Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Under Dark Shadow Of UNLV Shooting, Gun Opponents Urge Congress To Act
The CT Mirror: 11 Years After Sandy Hook, CT Gun Safety Advocates Seek Reforms
Gun safety advocates from Connecticut and across the country came back to Washington, D.C., to push for passage of a trio of reforms nearly 11 years since the Sandy Hook school shooting. They teamed up with most of Connecticut’s congressional delegation to redouble their efforts in passing gun safety legislation that did not make it into federal legislation — the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — that passed in 2022. (Hagen, 12/7)
The Wall Street Journal: UNLV Shooter Identified As Former Business School Professor Who Sought Position At School
The man suspected of killing three faculty members and wounding a fourth at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Wednesday had applied to be a professor at the school but wasn’t hired, law-enforcement officials said. The official identified the suspected attacker as 67-year-old Anthony Polito, a longtime business school professor, who died after a gunfight with university police shortly after the rampage began. He killed three UNLV faculty members, the university said. The university named two of the victims on Thursday as Patricia Navarro-Velez and Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, who both taught at the Lee Business School on campus, as well as a third faculty member whom the university has yet to identify. (Elinson, 12/7)
In other health and wellness news —
AP: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is More Common Than Past Studies Suggest
Health officials on Friday released the first nationally representative estimate of how many U.S. adults have chronic fatigue syndrome: 3.3 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s number is larger than previous studies have suggested, and is likely boosted by some of the patients with long COVID. The condition clearly “is not a rare illness,” said the CDC’s Dr. Elizabeth Unger, one of the report’s co-authors. (Stobbe, 12/8)
Stat: Researchers Used Ultrasound To 3D Print Inside A Pig Organ
Imagine getting surgery without ever being cut open. Researchers at Duke University and Harvard Medical School have successfully demonstrated a proof of concept in new research published Thursday in Science using a 3D printer that uses ultrasound to print biomaterials inside an organ. (Balthazar, 12/7)
NPR: The Lonely Brain Is Unique, According To USC Researchers
The U.S. is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. For a lot of people, the feeling is even more pronounced during the holidays. In addition to the emotional impact of chronic loneliness, it has some dramatic health consequences: increased risk of heart disease and stroke, infections, cancer, even death. Recent research also suggests that loneliness can change the way the brain processes the surrounding world. (Carlson, Barber, McCoy, and Ramirez, 12/8)
The Washington Post: Where Do Americans Live After 85? Look Inside The Homes Of 11 Seniors
It’s one of the most critical questions facing aging Americans: Where to live as you get older, and may require more care? Many might imagine living in a nursing home. But an analysis of census data by The Washington Post found less than 10 percent of 85-year-olds live in such a facility. (Lerman and Cocco, 12/8)
