Modern Healthcare: Northwell, Kaiser Permanente Execs Join CEOs Backing Gun Legislation
Top executives from Northwell Health, Kaiser Permanente and Children's Minnesota are among hundreds of corporate leaders urging the Senate to pass gun safety legislation in a letter sent to lawmakers Thursday. The letter from CEOs for Gun Safety calls on senators to "transcend partisanship" and swiftly advance legislation to curb gun violence following the killings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and recent shootings at a medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. "The gun violence epidemic represents a public health crisis that continues to devastate communities—especially Black and brown communities—and harm our national economy. All of this points to a clear need for action: The Senate must take urgent action to pass bold gun safety legislation as soon as possible in order to avoid more death and injury," the CEOs wrote. The House passed a gun safety bill Wednesday but the measure faces a stiffer challenge in the evenly divided Senate. (Devereaux, 6/9)

USA Today: Gun Safety Legislation In America Gets Strong Support From Top CEOs
Chief executives from more than 200 companies have sent a letter to the U.S. Senate urging lawmakers to pass gun safety legislation. ... "Like you, we continue to bear witness to the toll of America’s gun violence epidemic and its impact on our communities," the letter reads. "Our country needs you to take bold urgent action to address our gun violence epidemic." (Molina, 6/9)

Senators weigh their options —

Politico: Conservatives Lay Off Senate Gun Negotiations
Something strange is happening among Senate Republicans when it comes to guns. As bipartisan talks on a gun safety package continue, conservatives are pointedly not trying to derail them. Several, in fact, seem open to supporting a modest deal. And Republicans are considering some ideas that would have been a non-starter just a month ago, particularly more scrutiny of gun buyers’ juvenile records. Summing up the view of conservatives at the moment, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said: “I’m a gun owner and I use them a lot. And I think it hurts the Second Amendment over time if you don’t do the stuff [that] makes sense.” (Everett and Levine, 6/9)

The Washington Post: Senators Raise Concerns Over Red Flag Gun Laws 
Conservative Republicans on Capitol Hill are voicing increasingly sharp objections to any federal effort to promote red-flag laws meant to keep guns away from individuals found to be at risk of committing murder or attempting suicide, a provision that has been a centerpiece of bipartisan Senate talks on gun control. The reservations are being aired at a crucial moment in the Senate negotiations, with Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) aiming to strike a handshake deal in the coming days that would allow a bill to pass Congress by the end of the month. Among those who have objected are the No. 3 Senate Republican leader, John Barrasso (Wyo.), and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a prominent conservative leader in the House. (DeBonis and Caldwell, 6/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Lawmakers Seek Breakthrough On Gun-Control Legislation
Negotiators are circling around several provisions, including boosting funding for mental health and school security, providing incentives for states to put in place red-flag laws and broadening background checks to include juvenile records. There was some discussion about a proposal to raise the age to buy assault-style weapons to 21 from 18, Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) said Thursday, after several Republicans said they would be open to the provision. ... A spokesman for John Cornyn (R., Texas) later said that he had ruled out raising the age. “It’ll be a miracle if we get a framework agreement, nevermind a final bill,” Mr. Murphy said. “But sometimes miracles happen.” (Andrews and Collins, 6/9)

In state news —

The New York Times: Aware of Injuries Inside, Uvalde Police Waited to Confront Gunman
Heavily armed officers delayed confronting a gunman in Uvalde, Texas, for more than an hour even though supervisors at the scene had been told that some trapped with him in two elementary school classrooms needed medical treatment, a new review of video footage and other investigative material shows. Instead, the documents show, they waited for protective equipment to lower the risk to law enforcement officers. (Goodman, 6/9)

Politico: Florida Supreme Court Hears Gun Law Challenge Amid National Debate Over Restrictions
Amid the national debate over gun restrictions in the aftermath of tragic mass shootings, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments in a long-running legal challenge over a 2011 law that punishes local governments for passing strict gun laws. The legal fight has energized national groups to file briefs with the court, including the National Rifle Association on one side and the Giffords Law Center and League of Women Voters of Florida on the other. The Florida legal challenge has been in the judicial pipeline since 2018, when dozens of local cities and officials filed a challenge after the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead and another 17 wounded. (Dixon, 6/9)

St. Louis Public Radio: Democrat Spencer Toder Backs Ukraine Aid And Gun Control 
Businessman and St. Louis County resident Spencer Toder said he was driven to run for the U.S. Senate because he felt “there wasn’t a candidate in the race who was willing to do the hard work to get in front of people and make people’s lives better.” “I decided it was the right time,” Toder said during a recent episode of Politically Speaking. “And after quite a bit of discussion, we decided that the best thing we could do to improve the quality of life for Missourians was for me to become the next U.S. Senator.” Toder spent a number of years in the business world, including playing a part in helping the CORTEX district in St. Louis grow into an emerging tech hub. (Rosenbaum and Kellogg, 6/9)

In related news —

PBS NewsHour: Support For Gun Rights Has Eroded After Nearly A Decade Of Mass Shootings, Poll Shows
Six out of 10 Americans think it is more important to control gun violence than protect gun rights, a significant rise over the last decade evident in the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, as mass shootings continue to erupt across the U.S. And as midterm elections approach, seven of 10 people say they’re more likely to vote in November after last month’s mass shootings at a school in Uvalde, Texas, and a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. Nearly a decade ago, four months after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, 49 percent of Americans said they prioritized controlling gun violence. In the latest poll, conducted in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that number rose to 59 percent, including 92 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents. Support for prioritizing gun rights dropped to 35 percent, but remained high among Republicans — 70 percent — and 56 percent of gun owners. (Santhanham, 6/9)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Taking A Shot At Gun Control
The House passed a package of bills to restrict the availability of assault weapons to minors and other measures to curb gun violence, but talks in the Senate have yet to produce breakthroughs on what has been a legislative stalemate for years. Meanwhile, as inflation continues to be a top-tier issue for voters, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into the practices of pharmacy benefit managers and hospitals in an attempt to preserve what price competition there is in the bloated U.S. health system. (6/9)

Politico: Bernie To Dems: Change Course Before You Nosedive In November 
Bernie Sanders has something to get off his chest: Without a course correction, he sees the Democratic Party on track to get shellacked this fall. As the progressive Vermonter, not one to mince words, put it in an interview on Tuesday: “You really can’t win an election with a bumper sticker that says: ‘Well, we can’t do much, but the other side is worse.’” (Everett, 6/9)

