Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Worries Rise That Hotter Oceans Raise Bacterial Infection Risks
The New York Times: Warming Oceans May Raise Risk Of Bacterial Infections
On a warm day in early July, Ed Houlihan guided kayakers on a four-mile trip on Cape Cod from Popponesset Bay up the Mashpee River to a freshwater pond. It was three hours of paddling round trip, but afterward Mr. Houlihan, 83, felt no worse for wear — at first. Five days later, his left shin was red and sore, his body was aching, and he had fever and chills. Doctors diagnosed him with a Shewanella algae infection, a bacterium that thrives in brackish water. (Caryn Rabin, 9/20)
USA Today: Extreme Heat Is Killing New Yorkers With Diabetes, Heart Problems
Jewel Floyd doesn’t sleep in her bedroom. The small room facing south is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the older woman's 13th-floor apartment in a concrete senior public housing building in the Bronx. Sunlight seeps through the window most of the day. Floyd, 77, estimated the room stays above 80 degrees most of the time during the summer. Instead, she’s confined to her living room, where her couch faces her bed. (Cuevas, 9/21)
Politico: DeSantis: Humans Are ‘Safer Than Ever’ From Effects Of Climate Change
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that humans are “safer than ever” from the effects of climate change, less than a month after a hurricane pounded Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The use of the phrase “climate change” increased between 2018 and 2020, DeSantis said during a campaign speech rolling out his energy policy in Midland, Texas. Despite reports from the World Meteorological Organization showing that climate change impacts continued to worsen during that time, DeSantis attributed the term’s jump in use to “ideology.” (Garrity, 9/20)
In mental health news —
The Boston Globe: Calls To 988 Suicide Hotline Increase 50 Percent In RI
Since the state launched a new suicide and crisis hotline more than a year ago, the number of Rhode Islanders calling into the system seeking help has increased by more than 50 percent. Rhode Island launched the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in July 2022. From July 2022 through June 2023, the line fielded nearly 6,300 calls, which was a 58 percent increase compared to the nearly 4,000 calls fielded during the previous year through the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. (Gagosz, 9/20)
KFF Health News: As Younger Children Increasingly Die By Suicide, Better Tracking And Prevention Is Sought
Jason Lance thought Jan. 21, 2010, was a day like any other until the call came. He had dropped off his 9-year-old son, Montana, at Stewart’s Creek Elementary School in The Colony, Texas, that morning. “There were no problems at home. He was smart. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he talked and talked and talked,” said Lance. It was “the same old, same old normal day. There were kisses and goodbyes and he said, ‘I love you, Daddy.’” (Platzman Weinstock, 9/21)
Also —
Health News Florida: Meteorologists Talk Storm Prep For Deaf, Hard-Of-Hearing Floridians
Meteorologists are urging those who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing to make preparations for hurricane season. September is Deaf Awareness Month. There are more than 800,000 Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals in Florida. (Prieur, 9/20)
The 19th: Nearly Half Of Women With Disabilities Report Facing Sexual Violence At Work, Poll Finds
Almost half of women with disabilities have experienced sexual harassment or assault in the workplace, according to a new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll that is one of the first to explore the issue. The number, 48 percent, compares to 32 percent of women without disabilities who reported experiencing sexual assault or harassment at work. (Luterman, 9/20)
Axios: Interest In Doula Care Grows Amid Maternal Health Crisis
The country's worsening maternal health crisis is driving interest in supporting doula care as other parts of the health system caring for pregnant patients face greater strain. (Reed and Goldman, 9/21)
In obituaries —
The Washington Post: Victor Fuchs, A Pioneer Of Health-Care Economics, Dies At 99
Victor Fuchs, a pioneering Stanford University economist who sought to explain why Americans don’t live longer, healthier lives despite spending a fortune on health care, died Sept. 16 at his home on the school’s campus in California. He was 99. ... Often described as the dean of American health economists, Dr. Fuchs spent more than five decades diagnosing the ills of the nation’s health system, which now accounts for 18 percent of gross domestic product. American health costs per capita have long been the highest in the world, with spending reaching nearly $13,000 a person in 2021, even as Dr. Fuchs and other economists found that the same quality of care was available in other countries for far less, sometimes at half the cost. (Smith, 9/20)
