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this week to approve a drug to treat Alzheimer’s has renewed concerns about the Biden administration’s prolonged delay in choosing a permanent commissioner to lead the agency. It has also once again exposed the sharp divide between supporters and detractors of the F.D.A.’s interim commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock, the longtime chief of the agency’s drug division who has seemed to be on an extended tryout for the top post. (Kaplan, 6/12)

AP: To Curb Drug Prices, Democrats Still Seeking A Balance
Democrats are committed to passing legislation this year to curb prescription drug prices, but they’re still disagreeing on how to cut costs for patients and taxpayers while preserving profits that lure investors to back potentially promising treatments. It boils down to finding a balance: How big a stick should Medicare have to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies? (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/12)

Reuters: U.S. Has Administered Over 309 Million Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccines, CDC Says
The United States had administered 309,322,545 doses of Covid-19 vaccines and distributed 374,398,105 doses in the country as of Sunday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures were up from the 308,112,728 doses of vaccine that the CDC said had been administered as of Saturday, out of 374,397,205 doses delivered. (6/13)

Fox News: FDA Tells Johnson & Johnson To Toss 60M COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Over Contamination Concerns: Report
Johnson & Johnson confirmed that the FDA authorized two batches of COVID-19 vaccine produced at the Emergent BioSolutions facility but did not comment on a report that the regulatory agency said to throw out 60 million other doses over concerns of possible contamination. The report, published by the New York Times, cited people familiar with the situation and came ahead of an FDA news release that said "several other batches" of vaccine produced at the troubled Baltimore facility were not suitable for use. (Hein, 6/12)

Houston Chronicle: Judge Tosses Houston Methodist Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit
A federal judge tossed a lawsuit against Houston Methodist over its policy to terminate workers who refuse to get the COVID vaccine, calling it “reprehensible” that plaintiffs compared the requirement to those made under Nazi Germany. In the lawsuit on behalf of 117 Houston Methodist employees, lawyers likened the vaccine requirement to the Nuremberg Code, a set of medical ethics standards created at the end of World War II following medical experiments by the Nazis on German citizens. (Wu, 6/13)

Fox News: Fauci Pushes For Expanded COVID-19 Vaccination Among Adolescents
As coronavirus vaccines have become more widely available, officials are looking to expand COVID-19 vaccination coverage among adolescents. Speaking at a White House COVID-19 response team virtual town hall, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, noted 3.3 million coronavirus infections and 314 deaths in those younger than 18. He also cited a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicated low hospitalization rates among adolescents, at just two per 100,000 at the peak.  Of the 204 children under study, nearly one-third were sent to an ICU and 5% required mechanical ventilation, however, there were no deaths. Also, 70.6% of the total had at least one underlying medical issue. (Rivas, 6/12)

CBS News: CBS News Poll: Vaccinated Or Not, Americans Venture Out 
In terms of who is out and about, vaccinated people tend to be comfortable, but non-vaccinated people — of whom there are still many — are just as comfortable, if not more so, going out to public places than those who are vaccinated. Those who say they won't get the shot are more likely to be comfortable at a large event. (Salvanto, De Pinto an dBackus, 6/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: California's Reopening Dangers: Scary Variants, Unvaccinated Pockets
Marin County is the most vaccinated place in California, but last month it got a taste of the hazards that may lie ahead as the state reopens and pockets of people remain vulnerable to the coronavirus. County health officials first spotted a handful of cases across Ross Valley, a cozy part of Marin County that has mostly avoided the worst of the pandemic. Over two weeks in early May, the outbreak grew to 19. All but two were people who hadn’t been vaccinated. Later, officials linked the outbreak to the delta variant — the highly contagious strain first identified in India that has caused a resurgence in cases in the United Kingdom. (Allday, 6/13)

