Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: More Steps Backward In Women's Reproductive Rights; Did Your Brain Forget On Purpose?
Chicago Tribune: Women’s Reproductive Freedom Is Moving Backward — Almost Weekly
“We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they’ve come.” That quote from Barbie creator Ruth Handler — or at least the one written for the actress playing her — in the new “Barbie” movie had me reflecting on just how far we’ve come from my grandmothers’ generations. Sadly, when it comes to reproductive freedom, we’re moving in the wrong direction. (Lilian Bui, 9/18)
Scientific American: Forgotten Memories May Remain Intact In The Brain
Forgetting is a fact of life—one that many people find frustrating. But mounting evidence pushes back at the notion that a slip or lapse in our recollection is inherently bad. Indeed, forgetting can sometimes help people cope psychologically or let go of useless knowledge. (Daisy Yuhas, 9/15)
Bloomberg: Covid Vaccine Maker Moderna Faces Tougher Competition
Moderna Inc. made a pitch to investors this week at its annual R&D day that the unprecedented success of its Covid vaccine wasn’t a one-off, and the company is well on the way to becoming a big biotech contender. (Lisa Jarvis, 9/15)
The Washington Post: The CDC’s Covid Booster Recommendation Is Too Broad, But Still Correct
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed another round of updated coronavirus vaccines for everyone 6 months and older. While some have rightly criticized the recommendation for being overly broad, federal health officials made the right call given the many competing factors they had to weigh. (Leana S. Wen, 9/15)
Stat: People With Substance Use Disorder Deserve Online Privacy
The era of rampant, unconsented, and unregulated online data collection may finally be winding down for consumer health data. But the advances in consumer privacy have not yet fully reached the millions of people with health information related to their drug use, substance use disorder treatment, or recovery. (Jacqueline Seitz, 9/18)
USA Today: Is Drug Decriminalization Working In Oregon? Sadly, No. Here's Why
The global response to the substance use epidemic is failing. It’s not only opioids. Every year we throw billions of dollars at this issue; yet, more and more people die from the use of addictive drugs. (Judy Grisel and Marvin Seppala, 9/18)
The Washington Post: Septic Shock Nearly Killed Me. I Want Others To Know Its Red Flags
The terror began the morning of May 22, 2021, when the respiratory therapist inserted the ventilator tube down my throat. It was like swallowing a vacuum cleaner hose. Paralytic drugs were injected to keep me from instinctively yanking it out. I futilely tried to blink out an SOS and searched for my husband with my eyes. It felt like I was trapped behind soundproof glass. Disembodied voices murmured above me as I lay on an emergency room gurney. “Surgery … and a colostomy … perhaps a tracheotomy,” I heard. There was talk of sending me to a trauma center 75 miles away. Was I dying? (Jackie Duda, 9/16)