AP: Officials: Millions Of COVID-19 Shots Ordered For Youngest
Millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered for small children in anticipation of possible federal authorization next week, White House officials say. The government allowed pharmacies and states to start placing orders last week, with 5 million doses initially available — half of them shots made by Pfizer and the other half the vaccine produced by Moderna, senior administration officials said. As of this week, about 1.45 million of the 2.5 million Pfizer doses have been ordered, and about 850,000 Moderna shots have been ordered, officials said. More orders are expected in the coming days. (Stobbe, 6/9)

The Washington Post: Maryland Ready To Distribute Pediatric Vaccines On June 20, Pending Approval 
Maryland has ordered 65,400 doses of a pediatric coronavirus vaccine that will be ready for children on June 20, pending federal approval, state health officials said Thursday. Deputy Health Secretary Jinlene Chan said at a news conference that the state “will have this important vaccine available for families right away” if it is approved during meetings of federal regulators late next week. (Cox, 6/9)

The Washington Post: Covid Shots For Young Kids Are Almost Available. Here’s What You Need To Know
Finally, vaccines for the youngest children are almost here. Federal regulators and their outside advisers will scrutinize coronavirus vaccines Wednesday for the only group in the United States still not eligible for the shots — children younger than 5, a contingent 19 million strong. The long-anticipated action comes a year and a half after the first shots were cleared for adults, and amid a rush of graduations, vacations and camp gatherings as families scramble to enjoy the summer. (Sun and McGinley, 6/9)

In other news about the spread of covid —

Politico: New York City Scraps School Mask Mandate For Toddlers
New York City toddlers won’t be required to wear masks in schools or day cares starting Monday, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday morning in a move that lifted the public school system’s last remaining mask mandate. Adams, who has felt pressure from parents and advocates to nix the requirement sooner, said schools “have remained the safest place for our children” throughout the current Covid-19 wave. The move also affects city-funded day care centers. (Toure, 6/9)

Health News Florida: Florida Hospital Admissions For COVID Is Up 14% Over The Past Week
The number of Florida hospital inpatients with COVID-19 has topped 3,000 and is up more than 14 percent during the past week, according to data posted online Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The data showed 3,078 inpatients with COVID-19, up from 2,694 a week earlier and 2,253 two weeks earlier. The new data also showed 259 COVID-19 patients in intensive-care units, up from 209 a week earlier. (6/9)

The Baltimore Sun: Gov. Hogan Announces Long-Term COVID-19 Preparedness Strategy For Maryland 
Gov. Larry Hogan announced a long-term plan Thursday to manage the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that centers on ensuring accessibility of the latest tests, vaccines and medications. “Our state public health response has now fully transitioned from an emergency into an ongoing operation of state government,” Hogan said at a news conference Thursday. Called COVIDReady Maryland, the long-term preparedness plan aims to maintain readiness for emerging variants and surges in cases so people stay healthy and out of the hospital. (Gaskill and Cohn, 6/9)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID-19 Self-Test Kit Vending Machines Installed At Two Locations
As COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to inch up in Clark County and Nevada, there is a new option available for Southern Nevadans. COVID-19 self-test vending machines have opened at two locations, according to a Southern Nevada Health District news release. Residents can obtain the tests at the Regional Transportation Commission’s Bonneville Transit Center, 101 E. Bonneville Ave., and Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite. The at-home antigen test kits are free. People who are interested in accessing the tests from the vending machines can register here. A PIN will be issued once registration is completed. (Garcia, 6/9)

The New York Times: Man Pleads Guilty To Selling $2.7 Million Worth Of Unregistered Covid Pesticide 
A New Jersey man admitted in federal court on Thursday to illegally selling $2.7 million worth of pesticides that he falsely claimed had been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as effective safeguards against the coronavirus. The man, Paul Andrecola, 63, of Maple Shade, N.J., sold the pesticide to several government agencies, including a U.S. Air Force base and the U.S. Marshal’s Service. Federal law requires that pesticides be registered with the E.P.A. to ensure that they are “safe, effective, and bear labeling containing true and accurate information,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. (Medina, 6/9)

In covid research —

The New York Times: Mysteries Linger About Covid’s Origins, W.H.O. Report Says
In its first report, a team of international scientists assembled by the World Health Organization to advise on the origins of the coronavirus said on Thursday that bats likely carried an ancestor of the coronavirus that may have then spilled over into a mammal sold at a wildlife market. But the team said that more Chinese data was needed to study how the virus spread to people, including the possibility that a lab leak played a role. The team, appointed by the W.H.O. in October as the organization tried to reset its approach to studying the pandemic’s origins, said that Chinese scientists had shared information with them, including from unpublished studies, on two occasions. But gaps in Chinese reports made it difficult to determine when and where the outbreak emerged, the report said. (Mueller and Zimmer, 6/10)

Bloomberg: Covid During Pregnancy Doubled Babies’ Risk Of Delays In Study
Babies whose mothers caught Covid-19 during pregnancy faced nearly double the risk of being diagnosed with delayed speech or motor skills by their first birthday, according to a study of medical records. While the risk of developmental delays was low overall, it rose to about 6% among babies who were exposed to Covid in the womb, while unexposed infants’ risk was about 3%, according to findings released Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open. The lags were seen in behaviors such as rolling over, reaching for objects or babbling -- basic milestones of infancy. (Goldberg, 6/9)

CIDRAP: Risk Of COVID-Related Syndrome Lower In Kids After Breakthrough Omicron
The risk of COVID-19–related multisystem inflammatory system in children (MIS-C) was significantly lower among vaccinated versus unvaccinated Danish children after infection with the Omicron variant rather than with previous strains, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. (6/9)

Stat: Are These Golden Hamsters A Key To Cracking Long Covid? 
In late 2020, Justin Frere, a wiry M.D./Ph.D. student dressed in head-to-toe white Tyvek, picked up a clear pipette, methodically reached into the cages of 30 unsuspecting, sedated hamsters and drip-dropped 1,000 infectious coronavirus particles down each of their nostrils. Then, he waited. Days for some. A whole month for others. The waiting was essential. His goal was to make a tool experts say will be critical to understanding and perhaps one day effectively treating long Covid, the debilitating and still scarcely understood constellation of symptoms that afflict many Covid-19 patients long after their initial infection has passed. (Mast, 6/10)

NBC News: Man With A Gun Outside Kavanaugh’s Home Told 911, 'I Need Psychiatric Help'
Maryland authorities on Thursday released a heavily redacted version of the 911 call made the day before by Nicholas Roske, the man accused of going to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home planning to kill him. "I need psychiatric help," Roske told the 911 operator soon after 1 a.m. Wednesday. (Shabad, 6/9)

