First Edition: Oct. 25, 2023

KFF Health News: Residents Of A Rural Arkansas County Grapple With Endemic Gun Violence 
On a recent September afternoon, Courtney Porter counted his losses: his mom from old age, his wife from diabetes complications, two of his brothers. While one died of an aneurysm, the shooting death last year of his younger brother, Patro, hit the hardest. “It tore me up, real bad,” said Porter, 50, from the Stop N Shop, a defunct gas station that is now a convenience shop. “I’ll never get over it.” (Rayasam, 10/25)

KFF Health News: California Expands Paid Sick Days And Boosts Health Worker Wages 
California continues to burnish its reputation as a progressive state for health policy as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills expanding paid sick leave, adding bereavement leave for miscarriages, and boosting wages for health workers. Newsom blessed a rare agreement between labor and the health industry to gradually phase in a nation-leading $25-an-hour statewide minimum wage for health workers. Estimates based on earlier versions of the bill found it would increase health care costs by billions of dollars each year and put pressure on the state’s Medicaid program to raise reimbursement rates for long-term care to maintain patients’ access to services. Other new laws aim to strengthen reproductive rights, as well as patient protections against errant doctors and pharmacists and surprise ambulance bills. (Thompson, 10/25)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Addiction experts worry a lifesaving overdose reversal drug is still too hard to get despite no longer requiring a prescription, and California bans a medical diagnosis critics say is used to cover up police misconduct. (10/19)

The New York Times: Despite State Bans, Legal Abortions Didn’t Fall Nationwide In Year After Dobbs
In the year after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion, something unexpected happened: The total number of legal abortions in the United States did not fall. Instead, it appeared to increase slightly, by about 0.2 percent, according to the first full-year count of abortions provided nationwide. This finding came despite the fact that 14 states banned all abortions, and seven imposed new limits on them. Even as those restrictions reduced the legal abortion rate to near zero in some states, there were large increases in places where abortions remained legal. Researchers said they were driven by the expansion of telemedicine for mail-order abortion pills, increased options and assistance for women who traveled, and a surge of publicity about ways to get abortions. (Miller and Sanger-Katz, 10/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Roe V. Wade Is Gone, But Abortions Are On The Rise 
While it has become much harder since the end of Roe to obtain an abortion in states with newly enacted bans, it actually appears to have become easier in many other states, thanks to increased attention and resources. Abortion funds, nonprofits that help finance abortions and logistics associated with them, have raised millions to help lower-income women pay for procedures and travel, while new clinics have opened in states such as Illinois and New Mexico that have become major destinations for women traveling from other states. (Kusisto and Calfas, 10/24)

The New York Times: In Texas, Abortion ‘Travel Ban’ Gains Momentum 
In recent months, abortion opponents in Texas have succeeded in passing a growing number of local ordinances to prevent people from helping women travel to have abortions in nearby states that still allow the procedure. On Monday, Lubbock County, a conservative hub of more than 300,000 residents near the border with New Mexico, became the largest county yet to enact such a ban. The county commissioners court, during a public meeting that drew occasionally impassioned testimony, voted to make it illegal for anyone to transport a pregnant woman through the county, or pay for her travel, for the purpose of seeking an abortion. (Goodman, 10/24)

Military Times: Tricare Won’t Cover Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill
The first over-the-counter birth control pill available in the U.S. has been Food and Drug Administration-approved since July, but the military’s health insurance isn’t stocking or covering it, according to a letter several senators sent to the Defense Department on Monday. The lawmakers hope that the non-prescription pill will increase access to contraceptives for service members and their dependents. (Myers, 10/24)

Axios: What's Driving More Women To Quit Birth Control
At the same time the fall of Roe v. Wade has fueled an interest in expanding contraception access, OB-GYNs say they have seen a wave of patients quitting hormonal birth control for more "natural" options. The turn against effective forms of birth control raises concern about increased risks for unplanned pregnancies when abortion is being severely limited or banned across much of the U.S. (Reed, 10/25)

