WHIO TV: 988 Mental Health Hotline Back Online After Widespread Outage
The nation’s new 988 hotline, intended to help anyone experiencing a mental health emergency, was out of service for several hours Thursday, the Associated Press reported. The hotline is now back up for those in crisis. Those who were trying to reach the line for help with suicide, depression, or other mental health crises were greeted with a message that says the line is “experiencing a service outage.” (12/2)

AP: Widespread Outage Shuts Down 988 Mental Health Hotline 
Intrado, the telecommunications provider for the service, could not immediately be reached for comment. In a statement on its website, the company said it [was] “experiencing an incident that is impacting production across numerous systems” and is “working diligently to restore service.” (12/1)

In other news about suicide and mental health —

NBC News: 4 Navy Sailors Assigned To Same Facility Die By Apparent Suicide Within Weeks, Amid Growing Concerns Of Mental Health Crisis
At least four U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the same facility in Virginia died by suicide in the last few weeks, including one as recently as Saturday, military officials and family members said. It is the latest cluster of Navy suicides this year to spark concerns of a fleetwide mental health crisis. (Chan, 12/1)

The New York Times: 35 Years Of Efforts To Address Mental Illness On New York Streets
An audit by the state comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, released on Thursday, found that the city was not making use of one of the tools it already has — the ability to place people with mental illness in specialized shelters. The audit found that the city had failed to place a quarter of homeless shelter residents with serious mental health issues in a mental-health shelter. (Newman, 12/2)

Bloomberg: Holiday Stress Is Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's Next Challenge
Murthy on Dec. 1 announced a series of online sessions in partnership with Calm, a mindfulness app. Called “Mindfulness Tools,” the series of five YouTube videos are designed to target holiday stress and loneliness, among other sources of chaos and instability.  Murthy said stressors such as loneliness and instability far predate the Covid-19 pandemic, which only exacerbated existing pain points. (Adegbesan, 12/1)

Columbus Dispatch: How To Make Mental Health & Well-Being A Priority In 2023
Regan Walsh, a business and career coach based out of the Short North, said there is one tactic that can both reduce stress and improve your productivity: breaks from work. Countless pages of research shows that workers get more done if they have a full lunch break or take short breaks regularly throughout the day. (Cooley, 12/2)

Axios: Tampa Startup Therapy IQ Wants To Free Therapists Of Paperwork 
Nate Mangi knew being a social worker would be hard. But he never imagined his biggest problem would have little to do with directly helping clients. ... Mangi and his wife and business partner, Amy Query, who live in Seminole, created Therapy iQ, a Tampa-based software company that recently closed a $1.5 million pre-seed round. The system, which launched last year, frees up time for therapists by streamlining clinical and financial paperwork and making it easier for practices to communicate with clients, Mangi said. (Felice, 12/2)

The Washington Post: Teen Brains Aged Faster Than Normal From Pandemic Stress, Study Says 
The stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity, a study has found. The study, published Thursday in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, was the first to compare scans of the physical structures of teenagers’ brains from before and after the pandemic started, and to document significant differences, said Ian Gotlib, lead author on the paper and a psychology professor at Stanford University. (Lewis, 12/1)

USA Today: During COVID, Teen's Brains Aged Faster From Stress, Study Finds
Scans also showed structural changes in the brain, researchers noted, as well as changes to parts of the brain responsible for memory, concentration, learning, emotion, reactivity and judgment. They found adolescents assessed after the pandemic had larger hippocampal and amygdala volume, and reduced thickness of cortex tissue. The hippocampus and amygdala control access to memories and help modulate emotions, experts say, while cortex tissues involve executive functioning. (Rodriguez, 12/1)

Fox News: Teenage Brains Aged Faster During The Pandemic From Stress, Anxiety: Study
Prior to this study, the researchers said accelerated changes in "brain age" had only been found in children who experienced chronic adversity like violence, neglect, family dysfunction or a combination. (Pritchett, 12/2)

CNBC: Long Covid Costs Patients An Average $9,000 A Year In Medical Expenses
Long Covid has affected as many as 23 million Americans to date — and it’s poised to have a financial impact rivaling or exceeding that of the Great Recession. By one estimate, the chronic illness will cost the U.S. economy $3.7 trillion, with extra medical costs accounting for $528 billion. (Iacurci, 12/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: Long COVID May Cost The U.S. Economy $3.7 Trillion
About 23 million Americans are living with long COVID, which could cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars, according to estimates by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by CNBC. Up to 30% of Americans who have gotten COVID-19 have developed long-haul symptoms, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Vaziri and Kawahara, 12/1)