The Washington Post: New 911 Tapes Show How Man Accused In Kavanaugh Murder Plot Abandoned Plan 
Fresh off a flight from California, Nicholas Roske grabbed a cab to the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, according to court records. It was 1 a.m. What he had packed in his bags, law enforcement officials said Thursday, underscored just how serious he was at carrying out his plan to kill the conservative justice: burglary tools, a gun and a pair of made-to-be-quiet boots with outer soles that could allow stealth movement inside a house. “The boots with padding really raised red flags,” said Capt. Sean Gagen, commander of the Montgomery County Police Department’s Bethesda district. (Morse, 6/9)

In news about abortion —

The New York Times: The New Abortion Bans: Almost No Exceptions For Rape, Incest Or Health 
There are no allowances for victims of rape or incest in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee or Texas. Mississippi, whose law banning abortion after 15 weeks is at the center of the case the Supreme Court will rule on this month, permits an abortion in cases of rape but does not specify incest. While all bans allow an exception to save the life of the woman, those in some states, such as Idaho, South Dakota and Arkansas, do not also cite protection of her health. (Hoffman, 6/9)

AP: Law Barring Abortions Because Of Disability Goes Into Effect
A new West Virginia law going into effect Friday prevents patients from getting abortions because they believe their child will be born with a disability. The ban, which was signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice in March, provides exceptions in the case of a medical emergency or in cases where a fetus is “nonmedically viable.” (Willingham, 6/10)

The Hill: Michelle Obama Urges Abortion Rights Supporters To ‘Double Down’ Ahead Of Roe V. Wade Ruling 
Former first lady Michelle Obama urged her Instagram followers to “double down” on working to protect abortion rights in a post Thursday as the Supreme Court gets closer to ruling on an abortion rights case that could overturn Roe v. Wade. “So we’ve got to get work today. We’ve got to press our elected leaders at every level to pull every lever they can to protect the right to safe, legal abortion — right now,” Obama wrote, urging voters to back political candidates who support abortion rights. (Gans, 6/9)

Politico: Biden Pledges Executive Orders On Abortion. His Options Are Limited.
President Joe Biden says he’s looking at ways to shore up abortion rights if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks, but the White House has not given specifics and legal experts say there’s little he can do to stop states that want to outlaw the procedure. Biden said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Wednesday night that his team is looking at possible executive orders, but avoided specifics. Echoing Democratic congressional leaders, who have tried unsuccessfully to codify Roe’s protections and override state bans, Biden largely focused his remarks on electing more abortion-rights supporters to Congress in the November midterms. (Ollstein, 6/9)

Kansas City Star: Next KS Attorney General May Have Big Role In Abortion Fight 
Kansas Republican attorney general candidate Kris Kobach in May released a plan for the office in which he promised to push for laws “to make Kansas the most pro-life state in America.” In the next few weeks, the United States Supreme Court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. More than half of all states would immediately ban abortion or likely prohibit it. If that happens, the commitment by Kobach, a former Kansas secretary of state, would almost certainly entail advocating for an abortion ban in Kansas. (Shorman, 6/10)

And the Supreme Court debates whether to hear the Roundup weedkiller case —

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Will Soon Decide Whether To Hear Bayer's Weedkiller Case 
The U.S. Supreme Court could announce as soon as Monday whether it will hear Bayer's bid to dismiss claims its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer as the company seeks to avoid potentially billions of dollars more in damages and payouts. Bayer is seeking review of an appeals court decision that upheld $25 million in damages awarded to California resident Edwin Hardeman, a user of glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup, who blamed his cancer on the product. (Hurley and Burger, 6/10)

CNBC: Flu, Hepatitis, Monkeypox: Diseases Suppressed During Covid Are Back
The Covid-19 pandemic has abated in much of the world and, with it, many of the social restrictions implemented to curb its spread, as people have been eager to return to pre-lockdown life. But in its place have emerged a series of viruses behaving in new and peculiar ways. Take seasonal influenza, more commonly known as the flu. The 2020 and 2021 U.S. winter flu seasons were some of the mildest on record both in terms of deaths and hospitalizations. Yet cases ticked up in February and climbed further into the spring and summer as Covid restrictions were stripped back. “We’ve never seen a flu season in the U.S. extend into June,” Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital, told CNBC Tuesday. (Gilchrist, 6/10)

The Atlantic: The Worst Case Scenario For Monkeypox: Another Syphilis
Where, exactly, is the outbreak headed? When I asked five experts for their predictions, they would say only one thing for certain: Monkeypox is not the next COVID-19. It’s simply not transmissible enough to cause infections on the scale of the pandemic, nor does it seem to be a particularly deadly virus. (None of the 1,200 patients has died so far.) But beyond that, their views ranged widely: The outbreak may be over before we know it; or it might become a modest, intermittent problem; or it could transform into an ever-present risk and inconvenience, like the next genital herpes. Here are three possible paths monkeypox could take. (Gutman, 6/9)

BuzzFeed: What’s It Like To Get Monkeypox? We Talked To People Who Have It
Marco, 40, lives with his partner in Edmonton, Alberta. Marco’s partner had been “feeling off” for a couple days — a low fever, some fatigue, and a few little bumps on his hands, which he didn’t give much thought as they didn’t look serious. Marco joked with him, suggesting that it might be monkeypox. “I mean, what are the chances? Like 1 in 6 billion?” he told BuzzFeed News. At that point, there was only one confirmed case of the monkeypox virus in all of Alberta. The next day, Marco’s partner received a call from a public health nurse letting him know that he had been in close contact with a person who had tested positive for monkeypox. Marco spoke with the nurse as well, telling her that he felt fine, but he did have what seemed to be a canker sore under his tongue, only it wasn’t particularly sensitive. (Waechter, 6/9)

Monkeypox spreads in Rhode Island, Hawaii, and California —

AP: Rhode Island Reports 1st Probable Case Of Monkeypox 
Public health officials in Rhode Island said Thursday they have identified the state’s first probable case of monkeypox. A man in his 30s who lives in Providence County has tested positive for an orthopox virus, and confirmation for monkeypox is pending testing at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Rhode Island Department of Health said in a statement. (6/9)

