Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
LGBTQ+ Advocates Decry Ruling That Blocks Gender Changes On Passports
The 19th: Supreme Court Order On Passports Will Cause 'Irreparable Harm,' Advocates Say
The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to bar transgender people from changing the gender markers on their passports, it announced in an order Thursday. The order is the latest in a back-and-forth on the policy as the country debates the right for its transgender citizens to live openly. (Sosin, 11/6)
More LGBTQ+ news from California —
San Francisco Chronicle: California Supreme Court Upholds Nursing Home Misgendering Law
Nursing home employees who deliberately and repeatedly refer to transgender patients with a name or pronoun different from the one they prefer can be charged with a crime under state law, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday, overturning a lower-court ruling that had declared the law unconstitutional. The 2017 statute “properly regulates discriminatory conduct aimed at vulnerable seniors who typically constitute a captive audience, residing in long-term care facilities that have become, in effect, their homes,” Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero wrote in the court’s lead opinion. (Egelko, 11/6)
In other news about the Trump administration —
CNN: Multiple People At Joint Base Andrews Fall Ill After Suspicious Package Delivered With White Powder, Sources Say
A suspicious package was delivered to a US military base in Maryland on Thursday which caused multiple people to fall ill and be taken to the hospital, CNN has learned. ... Several people were transported to the on-base Malcolm Grove Medical Center after the package was opened, which contained an unknown white powder, two sources familiar with the investigation said. (Britzky and Campbell, 11/6)
MedPage Today: Public Health Workers March To HHS, Demand RFK Jr.'s Removal
Hundreds of public health workers and their allies, flanked by photographers shading their eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun, marched from the National Mall toward HHS headquarters at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building on Wednesday. Their mission: Demand HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s resignation. (Firth, 11/6)
Roll Call: Addiction, Mental Health Agency Eviscerated Under Trump
The Trump administration’s plan to revamp the entire Health and Human Services Department, which Congress has rejected, has nevertheless led to the gutting of a 33-year-old agency that had been leading the nation’s response to the drug and mental health response epidemic. (Hellmann, 11/6)
Military.com: VA Expands Psychedelic Therapy Trials For PTSD Treatment
The Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed it is expanding psychedelic-assisted therapy trials for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment resistant depression, and anxiety disorders. Nine VA facilities, in the Bronx, Los Angeles, Omaha, Palo Alto, Portland (Oregon), San Diego, San Francisco, West Haven, and White River Junction; are participating in the multi-year studies, each designed to test the safety and clinical impact of psychedelic compounds used under strict supervision. (Hultz, 11/5)
AP: Coal Miners With Black Lung Fight Trump On Rollback Of Health, Safety Protections
Lisa Emery loves to talk about her “boys.” With each word, the respiratory therapist’s face softens and shines with pride. But keep her talking, and it doesn’t take long for that passion to switch to hurt. She knows the names, ages, families and the intimate stories of each one’s scarred lungs. She worries about a whole community of West Virginia coal miners — including a growing number in their 30s and 40s — who come to her for help while getting sicker and sicker from what used to be considered an old-timer’s disease: black lung. (Mason, 11/7)
KFF Health News: Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil In Public Health
When President Donald Trump posted a satirical music video on social media in early October depicting his budget director, Russell Vought, as the Grim Reaper lording over Democrats in Congress, public health workers recognized a kernel of truth. Vought has exerted extraordinary control over government spending this year, usurping congressional decisions on how the nation’s money is used. His push for more layoffs during the government shutdown is only the latest blow, following months of firings, canceled grants, and withheld funds. (Maxmen, 11/7)