Southern California News Group: How California Theme Parks Will Verify Visitors Have Been Vaccinated
Coronavirus guidelines call for Disney, Universal and other California theme parks to verify that visitors have been vaccinated once the state’s economy fully reopens on June 15 — but what does that mean and how are the parks supposed to pull off that massive undertaking?Fully vaccinated Californians will no longer be required to wear masks at the state’s theme parks on June 15, but people attending “mega events” must provide either proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test. Turns out, the new state requirements sound more onerous than they really are — for both theme parks and their unvaccinated visitors. But as has often been the case throughout the pandemic, the state’s COVID-19 health and safety guidelines are complex and confusing. (Macdonald, 6/13)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Archdiocese To Drop COVID-19 Limits For The Vaccinated
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has issued new instructions to its more than 300 parishes to host full indoor masses without restrictions for vaccinated parishioners, such as social distancing and mask-wearing, beginning Saturday and June 20. Archbishop José Gomez sent out a letter over the weekend acknowledging “the significant progress in our fight against the pandemic” and established next weekend as homecoming dates for area Catholics. (Campa, 6/13)

AP: As COVID-19 Cases Wane, Vaccine-Lagging Areas Still See Risk
New COVID-19 cases are declining across most of the country, even in some states with vaccine-hesitant populations. But almost all states bucking that trend have lower-than-average vaccination rates, and experts warn that relief from the pandemic could be fleeting in regions where few people get inoculated. Case totals nationally have declined in a week from a seven-day average of nearly 21,000 on May 29 to 14,315 on Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. For weeks, states and cities have been dropping virus restrictions and mask mandates, even indoors. (Lovan and Willingham, 6/13)

The Washington Post: Region Tries To Boost Coronavirus Vaccine Uptake Among Law Enforcement 
As the Washington region’s coronavirus vaccination efforts continue, public health officials are homing in on segments of the population slow to get the shot — such as law enforcement officers. While no comprehensive surveying has been done in the region, Virginia officials say less than half of State Police troopers are vaccinated and about 50 percent of corrections officers in the state have been vaccinated. (Portnoy, 6/13)

The Boston Globe: COVID-19 Metrics Improving Overall, But Minority Communities Still ‘On Fire,’ Advocate Says
Although rates of coronavirus have been declining statewide, the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition said Sunday that Black and Latino communities remain at critical risk. While attention and resources slowly turn away from combating the pandemic, “we’re left with a community on fire,” said Dianne Wilkerson, cofounder of the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition. “Our fear — and I don’t use that lightly — we are scared to death that we are in the process we knew was coming when America and Boston moves on and the world opens up, and 65 and 70 percent of our respective population is unvaccinated with the delta variant from overseas on shore and coming for us,” said Wilkerson, a former state senator, in a phone interview Sunday. (Phillips, 6/13)

Becker's Hospital Review: Cleveland Clinic Researchers Identify Link Between COVID-19, Alzheimer's-Like Brain Impairment
While neurological problems have been a common symptom among COVID-19 long-haulers, the underlying mechanisms for this have remained largely unknown. A new study led by Cleveland Clinic researchers may have a glimpse at the answer. The research, published June 9 in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, leveraged artificial intelligence to compare existing datasets between patients with COVID-19 and Alzheimer's.  (Carbajal, 6/11)

Reuters: Celltrion Says Trial Shows Antibody COVID-19 Treatment To Be Safe And Effective
South Korean drugmaker Celltrion Inc on Monday announced positive results for its experimental antibody COVID-19 treatment that it said was safe and reduced the treatment period by nearly five days in Phase 3 global clinical trials. The trials, which involved 1,315 participants, have taken place since January in 13 countries, including in South Korea, the United States, Spain and Romania, Celltrion said in a statement. (Cha, 6/13)

Modern Healthcare: FDA Issues Warning About Innova COVID Antigen Test
Food and Drug Administration last week requested that Innova Medical Group stop sales of its COVID antigen rapid qualitative test and warned the public against using the test, citing concerns about its performance. Innova promotes the lateral flow immunochromatographic assay, which is designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein antigens in nasal swab specimens, as having demonstrated 97% sensitivity and 99% specificity for detecting infectious patients. (6/13)

