Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: New Moms Need Early PPD Care; Mental Health Care Should Be Mandatory For Military
Los Angeles Times: My Postpartum Depression Was Not Hard To Predict — Yet No One Warned Me
Being pregnant and middle-aged is like driving an old car with bald tires and worn-out brakes up a rocky mountain. In the rain. Frankly, it’ll be a miracle if you get to the top. I almost didn’t. I was 48 years old when my daughter was born. Her birth was the culmination of a brutal, seven-year odyssey of fertility treatments. After 11 failed rounds of in vitro fertilization, one of which ended in miscarriage, I finally got pregnant using a donor egg and carried the baby to term. (Devorah Herbert, 10/5)
Dallas Morning News: Military Should Require Uniform Mental Health Training
We’ve learned a lot after two decades of fighting the war on terror, but some of the most important lessons are not making their way into our basic military training. Our review of Department of Defense (DOD) procedures tells us that more needs to be done in terms of training service members on post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues that are too often the byproduct of modern conflict. In our view, the DOD should institute mandatory mental health training for all active-duty and reserve personnel. This is a simple and urgent suggestion that our vets deserve, and a pair of Texas filmmakers are highlighting the issue. (10/4)
Stat: A Stain Still Mars The Institute That Awards The Nobel In Medicine
As the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute announces the winners of the 2021 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology, the institute has yet to fully acknowledge its culpability in lethal, experimental procedures conducted by transplant surgeon Paolo Macchiarini and is still trying to discredit the four whistleblowers who exposed them. Its actions represent a stain on the world’s most important medical research award. (Carl Elliott, 10/4)
Roll Call: An Open Letter To House Democrats: Do Not Forget The People Depending On You
Dear Democratic members of the House, I am writing to you in the midst of debate on the most consequential piece of legislation in over half a century. The Build Back Better bill before you could be a victory for the ages, unleashing yet unseen possibilities for people in every area of American life. Home care is just one fraction of this sweeping bill, but I want to highlight the personal stakes of this particular part of the investment. (Ady Barkan, 10/1)
Dallas Morning News: $238 Million For Dallas Psychiatric Hospital Should Be Top State Priority
Texas’ public psychiatric hospital system struggles to meet the demand for care, saddled for years with aging facilities, staffing shortages and a bed deficit. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed even more people into a state of mental health crisis, further illuminating the inadequacies of our current system. It’s difficult to think of a public health need as enduring and compelling as Texans’ mental health, which is why we’re glad that state Senate and House bills filed in the latest special legislative session have earmarked $237.8 million in federal funds to build a state psychiatric hospital in Dallas. (10/5)
Newsweek: The West Must Work With The Taliban. Start With Healthcare
In light of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the World Bank recently halted development aid to the nation of 38 million people. In withholding the bulk of this year's $800 million development allocation, the World Bank cited concerns about the Taliban's "impact on the country's development prospects, especially for women. "Though foreign aid has undergirded Afghanistan's development and infrastructure over the past two decades, its provision has been on a decline, owing to U.S. reports of systemic corruption within the Afghan government and the misuse of aid funds. But this recent restriction of aid comes at an unfortunate time, as development aid to Afghanistan has made a remarkable difference in public health—albeit one that's often overlooked. For example, life expectancy rose by nearly nine years from 2001 to 2020. From 2003 to 2015, infant mortality plummeted 29 percent, as childhood vaccine coverage doubled. The construction of women's health clinics and increased antenatal care pointed towards a reduction in maternal mortality. (Henna Hundal and Sai Rajagopal, 10/4)