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Hawaii’s 3rd ‘Probable’ Monkeypox Case Indicates Disease Is ‘In Our Community,’ Officials Say 
The state Department of Health today has identified a third probable case of monkeypox in Hawaii, but because the patient has no travel history connected to the disease, officials said it is likely spreading locally. Health Department officials announced the latest monkeypox case in an adult on Oahu during a virtual news conference today. “This person does not have a travel history. The reason that’s significant is that it tells us that monkeypox is probably in our community,” said state Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char during the news conference. (6/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Monkeypox In Bay Area: Alameda County Has First Suspected Case
San Francisco on Thursday reported three additional cases of probable monkeypox as Alameda County announced its first likely infection, bringing the Bay Area total to five cases amid a rapidly growing global outbreak. The Alameda County case is in an individual who had close contact with someone who had earlier tested positive for the virus. In the San Francisco cases reported Thursday, one person had recently traveled within the U.S., but the other two did not. (Allday, 6/9)

WYMT: KY AG’s Office Activates Price Gouging Website, Hotline In Response To Baby Formula Shortage
Kentuckians now have a new website and phone hotline to help with reporting suspected price gouging when it comes to baby formula. The Attorney General’s Office announced the move on Thursday in response to the ongoing nationwide shortage. KRS 367.374 outlines the sale or rental of goods and services when a state of emergency is in effect, and states that no person shall sell or rent an item for a price “which is grossly in excess of the price prior to the declaration.” (Robinson, 6/10)

CBS8.com: City Attorney To Prosecute Baby Formula Price Gouging
The national baby formula shortage has left many families feeling anxious. The City Attorney’s office says they plan to take action on any price gouging. Governor Gavin Newsom’s June 7th executive order prohibits sellers from selling baby formula for a price that is more than 10% greater than what they charged February 17th. "Unfortunately, people are charging anything because they know the demand is there and that is really what we are focused on. We want to make sure consumers are protected," said Senior Chief Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Diego, Mark Ankcorn. (Cohen, 6/9)

WUSA9.com: DC Council Bill Bans Formula Price Gouging 
The D.C. Council has unanimously passed a bill banning prince gouging on baby formula price gouging during an ongoing shortage nationwide. The "Infant Formula Consumer Protection Act," introduced by Councilmember Brianne K Nadeau, now goes to Mayor Muriel Bowser's desk for her signature. It would be in effect for 90 days. The Council will hold a second vote on a temporary measure that would be in effect for 225 days at its next legislative meeting. (Pusatory, 6/8)

More news on the formula shortage —

Politico: Not 'A Top Level Crisis': What The White House Initially Missed About The Infant Formula Shortage
White House officials initially thought the situation was under control when a major infant formula plant shut down and issued a recall in February. Part of the reason for that, Biden officials now privately acknowledge, was that they did not have complete data on retail stock rates for infant formula, which kept them in the dark about the true scope of the emerging shortages. The rush by the country’s leading formula companies to push all their reserve stocks into the market may also have distorted the data, giving the White House a false sense of security. (Lee, 6/9)

Dallas Morning News: DFW Airport Fields Massive Delivery Of Much-Needed Baby Formula
A flight from Germany carrying 110,000 pounds of infant formula landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday as part of a federally coordinated effort to mitigate the nationwide shortage. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson welcomed the third Operation Fly Formula flight, which was stocked with enough Nestle infant formula to make about 1.6 million 8-ounce bottles. (Wolf, 6/9)

KDSK: Websites That Help Track Hot Electronics Items Now Track Baby Formula
Aside from hunting and gathering on their own, caregivers should know that some websites are now offering their services to look for inventory. Here are at least three that typically hunt for hard-to-find electronics and hot deals, but now are offering their services to find baby formula. (Li, 6/10)

The Daily American: Pennsylvania Increases Support For New Baby Formula Manufacturer
Gov. Tom Wolf announced an additional $8.5 million funding support for ByHeart, the newest FDA-registered baby formula manufacturer in the country, which is located in Pennsylvania. "This investment will support feeding up to 500,000 more babies in the next two years and nearly half of that in the next 6 months," according to Wolf in a media release. The additional 500,000 babies represents more than 15% of new births in the U.S. annually, he wrote. (Ellich, 6/10)

St. Louis Public Radio: Amid Baby Formula Shortage, Missouri Milk Donors Keep The Milk Flowing 
The ongoing shortage of baby formula is affecting more than just families that depend on formula to feed their kids. Some parents are turning to breastmilk when they can’t find their child’s preferred formula. An Indiana-based nonprofit called the Milk Bank saw an 89% spike in demand for milk in the past year. The Milk Bank focuses on serving families in Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky — and Missouri donors have stepped up to the plate. Jenna Streit of the Milk Bank said the organization heard from an average of 13 Missouri milk donors every month in 2021. But in May 2022, as the formula shortage left store shelves bare and parents turning to Facebook swap groups, the group received more than 100 inquiries from Missouri moms offering their services. (Wicentowski and Rogers, 6/9)

Also —

ABC News: Start-Ups Hope For A Better Baby Formula In The Future 
Three startups, Wilk, Biomilq and Haliana, are using bioengineering to create new baby formula products that scientists hope will be a better substitute for breastmilk in the future. Wilk and Biomilq use human breast cells as their starting point, coaxing the cells to produce milk on their own in a lab, while Haliana uses yeast to produce the proteins found in human breast milk. Wilk, which has its lab outside of Tel Aviv, has been using breast milk and mammary cells that have been removed during breast reduction surgeries and provided by a local hospital. (Moscufo, 6/9)

Bloomberg: Respiratory Syncytial Virus: GSK RSV Vaccine Delivers Positive Trial Results
GSK Plc said its vaccine targeting a respiratory virus that causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations in older adults each year delivered positive results in a trial, a boost for the drugmaker after falling behind in the quest to develop a Covid shot. The vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, surpassed its primary goal in the study without safety concerns, becoming the first to show significant efficacy in adults over 60, the company said in a statement Friday. The UK pharmaceutical giant said it expects to file with regulators in the second half of the year. GSK shares rose as much as 2.7% in London. (Paton, 6/10)

Reuters: GSK Closer To Cracking Elusive Vaccine For Common Respiratory Virus 
GSK aims to get its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine to regulators for review later this year, after interim data showed the vaccine was effective in a keenly-watched late-stage study involving older adults. RSV is a leading cause of pneumonia in toddlers and the elderly, but the complex molecular structure of the virus and safety concerns have stymied efforts to develop a vaccine since the virus was first discovered in 1956. (Grover, 6/10)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Stat: FDA Advisers Endorse Bluebird Bio’s Gene Therapy For Rare Disorder 
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously in favor of approving an investigational gene therapy from Bluebird Bio on Thursday, concluding that its benefits for children with a rare and deadly disorder outweigh a demonstrable risk of causing cancer. The FDA’s independent advisers voted 15-0 to recommend Bluebird’s eli-cel, a one-time treatment for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, a genetic neurological disorder that affects young boys. The agency, which has promised to make a final decision on eli-cel by Sept. 16, is not required to follow the advice of its advisory committees. (Garde, 6/9)

