First Edition: Sept. 25, 2023

KFF Health News: Officials Agree: Use Settlement Funds To Curb Youth Addiction. But The ‘How’ Gets Hairy
When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director. Several schools began stocking naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Community organizations trained teens to use it. But county and school officials wanted to do more. (Pattani and Featherston, 9/25)

KFF Health News: Pot Boom Wakes Sleepy Dinosaur, Colorado
There isn’t much to this town a short drive from the national monument of the same name. A couple of gas stations, a liquor store, and a small motel line the two main drags, Brontosaurus Boulevard and Stegosaurus Freeway. But this community of about 315 and its four marijuana dispensaries — one shop for every 79 residents — is a contender for the title of cannabis capital of Colorado. (Hawryluk, 9/25)

KFF Health News: Journalist Assesses Federal Push To Remove Medical Debt From Credit Reports 
In two radio appearances this week, KFF Health News senior correspondent Noam N. Levey discussed medical debt in the U.S. and contextualized a new federal push to keep unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores. (9/23)

The New York Times: Genetically Modified Pig’s Heart Is Transplanted Into A Second Patient
Surgeons in Baltimore have transplanted the heart of a genetically altered pig into a man with terminal heart disease who had no other hope for treatment, the University of Maryland Medical Center announced on Friday. It is the second such procedure performed by the surgeons. The first patient, David Bennett, 57, died two months after his transplant, but the pig heart functioned well and there were no signs of acute organ rejection, a major risk in such procedures. (Caryn Rabin, 9/22)

AP: Surgeons Perform Second Pig Heart Transplant, Trying To Save A Dying Man
“You know, I just keep shaking my head – how am I talking to someone who has a pig heart?” Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the transplant, told The Associated Press. He said doctors are feeling “a great privilege but, you know, a lot of pressure.” The same Maryland team last year performed the world’s first transplant of a genetically modified pig heart into another dying man, David Bennett, who survived just two months. (Neergaard, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: Organ Transplant System Overhaul Bill Signed By Biden
President Joe Biden triggered a major transformation of the national system for allocating human organs for transplant by signing a bipartisan bill Friday. The new law enables the Health Resources and Services Administration to seek bids from multiple for-profit and nonprofit organizations to participate in the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which effectively ends nearly four decades of sole control by the United Network for Organ Sharing, known as UNOS. Proponents say this remade system will improve safety and more fairly distribute organs. (Berryman, 9/22)

The Washington Post: RSV Vaccine Recommended For Pregnant Women, CDC Says
A federal advisory panel recommended on Friday that expectant mothers get an RSV vaccine to protect their newborns from the potentially deadly respiratory disease. The vaccine is recommended for people who are between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant and who will give birth during the fall and winter, when RSV cases usually spike. The maternal RSV vaccine represents the latest tool health-care providers have to safeguard infants during their most vulnerable stage, right after birth, when their immune systems are still developing. (Malhi, 9/23)

AP: RSV Vaccine Recommended During Pregnancy As A Second Option To Protect Newborns 
U.S. health officials on Friday recommended RSV vaccinations for moms-to-be, a second new option to protect newborns from serious lung infections. The shots should be given late in pregnancy but only during RSV season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “This is another new tool we can use this fall and winter to help protect lives,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen in a statement. (Stobbe, 9/22)

USA Today: Consumers Seeking COVID Vaccine Face Insurance Denials, Cancellations
The major snarl comes amid a systemic shift, as the federal government no longer pays for or distributes all COVID-19 vaccinations. Public and private-sector health insurance providers must pay the full cost of the shot plus an administrative fee. Uninsured patients can still get free shots through a federal government program. In response to an uptick in cases, the Biden administration announced plans Monday to restart another federal program that allows consumers to order four free tests per household. (Alltucker and Cuevas, 9/23)

The Hill: COVID Surge Shouldn’t Close Schools, Says Biden Education Secretary: ‘I Worry About Government Overreach’
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says schools should not be shutting down due to surges in COVID-19 and expressed worry about government overreach. “I worry about government overreach, sending down edicts that will lead to school closures because either folks are afraid to go in or are infected and can’t go,” Cardona told The Associated Press. Despite the new wave of COVID-19 cases, “schools should be open, period,” Cardona said, according to the AP. (Lonas, 9/22)

NBC News: As Covid Cases Rise, What To Know About Paxlovid
Paxlovid lowers the amount of virus in the body. Research has shown that it is associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization or death — but only for those who are already at higher risk of severe illness from Covid because they are older or have underlying health conditions. Plus, there are potential downsides: Paxlovid can clash with many medications and it can cause some side effects, including a particularly weird one. (Ryan, 9/24)