More on long covid —

CIDRAP: UK Study: Long COVID Common, Especially In Overweight Women 
Over half of survey respondents in East England who had COVID-19 in 2020 reported persistent long-COVID symptoms and continued use of health services in early 2021, with a disproportionate burden among overweight women. (12/1)

In other news about the spread of SARS-CoV2 —

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County COVID Surge Raises Prospect Of Indoor Mask Order
Coronavirus case and hospitalization rates have risen dramatically in Los Angeles County, which on Thursday reentered the medium COVID-19 community level for the first time since the end of the summer Omicron wave. (Lin II, 12/1)

Bloomberg: Youths, Minorities More Often Infected Without Covid Shots, Study Says
Younger, less-educated, Hispanic and Black people were most likely to have been infected with Covid-19 without having been vaccinated, according to a government study that highlights continuing disparities in immunization rates. (John Wilton, 12/1)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Infection Associated With Liver Stiffness, Damage 
COVID-19 infection is associated with increased liver stiffness, a sign of possible long-term liver injury, according to the results of a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. (12/1)

Houston Chronicle: Rural Texas Hospitals Face Closing As COVID Support Wanes
The study, compiled by health care consulting company Kaufman Hall, found the percentage of Texas hospitals that face possible closures in the near future doubled across urban and rural areas over the last two years, from 4.7% in 2020 to 9.2% in 2022. The problem was most pronounced among rural hospitals, of which 26% are at risk of closing – a jump from 16% in both 2020 and 2021. (Gill, 12/1)

FedScoop: VA Admits To Improperly Disclosing COVID-19 Vaccine Data For 500,000 Staff
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has admitted that it failed to adequately protect COVID-19 vaccination status data for about 500,000 of its employees. Following an internal investigation by the VA’s Data Breach Response Service, the agency removed a spreadsheet containing personal details including vaccination status, according to a notice sent to the agency’s bargaining unit employees that was obtained by FedScoop. Federal Times first reported about the data breach. (Krishan, 11/30)

Roll Call: VA Health Care Funds, Military Vaccine Rule Gum Up Omnibus Talks
Democrats were prepping a counteroffer on a fiscal 2023 omnibus framework Thursday, as negotiators contended with a range of divisive issues, such as how to treat veterans medical care spending and the military’s requirement for servicemembers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (Quigley, McPherson and Krawzak, 12/1)

More on the covid vaccine rollout —

Axios: Exclusive: HHS Partners With U.S. Men's Soccer Team To Promote Updated COVID Vaccines
The Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the U.S. national men's soccer team to promote vaccinations with the updated COVID-19 shot, which are currently at a low. (Gonzalez, 12/1)

Nextgov: More Republicans Died Than Democrats After COVID-19 Vaccines Came Out 
A new study looks at excess deaths by partisan affiliation in two states during the pandemic. ... The study finds that excess deaths during the pandemic were 76% higher among Republicans than Democrats in two states, Ohio and Florida. What’s more, the partisan gap in death rates increased significantly after vaccines were introduced. (11/30)

In global updates —

The Washington Post: How China’s Vaccine Strategy Stoked Its Looming ‘Zero Covid’ Crisis 
President Xi Jinping and his advisers have so far shunned the messenger RNA vaccines developed in the West. Experts are divided on the full implications of China’s vaccine nationalism. But most agree that bringing in a foreign booster now — even one tailored to target omicron in addition to the original strain of the virus — would not address the core problem China faces, which is a large population of older people who have resisted a third shot of any vaccine. (Johnson, Cadell and Achenbach, 12/1)

CNBC: Fauci Says China Has Done A Bad Job Of Vaccinating The Elderly And Their Shots Are Not Very Effective Against Covid
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., criticized China’s Covid lockdowns as “draconian” and said the Beijing government should focus on vaccinating the elderly. “The vaccination of the elderly has not been well performed and the vaccine they have has been not a particularly effective vaccine,” Fauci told The Washington Post in an interview on Thursday, as he prepares to step down as director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases later this month. (Kimball, 12/1)

