Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: New Omicron Subvariants In Europe Are Worrisome; Ideas To Improve Mental Health Treatment
The Washington Post: A Winter Pandemic Wave Is Looming. Get The Booster
Will there be an autumn or winter wave of covid? Right now, in the United States, daily cases and deaths are gradually declining off a still-high plateau. On the horizon, however, there are worrisome signals of a possible new wave. (10/10)
The Baltimore Sun: Mental Health Treatment Doesn’t Have To Be Such A Mess. Here’s What Maryland Can Do Now
It’s no secret that the United States has chronically underinvested in mental health and addiction treatment, but recently the combined scourges of COVID, the opioid epidemic and economic woes have pushed the system to the breaking point. (Shannon Hall, 10/10)
The Tennessean: Cutting Corners To Fix Nursing Staffing Shortage Is Dangerous
From major health systems to community care facilities, the clinician staffing shortage has reached crisis levels across the health care industry. (Tony Braswell, 10/7)
Stat: Medicare's Cuts To Home Health Are A Step In The Wrong Direction
Older Americans want to be cared for in their homes for as long as they can. But that’s not always possible, especially when families are spread out. Home health care workers make such care a reality for many families, including mine. (Terry Wilcox, 10/11)
The Boston Globe: Protecting Transgender Health Care For The Kids Who Need It
The three-pronged war — to deny funds, ban gender-transition health care, and harass those who offer such care — this week spurred three of the nation’s major health care organizations to urge Attorney General Merrick Garland “to investigate the organizations, individuals, and entities coordinating, provoking, and carrying out bomb threats and threats of personal violence against children’s hospitals and physicians across the U.S.” (10/8)