Fox News: Heart Attack Risk Can Be Found Through Non-Invasive Calcium Score Screening Scan
A screen for heart disease is available that may determine your risk of heart disease even before you show signs or symptoms, health experts told Fox News. According to the American heart association, (AHA), this test, also known as a coronary artery calcium (CAC) test, takes CAT scan images of the blood vessels that support the heart muscle. The test looks for buildup of calcified plaque that can affect the flow of blood to the heart. The calcium is composed of cholesterol, fats, calcium and other substances in the blood and is different from the calcium in bones, according to the AHA. The test involves a CT-scan of the chest that takes about ten minutes to perform and then a score representing the amount of plaque present is assigned to the patient. A higher CAC test score suggests you may be at a higher risk for future heart attack and have a higher chance of significant narrowing in the coronary arteries, according to health experts at the Cleveland Clinic. Depending on your score, your physician will determine the appropriate treatment for you that may include medication or a procedure. (McGorry, 6/9)

The New York Times: Blood Tests That Detect Cancers Create Risks For Those Who Use Them 
Jim Ford considers himself a lucky man: An experimental blood test found his pancreatic cancer when it was at an early stage. It is among the deadliest of all common cancers and is too often found too late. After scans, a biopsy and surgery, then chemotherapy and radiation, Mr. Ford, 77, who lives in Sacramento, has no detectable cancer. “As my doctor said, I hit the lottery,” he said. Tests like the one that diagnosed him have won praise from President Biden, who made them a priority of his Cancer Moonshot program. A bill in Congress with 254 cosponsors would authorize Medicaid and Medicare to pay for the tests as soon as the Food and Drug Administration approved them. (Kolata, 6/10)

Columbus Dispatch: Cardinal Health Grove City Distribution Center To Open By End Of 2022
Grove City is the solution Cardinal Health has found to help the company accommodate its expanding at-Home Solutions business. The Dublin-based company on June 2 announced plans to build its 10th distribution center at 6335 Seeds Road in Grove City to support at-Home Solutions, which provides medical supplies and care in the home for people with chronic and serious health conditions. The new distribution center is expected to be up and running by the end of 2022 and primarily serve the central Ohio region, said Rob Schlissberg, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions president. (Froman, 6/9)

Indianapolis Star: Fishers Bio-Sciences Corridor Starts To Come Alive
A third bio-sciences firm began construction Tuesday in Fishers of a large manufacturing plant and office in a planned corridor for advanced light industry. List Bio's new $125 million building is expected be completed by the end of 2023 and have 210 employees. The facility is on 15 acres at 126th Street and Cumberland Road. The company, a subsidiary of South Korea-based Genome & Company, makes drugs for the last stages of clinical trials and commercial use.Fishers donated 15 acres for the plant and gave the company a 15 year, 50% property tax abatement of $3.7 million. The city has purchased 70 acres in the district for $16 million to set aside for companies. (Tuohy, 6/10)

In updates on the Theranos trial —

The Wall Street Journal: Former Theranos President’s Defense Rests In Criminal-Fraud Trial 
Lawyers for Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani called their second and final witness and rested their brief defense of the onetime Theranos Inc. executive charged with a dozen counts of criminal fraud. Mr. Balwani didn’t testify in his own defense. Thursday’s testimony from technical consultant Richard Sonnier brings the trial, which follows the conviction of Theranos founder and Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes in January, nearer to completion. Mr. Sonnier’s technical testimony about a database followed testimony from an Arizona physician, who backtracked some of her support for Theranos on the stand. (Somerville, 6/9)

ABC News: How Rising Gas Prices Are Impacting First Responders 
As gas prices continue to rise, first responders are among those feeling the pain at the pump. MedStar Mobile Healthcare, an emergency medical services system in Fort Worth, Texas, has seen its gas expenses increase dramatically. During the month of May last year, MedStar spent $96,547.94 on fuel; this past May, it spent $223,582.55, according to Matt Zavadsky, chief transformation officer for MedStar. The response volume only marginally increased while the fuel costs rose, he said. (Deliso, 6/9)

CBS News: High Gas Prices Posing Challenges For Ambulance Services 
The cost of gas is taking a toll on a vital service used during a medical emergency. EMS workers never hesitate to get into gear when seconds matter, even during these tough financial times. Responding to a medical emergency has never been so costly for ambulance services. Ambulance providers that pay for their own fuel are the most impacted by high gas prices. It's already hurting Ross/West View Emergency Medical Services Authority's budget for fuel. (Guay, 6/9)

WISN: First Responder Fuel Crisis: 'Costs Through The Roof'
First responder fuel costs have skyrocketed this year. WISN 12 News spoke to three municipalities and one private ambulance company. Each one said their fuel costs were through the roof. At the Milwaukee Fire Department, their 55- to 65-gallon fire engines get less than 4 miles per gallon. "Since January, we've nearly doubled our fuel costs," said deputy chief Erich Roden with MFD. "A fire apparatus driving down the road, we have four tons just in water alone in our fire engine, so it takes a massive amount of power to get these things powered down the roads." (Reinwald, 6/9)

KWWL: Rural Ambulance Services In Iowa Are Straining Under Spiking Gas Prices 
Ambulance services across Iowa, especially those in small rural communities, are feeling the strain from increased fuel prices. In Denver, Iowa the ambulance service bases their budget on prices they've paid in the previous fiscal year. With the price of fuel and other medical items hitting historic highs, that budget is getting eaten up way faster than expected. (Tedford, 6/9)

In other health care industry news —

The CT Mirror: CT Hospital Could Lose Reproductive Health Services After Acquisition
The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy is raising questions about a proposed deal between Massachusetts-based Catholic health system Covenant Health and Day Kimball Hospital in rural Putnam. If the deal is approved, the new owners would eliminate some reproductive health services at the hospital. Under the terms of the deal, Covenant Health would acquire Day Kimball, bringing the struggling rural health care system into its larger network and absorbing tens of millions of dollars of its debt. Day Kimball is one of the few remaining independent hospitals in the state, and it has performed poorly financially relative to other Connecticut hospitals in recent years. (Phillips, 6/9)

Modern Healthcare: Fines Kicking In After Slow Start To Hospital Transparency Rule
Fewer than 6% of hospitals obeyed the price transparency rule during the early months of implementation, a new study shows. Of the 5,239 hospitals studied, 13.9% had a machine-readable file but not a consumer-friendly display, 29.4% had a consumer-friendly display but no machine-readable file and only 5.7% had both, according to research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Hospitals in unconcentrated healthcare markets were more likely to comply with the rule compared with their counterparts in highly consolidated markets, the findings from July through September of last year show. (Kacik, 6/9)