The Washington Post: China Pledges To Slowly Exit ‘Zero Covid’
China’s coronavirus czar said that the country would take “baby steps” in extricating itself from a three-year pursuit of “zero covid,” after authorities stepped up censorship efforts following rare mass protests, and ahead of a state funeral for a popular former leader. (Li, 12/2)

The Washington Post: Parents Looking For Children’s Tylenol, Ibuprofen Find Empty Shelves
People seeking over-the-counter medication for their sick children are often finding sparse or empty shelves, as a spike in respiratory illnesses pushes pediatricians and emergency rooms to the limit. Usual supplies of fever- and pain-reducing medicines, such as liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen recommended for children with RSV, flu or the coronavirus, have not kept up with demand in recent weeks in pockets of the country hit hardest by surging illnesses. (Portnoy, Gilbert, Silverman and Shepherd, 12/1)

WAFF 48: Children’s Flu Medication In Short Supply In The Midst Of Brutal Flu Season
Tamiflu, an antiviral drug commonly prescribed to treat the flu, serves as one of the few approved flu medicines for children. Antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, can also be prescribed as a treatment for the illness. However, Dr. Steffane Battle, a pediatrician with the UAB-Huntsville Regional Campus, says shortages of these medications could spell trouble suffering from common complications. (Lee, 12/1)

AP: 7 Die From Flu In Washington State, Activity 'Very High' 
Flu activity in the state is now considered very high, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Seven people in the state have died so far this season from the flu, including one child, according to health officials. (12/2)

Houston Chronicle: Fall Creek ER Reopens As RSV, COVID Surge In Kingwood, Humble
HCA Houston ER 24/7 Fall Creek resumed operations this week after a year-long closure. The reopening comes at a critical time as hospital ERs are flooded with patients suffering from respiratory illnesses. (Taylor, 12/1)

In other news —

The Washington Post: 'Zombie’ Viruses Are Thawing From Melting Permafrost In Russia
The thawing of the permafrost due to climate change may expose a vast store of ancient viruses, according to a team of European researchers, who say they have found 13 previously unknown pathogens that had been trapped in the previously frozen ground of Russia’s vast Siberian region. (Birnbaum and Francis, 12/2)

AP: African Continent Finally To Receive 1st Mpox Vaccines 
Africa’s top public health body says the continent is set to receive its first batch of mpox vaccines as a donation from South Korea. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday the 50,000 doses will be used first for health workers and people living in the hardest-hit areas. No timing was given for the doses’ arrival. (Musambi, 12/1)

WAVY.Com: Virginia Reports First Monkeypox Death; Patient Was From Eastern Part Of Va. 
A person in the eastern part of Virginia is the first to be diagnosed with monkeypox to die from the disease in the commonwealth, the Virginia Department of Health reported Thursday. VDH is not releasing additional information surrounding the case, citing patient confidentiality, but said the person was an adult resident of the region. ... 8,641 people in Virginia had received both doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine for the disease as of Dec. 1, mostly in Northern Virginia. (Reese, 12/1)

Nature: These Monkeypox Researchers Warned That The Disease Would Go Global
In May, when monkeypox began to spread across Europe and beyond, many public-health specialists were taken by surprise. But for researchers who have tracked and studied the viral disease for years in Central and West Africa, the only shock was seeing how accurate their predictions were. “We had always warned that in favourable circumstances, like what led to this outbreak, the disease could pose a great threat to global health,” says Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye, an epidemiologist at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja, who led the country’s investigation and response to a 2017 monkeypox outbreak. (Adepoju, 11/30)

Bloomberg: NJ Moves To Require Some Insurance Companies To Cover Abortions
New Jersey regulators took a step to require a swath of health insurers to cover abortion costs in the wake of the US Supreme Court ruling that struck down a constitutional right to the procedure. (Young, 12/1)

Also —

NBC News: Georgia Senate Runoff Tests The Staying Power Of Abortion In American Elections
The high-stakes Senate runoff in Georgia next week will be the first major test of abortion politics since the 2022 general election, when a backlash to the Supreme Court’s decision galvanized proponents of abortion rights and boosted Democrats. (Kapur, 12/1)

Los Angeles Times: Writers Promote Abortion Rights With Fundraisers, TV Shows
Beyond raising money, Marc Guggenheim, showrunner for TV series “Eli Stone” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” also wants writers to raise awareness of the issue through their scripts. (Sakoui, 12/1)

