Flu Rising Across The US, Especially In Central, South Regions
The data comes from the latest weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, a child in Michigan has died from flu, raising the number of pediatric flu deaths to 16 in the U.S. this year, and a county in New York is reporting a spike of over 1,500 flu cases within the last few weeks — later than usual in the season.
CIDRAP:
US Flu Activity And Hospitalizations Still On The Rise
Flu activity rose again last week, up in most regions, but at the highest levels in the central and south central parts of the country, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update. Overall, the percentage of outpatient visits rose slightly again, from 1.9% to 2%, but is still below baseline. One state—New Mexico—reported high flu activity, another marker of clinic visits. Three reported moderate activity: Massachusetts, New York, and Oklahoma. (4/15)
WWMT:
Michigan Has First Pediatric Flu-Related Death In Kalamazoo
A child from Kalamazoo County died after contracting the flu, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced April 15. This is the first influenza-associated pediatric death in Michigan for the 2021 to 2022 flu season, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed. The child had Influenza A/H3, the strand confirmed in nearly all positive confirmed cases this flu season. ... There have been at least 16 flu-related pediatric deaths this flu season. (Reed, 4/17)
RochesterFirst.com:
Flu Cases Up In Abnormal Spring Spike
After COVID-19 headlines, the flu is now spreading. Monroe County [New York] is reporting more than 1,500 influenza cases within the last few week, which far surpasses the flu numbers over the winter. Making the trend particularly unusual is the timing – the flu rarely appears in significant numbers in the spring. (Chodak, 4/15)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
KBIA:
Missouri Struggles To Process Medicaid Applications
Missourians who apply for Medicaid are now waiting nearly four months on average to get those applications processed. Since the state implemented Medicaid expansion in October — opening the door for most Missourians making less than 138% of the federal poverty level — wait times have ballooned. As of February, Missourians were waiting more than two and a half times the 45 days the federal government says states should take to determine if someone is eligible. (Valdivia, 4/18)
Montana Public Radio/Billings Gazette:
Emergency Responders In Montana Making House Calls To Reduce 911 Calls
It's not an emergency, it's a house call. Madison Valley Medical Center first responder Corey Siders recently knocked on the front door of an Ennis home, just to check on 91-year-old Robert Kensinger. Kensinger sat with his walker near the kitchen table as Siders took readings for heart rate and blood pressure. "Sometimes in the morning, it starts to hurt; the whole leg. My left foot is swollen," Kesninger tells the medic. Some Montana emergency responders, like those in the Madison Valley, are trying something new. Instead of only responding to 911 calls, they are working with patients in their homes to prevent unnecessary medical emergencies. Community paramedicine services can range from home check-ins between doctor visits to follow-up care with discharged hospital patients. (Bolton, 4/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Oakland’s First Big Experiment In Diverting 911 Calls To Mental Health Teams Has Launched. Will It Help People On The Streets?
Nearly three years after Oakland first contemplated creating a new program to replace police in handling some mental health, homelessness and disturbance calls, the teams fanned out for the first time across parts of the city this month. City leaders are optimistic that the launch of a new program that sends trained civilian staff to respond to emergency mental health crises will free up police to focus on violent crime, boost the number of 911 responses and de-escalate difficult situations. (Ravani, 4/16)
KHN:
Washington State Retools First-In-The-Nation Long-Term Care Benefit
Patricia Keys, 71 and a stroke survivor, needs help with many everyday activities, such as dressing and bathing. Her daughter Christina, who lives near her mom in Vancouver, Washington, cares for her in the evenings and pays about $3,000 a month for help from other caregivers. Christina Keys, 53, was thrilled three years ago when Washington state passed a first-in-the-nation law that created a long-term care benefit for residents who paid into a state fund. She hoped it would be a resource for others facing similar challenges. (Andrews, 4/18)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
How A N.H. Mental Health Worker's Lived Experience Informs His Expertise At A Manchester Program
Two small, state-funded mental health programs, one in Manchester and the other in Northwood, re-opened their doors a month ago, after both programs were closed due to staffing shortages. Step Up Step Down is a transitional program staffed 24/7 by people who use their lived experience of mental health challenges to support their clients. Short-term residents can “step up” into the program while managing mental health challenges, or “step down” from an intensive care setting like a psychiatric hospital. It’s a part of the state’s push to improve mental health care, and reduce the acuity of the crisis in emergency rooms across New Hampshire. The program in Manchester has found five new staff members for its team of nine, and the Northwood program is still hiring for several part-time positions. These locations are two of four in New Hampshire. (Fam, 4/18)
In abortion news —
NBC News:
‘Heartbeat Bills’: Is There A So-Called Fetal Heartbeat At Six Weeks Of Pregnancy?
As states become increasingly bold in restricting access to abortion, many have drawn the line at around six weeks of pregnancy — the point at which, the laws say, a so-called fetal heartbeat can be detected. But according to experts, the term “fetal heartbeat” is misleading and medically inaccurate. “While the heart does begin to develop at around six weeks, at this point the heart as we know it does not yet exist,” said Dr. Ian Fraser Golding, a pediatric and fetal cardiologist at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. (Sullivan, 4/17)
Axios:
The Red States That Have Passed Abortion Bans
The Supreme Court is likely to clear the way for new anti-abortion laws in just a few months — but red states aren't waiting. Conservative legislatures are passing a raft of controversial new laws, many of which push the envelope further than the courts have ever allowed. But with the court poised to significantly weaken Roe v. Wade, if not overturn it altogether, red states appear confident that these new measures will stand. As of April 14, 86 bills to restrict or outright ban the procedure have been introduced in 31 states this year alone, according to Guttmacher Institute data provided to Axios. Six bans have been enacted in 2022, with one being blocked by lower courts. (Gonzalez, 4/16)
