Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Finds Higher Dementia Risk For Black, South Asian People
Bloomberg: Blacks, South Asians Face Higher Dementia Risk, U.K. Study Finds
Black and South Asian people face a higher risk of developing dementia than White people, a new U.K. study showed, highlighting the need to address inequalities in the health system and focus on prevention in diverse communities. The risk also doubles for people living in poor neighborhoods compared with those in affluent areas, with at least one in 10 cases of dementia linked to poverty, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe. Similarly, for every 10 cases, at least one was associated with ethnicity. (Gitau, 2/11)
On transgender health care —
Salt Lake Tribune: BYU Cancels Care For Transgender Clients Receiving Voice Therapy At Its Speech Clinic
She’s been receiving voice therapy at Brigham Young University for more than a year. But as of this week, the private religious school is refusing to serve her. And it’s because she’s transgender. The client came into the campus speech clinic on Monday for her regular appointment, she said, and was informed that it would be her last. The staff told her that the administration at the school, which is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has decided to end all gender-affirming speech therapies because providing them doesn’t align with the faith’s policies. Transgender clients often use those services to help match the tone and pitch of their voice to their gender identity. (Tanner, 2/10)
Salt Lake Tribune: LGBTQ Students Say Hopes Dashed After Feds Drop BYU Investigation
It’s not the result that LGBTQ students had hoped for. After months of investigation, the U.S. Department of Education has dismissed a complaint filed against Brigham Young University over how the private religious school treats its queer students. In a letter this week, investigators said the school is rightfully exempt from federal laws prohibiting gender-based discrimination. The university will be allowed to continue disciplining those who violate its rules banning same-sex relationships. (Tanner, 2/10)
In other public health news —
KHN: Don’t Nurse That Moscow Mule — It Could Be A Health Hazard
The popular cocktail known as the Moscow mule supposedly gets some of its flavor from the frosty copper mug it’s served in — the shiny metal oxidizes slightly and enhances the drink’s aroma and effervescence. Flavor, however, is not the only thing the copper cup imparts. A study published in the January/February issue of the Journal of Environmental Health found that copper leaches into the drink made of ginger beer, lime juice, and vodka. In a little under half an hour, the copper levels rise higher than the safety standard set for drinking water. (Robbins, 2/11)
KHN: Exits By Black And Hispanic Teachers Pose A New Threat To Covid-Era Education
Lynette Henley needed one more year to receive her full pension after 40 years as a teacher, but she couldn’t convince herself it was worth the risk. So Henley, 65, who has diabetes and congestive heart failure, retired last June as a math and history teacher at Hogan Middle School, in Vallejo, California, which serves mostly Black and Hispanic children. “You’re in a classroom with 16 to 20 kids and a lot of my students weren’t vaccinated,” said Henley. “I just didn’t feel safe. It wasn’t worth it to possibly die to teach.” (de Marco, 2/11)
AP: French Discoverer Of HIV Virus Luc Montagnier Dies At 89
French researcher Luc Montagnier, who won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering the HIV virus and more recently spread false claims about the coronavirus, has died at age 89, local government officials in France said. Montagnier died Tuesday at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a western suburb of the capital, the area’s city hall said. No other details have been released. (2/10)