Modern Healthcare: Steward Health Care System Settles Kickbacks Accusations For $4.7M
Steward Health Care System ended a whistleblower lawsuit supported by federal and Massachusetts prosecutors for $4.7 million, the plaintiffs' attorneys announced Thursday. Three whistleblowers, including two doctors who worked at Steward Health Care System hospitals in Massachusetts, filed the lawsuit in 2018. The plaintiffs alleged the Dallas-based for-profit health system paid clinicians for work they didn't perform and offered other inducements in exchange for patient referrals. The multi-state, physician-owned company denies any unlawful actions. (Berryman, 6/9)

Bloomberg: Oracle's Larry Ellison Says Cerner Will Help Create US Health Database
Oracle Corp. is looking to develop a national system of digital health care records after completing its acquisition of electronic medical records provider Cerner Corp. “Data today is fragmented in thousands of databases across the United States,” Larry Ellison, Oracle board chairman and chief technology officer, said Thursday at a press briefing. “We’re going to solve this problem by putting a unified national health records database on top of all of these of thousands of separate hospital databases.” Ellison said this new system will only have anonymous information until individual patients give consent. (Ford, 6/9)

Also —

Chicago Tribune: Five More Women Sue Former NorthShore Gynecologist
Another five women have filed lawsuits alleging that a former NorthShore University HealthSystem obstetrician/gynecologist sexually assaulted them as patients — with the allegations spanning three decades. The women filed six lawsuits in recent weeks in Cook County Circuit Court against Dr. Fabio Ortega. Ortega pleaded guilty in October to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving two of his former patients. Ortega, 75, is now in prison. Attempts to reach Ortega’s attorney for comment were unsuccessful Thursday. (Schencker, 6/9)

KHN: Medicaid Weighs Attaching Strings To Nursing Home Payments To Improve Patient Care 
The Biden administration is considering a requirement that the nation’s 15,500 nursing homes spend most of their payments from Medicaid on direct care for residents and limit the amount that is used for operations, maintenance, and capital improvements or diverted to profits. If adopted, it would be the first time the federal government insists that nursing homes devote the majority of Medicaid dollars to caring for residents. (Jaffe, 6/10)

The Washington Post: Sweltering Heat To Bake Southwest, California Before South, Southeast
Temperatures are soaring as we head into the weekend beneath an intense and sprawling heat dome that will bring triple-digit heat to 45 million Americans in the coming week. Heat advisories and excessive heat watches and warnings blanket the map in the Desert Southwest and California, with the heat set to expand into the central United States this weekend. By early next week, the stifling heat dome will shift to the eastern Lower 48, baking the Ohio Valley, Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Highs could run 10 to 15 degrees above normal, with readings peaking in the upper 90s and heat indexes topping 100. (Cappucci, 6/9)

In mental health news —

Fortune: Workplace Mental Health Benefits Can Reduce Sick Days, Increase Productivity—And Even Provide Savings For Employers
Two-thirds of Americans, 66%, have experienced some anxiety- or depression-related symptoms over the last six months, according to a recent Fortune survey conducted by the Harris Poll at the end of May. ... The effects of mental health issues, particularly depression, can be extensive—not only for patients, but for their families and even employers. Workers with ongoing depression are typically 35% less productive. Plus the cost of absenteeism, reduced productivity, and medical expenses related to ongoing and unresolved depression totals an estimated $210.5 billion per year, according to data from the American Psychiatric Association. (Leonhardt, 6/9)

NBC News: Most Police Departments Make Recruits Undergo Psychological Evaluation. Federal Law Enforcement Agencies? Not So Much
It’s long been the norm for big city police departments to require potential officers to sit through psychological evaluations before they get badges and guns. But the thousands of agents assigned to the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies under the Justice Department don’t need psychological assessments to police American streets, documents obtained by NBC News reveal. That means the federal agency tasked with forcing local police departments to reform their standards, including telling cities like Baltimore and New Orleans to have applicants sit through psychological evaluations, isn’t following its own instructions. (Weichselbaum, Siegel and Rappleye, 6/10)

Bangor Daily News: Mother Says Mental Health System Failed Presque Isle Man Killed In Police Shooting
Jacob Poitraw begged for help to deal with his mental illness for years, but lost his battle on Sunday when he died after police shot him. Poitraw’s mother, Renee Duarte, remembered her son on Thursday as an average kid who wanted to help anyone in need. Law enforcement sought Poitraw, 25, Sunday after he allegedly threatened people with a rifle. He threatened police, led them on a chase, rammed a cruiser several times and was subsequently shot, according to Presque Isle Police Chief Laurie Kelly. He had a history of burglary and probation violations and had served time in prison. (Brewer, 6/10)

KHN: Long Wait For Justice: People In Jail Face Delays For Mental Health Care Before They Can Stand Trial
Beau Hampton’s long wait for psychiatric treatment began last year, after he was accused of attacking his foster father and charged with a misdemeanor. The 18-year-old Hampton, who has a long history of mental illness, sat in jail east of Atlanta for four months waiting for an expert to evaluate whether he was mentally fit to stand trial. In February, a state psychologist found Hampton incompetent. (Miller and Grapevine, 6/10)

In other health and wellness news —

NBC News: Geico Must Pay $5.2 Million To Woman Who Got HPV From Sex In Man's Insured Car, Court Rules
Geico must pay a Missouri woman $5.2 million after she caught HPV from unprotected sex with her then-boyfriend in his insured automobile, a state appellate court ruled. In an opinion published Tuesday, the Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri affirmed the multimillion-dollar payout against the insurance company, best known for its ubiquitous TV ads that frequently feature a talking gecko. The woman — identified in court papers only as "M.O." — said that she "engaged in unprotected sexual activities in Insured's vehicle" in November and December 2017 and that he "negligently caused or contributed to" her catching the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection, court papers said. (Li, 6/9)

The New York Times: Walking May Prevent New Knee Pain For Some, Study Suggests 
A promising new study suggests that walking could ward off knee pain for people with osteoarthritis. Researchers surveyed over 1,000 people ages 50 or older with knee osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis in the United States. Some had persistent pain at the outset, while others did not. After four years, those who started off without frequent knee pain and walked for exercise at least 10 times were less likely to experience new, regular bouts of stiffness or aches around their knees and had less structural damage in their knees. The study suggested that people with knee osteoarthritis who are bowlegged might particularly benefit from walking. (Blum, 6/8)