CBS News: How FDA's Top Vaccines Official Is Timing His COVID Booster And Flu Shot For Fall 2023
"Some people are saying, 'Well, could I get RSV, COVID and the flu vaccine on the same day?' Yes, indeed, you could. But honestly, I might not," said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. ... Spacing out the shots by around two weeks could "minimize the chance of interactions, and minimize confusing side effects from one with another," he said. They might be a good option for people who did not mind multiple trips to the pharmacy or their doctor's office. (Tin, 9/22)

The Hill: COVID Conspiracies Return In Force, Just In Time For 2024
An increase in COVID-19 cases has spawned a corresponding flare-up of conspiracy theories around the virus, a phenomenon that experts warn will only get worse as the 2024 election approaches. The White House and President Biden’s reelection campaign will now be tasked with promoting awareness and the latest vaccines while also countering misinformation spread by anti-vaxxers, some conservative pundits and even a small number of Republican officials. (Lee and Gangitano, 9/23)

AP: Missouri Says Clinic That Challenged Transgender Treatment Restrictions Didn't Provide Proper Care
Missouri officials struck back at one of the clinics that unsuccessfully challenged new state restrictions on gender affirming care, accusing the clinic in a lawsuit of failing to provide proper care for transgender minors even before the new law took effect. Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the counter lawsuit against St. Louis-based Southampton Community Healthcare on Sunday, two days after it was filed in court. (Funk, 9/24)

Fox News: Missouri AG Sues Health Provider For Allegedly Not Giving Mental Evaluations Before Sex Reassignments
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit against a healthcare company last week after it provided puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors without a mental health assessment, as required by state law before sex reassignments were banned. On Aug. 28, Missouri’s Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act was implemented as law in the state. After the law was passed, Bailey’s office sent a letter to providers across Missouri, warning them to stop providing experimental treatment on treatment immediately. (Wehner, 9/24)

The New York Times: Newsom Vetoes Bill On Parental Support Of Child’s Gender Identity In Custody Cases
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California vetoed a bill on Friday that would instruct judges presiding over custody battles in the state to take into consideration a parent’s support for a child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions. Why It Matters: The veto signals a break from the governor’s stance in support of transgender rights. In a letter accompanying his veto on Friday, Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said that while he he shares “a deep commitment” to advancing transgender rights, he urged caution about making legal standards “in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic.” (Betts, 9/24)

AP: California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Bills To Enhance The State's Protections For LGBTQ+ People
The new laws include legislation that focuses on support for LGBTQ+ youth. One law sets timelines for required cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff, while another creates an advisory task force to determine the needs of LGBTQ+ students and help advance supportive initiatives. A third requires families to show that they can and are willing to meet the needs of a child in foster care regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. (9/24)

Fox News: Trans Children Who Took Puberty-Blocking Drugs Had Mental Health Issues, UK Study Found
Taking puberty-blocking drugs has been shown to cause mental health issues in trans children, according to a recent analysis from the University of Essex. In re-examining the results of a previous study, the U.K. researchers determined that one-third of the youth with gender dysphoria (GD) experienced a decline in mental health after taking triptorelin. Sold under the brand name Trelstar, triptorelin is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist that reduces the amount of certain hormones in the body. (Rudy, 9/23)

Stat: Senators: Long-Delayed Opioids Study Would Put Patients At Risk
Two Democratic senators are warning the Food and Drug Administration not to proceed with a controversial trial meant to measure opioids’ effectiveness as a chronic pain treatment. In a letter shared with STAT, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) warned FDA Commissioner Robert Califf against using the method in the agency’s ongoing work to evaluate whether opioids, despite their widespread use, are effective at treating chronic pain. (Facher, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: Mark Cuban-Backed JAMA Study Finds Major Hospital Price Variations
A study co-authored by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban found significant discrepancies in price estimates for hospital services, depending on how patients sought them. The study, published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, compared online cash price estimates for vaginal childbirth and brain MRI services with estimates obtained via "secret shopper" calls. The study looked at 60 hospitals grouped as top-ranked, safety net or neither. (Hudson, 9/22)

The Washington Post: Programs Tracking Misinfo Are Buckling Amid Campaign Led By Rep. Jim Jordan
Academics, universities and government agencies are overhauling or ending research programs designed to counter the spread of online misinformation amid a legal campaign from conservative politicians and activists who accuse them of colluding with tech companies to censor right-wing views. The escalating campaign — led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other Republicans in Congress and state government — has cast a pall over programs that study not just political falsehoods but also the quality of medical information online. (Nix, Zakrzewski and Menn, 9/23)

