Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: We Have The Tools To Prevent Future Pandemics; The Young Still Suffer From Covid's Side Effects
The New York Times: What If There Was Never A Pandemic Again?
As recently as a century ago, experts predicted that it would not be possible to sustain human cities with populations in the millions for long because of the inevitable spread of disease. But technological changes have allowed us, in the developed world at least, to prevent many such pandemics. (Jassi Pannu and Jacob Swett, 5/28)
Bloomberg: The Deadly Epidemic That Isn't Over
For Americans under 20, an epidemic much deadlier than COVID-19 has raged over the last three years. Deaths among those aged 1 to 19 surged 20% — driven by an increase in car crashes, suicide, homicide and drug overdoses. (Faye Flam, 5/26)
Houston Chronicle: COVID-19 Was Just The Warm-Up Act
Although the U.S. government has officially ended the national COVID-19 public health emergency, the reality is that both the virus and the illness are still with us. Perhaps the scariest days of the COVID pandemic — when 2,000 to 3,000 Americans perished daily — are past. But not only does transmission of SARS-2, the virus behind this pandemic, remain significant, but now a slate of new omicron-derived XBB variants have become dominant. (Peter J. Hotez, 5/27)
The Tennessean: Frontline Physicians Condemn The Perpetual Cycle Of Mass Shootings
Firearm related injuries are now the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States. No other developed nation faces this uniquely American problem. As physicians we see the effects firsthand. (Jacqueline Krevitz and Kenji Tanaka, 5/26)
Stat: Heart Attack And Stroke Risk Calculators Need Revising
For busy primary care physicians like me, an annual physical with a 27-year-old male is a blessing. Since we’re always running late, a quick visit with a young healthy adult offers the rare chance to get back on schedule. But I didn’t give my own doctor that chance to get back on schedule when I went to see him for my physical a few months ago. After the customary interview and exam, just as he was ready to leave, I asked him to check my cholesterol. (Suhas Gondi, 5/29)
Stat: One Way To Retain Health Care Workers: Offer Child Care
Since the pandemic began, thousands of child care locations have closed, exacerbating an already acute shortage. But health care worker Jada Carter was lucky. Her two children went to Hospitots, one of the few places to stay open during the early days of the pandemic, when, by one estimate, two-thirds of child care centers closed. Hospitots is one of the three child care centers connected to the Ballad Health System in Johnson City, Tenn., where health care workers can send their kids at a discount. Having reliable child care while much of the country was struggling made her job possible for Carter. (Rebecca Gale, 5/30)
Stat: Cali Sober: Using Cannabis When Addicted To Alcohol Or Opioids
The phenomenon of being “Cali sober” is taking the recovery world by storm. It is defined as dedicating oneself to a life free of drugs and alcohol — except for cannabis and other psychedelics. (Though many consumers don’t think of cannabis as a psychedelic, policy experts often consider it one because of its effects.) Hardcore proponents of abstinence-based recovery, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, dismiss the Cali sober approach as dangerous and “not really recovery.” (Peter Grinspoon, 5/30)
Scientific American: A Rare Form Of Dementia Can Unleash Creativity
Neurological conditions can release a torrent of new creativity in a few people as if opening some mysterious floodgate. Auras of migraine and epilepsy may have influenced a long list of artists, including Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Giorgio de Chirico, Claude Monet and Georges Seurat. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in original thinking and newfound artistic drive. Emergent creativity is also a rare feature of Parkinson’s disease. (Robert Martone, 5/26)