CNN: States Sue Instagram-Parent Meta Over 'Addictive' Features And Youth Mental Health Harms 
Dozens of states sued Instagram-parent Meta on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of harming young users’ mental health through allegedly addictive features such as infinite news feeds and frequent notifications that demand users’ constant attention. In a federal lawsuit filed in California by 33 attorneys general, the states allege that Meta’s products have harmed minors and contributed to a mental health crisis in the United States. (Fung, 10/24)

The Washington Post: Young Adults Suffer From Anxiety, Depression Twice As Often As Teens 
Young adults in the United States experience anxiety and depression twice as frequently as teenagers, according to a new nationally representative survey by Making Caring Common, a project of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Thirty-six percent of young adults — ages 18 to 25 — reported anxiety, compared with 18 percent of younger teenagers — ages 14 to 17 — while 29 percent felt depression, compared with 15 percent in the younger age group in the survey. (Lewis, 10/24)

The Washington Post: Is A Lack Of Independence Fueling A Youth Mental Health Crisis? 
For years, Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, has been closely following two disturbing trends: the dwindling of independent activity and play afforded to children over the past half-century, and the accelerating rise in mental health disorders and suicides among youth during that same period. There are familiar factors that surface in discussions of the youth mental health crisis in America, with screen use and social media often topping the list of concerns. But Gray suspects a deeper underlying issue: The landscape of childhood has transformed in ways that are profoundly affecting the way children develop — by limiting their ability to play independently, to roam beyond the supervision of adults, to learn from peers, and to build resilience and confidence. (Gibson, 10/24)

The New York Times: Pilot Who Disrupted Flight Said He Had Taken Psychedelic Mushrooms, Complaint Says 
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut off the engines during a flight on Sunday told investigators that he had been sleepless and dehydrated since he consumed psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before boarding and that he had been depressed for a long time, state and federal court documents said. The pilot, Joseph D. Emerson, 44, also told the police in an interview after he was taken into custody that he believed he was having a “nervous breakdown,” according to federal court documents. He said he had struggled with depression for about six years and that a friend had recently died. (Levenson, 10/24)

AP: Off-Duty Pilot Said ‘I’m Not OK’ Before Trying To Cut Engines Midflight, Charging Documents Say
An off-duty airline pilot riding in an extra cockpit seat on a Horizon Air flight said “I’m not OK” just before trying to cut the engines midflight and later told police he had been struggling with depression, according to charging documents made public Tuesday. State prosecutors in Oregon filed 83 counts of attempted murder against Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson, 44, on Tuesday. ... An FBI agent wrote in a probable cause affidavit in support of the federal charge that Emerson “said it was his first-time taking mushrooms.” (Rush and Johnson, 10/24)

The Hill: Sanders To Vote ‘No’ On Biden NIH Director Confirmation 
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), stated Tuesday that he plans to vote “no” on the confirmation of Monica Bertagnolli, President Biden’s nominee for director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).Sander’s decision comes just one day before the HELP committee is to consider the nominations of Bertagnolli and other nominees at agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Choi, 10/24)

The Washington Post: CDC Updates RSV Shot Recommendations Due To Drug Shortages 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Monday in response to limited supplies of an antibody drug designed to protect infants from the respiratory disease RSV. The update comes as RSV cases have started to rise in parts of the United States with the onset of cold and flu season, creating a conundrum for many pediatricians. The CDC is now advising pediatricians and other health-care providers to prioritize administering certain doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody sold under the brand name Beyfortus, to infants with the highest risk of developing severe respiratory syncytial virus. (Malhi, 10/24)

Politico: ‘On Track’: 3 Percent Of Americans Have Gotten The New Covid Shot, But The CDC Director Remains Confident 
The Biden administration’s campaign to convince Americans to get an annual Covid shot is off to a very slow start. Even so, the nation’s top disease-fighting official says the U.S. remains “on track” to hit last year’s uptake levels, which crested at just 17 percent of the U.S. population. So far, 12 million people, or about 3.6 percent of the population, have gotten the shot in the five weeks since it hit pharmacy shelves — though reporting lags mean it’s likely a bit higher, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said. (Cirruzzo, 10/24)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes Face Delays Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
The Health and Human Services Department said Monday it is working to ensure the new COVID-19 vaccine gets to long-term care facilities, following complaints that some nursing homes are struggling to obtain doses for their residents. Trade groups representing long-term care providers and the pharmacies that serve them lay much of the blame on the transition from government distribution of the vaccine to the commercial marketplace, a change that did not give those pharmacies and nursing homes priority access to the vaccine. (Eastabrook and Broderick, 10/24)

