Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: US Health Care Must Rein In Harmful Emissions; Early Childhood Interventions Getting Harder To Access
The Washington Post: Health Care Doesn't Have To Pit Patients Against The Environment
If the U.S. health-care system were a country, it would rank 13th in the world for greenhouse gas emissions. You read that right: Our nation’s health-care system by itself contributes more to the climate crisis than the entirety of most other countries. (Leana S. Wen, 6/6)
The Washington Post: When Kids Miss Their Milestones, Parents Might Have Nowhere To Turn
Every state early-intervention program that responded to a 2022 survey from the IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association said it was short providers, especially speech-language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists, and special educators. Programs struggle to hire in these areas because of their low reimbursement rates relative to the fees available in private practice. (Alyssa Rosenberg, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: Generative AI In Healthcare Requires New Skills, Mindsets
We are inundated with stories about how tech firms and teenagers have found novel uses for AI to improve our lives. Thousands of healthcare AI applications are available for drug discovery, clinical practice, supply chain, provider productivity, employee engagement and customer service, to name a few. (Christy Harris Lemak, 6/5)
Stat: Public Health Communication Lessons From Covid
Now that the Covid-19 public health emergency has ended, it’s awfully tempting to put the pandemic firmly behind us. But now is the time to look at what we have learned so that our public health communication can be more clear, consistent, and effective from now on. One thing that we haven’t talked about enough is the victories. (Estelle Willie, 6/6)
Stat: When Hospitals Should Keep Requiring Masks
Is the pandemic over? On the one hand, Covid-19 is clearly still with us. In the U.S., over the past month there was a weekly average of 557 deaths, though the numbers are dropping sharply, from 849 four weeks ago to 208 last week. On the other, for those who are not vulnerable or immune compromised, most facets of life have returned to normal, thanks to high levels of immunity from vaccines, boosters, and past infections. One of the last vestiges of the pandemic seems to be mask mandates in hospitals, which are now being lifted in the U.S. and Canada to much controversy. (Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz and Gavin Yamey, 6/6)
