Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Military Families, Frequent Moves Can Hinder Kids With Disabilities
American Homefront Project: For Disabled Kids Of Military Parents, Frequent Moves Can Lead To Schooling, Health Care Gaps
On weekdays, Lawanda Jenkins wakes up well before dawn. The wife of an Army soldier, Jenkins spends hours helping her 8-year-old daughter Victoria Thomas get ready for school. It’s an exacting morning routine that’s often interrupted by health scares. (Frame, 12/2)
On race and health —
Fox News: Warnings About Skin-Whitening Creams After Woman Suffers Vision Loss Likely Linked To Excess Mercury: Report
Health experts recommend being wary of skin-whitening creams after a Minnesota woman apparently developed peripheral visual loss that may be permanent — likely from exposure of excess levels of mercury in her beauty creams, according to a report. (Sudhakar, 12/2)
Stat: Researchers Need A Better Way To Measure Skin Tone
There’s a growing consensus among physicians and government regulators that pulse oximeters measure oxygen levels less accurately in patients with darker skin and need to be fixed. There’s another problem, however, that needs to be fixed first. Much of the work and research to understand the devices’ shortcomings and devise solutions is focused on race. But the issue with pulse oximeters is not one of race — it’s very clearly one of skin tone. (McFarling, 12/5)
USA Today: Dermatologists Call Out Gap In Medical Training For Patients Of Color
Dermatologist Dr. Jenna Lester remembers being a medical student and rarely seeing Black and brown skin tones in textbooks. Professors would describe how a medical condition would look different on dark skin. “But they didn't have a photo of it," she said. (Hassanein, 12/5)
NBC News: Neurologists Say Accelerated Brain Aging In Black People Can Be Countered By Lifestyle Changes
Black physicians are fascinated but not surprised by recent data that suggests Black people’s brains are likely to age faster than those of other races due to stressors such as racism. However, doctors said lifestyle changes and preventative care could help slow some of the decline. (Bunn, 12/2)
In other health and wellness news —
The New York Times: Who Will Care For ‘Kinless’ Seniors?
Lynne Ingersoll and her cat, Jesse, spent a quiet Thanksgiving Day together in her small bungalow in Blue Island, Ill. A retired librarian, Ms. Ingersoll never married or had children. At 77, she has outlived her parents, three partners, her two closest friends, five dogs and eight cats. When her sister died three years ago, Ms. Ingersoll joined the ranks of older Americans considered “kinless”: without partners or spouses, children or siblings. Covid-19 has largely suspended her occasional get-togethers with friends, too. Now, she said, “my social life consists of doctors and store clerks — that’s a joke, but it’s pretty much true.” (Span, 12/3)
NBC News: Behind The BBL Hype: Why One Influencer Regrets Her ‘Brazilian Butt Lift’
Rachel Velasco remembers walking into the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles last year “screaming and covered in blood” at 3 a.m. Then 23 years old, she said she was in “indescribable agony” at the site of a surgery performed on her just hours earlier. (Tenbarge, 12/2)
Stat: Study: AI Tool To Predict Kidney Damage Less Accurate For Women
The study was a page-turner: Researchers at Google showed that an artificial intelligence system could predict acute kidney injury, a common killer of hospitalized patients, up to 48 hours in advance. The results were so promising that the Department of Veterans Affairs, which supplied de-identified patient data to help build the AI, said in 2019 that it would immediately start work to bring it to the bedside. But a new study shows how treacherous that journey can be. (Ross, 12/5)
