Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Doctors, Try Believing Your Patients; Don't Say Period In Florida
The Baltimore Sun: ‘Medical Gaslighting’ Must End; Here’s How To Address It
Gaslighting in medicine occurs every day in doctor’s offices around the country when physicians ignore, discount or dismiss a patient’s pain or symptoms. Research has documented how women’s medical issues in particular are diminished. It’s time to call these behaviors out and for physicians, educators and health care institutions to take steps to change. (Laurie Reed, 3/28)
Miami Herald: Schoolgirls Should Be Free To Talk About How Their Bodies Work. Period
If 2015 was the year the period went public, 2023 is the year male politicians are seeking to silence it. As if having a uterus didn’t come with enough challenges in our society, House Bill 1069, in the Florida Legislature, would muzzle any talk of periods in school — something roughly half of the population experiences. (Jolene Brighten, 3/28)
Bloomberg: The Teen Mental Health Crisis Is No Place To Cut Corners
It’s no secret that kids in the US are struggling with mental health issues in increasing numbers. Now, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association emphasizes the severity of the situation: Pediatric mental health hospitalizations are rising, and many more kids are being hospitalized for attempting suicide. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/28)
Dallas Morning News: Vaccination Rates In Texas Schools Are Falling. Is This The Solution?
Parkland Health’s new mobile children’s vaccination clinic will soon be rolling out to schools in Dallas County neighborhoods with low immunization rates. Students with consent forms from their parents will be escorted from class to the vehicle so they can receive their shots. (3/29)
San Francisco Chronicle: A Stealth Virus Is Silently Stalking Millions Of Americans. Here's How To Stop It
It’s estimated that up to 2.4 million people in the United States are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus, but two-thirds of them don’t know it. Hepatitis B is a silent killer — without treatment, as many as 1 in 4 people with chronic hepatitis B will die of liver cancer or liver failure. (Mimi Zheng, 3/28)
USA Today: Can You Die From Broken Heart? How Depression, Stress Impact Health
New research reveals that poor mental and emotional health puts Americans at much greater risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women across almost all racial and ethnic groups. (Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. John Whyte, 3/29)