WLRN 31.6 FM: A Broward Abortion Clinic Is Fighting A State Fine Over Florida's 24-Hour Waiting Period Rule
In one of a series of similar cases, a Broward County abortion clinic is fighting a $56,000 state fine stemming from allegations that it did not properly comply with a law requiring 24-hour waiting periods before abortions can be performed. East Cypress Women’s Center is challenging the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration at the state Division of Administrative Hearings, according to documents posted online Monday. (12/1)

In other reproductive health news —

The 19th: House Family Building Caucus To Work On Fertility Treatment Access
A new bipartisan caucus in the U.S. House has launched to bring attention to fertility challenges faced by millions of Americans and take up a decades-long fight for expanded access to fertility treatments for military families, veterans and federal workers. (Barclay, 12/1)

Axios: Year-End Package Could Increase Access To Addiction Treatment
A bipartisan bill to increase access to treatment for opioid addiction has a good chance of being rolled into a year-end package during the lame-duck session, congressional aides tell Axios. Advocates point to federal data showing only one in 10 people with opioid use disorder receive medication for it. (Sullivan, 12/2)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Supports Decriminalizing Fentanyl Testing Strips
Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday said he supports decriminalizing fentanyl testing strips, reversing his previous opposition to the idea as he tries to fight an increase in opioid overdoses in the state, which he has made a point of emphasis heading into January’s legislative session. (Barragan, 12/1)

In related news —

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Baby’s Reported Fentanyl Overdose Is ‘Astonishing,’ But Experts Say It’s Not Impossible
Medical experts across the Bay Area and country weighed in Thursday on the report that a 10-month-old baby overdosed on fentanyl at a public park in San Francisco, saying they were stunned and describing such an incident as “very rare,” “unlikely” and “astonishing.” But, they added, possible. (Tucker and Moench, 12/1)

AP: 10 Los Angeles Students Appear To OD On Cannabis Edibles 
Ten Los Angeles students appear to have overdosed on cannabis edibles Thursday at their middle school in the San Fernando Valley, officials said. The students, between 12 and 15 years old, were in mild to moderate distress at Van Nuys Middle School around 10:30 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Seven of them were taken to pediatric medical centers. (12/2)

Stat: 'Tranq' Is Leaving Drug Users With Horrific Wounds. It's Spreading.
The volunteers were handing out the staples of harm reduction: safe injection and smoking kits, condoms, and Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal medication. Down the line, they were distributing hats, socks, coats, and blankets to the people who use drugs who came to this outreach event on a recent Saturday, a bright, cold morning a few days before Thanksgiving. Just before the final table, where two mothers who had lost children to overdoses were passing out sandwiches, was evidence of the latest evolution in the increasingly dangerous U.S. drug supply. A wound care station. (Joseph, 12/2)

USA Today: Pediatric Surgery Is Less Common For Children Of Color, Study Finds
Latino, Black and Asian children are less likely to undergo elective surgeries compared to white children, according to a recent study. The study, published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, analyzed data on more than 200,000 children from a national health survey of parents. Roughly 10,000 of those children reportedly underwent surgery. (Hassanein, 12/2)

In other health care industry news —

The Hill: HHS Allows Those Living With Hep B, HIV To Join Public Service
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday announced it will be expanding eligibility for the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to include people who have chronic hepatitis B and HIV. (Choi and Weixel, 12/1)

AP: Minnesota Nurses Authorize Second Strike, Starting Dec. 11
Nurses at 16 hospitals in the Twin Cities and Duluth areas have authorized workers to go on a second strike, which union leaders said Thursday will begin on Dec. 11 if a contract deal is not reached in coming days. The Minnesota Nurses Association said the walkouts will last until Dec. 31 at most hospitals; nurses at St. Luke’s hospitals in Duluth and Two Harbors will stay on strike until a deal is reached. Leaders of the association hope the vote will motivate hospital leadership to improve offers on pay, workplace violence prevention and staffing levels. (12/1)

Stat: As More Birth Centers Open, Viability Hinges On Nearby Hospitals
It was fitting, one activist said, that the sky was storming on the night before the North Shore Birth Center closed, as patients, midwives, and community members gathered to commemorate its 42-year run. Over 30 people stood in a circle on the small hill by the cottage-like facility as rain whipped around them and the last of the daylight faded. (Gaffney, 12/2)

