Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Military Academy Sexual Assaults Reported Sharply Up In 2021
ABC News: Sexual Assault Reports Increase At US Military Academies
Reported sexual assaults at the U.S. military academies increased sharply during the 2020-21 school year, as students returned to in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic. The increase continues what officials believe is an upward trend at the academies, despite an influx of new sexual assault prevention and treatment programs. (Baldor, 2/17)
In other public health news —
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Precious Cargo: Donor Lungs Get Seat On Southwest Flight To St. Louis As Transplant Team Fights Time And Snowstorm
A recent early morning Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to St. Louis had some highly unusual and precious cargo. Boarding the plane at the last minute: a cooler containing a pair of lungs. A three-member transplant team had left St. Louis in a small Mid-America Transplant plane just after midnight on Friday, Jan. 28. At the time, it appeared they could easily get the life-saving gift of donated lungs in Chicago and return before a threatening snowstorm hit. Dr. Michael Pasque, a surgeon from Barnes-Jewish Hospital, procured the lungs around 4:30 a.m., which started the clock ticking. Blood flow must be restored to the organs within six to eight hours before they start to become damaged. (Munz, 2/17)
CBS News: Sure And Brut Deodorant Sprays Recalled Nationwide After Benzene Detected
Sure and Brut aerosol deodorant sprays sold nationwide are being recalled due to the presence of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, according to a notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration. The recall includes all lot numbers with expiration dates on or before August 2023, TCP Hot Acquisition dba HRB Brands, which markets the products, stated Wednesday in a news release. (Gibson, 2/17)
Fox News: Supermodel Raises Alarm On Paradox Of CoolSculpting
One of the most popular supermodels of the 1990s, Linda Evangelista, recently filed a lawsuit this past September for $50 million in damages against CoolSculpting's parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for being "brutally disfigured" after having seven sessions of the procedure from August 2015 to February 2016, according to a recent People report. "I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know," she recently told People while in tears. "I can't live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn't live in this pain any longer. I'm willing to finally speak." (Sudhakar, 2/17)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Police: Man Fatally Shot By Officers Was Having A Mental Health Crisis
The man who was fatally shot by Monroe police on Friday was having a mental health crisis, according to new information released by the Monroe Police Department late Thursday night. Dustin Booth, 35, was killed when officers conducted a traffic stop near New Garver Road and Lebanon Street. Monroe police said Booth exited the vehicle during the stop, refused to comply with the officers' commands, and pulled a handgun from his waistband. Police said that's when officers fired shots at Booth. (Endale, 2/17)