CIDRAP: Most Severe COVID Patient Autopsies Showed Muscle Inflammation
In autopsies of 43 hospitalized COVID patients and 11 patients hospitalized for other health issues in Germany, those with COVID-19 were associated with more skeletal muscle inflammation, according to a study today in JAMA Neurology. The researchers looked at cryopreserved quadriceps, deltoids, lungs, and heart tissues in people who died from March 2020 to February 2021. (6/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Quail? Beta? Scientists Bicker Over What To Call Coronavirus Variants 
An idea reached the World Health Organization earlier this year: How about naming new variants of the coronavirus after sing-songy North American birds? Repurposing the robin or quail as catchy labels for ungainly mutants would be less confusing for the public, an epidemiologist based in Switzerland had mused. That would appease politicians in member states like South Africa and India who were unhappy with the way ordinary people named new virus strains after the country where they were first discovered: “the South African variant,” “the Indian variant.” (Hinshaw and Steinhauser, 6/13)

Bloomberg: Philips Recalls Breathing Devices Over Possibly Toxic Foam
Royal Philips NV recalled roughly 3.5 million ventilation devices used to treat sleep apnea and increased its cost estimate for addressing a defect that may potentially cause cancer. The company said some of its ventilators use sound-abatement foam that may degrade into particles that could be ingested or inhaled and potentially have toxic and carcinogenic effects. Philips doubled its provision for expected costs related to the issue to 500 million euros ($605 million). (Wilkes, 6/14)

FiercePharma: Bayer Pledges $300M To Boost Production In World's 'Contraceptive Capital’ 
Bayer, currently in the midst of a gung-ho cell therapy expansion in the U.S., is turning its attention back to Europe as it looks to beef up its birth control manufacturing in the world's "contraceptive capital." The company has designs on a €250 million ($303 million) investment for a new production plant in Turku, Finland, which it's pegged to become "one of the most modern" factories in the world thanks to its heavy use of automation and robotics, Bayer said in a release Thursday. The cash will also be used to make upgrades at an existing plant there. (Kansteiner, 6/11)

Stat: Alzheimer's Association Blasts Biogen Over Price Of New Drug Aduhelm
In harsh tones, the Alzheimer’s Association sharply criticized Biogen for the $56,000 price tag placed on its newly approved Alzheimer’s treatment, a move that threatens to embroil the biotech company and its medication in yet another national controversy. The patient advocacy group released a brief statement on Saturday calling the wholesale price “simply unacceptable” and that, for many people, it “will pose an insurmountable barrier to access … and may further deepen issues of health equity.” The organization expressed gratitude that the drug was approved in response to a “vast unmet need,” but called on Biogen to change the price. (Silverman, 6/12)

CNBC: Biogen Alzheimer’s Drug And The New Battle Over Dementia Treatment
The FDA’s approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm was a landmark moment in the life of Dr. Paul Aisen. The director of the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at USC has spent the past three decades focused on treating the neurodegenerative disease, and in recent years helped shepherd this particular drug through the various phases of clinical trials. But sitting in his sun-drenched office in San Diego in early June, he felt slightly confounded by the manner in which the Food and Drug Administration approved its use on an “accelerated” basis, which is usually reserved for cancer medications. This meant its clinical benefits were considered likely, but approval for long-term use would be subject to more extensive study in a fourth phase of trials. (Marx, 6/12)

AP: AMA Doctors Meet Amid Vocal Backlash Over Racial Equity Plan
The nation’s largest, most influential doctors’ group is holding its annual policymaking meeting amid backlash over its most ambitious plan ever — to help dismantle centuries-old racism and bias in all realms of the medical establishment. The dissenters are a vocal minority of physicians, including some white Southern delegates who accuse the American Medical Association of reverse discrimination. (Tanner, 6/12)