Stateline: Funeral Aid Is Available — But Untapped — In Many States
Many states offer payments to families to help them cover the cost of funerals, and some of the amounts are on the rise. The funds are only available to people with low incomes, and sometimes the amount isn’t enough to cover the full cost of funerals. But the money can be a help — if families know about it. Too often, they don’t. (Povich, 12/1)

Modern Healthcare: MyChart Messaging Bills Pose Questions For Hospitals, Payers
Cleveland Clinic of Ohio began charging patients for some MyChart messaging with providers this month, such as replies that require “medical expertise ... typically taking five or more minutes for your provider to answer.” That includes conversations regarding medication changes, new symptoms or checkups on chronic conditions. (Hudson and Tepper, 12/1)

Becker's Hospital Review: 30% Of Providers Unsatisfied With Patient Payment Platforms
Most healthcare providers have implemented a new patient payment platform in the past five years, but only 58 percent said they were highly satisfied with their current system, according to a survey from Bank of America. In addition, 30 percent said their patient payment platform integration was unsuccessful. (Cass, 12/1)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Medicaid Machinations 
The lame-duck Congress is back in Washington with a long list of bills it would like to pass and a short time to do it before Republicans take over the House majority in January. How many health-related items can be accomplished depends largely on how much money Congress agrees to spend overall, as it hashes out the annual federal spending bills. Meanwhile, some of the remaining states that have not yet expanded the Medicaid program may be warming up to the idea, particularly North Carolina and Kansas, which have Democratic governors and Republican legislatures. (12/1)

KHN: The Disability Tax: Medical Bills Remain Inaccessible For Many Blind Americans
A Missouri man who is deaf and blind said a medical bill he didn’t know existed was sent to debt collections, triggering an 11% rise in his home insurance premiums. An insurer has suspended a blind woman’s coverage every year since 2010 after mailing printed “verification of benefits” forms to her California home that she cannot read, she said. The issues continued even after she got a lawyer involved. (Weber and Recht, 12/2)

Stat: With Early Data And New Angle, Amgen Enters Obesity Drug Race
Amgen released detailed data on Thursday suggesting an early-stage drug can induce significant weight loss in patients with obesity, with less frequent dosing than current treatments but a safety profile that remains unclear. (Mast, 12/1)

On Alzheimer's disease —

The Boston Globe: Startup’s Headset To Treat Alzheimer’s Will Undergo Wide Trial With Patients
Cognito Therapeutics became the latest company to secure a large-scale trial to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike most other remedies in development today, this one involves a device rather than medicine. The late-stage trial will enroll around 500 US participants. They will wear a headset for an hour a day for a year. (McBride, 12/1)

Stat: Alzheimer’s Researchers Try Out An Unfamiliar Sensation: Optimism
Scientific meetings about Alzheimer’s disease can be funereal affairs, with researchers from around the world gathering in hopes that the latest in a long line of negative clinical trials might light the path to a long-awaited success. This year was different. (Wosen and Garde, 12/2)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: Gilead Wins Key Battle With CDC Over Patents For Truvada HIV Pill
Gilead Sciences won a key round in its battle with the U.S. government over allegations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breached several contracts and “secretly” obtained patents stemming from research that led to the groundbreaking Truvada pill for preventing HIV. (Silverman, 12/1)

Stat: Troubled Recall Of Philips CPAP Machines Shows Flaws In Oversight
The ongoing recall of millions of breathing devices made by Philips has been botched and belabored at nearly every turn: It took more than a decade after users first reported the soundproofing foam in their CPAP and BPAP machines breaking down for Philips to issue a recall. (Trang, 12/1)

The Boston Globe: Somerville And Seattle Scientists Use A.I. To Design Proteins From Scratch
Proteins help people move, digest food, and fight infections — to name a few of their numerous functions. They’re also the basis of a nearly $300 billion drug industry for treating cancer, immune diseases, and other conditions. Most of these therapies are only slightly altered versions of natural proteins. And for some scientists, nature is too limiting. (Cross, 12/1)

KHN: The Business Of Clinical Trials Is Booming. Private Equity Has Taken Notice
After finding success investing in the more obviously lucrative corners of American medicine — like surgery centers and dermatology practices — private equity firms have moved aggressively into the industry’s more hidden niches: They are pouring billions into the business of clinical drug trials. To bring a new drug to market, the FDA requires pharmaceutical firms to perform extensive studies to demonstrate safety and efficacy, which are often expensive and time-consuming to conduct to the agency’s specifications. Getting a drug to market a few months sooner and for less expense than usual can translate into millions in profit for the manufacturer. (Pradhan, 12/2)