The Washington Post: Day-Care Food Program Linked To Better Health Overall In Children
Every day, more than 4.2 million children receive nutritious food and snacks through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federally funded, state-administered initiative that reimburses child-care centers and home day cares for providing food to eligible kids. A new analysis suggests the program positively affects not just children but also their families, tying subsidized child-care meals to better child health and lower rates of household food insecurity. (Blakemore, 9/24)

USA Today: America's Growing Obesity Epidemic: 3 Charts Explain Obesity Rates Across The US
More than 4 in 10 Americans now fit the medical definition for having obesity, putting them at risk for serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer. But when looking obesity rates at the state level, that number can be even more drastic. Recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 22 states have an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35%, compared to 19 states in 2021. Just ten years ago, no state passed the 35% threshold of adult obesity. (Chernikoff, 9/24)

NPR: A Gene Variant Raises The Risk Of Parkinson's For Some People Of African Descent
A global effort to make genetic studies more diverse has led to a discovery about Parkinson's disease, a common brain disorder that can impair a person's ability to move and speak. ... The finding, published in August in The Lancet Neurology, suggests that Parkinson's may work differently in people of African, rather than European, descent. It could eventually help scientists develop a treatment specifically for people with this particular gene variant. (Hamilton, 9/24)

Fox News: Depression Identified As ‘Contributing Cause’ Of Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Says New Study: ‘Important’ Findings
People who struggle with depression could face a higher risk of diabetes, according to new research from Diabetes U.K., a British charity that aims to improve the care and treatment of people with diabetes. The researchers discovered that people with a history of depression are more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, according to a press release from the organization. ... For the first time, the study revealed that depression directly causes an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. (Stabile, 9/24)

CIDRAP: Type 2 Diabetes Rates In US Youth Rose 62% After COVID Pandemic Began, Study Suggests
Rates of new-onset type 2 diabetes climbed 62%—and type 1 diabetes increased 17%—among US youth after the COVID-19 pandemic began, especially in Black and Hispanic children, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. For the study, Kaiser Permanente researchers tracked rates of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among health system members aged 0 to 19 years in southern California with no history of diabetes from January 2016 to December 2021. (Van Beusekom, 9/22)

Fox News: Aspartame And Autism: Drinking Diet Soda Amid Pregnancy Linked To Diagnosis In Male Offspring, Says Study
Pregnant or breastfeeding women who consume diet soda or other foods and drinks containing aspartame could experience higher rates of autism diagnoses in their sons, a new study has revealed. "Our study does not prove causality — it does not prove that maternal intake of diet sodas, and aspartame specifically, during pregnancy or nursing increases a child’s risk of autism — but it does raise a major warning flag," said lead author Sharon Parten Fowler, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of medicine at UT Health San Antonio, in an interview with Fox News Digital. (Rudy, 9/24)

Fox News: Jellyfish Are Not The ‘Simple Creatures’ Once Thought: New Study May Change An Understanding Of Our Own Brains
Jellyfish could be much smarter than scientists previously thought, asserts a new study published in the journal Current Biology. Poisonous Caribbean box jellyfish can learn at a far more complex level than ever imagined, despite only having 1,000 nerve cells and no centralized brain, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. Scientists say their findings change the fundamental understanding of the brain — and could reveal more about human cognitive functions and the process of dementia. (Rudy, 9/24)

CIDRAP: Remdesivir Tied To Lower COVID Death Rates In Hospital Patients Receiving Oxygen
A comparative-effectiveness study that spanned the dominance of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) finds that the antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury) significantly reduced in-hospital COVID-19 death rates among adults receiving supplemental oxygen on admission. The study, led by researchers from remdesivir manufacturer Gilead Sciences, was published today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 9/22)

Fortune: Weight-Loss Drugs Like Ozempic Are In Such Huge Demand That Spending On Them Will Hit $100 Billion By 2035, Analyst Says
The global market for novel weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk A/S’s Ozempic and Wegovy is poised to reach $100 billion by 2035 as patients start to understand the efficacy of the medications. That’s according to BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan David Seigerman, who, in a note to clients late Thursday, also said revenue for the medications could reach as high as $70 billion in the US alone. (Adegbesan, 9/22)

NPR: Significant Changes To The Horseshoe Crab Bleeding Industry May Protect Wildlife
Pharmaceutical companies could soon have easier access to synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood, a key ingredient used to test vaccines and medical devices for contamination. The U.S. Pharmacopeia, the regulatory body in charge of setting national safety standards, announced a proposal on Aug. 22 that would make it simpler for companies to use the alternatives. (Eisner, 9/23)