USA Today: How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day? Guidelines For Men, Women & Kids
Few things are as essential as nutrition, yet few things can feel as nebulous. Even the question of how to lose weight, once regarded as basic, is contested by experts, who say there’s more to it than simply eating less and exercising more. How many calories should you eat a day? There is no single answer to this question either, experts say. It depends on a number of variables, including your gender, age and weight among others. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture puts out rough calorie ranges as part of its dietary guidelines report, published every five years. Here is how many calories the USDA says you should eat. (Mayorquin, 6/8)

Also —

NPR: Median Rents Have Crossed The $2,000 Threshold For The First Time
A new report from Redfin shows that nationally listed rents for available apartments rose 15% from a year ago. And the median listed rent for an available apartment rose above $2,000 a month for the first time. Rents are up more than 30% in Austin, Seattle, and Cincinnati. In Los Angeles the median asking rent is $3,400. Even in formerly affordable cities such as Nashville it's now $2,140, up 32% from last year. "Housing is getting less affordable for everyone at every level," says Daryl Fairweather, the chief economist for Redfin. She says after the last housing crash we didn't build enough homes for a decade. And that lack of supply is the biggest force pushing up home prices and making it harder for people like Drotar to afford to buy a home. (Arnold, 6/9)

Fox News: Connecticut Reports Year’s First Fatality, Second Case Of Powassan Virus Due To Tick Bite
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) recently announced the state’s second case of Powassan virus infection (POWV) and first fatality in 2022, according to their press release. "This incident reminds us that residents need to take actions to prevent tick bites now through the late fall," said Dr. Manisha Juthani, who is the commissioner of the state’s DPH. "DPH stresses the use of insect repellent this summer and avoiding high-risk areas, such as tall grass, where ticks may be found. It’s also important to check carefully for ticks after being outside which can reduce the chance of you and your family members being infected with this dangerous virus." (Sudhakar, 6/9)

In other health news from Maine, Florida, Colorado, and California —

AP: Maine Panel To Craft Plan For Paid Family, Medical Leave
A commission in Maine will develop a plan to implement a paid family and medical leave benefits program for the state. Democratic Sen. Mattie Daughtry, of Brunswick, has been appointed to chair the commission, state officials said Thursday. The commission’s job will be to consult with other states that have established such a program and develop one for Maine, officials said. (6/9)

NBC News: DeSantis Weighs Ordering Child Protective Services To Investigate Parents Who Take Kids To Drag Shows
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Wednesday that he might urge the state's child protective services to investigate parents who take their children to drag shows. When asked by reporters whether he would support proposed legislation from a Florida state representative that would punish parents who take their children to such performances, the governor said he has asked his staff to look into the idea. (Lavietes, 6/9)

KHN: Grassroots Groups Lead Way On Closing Colorado’s Infant Mortality Gap
As Britney Taylor toured the Mama Bird Maternity Wellness Spa during its grand opening this spring, she reflected on the birth of her first child: a confusing and lonely experience that resulted in an unplanned cesarean section and an extended period of postpartum depression. But here in this city abutting Denver, local families and smiling doulas wandered amid a bright space resonating with upbeat music where primarily women of color can get massages, meet with birth professionals and support groups, and attend classes on breastfeeding, childbirth, and infant care. (Bichell, 6/10)

AP: Lawsuit: LA Shelter For Kids Was A Den For Sexual Abuse 
A Los Angeles County-run shelter meant to be a safe space for children as they awaited placement in foster homes was for decades a den for sexual predators among the staff — and some residents — who preyed on children as young as 5, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by dozens of former residents. Some of the more than 30 plaintiffs spoke at a news conference and wept and trembled as they detailed abuse and some victims’ attempts to escape the hall’s barbed-wire fences and guarded gates. Among the victims was a 6-year-old boy who in 1990 was molested by a male staffer who locked the boy in a closet as punishment for screaming during the assault, according to the lawsuit. (Weber and Dazio, 6/9)

Los Angeles Times: Cancer Groups Worried About Falling Funds To Track Cases
Cancer researchers fear that shrinking funding for a program that tracks cancer cases across California could threaten its future. The California Cancer Registry gathers information about cancer cases diagnosed in the state, providing crucial information for researchers. The data has helped detect rising cases of breast cancer among Japanese women who moved to the United States; link pesticides to brain tumors in children; and pinpoint racial disparities in cancer diagnosis and outcomes. (Alpert Reyes, 6/8)

The New York Times: A Vanishing Word in Abortion Debate: ‘Women’
The American Civil Liberties Union, whose advocacy on reproductive rights is of more than a half-century vintage, recently tweeted its alarm about the precarious state of legal abortion: “Abortion bans disproportionately harm: Black Indigenous and other people of color. The L.G.B.T.Q. community. Immigrants. Young people. Those working to make ends meet. People with disabilities. Protecting abortion access is an urgent matter of racial and economic justice.” This tweet encompassed so much and so many and yet neglected to mention a relevant demographic: women. (Powerll, 6/8)

Politico: Six Predictions About The End Of Roe, Based On Research 
When I was in high school, I learned a secret my grandmother had kept for decades: She’d had an abortion. The story came out after she passed away and my grandfather announced that, at her request, in lieu of flowers donations should be made to Planned Parenthood. For me, as a naïve teenager, it was a surprise that someone so maternal and loving would have had an abortion. I had been taught – through TV shows, movies and books – that abortion was something that irresponsible people do to avoid childbearing. I am sure this is how many people still see abortion. The story my grandfather told was that my grandmother became pregnant early in their marriage, during the Great Depression when she and my grandfather didn’t have the jobs, money and security to provide for a child. So she traveled from New York to Puerto Rico to get an illegal abortion. Later she went on to have three children: my dad, my aunt and my uncle. (Foster, 6/8)

The New York Times: He Helped Cure The ‘London Patient’ Of H.I.V. Then He Turned To Covid
Ravindra Gupta had studied drug-resistant H.I.V. for more than a decade when he first encountered Adam Castillejo, who would become known as the “London patient,” the second person in the world to be cured of H.I.V. Dr. Gupta, who goes by Ravi, was a professor at University College London straddling the clinical and academic worlds when Mr. Castillejo presented as both H.I.V.-positive and with relapsed lymphoma, after a previous transplant using healthy stem cells from Mr. Castillejo’s own body had failed. (Nagesh, 6/6)

