Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Suit, Seattle Schools Blame Tech Giants For 'Youth Mental Health Crisis'
Axios: Seattle Schools Sue Tech Giants Over Youth Mental Health Crisis
Seattle Public Schools is suing social media companies including TikTok and Meta, saying the tech giants' "misconduct has been a substantial factor in causing a youth mental health crisis." "This mental health crisis is no accident. It is the result of the Defendants’ deliberate choices and affirmative actions to design and market their social media platforms to attract youth," the lawsuit states. (Doherty, 1/8)
The Texas Tribune: Mental Health Initiatives Provide A New Approach To School Safety In Texas
In the wake of the Uvalde school shooting, Texas school districts are once again rethinking how they respond to threats of violence. Round Rock Independent School District’s behavioral health and school police departments train and work together to provide a preventive approach. One of the ways they’re working to ensure safety is by referring students who have posed a threat to themselves or others to the district’s in-house social workers. (Chaparro, 1/9)
CBS News: Students In New York Could Get Mental Health Days Off From Classes
Lawmakers in New York state are considering joining a dozen other states that allow students to take mental health days off from school. The proposal is expected to be introduced this month in Albany. The intention is to make emotional wellness a health priority. (1/6)
On the health impacts of noise —
San Francisco Chronicle: Noise Pollution Is A Health Hazard — And California Is Beginning To Do Something About It
Mike Thomson’s friends refuse to stay over at his house anymore. Thomson lives about 50 yards from a busy freeway that bisects California’s capital city, one that has been increasingly used as a speedway for high-speed races, diesel-spewing big rigs, revving motorcycles — and cars that have been illegally modified to make even more noise. (Bluth, 1/5)
In other public health news —
NBC News: After Damar Hamlin's Cardiac Arrest, Attention Turns To Chest Pads For Young Athletes
"Almost every family that I've seen in clinic since Tuesday morning has asked about this," said Moffatt, division chief of sports medicine at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. "They were worried about chest impacts." (Edwards, 1/7)
The Boston Globe: Despite Federal Rules, HIV Prevention Drug Still Comes With Costs
For more than two years, most insurers in Massachusetts and across the country have been required to cover — for free — a medication that reduces the risk of contracting HIV, now a largely preventable virus. But several patients and advocates interviewed by the Globe said insurers have rejected such claims, forcing them to pay out of pocket or stop taking the drug. (Bartlett, 1/8)
The Hill: Study: 1 In 4 Adults With Chronic Pain Turning To Cannabis
More than a quarter of U.S. adults suffering from chronic pain have turned to using cannabis to manage their discomfort, according to a new study published in JAMA Open Network. (O'Connell-Domenech, 1/6)
NBC News: Alcohol Liver Disease Rising Among Young People, Especially Women
Cirrhosis or severe liver disease used to be something that mostly struck people in middle age, or older. Increasingly, alcohol-related liver disease is killing younger people in the U.S. (Carroll, Martin and Essamuah, 1/8)
Also —
NPR: VA Says It's Back On Track To End Veteran Homelessness
After several years of limited progress, an 11 percent drop since 2020 has encouraged advocates and VA officials. It's the biggest reduction in five years. There were 33,136 homeless vets in 2022 — down from 37,252 in 2020 according to the annual point in time count conducted by the VA, HUD and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. The same count found 582,462 homeless people in America - the Biden Administration says it's aiming to reduce that number 25 percent by 2025. (Lawrence, 1/7)
KHN: In PA County Jails, Guards Use Pepper Spray And Stun Guns To Subdue People In Mental Crisis
An investigation of records from 25 county jails across Pennsylvania showed that nearly 1 in 3 "use of force" incidents by guards involved a confined person who was having a psychiatric crisis or who had a known mental illness. (Sholtis, 1/9)