Modern Healthcare: CommonSpirit Cuts 2,000 Jobs, Reports $1.4B Operating Loss
CommonSpirit Health eliminated about 2,000 full-time positions, roughly 1% of its workforce, in its fiscal fourth quarter as part of a focus to operate more efficiently. Positions affected by the reduction included ancillary, support and overhead roles, the Chicago-based health system said in fiscal year 2023 financial documents published Thursday. It did not say how many were unfilled positions or what locations were affected, but noted the cuts were partially offset by increased clinical hiring to handle higher patient volumes. A spokesperson declined to provide details. (Hudson, 9/22)

Fox News: Less Than Half Of Nurses Are ‘Fully Engaged’ At Work, While Many Are ‘Unengaged,’ New Report Reveals
Less than half of U.S. nurses say they are "fully engaged" while on the job — and about 14% say they are "unengaged. "This is according to the 2023 National Nursing Engagement Report from the Nebraska market research and consulting company PRC. It surveyed 1,923 RNs from 37 hospitals across the country. The survey posed 34 questions to nurses about "nurse quality indicators," engagement, burnout and retention. (Rudy, 9/25)

Stat: Challenges Of Rural Health Care Explored In New STAT Video Series
With physicians experiencing high turnover and burnout during Covid-19 pandemic and rural hospitals closing, the shortage of doctors in rural America keeps getting worse. In 2023, 65% of rural areas had a shortage of primary care physicians, according to a report published by the Health Resources and Services Administration. More than 15% of Americans — about 46 million — live in rural areas, but only 10% of doctors practice in these communities, many of whom are primary care and family physicians. (Empinado, 9/25)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Children's Hospital Names Houston Methodist Executive President
Texas Children’s Hospital has appointed Houston Methodist executive Debra Feigin Sukin as its new president, the hospital system announced Friday. Sukin, the daughter of Houston pediatrics legend Dr. Ralph Feigin, will assume one of the top leadership roles occupied by Mark A. Wallace, who plans to step down as president after 34 years. Wallace will remain CEO of the hospital system. (Gill, 9/22)

The Boston Globe: Leominster Hospital Maternity Unit Set To Close Saturday
UMass Memorial Health plans to close the maternity unit at its Leominster hospital on Saturday, after months of protest, debate, and community uproar. In a memo sent to employees on Thursday, Dr. Eric Dickson, chief executive of UMass Memorial Health, said the system received a response from the state that acknowledged the closure and the hospital’s plan to mitigate its impacts. (Bartlett, 9/22)

The Washington Post: Maryland Hospitals Report Spiking Preventable Deaths, Injuries
A premature baby was given four times the safe daily dose of a steroid for 13 days. A patient went in for surgery on one leg and ended up losing the other leg to compartment syndrome. Three people died after a maintenance worker inadvertently shut off an unlabeled oxygen line. State data shows serious harm inside Maryland’s 62 hospitals more than tripled between 2019 and 2022 to 769 incidents that killed or injured patients, reaching the highest level since the state began collecting patient safety data in 2004. Safety experts say the historic rise of dangerous missteps, probably fueled by staffing shortages and the strain of the pandemic, may signal systemic failures. (Shepherd, 9/24)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Beaches See Red Tide. What To Know About Algae, Health Risks
Areas of the Texas Gulf Coast are experiencing a red tide algae bloom that is causing dead fish to wash ashore and posing health risks to humans. The Brazoria County Parks Department released an alert Thursday that dead fish have been found along stretches of beach at Follett's Island, Surfside and Quintana Island. They also announced the red tide is tracking to the Southwest and is moving along Brazoria County coastlines and into the San Bernard River delta regions. (Nickerson, 9/22)

AP: Minneapolis Plans To Transfer City Property To Native American Tribe For Treatment Center
Minneapolis officials intend to transfer two city-owned properties to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, which plans to build an addiction treatment center at the site. Mayor Jacob Frey announced the plan Thursday to sell the two parcels to the Red Lake Band for $1 each, noting the Native American community is disproportionately affected by addiction. (9/22)

AP: Arizona's Sweltering Summer Could Set New Record For Most Heat-Associated Deaths In Big Metro
America’s hottest metro area is on track to set an annual record for heat-associated deaths after a sweltering summer, particularly in Phoenix. Public health officials in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and Arizona’s most populous county, said Friday that 289 heat associated deaths were confirmed as of Sept. 16, with another 262 deaths under investigation. (Snow, 9/23)