Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Latin American Progress On Abortion Rights; Changing How We View Opioid Treatment
The Boston Globe: Latin America Moves Forward In Legalizing Abortion As The US Rolls Back Access. What Gives?
In a remarkable turn of events, Latin America is opening up abortion access to more and more women while the United States is moving backward. And it’s been happening fast: In just over a year, three of the most populous countries in Latin America — Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia — have decriminalized abortion, breaking with decades of precedent and powerful religious influence from the Catholic Church and the growing evangelical movement. (Marcela Garcia, 2/28)
The Tennessean: Playing Politics With Tennessee's Opioid Epidemic Hurts Everyone
Our state and our nation is struggling with a crisis that lurks below the surface of everyday life, mostly out of sight impacting Tennesseans from Memphis to Knoxville. I’m talking about the opioid crisis, which killed 3,032 of our fellow Tennesseans in 2020 and over 100,000 Americans last year, costing the nation a staggering $1 trillion annually. (Dr. Benjamin Miller, 2/28)
Miami Herald: Heart Disease Kills More Americans That Cancer Does
February is Heart Disease Awareness Month. It is recognized during the shortest month of the year, and now it’s almost over. Sadly, I’ve heard next to nothing about the topic during the month dedicated learning more about heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease accounts for more deaths than any other disease, killing about 690,000 people a year in this country. It’s a staggering number, that merits more attention. (Liliam M. Lopez, 2/26)
Stat: Systems Thinking Can Improve Access To Digital Health Innovations
Over the last decade, the dawn of digital health has accelerated biopharmaceutical innovation, the pace of which has only quickened since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet within this tech-enabled health ecosystem, a glaring inequity exists in access to digital health tools. Technology applications of the biopharmaceutical industry, including sensors, wearables, and digital therapeutics, are largely inaccessible to disadvantaged segments of the population who stand to benefit from these tools the most. (John J. Doyle, Anam M. Khan and Jowanna R. Malone, 3/1)
Stat: The Future Of Pharma And Health Care: Small Molecule Drugs
Rightful accolades to Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for the Covid-19 vaccines they created and developed in less than a year, along with plans to use their technologies to fight other infectious diseases, such as AIDS, and even to treat cancer, have renewed enthusiasm for complex therapies. But I believe that complex therapies, for all their wonders, represent only part of the future of medicine. (Neil Dhawan, 3/1)
The CT Mirror: Prioritize Affordable Health Services That Meet People 'Where They’re At'
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “meeting people where they’re at.” At Mental Health Connecticut (MHC), the phrase is spoken often in our values and also in how we deliver services. For most residents in Connecticut who are living with complex health issues, where they’re “at,” literally, is their home and that’s where they wish to stay. Through MHC’s in-home services program, Mental Health Concierge, we are seeing the needs of individuals and their families expand. A whole health approach is no longer “nice to have,” it’s essential. Luckily, private pay coverage for in-home care is also expanding, but we’re not where we need to be. (Marisa Russo, 3/1)
Stat: To Be Serious About Diversity, Academic Medicine Needs To Pay Up
As I began interviewing for my first post-fellowship position as a neuro-oncologist, I immediately realized that I could work in private practice and earn a great salary or make a lot less by opting to work in a teaching hospital where I could do research and help train new doctors. In the end, I took a job in a teaching hospital that gave me the time, resources, and support to pursue a career in health equity. But as a first-generation Guyanese physician, the decision wasn’t easy — especially about the salary. (Joshua A. Budhu, 2/28)
