Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How A Thriving, Armed White Supremacist Group Operates In Plain Sight
ProPublica: They Are Racist; Some Of Them Have Guns. Inside The White Supremacist Group Hiding In Plain Sight.
In the hours after the slaughter in El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 3, a final toll emerged: 22 dead, most of them Latinos, some Mexican nationals. A portrait of the gunman accused of killing them soon took shape: a 21-year-old from a suburb of Dallas who had been radicalized as a white supremacist online and who saw immigrants as a threat to the future of white America. While much of the country reacted with a weary sense of sorrow and outrage, word of the mass killing was processed differently by members of Patriot Front, one of the more prominent white supremacist groups in the U.S. (Schaeffer and Zimmermann, 11/8)
Stat: After Difficult Childbirth Experiences, Parents Seek Healing By Speaking Out
A 2019 study of more than 2,100 U.S. mothers found that 1 in 6 reported “mistreatment” during childbirth, including being ignored, threatened or berated, or losing their autonomy. Women of color were even more likely to report such experiences. It can be hard for parents to speak up after a difficult childbirth. But a small number of health care providers and others are beginning to encourage them to speak up — and to provide feedback about their experiences. In some cases, the process is helping give parents closure, and may even bring about change. In other cases, looking forward may prove better than looking back. (Preston, 11/8)
NPR: Treatment For Meth Addiction? Some Clinicians Try Naltrexone
Melinda McDowell had used drugs since she was a teenager. But she didn't try methamphetamine until one fateful night in 2017 after her mother died suddenly of a stroke. She went to a neighbor's house and he had crystal meth. "I tried it and I was hooked from the first hit," McDowell says. "It was an explosion of the senses. It was the biggest high I'd ever experienced." Afterward, McDowell says, that big high started getting more elusive. But she kept using the drug frequently, and it took a toll. (Kukakis, 11/7)
The New York Times: Wash Your Hands In The Kitchen And The Bathroom
While it’s important to wash your hands carefully after handling raw chicken, it may be even more important to wash them after going to the bathroom. The most dangerous antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli, called ESBLs, are transmitted not through food, according to new research, but through contact of human feces with human mouths. British researchers examined many strains of ESBL-E. coli in human blood and feces, sewage, farm slurry, live animals, and raw meat, fruits and vegetables. (Bakalar, 11/7)
Boston Globe: Tossing And Turning? Walking More May Help, According To New Study
Get in enough steps and you may get better Zs. A new study led by researchers from Brandeis University found that walking and generally being active is related to better sleep, particularly in women. (Finucane, 11/7)
NPR: Math In The Brain Looks The Same For Young Boys And Girls
There's new evidence that girls start out with the same math abilities as boys. A study of 104 children from ages 3 to 10 found similar patterns of brain activity in boys and girls as they engaged in basic math tasks, researchers reported Friday in the journal Science of Learning. (Hamilton, 11/8)
Connecticut Public Radio: Lawmakers, Health Experts Call For Stricter Limits On Heavy Metals In Baby Food
A recent report that showed the presence of varying amounts of toxic heavy metals in baby foods has caused Connecticut lawmakers and public health experts to call for better safety standards from federal agencies in order to limit long-term risks to children. Researchers at Healthy Babies Bright Futures, a national nonprofit alliance, tested 168 baby foods from 61 brands. They found that 95% of tested products contained chemicals and metals like lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium — elements that can affect brain development. (Leonard, 11/8)
WBUR: What Are PFAS Chemicals, And Should I Be Freaking Out About Them?
The chemicals called “PFAS” have been in the news a lot lately — like the recent revelation that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was allowing PFAS-contaminated water to be treated in Lowell and discharged into the Merrimack River, or the news that chemical giant 3M is suing the state of New Hampshire over the state’s strict PFAS drinking water standards. So, what are these chemicals, anyway? And should we be worried about them? (Moran, 11/8)
Miami Herald: USNS Comfort In Haiti Where Thousands Are Seeking Care
One man needed a hernia operation that he could not afford. A young girl came to seek help for her 3-year-old cousin whose skin was inexplicably covered with sores. And a mother of four needed help with a chronic allergy reaction. They all took the chance to travel miles away from home to the Haitian Coast Guard base Killick on Thursday in search of medical care from the U.S. Navy ship Comfort, the floating U.S. naval hospital that arrived Monday. It was a rare calm following two months of sustained protests, burning tires and impassable barricades. (Charles, 11/7)
The New York Times: Rapper T.I.’s Daughter Should Never Have Had A ‘Virginity Test’
The rapper and actor T.I. prompted widespread outrage after revealing on a podcast that he has accompanied his daughter, now 18, to a yearly doctor’s appointment to ensure that her hymen is still intact. Scientists have long condemned so-called virginity testing as a violation of a woman’s rights, as well as a sham procedure unsupported by evidence. “A virginity exam does not exist,” said Dr. Maura Quinlan, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University in Chicago. (Rabin, 11/7)
The Washington Post: Rapper T.I. Says He Takes His Teen To The Gynecologist To Confirm Her Hymen Is ‘Still Intact’
As someone who damaged her hymen while riding a bicycle at 11 years old, Jenn Jackson, an assistant professor for political science at Syracuse University, found T.I.'s anecdote particularly troublesome. She said Harris’s experience likely resonates with many women, especially black women from religious families, who are led to believe their sexual organs are tied to their value and self-worth. These women are often told that for someone to love them they need to be “pure” and “intact,” as if engaging in sexual activity means something is wrong with them, said Jackson, who also conducts research in black politics, gender and sexuality. (Brice-Saddler, 11/7)
