Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Ideas To Remedy The Nursing Shortage; Fentanyl Overdoses Only Declined In Some Areas
The Boston Globe: The US Has A Nurse Shortage. Here’s One Part Of The Solution.
Nationally, according to a 2022 survey of nurses, the median age of a registered nurse was 46 years old, and more than one-quarter of all nurses reported that they planned to leave nursing over the next 5 years. (9/27)
The New York Times: Drug Overdose Deaths Are Dropping In The East, But Not The West. Here’s Why.
Last year over 70,000 Americans died from taking drug mixtures that contained fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. The good news is that recent data suggests a decline in overdose deaths, the first significant drop in decades. But this is not a uniform trend across the nation. To understand this disparity, it’s important to examine how we got here. (Maia Szalavitz, 9/26)
Roll Call: Justice For Veterans Sickened At Camp Lejeune Can’t Wait Any Longer. Congress Must Act Now.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act promised relief for these veterans. But tragically, since August 2022, of the more than 500,000 Camp Lejeune claims filed, less than 200 have been settled — and not a single one has gone to trial. Now, unless there is urgent action by Congress, the justice due to Camp Lejeune’s survivors is in further peril. It is incumbent upon members of Congress from both parties to ensure our government cares for our nation’s veterans. (Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and Rep. Deborah K. Ross (D-N.C.), 9/26)
Modern Healthcare: Acute Home-Based Care Needs Standardization To Succeed
For years, I’ve been a fervent advocate for moving more care to the home. In a previous role leading CareMore Health, I presided over what was then one of the largest hospital-at-home programs in the country and launched home-based primary care in several markets. (Dr. Sachin Jain, 9/26)
Newsweek: It's Time For Patients To Own Their Health Care Data
We've entered an era where major U.S. health systems are peddling patients' de-identified data for profit, sidelining the patients themselves. These data repositories include intimate details about patient care, ranging from disease diagnoses to digital heartbeats, which companies harness to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems to detect various health issues. Is this the path we wish to tread for the future of health care? (Samuel Browd, 9/25)