Stateline: What If Hospice Services Weren't Just For The Dying? 
Gloria Foster wasn’t ready for hospice, even though, with a prognosis of less than six months to live, she qualified for it. She was debilitated by diabetes and congestive heart failure, and was living with both a pacemaker and a device to help pump blood from her heart to the rest of her body. She also was tethered to an oxygen tank. But Foster didn’t want to enter hospice, if, as is normally required by Medicare, she would have had to forgo treatments that might, against all odds, reverse the course of her disease. “Why did I need hospice?” Foster, 73, asked in a phone interview recently from the home she shares with a grandson in Asbury Park, New Jersey. “Hospice is more or less when you’re ready to die. I just wanted to work my way back to doing as much as I could.” (Ollove, 6/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Startup Cerebral Soared On Easy Adderall Prescriptions. That Was Its Undoing
Online mental-health startup Cerebral Inc. was just getting off the ground in early 2020 when it detected a potential problem in its business model. The company was focused on treating people experiencing depression and anxiety, charging a monthly fee to see a nurse practitioner online for prescription antidepressants. But patients tended to cancel their subscriptions after only a few months, making it more difficult for the company to recoup advertising and other costs, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and people familiar with the matter. (Winkler, Safdar and Fuller, 6/8)

The Washington Post: The Flip Side Of Toxic Positivity: Emotional Perfectionism
The term toxic positivity has gained popularity in recent years, referring to moments when people responded to others’ struggles with surface-deep assurances and cliched phrases such as “Everything happens for a reason” or “Have you tried yoga?” But there is a similar, if lesser-known, concept that is more inner-directed: emotional perfectionism. ... Rather than encouraging others to look on the bright side (toxic positivity), they expect themselves to be unfailingly upbeat. (Mecking, 6/9)

Colorado Sun: As More People Turn To Extreme Sports, Colorado Doctors Are Rethinking How They Treat Athletes
Doctors took a look at Ian Mitchard’s body four years ago and assumed his career was over. That’s why Steph Davis brought him along to a talk she gave to doctors: She wanted them to see what was possible. To be fair, it’s probably the conclusion many would reach after Mitchard crashed while paragliding alone. He broke his back, ankles and a couple other bones. The worst damage was to his feet, which were crushed so badly that those doctors thought amputation was the only solution. The injuries were, of course, horrific, but the worst part of the ordeal was the doctors’ bleak outlook, Davis, Mitchard’s wife, said in a phone interview. (England, 6/8)

The New York Times: The Parental Burnout Test 
The past two-plus years have been relentless for working parents, who have frequently been placed in the impossible position of doing their jobs and parenting simultaneously. And a recent survey, by researchers with Ohio State University, suggests they have paid a steep emotional price. In 2021, 66 percent of working parents met the criteria for parental burnout — a nonclinical term that basically means they were so physically and mentally depleted that they may feel like bad parents or emotionally pull away from their children. (Pearson, 6/6)

The Boston Globe: Hit With A Hidden Fee On Your Doctor’s Bill? Health Care Consolidation May Be To Blame
My phone dinged. I looked at the screen and saw I had received an email from Anthem, my medical insurance provider. I had recently moved to Boston and had gone to see a new dermatologist for my rosacea. But before that, I did my homework. I spent the last three years as a health and benefits consultant, helping employees and employers understand their medical insurance benefits. So I assumed I understood my health benefits. I spent days making sure the dermatologist I chose was in-network. I called five different dermatology offices to check whether their doctors were in-network. I double-checked with Anthem to confirm that the doctor I chose was actually in-network. Once I was satisfied, I made an appointment to see a dermatologist at Brigham Dermatology Associates. (Danielle Zhou, 6/9)

Los Angeles Times: Why We Need A National Day Of Remembrance For COVID Victims 
With the rollback of mask mandates and increased demands for a return to “normal,” survivors feel left behind, their grief unseen. Worse yet, many face the outright denial of their loss, especially when they read social media posts that claim the death rates are exaggerated or that the virus is nothing but “a hoax.” Or that age, infirmity or some other disease besides COVID is to blame. Last summer, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory regarding the “urgent threat” to public health posed by misinformation about COVID. Despite that, counterclaims and falsehoods have continued relatively unchecked, compounding the grief of families and hindering an already incomplete mourning process. (Sarah E. Wagner, Roy R. Grinker and Joel C. Kuipers, 6/10)

Newsweek: Why America Doesn't Trust The CDC 
People don't trust the CDC. Here's one example illustrating why. Two weeks ago, with no outcomes data on COVID-19 booster shots for 5-to-11-year-olds, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) vigorously recommended the booster for all 24 million American children in that age group. The CDC cited a small Pfizer study of 140 children that showed boosters elevated their antibody levels—an outcome known to be transitory. (Marty Makary, 6/10)

Newsweek: Break Government Officials' Monopoly On Public Health 
Public health initiatives in the United States are suffering from a crisis of trust. Recent polls show that only a third of the public trusts insurance and pharmaceutical companies, while just 56 percent trust the government health agencies that are meant to regulate these industries. Another survey during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that only around half of Americans have a "great deal" of trust in the CDC, while a mere third have such trust in the Department of Health and Human Services. (Austin Stone, 6/10)

The Washington Post: Cancer Etiquette: How To Talk To People With A Dreaded Disease
“Cancer etiquette” might seem like an odd concept, but we desperately need direction here. It’s easy to recognize the wrong things to say — especially after the fact — but what are the right ones? As Josette Snyder, a cancer care nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, has written, it’s about “interacting with someone with cancer in friendly, empathetic and appropriate ways. It’s showing that you acknowledge what he or she is going through — both physically and emotionally.” Still, it’s not always easy to be “appropriate.” We may be taken by surprise by devastating news, or stumble into it accidentally — such as by commenting on someone’s new haircut only to learn the hair loss is because of chemotherapy. (Steven Petrow, 6/9)

Stat: Pursuit Of Profits Is Driving Drug Companies To Break The 340B Law 
Seventeen drug companies, including some of the world’s largest, are flouting a 30-year-old federal program that supports hospitals serving patients with low incomes and those who live in rural communities. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have deemed these actions unlawful. But these drugmakers continue to ignore the law, sapping resources from the nation’s health care safety net and threatening the health of the patients who rely on it for care. (Maureen Testoni, 6/10)

Scientific American: Blaming Gay Men For Monkeypox Will Harm Everyone 
In Chicago last month, thousands of gay men gathered for the first time in three years for the annual International Mr. Leather conference, a four-day-long affair where men from all over the world gathered to strut their stuff in leather gear, have lots of sex, and compete to be named International Mr. Leather. IML is like the Miss America pageant, except those working the runway are clad in harnesses. (This year, the honor went to Gael Leung Chong Wo of Belgium.) (Steven W. Thrasher, 6/9)