The New York Times: Covid Shots May Slightly Raise Stroke Risk In The Oldest Recipients 
The Covid vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna may be linked to a slight increase in the risk of stroke when administered along with a high-dose flu vaccine, according to a new analysis by the Food and Drug Administration. The high-dose flu vaccine is usually given to older people, and the risk association is clearest in adults aged 85 and older. But that increase, if real, seems very small, and it is possible that the risk may stem from the flu vaccine alone. (Mandavilli, 10/24)

CIDRAP: Study: Childcare Centers Not Sites Of Significant COVID Spread
A study today led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine published in JAMA Network Open shows that US childcare centers have not been significant sites of COVID-19 transmission, and the authors suggest that children with COVID-19 in these centers be treated like others with similar non-COVID respiratory illnesses. (Soucheray, 10/24)

Axios: Cruise Ship Passengers Win Carnival COVID Outbreak Lawsuit In Australia
Carnival Cruise Line was deemed "negligent" over a 2020 COVID outbreak aboard the Ruby Princess that resulted in 28 deaths, Australia's Federal Court ruled in a class action lawsuit on Wednesday. Justice Angus Stewart said in a summary that the cruise company "knew or ought to have known about the heightened risk of coronavirus infection on the vessel, and its potentially lethal consequences" before it left Sydney for New Zealand in March 2020, "yet they proceeded regardless." (Falconer, 10/24)

ABC News: Moderna Doses 1st Participant In Phase 3 Clinical Trial Of Combo Flu, COVID Vaccine
Moderna announced Tuesday it has dosed its first participant in a phase III clinical trial of a combination influenza and COVID-19 vaccine. This phase will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combo vaccine compared to flu and COVID vaccines that are administered separately in two groups, one involving 4,000 adults aged 65 and older and another involving 4,000 adults between ages 50 and 64. (Kekatos, 10/24)

ABC News: In Major Medical Advancement, Study Finds Additional Chemo Slashes Risk Of Cervical Cancer Death
An already-approved chemotherapy drug could reduce the risk of dying of cervical cancer when added to the current treatment standard, according to new research presented at a major medical conference. ... The study found that the group who got the additional chemotherapy survived longer, on average. After 5 years, 80% of these women were still alive, compared to 72% of those who got the standard treatment, according to the study. (Carnegie and Salzman, 10/24)

The Wall Street Journal: This $1,000 Test Finds Signs Of Cancer In Your Blood
Doctors, researchers and patient advocates are excited about a new blood test that promises to detect cancer early. They disagree about whether you should actually use it yet. The $949 Galleri liquid biopsy can screen for more than 50 types of cancers. It works by looking for a shared cancer signal in DNA shed by tumors in the bloodstream. More than 130,000 of the prescription-only tests have been sold since Galleri became available in June 2021, according to the test maker Grail, a unit of the gene-sequencing company Illumina.  (Janin, 10/24)

CBS News: Health Care Workers Say Workplace Harassment Doubled From 2018 To 2022, Survey Finds
U.S. health care workers are dealing with more than double the rate of workplace harassment compared to pre-pandemic times, according to new survey data. The findings, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vital Signs report Tuesday, show that in 2022, 13.4% of health workers said they'd been harassed at work, up from 6.4% in 2018. ... The survey also found health workers who reported being harassed also had increased odds of reporting anxiety, depression and burnout compared to those who weren't harassed. (Moniuszko, 10/24)

Modern Healthcare: AI In Healthcare Likely To See Federal Regulation
Government regulation of artificial intelligence in healthcare is in its early stages, according to developers and end users of the technology. Most stakeholders agree that AI holds promise in improving clinical care. But health system leaders and developers are looking for concrete guardrails, even if it’s unclear how the technology will be regulated. (Turner, 10/24)

