Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Surgeon General: Beating Loneliness May Help US Mental Health Crisis
The Boston Globe: Combatting Loneliness Is One Step Toward Solving The Mental Health Crisis, Surgeon General Says In N.H. Visit
As the surgeon general, part of Vivek H. Murthy’s job is to figure out what ails the country and how we can heal. His diagnosis: As we have receded from the places and activities where we used to find community, our mental health is worse than ever. “Our connection to one another as a foundation on which we build a healthy society, as that foundation has crumbled and weakened, we’ve seen that we’re suffering across the board,” he told Dartmouth students and faculty during a panel at the college on Thursday. (Gokee, 9/28)
New Hampshire Public Radio: At Dartmouth, US Surgeons General Call For ‘Stronger Communities’ To Address Mental Health Crisis
Seven current and former U.S. surgeons general were at Dartmouth College on Thursday to talk about the nation's mental health crisis. The country's current top doctor, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, was joined by predecessors going back to the first Bush administration. Murthy said loneliness has become widespread, as communities have become less and less connected. He called it one of the country’s most pressing public health issues. (Cuno-Booth, 9/28)
CNN: The US Has A Mental Health Crisis That Could Undermine Our Democracy, US Surgeon Generals Say
While working in the West Wing under President George W. Bush, then-US Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona got a terrible telephone call from his daughter. After he had been missing, she found Carmona’s adult son in a catatonic state. He sat in the corner of his father’s home for two days and he kept screaming “incoming, incoming.” Carmona’s son served in the army for 21 years, and Carmona said while he doesn’t talk much about it, his son has had “crippling PTSD” and been in and out of mental care facilities since that incident. Yet when the family initially sought help from the VA, Carmona said, even with all of his connections as surgeon general, they started to see the cracks in the country’s mental health care system. (Christensen, 9/28)
In other public health news —
CBS News: Parasite Found In Drinking Water Could Make Vulnerable People In Baltimore Area Sick, DPW Says
Low levels of a microscopic parasite were found during routine testing of Druid Lake Reservoir, the Baltimore Department of Public Works said, meaning the drinking water could sicken some vulnerable populations in parts of Baltimore, Baltimore County and Howard County. Today, Thursday, Sept. 28, DPW announced that during a routine test of the Druid Lake Reservoir low levels of the microscopic parasite Cryptosporidium were discovered. pic.twitter.com/VUBF6KJnBH (Mattu, 9/28)
Fortune: TikTok Influencers Promoting Steroids, Warns Nonprofit
TikTok has become a key marketing channel for vendors promoting steroids and other bodybuilding drugs to millions of the app’s users, according to a report released Thursday that the social media company disputes. In the study, the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate says popular videos encouraging use of the products for aesthetic or athletic gain are being posted by influencers who often downplay the risks associated with them. It follows a warning issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April about performance-enhancing drugs being marketed to teenagers and young adults on social media platforms. (Hadero, 9/28)
CBS News: Thousands Of Cantaloupes Sold In 19 States Recalled Due To Potential Salmonella Contamination
Thousands of whole cantaloupes sold in 19 states and Washington, D.C., have been recalled due to potential salmonella contamination, the Food and Drug Administration announced. Eagle Produce, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is doing a voluntary recall of 6,456 cases of whole cantaloupe after the fruits were tested in a distribution center by the FDA, the agency said in a news release. (Martinez, 9/28)
The Baltimore Sun: The Immunocompromised, Young Kids And Seniors Advised To Avoid Drinking Water In Parts Of Baltimore Area After Parasite Detected
Baltimore City officials are advising immunocompromised individuals, as well as some young children and the elderly, to avoid drinking tap water across a large swath of its service area in the city, Baltimore County and a small part of Howard County due to parasitic contamination. Testing has detected low levels of a microscopic parasite called cryptosporidium in the drinking water reservoir at Druid Lake in Baltimore, officials announced Thursday. (Condon, 9/28)