Stat: Meet The Unlikely Veteran-Turned-Doctor Shaping Amazon’s Health Plans
If you know the name Vin Gupta, chances are it’s because he tends to spar with politicians and others spouting anti-science rhetoric, and to as vast an audience as possible. He’s a medical commentator on NBC and MSNBC, a practicing intensive care physician, a public health researcher, a faculty member at the University of Washington — and a voracious tweeter. So it seems unlikely that someone so outward-facing has a day job at, of all places, Amazon, a notoriously tight-lipped tech behemoth that is rocketing full force into health care delivery. (Brodwin, 6/14)

Stat: Children In Rural Areas Face Increasing Barriers To Pediatric Care 
Hospital beds for children with asthma, pneumonia, viral infections, and other serious illnesses have declined in the last 10 years, mainly in rural areas. In a new study published Monday in Pediatrics, researchers found that the percentage of U.S. hospitals with inpatient units for pediatric care decreased, as did the number of beds in units that remained open. (Lloreda, 6/14)

Fierce Healthcare: HHS Gives Providers Flexibility On Spending COVID-19 Relief Funds, Updates Reporting Requirements 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) left intact a June 30 deadline for providers to use COVID-19 relief funds they accrued from April 10 through June 30 of 2020 after a major push from hospital groups asking for more time. But the agency did give more flexibility for providers to spend funding if they got it after June 30, 2020. (King, 6/11)

Fierce Healthcare: HHS To Give $424M To Rural Health Clinics For COVID-19 Tests, Mitigation Strategies 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $424.7 million in funding to more than 4,200 rural health clinics for COVID-19 tests and efforts to mitigate the virus. The funding, released Friday, is part of a larger effort by the Biden administration to address equity gaps in healthcare. (King, 6/11)

Modern Healthcare: COO Of Network Security Company Charged With Hospital Cyberattack
Vikas Singla, the chief operating officer of an Atlanta-based Securolytics, a network security company serving healthcare organizations, was arraigned last week on charges that in 2018 he caused a cyberattack on a Georgia hospital. According to the Department of Justice, Singla allegedly caused a cyberattack on Gwinnett Medical Center that "involved disrupting phone service, obtaining information from a digitizing device, and disrupting network printer service." The indictment further alleges that the cyberattack was conducted, in part, for financial gain. (6/13)

Axios: Most Top Hospitals Charge A More Than 5x Markup 
Some of the hospitals with the highest revenue in the country also have some of the highest prices, charging an average of 10 times more than the actual cost of the care they deliver, according to new research by Johns Hopkins University provided exclusively to Axios. Hospitals each determine their own charges, or list prices. While few patients ever pay those prices, due to negotiated insurance rates, they do affect the uninsured and, experts say, ultimately influence the overall price we all pay. (Reed, 6/14)

Axios: How America’s Top Hospitals Send Patient Costs Soaring
In February 2018, Stephen Swett went to the emergency room at Westchester Medical Center in New York seeking help for withdrawal from Suboxone, which treats opioid addiction. Swett — a 44-year old truck driver — says he sat on a gurney until he was discharged. Then in June of last year, the hospital filed a court summons, the beginning of its attempt to collect the $2,539.43 it said Swett owed for his trip. (McGhee and Chase, 6/14)

Axios: Some Of America's Largest Hospitals Regularly Sue Their Patients For Unpaid Medical Debt. 
More than a quarter of the 100 U.S. hospitals with the highest revenue sued patients over unpaid medical bills between 2018 and mid-2020, according to new research by Johns Hopkins University provided exclusively to Axios. The report suggests that, rather than being an anomaly, patient lawsuits are relatively common across the country and among the largest providers. (Owens, 6/14)