Stat: New Infertility Definition Includes LGBTQ+ And Single People
Infertility has a new definition in the U.S. — one that could make a big difference to would-be parents who are single or LGBTQ+. Last week, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued an expanded description of the condition, stating that infertility involves “the need for medical intervention, including, but not limited to, the use of donor gametes or donor embryos in order to achieve a successful pregnancy either as an individual or with a partner.” (Merelli, 10/24)

The Hill: Fetterman ‘Can’t Believe’ Marshall Resolution On School Lunch ‘Is Even Real’
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) took issue with a new school lunch resolution offered by fellow Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) Tuesday. The resolution, initially introduced in July by a series of senators and placed on the calendar last week, disagrees with recent guidance by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in relation to sex discrimination. “I can’t even believe that this resolution is even real. This makes it possible for some random lunch lady to deny lunch to a hungry child because she says her god tells her to. School lunch should be free, and certainly free of judgment,” Fetterman said in a statement. (Suter, 10/24)

The Washington Post: What’s The Best Diet? A Federal Study Aims To Find Out
The federal government wants you — yes, you — to join a large and ambitious diet study that could change the way we think about the best foods to eat for optimal health. ...The National Institutes of Health is spending $189 million over five years and recruiting 10,000 adults. The goal of the study, called Nutrition for Precision Health, is to find out how different people metabolize and respond to various diets. ...Enrollment in the Nutrition for Precision Health study is open online. (O'Connor, 10/24)

NBC News: Around 20 Minutes Of Exercise A Day May Balance Out The Harms Of Sitting, Study Finds
People who have no choice but to sit at a desk for hours on end may have seen, in recent years, a slew of headlines about the scary consequences of sitting for long periods of time — and how even regular exercise couldn’t undo the damage. Research published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, however, finds that about 22 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity may provide an antidote to the ills of prolonged sitting. What’s more, the researchers found that, as a person’s activity level increases, the risk of dying prematurely from any cause goes down. (Carroll, 10/24)

The New York Times: What To Know About Dengue Fever As Cases Spread To New Places 
Cases of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral illness that can be fatal, are surging around the world. The increase is occurring both in places that have long struggled with the disease and in areas where its spread was unheard-of until the last year or two, including France, Italy and Chad, in central Africa. Last week, health officials in Pasadena, Calif., reported a first case of locally transmitted dengue. Dengue, a viral fever, is transmitted by Aedes species of mosquitoes. It can cause excruciating joint pain; is also known by the grim nickname “breakbone fever.” (Nolen, 10/24)

USA Today: Bee Pollen For Breast Growth Causing Anaphylaxis And Period Changes
On the hunt for bigger breasts, women on TikTok this summer buzzed over bee pollen: a mixture of plant and flower pollen, as well nectar and bee saliva, that accumulates on the insects’ bodies and is used for honey production. ... Now, about four months after the trend dominated women’s #FYP, videos detailing mild to severe allergic reactions and changes to menstruation, such as heavier bleeding and more painful cramps, are springing up online. These unintended consequences, experts say, serve as a reminder that “natural” isn’t always safe. (Camero, 10/24)

Stat: Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Can Now Be Tracked Via Apple Watch Apps
Since the Apple Watch was unveiled in 2014, it has been trumpeted not only as a high tech fashion accessory, but also as a way for people to track their own health and fitness. It has evolved as a popular cardio tool for such uses as heart rate monitoring, recording your ECG, and measuring the oxygen saturation of your blood. But now, after nearly a decade of development, the Apple Watch is being leveraged on an entirely new health frontier: Parkinson’s disease, the degenerative brain disorder that affects more than a half million Americans. (Aguilar, 10/24)

AP: Poison Specialist And Former Medical Resident At Mayo Clinic Is Charged With Poisoning His Wife
A poison specialist and former medical resident at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is charged with fatally poisoning his wife, a 32-year-old pharmacist who died days after she went to a hospital in August with stomach distress. Authorities say Connor Bowman, 30, tried to stop the autopsy on his wife, Betty Bowman — arguing she should be cremated immediately and claiming she had a rare illness, which hospital tests did not confirm. The medical examiner’s office halted the order for cremation, citing suspicious circumstances, according to a criminal complaint, and an autopsy showed Betty Bowman died from toxic effects of colchicine, a medicine used to treat gout. (Ahmed, 10/24)