St. Louis Public Radio: Rural America Is Getting Older, With 20% Now Over 65
Rural America is continuing to get older, and a new report shows the extent has hit a new high. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual Rural America at a Glance report shows more than 20% of rural residents are over age 65 compared to 16% in urban areas. “The aging of the baby-boom generation will continue to contribute to the loss of working-age adults through the end of this decade,” the report from the USDA’s Economic Research Service stated. (Ahl, 12/2)

AP: Airbnb Urged To Require Carbon Monoxide Devices After 3 Die 
Family members of three tourists who died while staying at an Airbnb in Mexico City, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, urged the short-term rental company Thursday to require detectors in properties it lists to prevent future tragedies. (Rodrigue, 12/1)

The Washington Post: Young Kids Who Breathe Polluted Air In High-Poverty Areas Can Fall Behind In School, Study Finds
Young children living in neighborhoods with high rates of poverty are more likely to be exposed to many different air pollutants, and that can harm their development during early childhood, according to a study published Wednesday. The children’s increased exposure to air toxins during infancy can reduce reading and math abilities and cause them to fall behind — for some, the effect is equivalent to losing an entire month of elementary school. (Ajasa, 11/30)

The Boston Globe: A Causal Link Between Air Pollution And Lower Earnings
There is no dearth of evidence, in other words, that air pollution poses a significant threat to human health and cognition. Now a new study reveals that pollution is not merely a public health scourge but also a key driver of economic and racial inequality. (Lalwani and Winter-Levy, 12/1)

NBC News: What Is A Whole Grain? Americans Are Eating More, But Confused By The Food Labels
An analysis of two decades of data on Americans’ diets revealed that people are increasingly choosing whole grain foods, but we're still not eating enough in our daily diets, Tufts University researchers reported in a study published Wednesday in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Carroll, 12/1)

The Washington Post: Why Falling Asleep With The Lights On Is Bad For Your Health 
Many of us are surrounded by light at night — from streetlights streaming through our windows to televisions and smartphones by our beds. And now research shows that exposure to light at night in the hours before bedtime and even during sleep can be detrimental to our health. (Sima, 12/1)

Modern Healthcare: More Texas Hospitals At Risk Of Closing As Medicare Cuts Loom
More than 9% of hospitals in the Lone Star State are at risk of closure, compared with 4.7% in 2020, according to a report released this week from consulting firm Kaufman Hall. The firm identified a hospital’s closure risk based on unsustainable trends with its operating margin, days cash on hand and debt-to-capitalization ratios. (Hudson, 12/1)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

WUSF Public Media: Hillsborough Has A Free Health Plan For Residents Who Can't Get Medicaid. It Needs More Members
Ana Yanes was in crisis. It was 2019, and the kidney transplant her husband Daniel Torres had been living with for many years was failing. His health got so bad, Yanes says he couldn't work. He lost his job, and with it, the employer-based medical insurance the couple depended on. Yanes says it came at the worst possible time. “Everything happened so fast," Yanes said. "I kid you not, he lost his job June 28; by July 8 he was already admitted to the hospital.” (Colombini, 12/1)

Colorado Sun: Colorado Officials Accused Of Unfairly Boosting A Polis Health Insurance Policy
The Colorado Option, the new health insurance program that seeks to give people better coverage at lower prices, is the result of years of work by Democratic lawmakers, state officials and advocacy groups to prove that a more consumer-friendly insurance plan can be a winner in the free market. But now, health insurance brokers say the state is unfairly trying to tilt that playing field in the Colorado Option’s favor. (Ingold, 12/2)

The Boston Globe: Public Advised To Avoid Boston Harbor Following Sewage Overflow
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority advised the public Thursday to avoid a section of Boston Harbor for at least 48 hours following an overflow of sewage related to Wednesday’s rainstorm. The area of concern is part of the inner harbor, upstream of North Washington Street Bridge, the authority said. Interacting with affected waters can cause illness and creates a potential public health risk, it said. (Mogg, 12/1)

