Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
There Have Been Over 500 Mass Shootings In the US So Far In 2023
Axios: U.S. Tops 500 Mass Shootings In 2023
There have now been 501 mass shootings in the U.S. this year. A shooting that wounded four people in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday night marked the country's 500th mass shooting in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Hours later, that increased to 501 mass shootings after one person died and five others were wounded in El Paso, Texas, early Sunday. (Rubin, 9/17)
The 19th: Americans Want Gun Restrictions On Those Convicted Of Domestic Violence, Poll Finds
Michele Bell wishes more politicians knew what she saw in her 50 years working as a nurse at a Houston hospital, where she cared for countless women who had been shot by their partners. She wishes they knew what happened to her brother, a former police officer who was shot twice while responding to domestic violence calls and had to retire. She wishes that guns — who can have them, what laws can restrict them — weren’t a political issue. (Gerson, 9/18)
The Washington Post: New Mexico Governor Narrows Firearm Carry Ban After Controversy
Less than a month after New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) issued a temporary public health order suspending open and concealed carry of firearms in the Albuquerque metro area, a federal judge blocked the effort, and Lujan Grisham issued a new order that largely curtails the ambitious and controversial move. Following fierce backlash, the revised order will limit the firearm ban to parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque and its surrounding county. (Kaur, 9/17)
In other health and wellness news —
NBC News: Two Suspects Charged With Murder In Death Of 1-Year-Old Following Alleged Fentanyl Exposure At NYC Day Care
A man and a woman have been arrested on murder charges after a 1-year-old died and three other children were hospitalized following suspected exposure to opioids at a Bronx day care center Friday, police said. (McShane, 9/17)
Houston Chronicle: RÁPIDO, Developed In Houston, Helps Spanish Speakers Recognize Strokes
RÁPIDO, a mnemonic developed in Houston to help Spanish speakers recognize the symptoms of a stroke, was officially adopted for use by the American Stroke Association, the organization announced last week. ... Just 58% of Hispanic adults in the U.S. can recognize stroke signs, compared to 64% of Black adults and 71% of white adults, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death for Hispanic women, and No. 4 for Hispanic men.
The New York Times: Windows Installed In Skulls Help Doctors Study Damaged Brains
Some neurosurgeons are testing an acrylic prosthesis that lets them peer into patients’ heads with ultrasound. (Kolata, 9/16)
KFF Health News: Watch: Thinking Big In Public Health, Inspired By The End Of Smallpox
One of humanity’s greatest triumphs is the eradication of smallpox. Many doctors and scientists thought it was impossible to eliminate a disease that had been around for millennia and killed nearly 1 in 3 people infected. Smallpox is the first and only human disease to be wiped out globally. KFF Health News held a web event Thursday that discussed how the lessons from the victory over smallpox could be applied to public health challenges today. The online conversation was led by Céline Gounder, physician-epidemiologist and host of “Eradicating Smallpox,” Season 2 of the Epidemic podcast. (9/18)
On climate change and health —
Reuters: Climate Change Impeding Fight Against AIDS, TB And Malaria
Climate change and conflict are hitting efforts to tackle three of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, the head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has warned. International initiatives to fight the diseases have largely recovered after being badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Fund’s 2023 results report released on Monday. (Rigby, 9/18)
The Boston Globe: Regular Bouts Of Deadly Heat Are Coming Sooner Than Expected
With a sweltering heat wave in Massachusetts not far behind us, new research is finding that periods of heat and humidity so great that humans cannot survive without sources of cooling are likely coming much sooner than previously believed. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide could be regularly exposed, including in parts of the southern United States, it concludes. (Shankman, 9/17)
