HHS Backtracks On Autism Registry
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya caused a firestorm of confusion when he announced plans to create a registry. Instead, HHS will commence a $50 million research effort into the causes of autism and improved treatments, STAT reports. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s speech at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit was punctuated by protests.
Stat:
No New Autism Registry, HHS Says Walking Back NIH Director's Claim
The federal health department is not creating a new registry of Americans with autism, a Department of Health and Human Services official said in a written statement Thursday. Instead, the official said, HHS will launch a $50 million research effort to understand the causes of autism spectrum disorder and improve treatments. (Broderick, 4/24)
On drug addiction and the opioid crisis —
Stat:
RFK Jr. Outlines Addiction Policy At Appearance To Mixed Reception
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appearance at a major addiction and drug policy conference was marked by repeated interruptions on Thursday, as protesters and jeers forced him to pause and wait for noise to subside at least five times during his 36-minute speech. (Facher, 4/24)
KFF Health News:
Moms In Crisis, Jobs Lost: The Human Cost Of Trump’s Addiction Funding Cuts
When the Trump administration cut more than $11 billion in covid-era funds to states in late March, addiction recovery programs suffered swift losses. An Indiana organization that employs people in recovery to help peers with substance use disorders and mental illness was forced to lay off three workers. A Texas digital support service for people with addiction and mental illness prepared to shutter its 24/7 call line within a week. A Minnesota program focused on addiction in the East African community curtailed its outreach to vulnerable people on the street. (Pattani, 4/25)
ProPublica:
How A Chinese Prison Helped Fuel U.S. Fentanyl Crisis
China’s vast security apparatus shrouds itself in shadows, but the outside world has caught periodic glimpses of it behind the faded gray walls of Shijiazhuang prison in the northern province of Hebei. Chinese media reports have shown inmates hunched over sewing machines in a garment workshop in the sprawling facility. Business leaders and Chinese Communist Party dignitaries have praised the penitentiary for exemplifying President Xi Jinping’s views on the rule of law. (Rotella, 4/23)
AP:
San Francisco Inches Closer To Adopting Drug Policy With Abstinence As Its Primary Goal
Reeling from drug overdose deaths and scenes of people smoking fentanyl on sidewalks, San Francisco moved closer Thursday to adopting a “recovery first” drug policy that sets abstinence from illicit drugs as its primary goal, a proposal that has prompted heated debate in the city that pioneered harm reduction. Opponents of Supervisor Matt Dorsey’s proposal say its emphasis on stopping drug use alienates those who are not ready to quit, while proponents say the city has been far too permissive and making drug use safer does not help break the cycle of addiction. (Har, 4/25)
In related news about the administration's health agenda —
CBS News:
Trump's Surgeon General Nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Faces Scrutiny Over Credentials
President Trump's nominee to be the U.S. surgeon general, the Fox News contributor and family medicine physician Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, has described herself as a double board-certified physician with a degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine — credentials the president touted in his announcement. But those claims about her certification and schooling appear to be misleading. (Ruetenik, 4/24)