The Maine Monitor: Walgreens Paid $68,000 In Penalties This Year After Failing To Meet Staffing Requirements, Records Show
Maine’s biggest pharmacy chain has agreed to pay more than $68,000 in fines this year for violating state staffing and operating hours laws at 10 locations, an apparent sign of continued labor shortages in the healthcare industry tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Walgreens has been fined 15 times in 2022 by the Maine Board of Pharmacy for either failing to have a pharmacist in charge — a position responsible for ensuring the pharmacy complies with state law — or reducing its operating hours without notice, according to state records. The chain with the next-highest number of penalties was CVS, with four cases and $13,500 in fines. (Andrews, 11/30)

AP: ACLU Warns Tenn. Hospital Over Transgender Treatment Policy 
Civil rights advocates say a Memphis hospital is no longer providing gender-affirming surgeries, a move they argue is illegal and discriminatory. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, Memphis-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare alerted their client, Chris Evans, on Nov. 21 that all gender-affirming surgeries were canceled due to a newly adopted policy. Evans, who the ACLU says suffers from gender dysphoria, had been scheduled for a surgery at MLH less than a week later. (Kruesi, 12/1)

AP: Judge OKs Federal Intervention In Struggling Water System 
The U.S. Justice Department has won a federal judge’s approval to carry out a rare intervention to improve the precarious water system in Mississippi’s capital city, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday, months after the system’s partial failure. The department filed the proposal for intervention on Tuesday and U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate approved it later that day in Mississippi. The move authorized the appointment of a third-party manager to oversee reforms to Jackson’s water system, which nearly collapsed in late summer and continues to struggle. (Goldberg, 11/30)

AP: Denver Gets Go-Ahead From EPA After Progress On Lead Pipes
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday approved a nearly $700 million plan to remove all lead water pipes in the Denver region, saying the local water utility’s approach for reducing lead levels is succeeding and making swift progress. It’s a recognition that cities can effectively address the lead pipe crisis if they try. (Phillis, 12/1

KHN: Watch: The Politics Of Health Care In California
KHN senior correspondent Angela Hart joined the nonpartisan group Democracy Winters on Nov. 19 to discuss the politics of health care in California. She focused on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s major health care initiatives, including a transformation of the state Medicaid program that will bring nontraditional, social services to some enrollees — with a focus on homeless patients. (12/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: A California Hospital Opened A Critical Care Unit For Kids. Then Four Died
Eight years ago, hospital leaders at John Muir Health and Stanford donned tuxedos, gowns and feathered masks. At a masquerade-themed gala, they mingled with donors to raise money for a new unit that would provide care for critically ill children in the East Bay. (Dizikes, Gafni and Kopf, 12/1)

The Washington Post: Less Attractive, Less Picky: How Mating Is Changing In A Hotter World
In the animal world, the selection of certain traits has long been the biggest driver in how some sexual species will evolve. If a trait, behavior or dance will help attract or compete for a mate, they’ll do it even if it’s not that useful otherwise. But as our planet warms to unthinkable temperatures, some are forced to rethink their dating habits. Those adjustments come in many forms. A lot of animals are giving up attractive traits, while others are keeping those characteristics and finding different ways to conserve energy. Some animals are adjusting by altogether shifting the attributes they value in a mate. And although the research is very limited, there is even some evidence suggesting that human mating habits are changing in a warming world too. (Patel, 11/28)

The New York Times: What It Really Takes to Breastfeed a Baby
To many parents, the gulf between public health goals and reality seemed to widen last summer when the A.A.P. updated its breastfeeding recommendations, saying that it supported breastfeeding for two years or more, if it’s mutually desired by mother and child. The organization called for changes to help make breastfeeding possible, such as guaranteed paid leave, and sought to destigmatize extended breastfeeding for those who choose it. But given that a majority of parents in the United States already struggled to make it to one year of breastfeeding, as the A.A.P. previously recommended, some saw the mere suggestion of continuing to two years as out of touch. (Pearson, 11/30)

The Washington Post: A HIIT Workout For Astronauts Can Benefit Non-Space Travelers, Too
Exercise like an astronaut and you might avoid the unhealthy effects of sitting too much, according to recent studies about the benefits of space workouts. The research, which involved astronauts on the International Space Station and bed-bound volunteers in Houston, suggest that the right mix of scientifically tested exercises can stave off undesirable physical consequences from being weightless on the space station — or inactive for long hours on Earth. (Reynolds, 11/30)