Axios: Public Spotlight On Hospital Lawsuits May Slow Them Down 
Hospitals sued patients much less often in 2020 than in the previous two years, and there are signs that this may signify change that lasts beyond the pandemic, according to new research by Johns Hopkins University provided exclusively to Axios. Some hospitals that received a lot of negative publicity over their billing practices stopped suing patients altogether. (Owens, 6/14)

Axios: Big New York Hospitals Dominate List Of Hospitals That Sue A Lot 
Among large hospitals that sue their patients, those in one state stand out: New York. “New York was the most aggressive region in the country in predatory billing,” said Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins professor and lead researcher on a new study detailing the billing practices of the 100 largest hospitals in the U.S. (Owens, 6/13)

Axios: Some Hospitals Turn To Liens Over Lawsuits 
Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee has taken plenty of court actions in pursuit of getting paid for medical services provided. But in the last year, those efforts have taken the form of hospital liens. Froedtert offers a look at the different legal avenues large hospital systems use to collects on patient debt. (Reed, 6/14)

Fierce Healthcare: More Physicians Have Become Millionaires Since Before The Pandemic, Survey Finds 
Many physicians increased their net worth over the last year of quarantine despite reporting relatively steady incomes and COVID-19-related practice issues, according to new survey data. Among nearly 18,000 physician respondents polled by Medscape, the proportion of those reporting a net worth greater than $1 million increased from 50% the previous year to 56% in 2020. (Muoio, 6/11)

Becker's Hospital Review: America's Physician Shortage Could Top 139,000 By 2033
The U.S. could face a shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians by 2033, according to new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The estimate is higher than AAMC's 2019 report, which projected a shortage of up to 121,900 physicians by 2032."This annual analysis continues to show that our country will face a significant shortage of physicians in the coming years," AAMC President and CEO David Skorton, MD, said in a news release. (Gooch, 6/11)

AP: Floss Boss: Dental Student Gets $10k To Pursue Invention
A dental student at Virginia Commonwealth University has been awarded $10,000 by her school to develop a prototype for her invention to help those wearing braces floss between their teeth. Student Christina Gordon first developed her idea for the Proxy-Flosser when she was 10 years old and looking for a better way to complete the tedious task. (6/13)

Fox News: Florida Mom Demands Clearer Label On Marijuana Edibles After Child Winds Up In Hospital
A Florida mom is urging stricter packaging regulations on THC products after her 6-year-old daughter allegedly ate a Faded Fruits cannabis-infused gummy thinking it was candy. Morgan McCoy of Pensacola took to Facebook on June 1 detailing how her child, McKendrick, happened upon the gummy and ended up in the hospital. It all began over Memorial Day weekend, when McCoy visited her in-laws in Jacksonville. A group of friends, who allegedly are legal, medical marijuana patients, were gathered at the house. While McCoy left the house to see a relative, her husband stayed behind. (Rivas, 6/12)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Research Finds Link Between Marijuana And Fewer Work Comp Claims
Temple University Professor Johanna Catherine Maclean is an economist who studies the impact of substance use on the labor market. Maclean’s recent research has focused on how medical and recreational marijuana legalization affects the ability to work productively, using the frequency of workers’ compensation claims as a measure. As the landscape of medical and recreational marijuana statutes continues to shift as states such as New Jersey legalize the substance, Maclean is a leader of this emerging area of research. “These medical and recreational marijuana policies are quite new, so we have a lot more to learn,” she said. “These are policies in motion.” (Rosenberg, (6/14)

Fox News: New Mexico Warns On Wound Botulism Among Drug Users After Several Suspected Cases
Health officials in New Mexico are investigating two suspected cases of wound botulism in residents with reported injection drug use. The state noted that two prior cases were reported in January, with cases primarily linked to injecting black tar heroin and methamphetamines. On average, about 20 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with wound botulism each year. Most patients report skin popping or muscle popping black tar heroin, but the direct link to the germ is unclear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), the two new cases involve a 26-year-old woman in Rio Arriba County, and a 40-year-old man from Bernalillo County. (Hein, 6/12)