Stat: To Treat Huntington's, Scientists Return To Overlooked Clues 
In the spring of 1981, a geneticist from Indianapolis and a neurologist from Chicago got in a car and for three days they crisscrossed the yellowing cornfields of Iowa. Every now and then, they stopped at a house to draw blood from the inhabitants — more than 30 members of one extended family spread across the state. (Molteni, 11/30)

NPR: Bills Targeting Trans Youth Are Growing More Common — And Radically Reshaping Lives
When Dylan Brandt looks back on the time before he started receiving gender-affirming care, he remembers feeling trapped "in a pretty bad place." He wasn't comfortable leaving the house, and he struggled with anxiety and depression. It was right around his 15th birthday that Brandt began hormone therapy. He says the treatment was "lifesaving." (Nakajima and Hanzhang Jin, 11/28)

NPR: Teen Vaping Gets A Harder Look By FDA And States
Samuel Rose says he was raised by a devoted single mom who warned all her seven children to avoid drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. But when his high school friend urged him to try making vapor rings with a Juul e-cigarette five years ago, Rose figured there was no danger — vaping was billed as a healthier alternative to smoking. (Noguchi, 11/29)

The Washington Post: Former Surgeon General Faces His Wife’s Cancer — And The ‘Trump Effect’
Former surgeon general Jerome Adams and his wife, Lacey, often find themselves talking about what they have named the “Trump Effect.” It followed them from Washington to their home in the Indianapolis suburbs. They felt it when he was exploring jobs in academia, where he would receive polite rejections from university officials who worried that someone who served in the administration of the former president would be badly received by their left-leaning student bodies. They felt it when corporations decided he was too tainted to employ. (Roig-Franzia, 11/25)

The New York Times: Can This Man Stop Lying? 
Christopher Massimine, whose compulsive lying derailed a promising career in theater, maintains that it’s a mental illness that has dogged him since childhood. (Barry, 11/29)

The Washington Post: What To Know About New Recommendations For Anxiety-Disorder Screening 
A few months ago, the influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued draft guidelines recommending that all adults younger than 65 should receive screening for anxiety disorders. It also recommended screenings for children and adolescents ages 8 to 18. (Leana S. Wen, 12/1)

Miami Herald: We Need Five Times As Many Child Psychiatrists To Treat Kids' Growing Anxiety
Between falling test scores and rising rates of mental illness, U.S. kids are not alright. COVID is an easy villain, but signs of strain were showing up well before this virus took hold: Anxiety among children was up 27% — and depression 24% — between 2016 and 2019, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. (Lisa Jarvis, 12/1)

The Washington Post: New York And California's Involuntary Treatment Plans Won't Solve Our Mental Health Crisis 
New York Mayor Eric Adams and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are trying new ways of forcing people who behave violently because of mental illness into hospitalized treatment. Neither approach appears likely to have great impact. (Eugene Robinson, 12/1)

Also —

Scientific American: Students With HIV Need Support 
In July 2014, in Kenya an HIV-testing and counseling services (HTS) counselor confirmed that I had HIV, initiating me into a new world of stigma and discrimination. All I could do was accept my diagnosis and live one day at a time, because I thought I could drop dead any day. I was 17, in a boarding school in Africa and I had lots of questions. (Joyce Ouma, 12/1)

Los Angeles Times: Of Course Railroad Workers Should Get Paid Sick Leave. So Should All Workers 
Approaching year three of a global pandemic, it’s shocking that the U.S. is still debating whether workers should be allowed to take time off work when they’re sick or need to see a doctor. (12/1)

USA Today: COVID, Flu, RSV Tripledemic: What To Know Before Your Kids Get Sick
Based on our experience of navigating a child's medical emergency amid a strained system, here are our tips for parents or caregivers trying to navigate what promises to be a nasty cold/flu/COVID/RSV season: (Monica Hortobagyi Siniff and John Siniff, 12/2)

The New York Times: Help Desperate Women, And Give The Homeless Dignity
Because of the end of Roe v. Wade, I’ve spent even more time than usual in 2022 writing about reproductive rights. For those inspired to donate by outrage over abortion bans, there are many great options, from giants like Planned Parenthood to local, grass-roots abortion funds. (Michelle Goldberg, 12/2)

Newsweek: Pandemic Preparedness Is As Vital As Military Readiness 
In its fiscal year 2023 budget, the Biden administration included a $88.2 billion request for mandatory funding, available over five years, for pandemic preparedness and biodefense. (Anand Parekh, 12/1)