AP: Bill Would Permanently Expand Telehealth Services
A new bill in Washington would permanently expand telehealth services under Medicare and allow patients in rural areas without access to broadband to use audio services, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said. “It should not have taken a pandemic for Medicare to finally unlock the potential of telehealth services — and now we need to make sure that these vital telehealth services continue to be available to patients long after the COVID-19 pandemic is over,” Shaheen said in a statement. (6/13)

AP: Worker Shortage Causes Long Waits For Child Psychiatric Care
Psychiatric facilities have enough beds to treat children in Kansas in need of intensive mental health care, but a worker shortage means that about 100 of those spots remain empty. Kansas News Service reports that in recent years, children have often waited months for openings in specialized facilities that offer long-term psychiatric care. In mid-2018, the average wait was nearly 200 days. (6/13)

The New York Times: Maine Residents Fend Off Poisonous Caterpillars
While parts of the country deal with swarms of cicadas this summer, Maine is struggling with an infestation of an invasive species of caterpillar with poisonous hairs that can cause people to develop painful rashes and even breathing problems. The caterpillars, known as browntail moths, are about 1.5 inches long and have white dashes down their sides and two red dots on their backs. (Jimenez, 6/13)

AP: Hassan: Mask Requirement Lifted For Commercial Fishermen
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Coast Guard have updated guidance for commercial fishermen saying those who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask while outside on a commercial fishing vessel, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan said. The move comes after Hassan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, advocated for the change. They had heard from fishermen in their states who said wearing a mask while they work is unsafe, Hassan said Sunday. (6/14)

CNBC: UK's Boris Johnson To Extend Covid-19 Restrictions In England: Reports
Boris Johnson is expected to announce a delay to the next phase of England’s reopening of up to four weeks on Monday, amid a surge in the delta variant of Covid-19 first discovered in India. Rules including the use of face masks, limiting the number of people who can meeting indoors and out, and shutting nightclubs and similar venues were due to be lifted on June 21, but British media reports suggest this could now be pushed back as late as July 19. At the moment, gatherings are limited to six people indoors and 30 outdoors. (Smith, 6/14)

AP: Moscow Orders New Restrictions As Covid-19 Infections Soar In The City
Moscow's mayor on Saturday ordered a week off for some workplaces and imposed restrictions on many businesses to fight coronavirus infections that have more than doubled in the past week. The national coronavirus task force reported 6,701 new confirmed cases in Moscow, compared with 2,936 on June 6. Nationally, the daily tally has spiked by nearly half over the past week, to 13,510. (6/13)

CNBC: India Covid Crisis: Making Vaccines Readily Available Is A Challenge
India set an ambitious target to manufacture more than 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by December — enough to inoculate most of its massive 1.3 billion population. But authorities have to convince people to get their shots, particularly those in small towns and villages in the countryside where there’s a degree of vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine delivery and access are also challenges in rural areas due to the lack of infrastructure. (Choudhury, 6/14)

AP: Germany Records Fewest Virus Cases In 9 Months
Germany has recorded its lowest number of new daily coronavirus infections in nearly nine months, and officials are floating the possibility of loosening mask-wearing rules. The Robert Koch Institute, the national disease control center, said Monday that 549 new cases were reported over the previous 24 hours. It’s the first time since Sept. 21 that the figure has been under 1,000, though it’s typical for numbers over the weekend to be relatively low because fewer tests are conducted and reported. (6/14)

Reuters: Take Your Condoms Home: Social Distancing And Sex In The Olympic Village 
Tokyo Olympic organisers plan to give away about 150,000 condoms at next month's Games, but are telling athletes to take them home rather than use them in the Olympic village where social distancing rules and coronavirus measures are the top priority. Large numbers of condoms have been given out at the Games since the 1988 Seoul Olympics to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, and organisers said the International Olympic Committee had requested their continued distribution. (Murakami, 6/13)