AP: Trump Administration To Award A No-Bid Contract On Vaccines And Autism
Federal health officials intend to award a contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate whether there is a link between vaccinations and autism, according to a government procurement notice. The Troy, New York, engineering school is getting the no-bid contract because of its “unique ability” to link data on children and mothers, according to the notice posted this week. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions about the notice, including how much the contract is for or what exactly the researchers intend to do. (Stobbe, 9/12)

Bloomberg: Kenvue Met RFK Jr. In Bid To Keep Tylenol Off Autism List
Tylenol-maker Kenvue Inc. spoke with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a bid to keep the over-the-counter painkiller off a list of autism-causing treatments. ... “We engaged in a scientific exchange with the secretary and members of his staff as it relates to the safety of our products,” Kenvue said in an emailed statement. “We continue to believe that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism, and global health regulators, independent public health organizations, and medical professionals agree.” (Brown, 9/12)

The 19th: RFK Jr.’s Efforts To Link Tylenol To Autism Could Worsen Health Outcomes For Pregnant People, Doctors Warn
The federal government’s reported plans to link pregnant people’s use of acetaminophen — the pain-relief drug sold under the brand name Tylenol — as a cause of autism could worsen their health and stigmatize one of the few treatments pregnant people have for reducing pain and fever, doctors warn. (Luthra and Rodriguez, 9/10)

Also —

Stat: RFK Has Got To Go: Q&A With Jerome Adams, Former Surgeon General
Former surgeon general Jerome Adams has a rule for himself: focus on the policy, not the person. But last week, he broke that rule when he called for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be removed from his post as Health and Human Services secretary. Adams, who served as surgeon general during President Trump’s first administration, has become a prominent critic of public health policy in the president’s second term. He is particularly active on X, where he often goes toe-to-toe with science skeptics. (MacPhail, 9/15)

More on autism and MAHA —

Newsweek: Gestational Diabetes Linked To Higher Risk Of Autism, ADHD In Kids
Ameta-analysis of nearly 50 scientific studies suggests that gestational diabetes—a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy—may have long-term consequences not only for mothers' health but also for their children's brain development. The research, being presented next week at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, combined results from more than nine million pregnancies across 20 countries. (Gray, 9/14)

KFF Health News: Parents Fear Losing Disability Protections As Trump Slashes Civil Rights Office
Devon Price, a 15-year-old boy with autism, has attended the largest school district in North Carolina for 10 years, but he cannot read or write. His twin sister, Danielle, who is also autistic, was bullied by classmates and became suicidal. Under federal law, public schools must provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education,” to give them the same opportunity to learn as other kids. (Clasen-Kelly, 9/15)

Politico: Publicly, This Industry Has Been Mostly Quiet About MAHA. Privately, They’re Panicking
Some of the world’s biggest food companies are confronting a strange reality in Washington: They’re no longer getting their way. After decades of seeing glad-handing on Capitol Hill and positive relations with the White House pay off in policy wins, food industry lobbyists are finding fewer receptive audiences and even struggling to get key meetings as consumer trends and a triumphant political movement fracture old alliances. (Brown, 9/13)

KFF Health News: Journalists Talk New ‘MAHA’ Strategy, RFK Jr.’s Tack At HHS, And Plight Of Rural Hospitals
KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new “Make America Healthy Again” strategy for children’s health on CBS News’ “CBS Morning News” on Sept. 10. ... KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed Kennedy’s pseudoscientific approach to running HHS on WAMU’s “1A” on Sept. 8. (9/13)

The Washington Post: Trump Officials To Link Covid Shots To Child Deaths, Alarming Scientists
Trump health officials plan to link coronavirus vaccines to the deaths of 25 children as they consider limiting which Americans should get the shots, according to four people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential information. The findings appear to be based on information submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which contains unverified reports of side effects or bad experiences with vaccines submitted by anyone, including patients, doctors, pharmacists or even someone who sees a report on social media. (Sun, Roubein and Diamond, 9/12)

The Washington Post: 1 In 6 Parents Skip Or Delay Vaccines, Washington Post-KFF Poll Shows
The American parents who are choosing to skip or delay vaccines for their children are more likely to home-school their children, be White and very religious, identify as Republican or be under 35, according to a wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll that sheds new light on what drives vaccine hesitancy. The poll — the most detailed recent look at the childhood vaccination practices and opinions of American parents — shows that 1 in 6 parents have delayed or skipped some vaccines for their children, excluding for coronavirus or flu. (Weber, Clement, Guskin and Sun, 9/15)

Politico: Fear Over RFK Jr. Vaccine Panel’s Looming Decisions On Childhood Shots
Vaccine advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected this week to consider softening or eliminating recommendations for some routine childhood immunizations — which doctors say could significantly depress vaccination rates and trigger more infectious disease outbreaks. Any decisions by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — now mainly composed of members who share Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism — will be closely scrutinized, given the dramatic events at the Department of Health and Human Services and in Congress in recent weeks. (Gardner, 9/14)

The Washington Post: ‘Can We Talk About RFK Jr.?’ A Dark Cloud Hangs Over Vaccine Makers
Vaxcyte had high hopes for a vaccine in early stages of development that could stem the scourge of school-age children and their parents: the bacterial infection that causes strep throat. “There’s a profound amount of disease that’s generated in primary schoolchildren as they congregate,” Grant Pickering, the vaccine maker’s CEO, said at an investment conference in June. Less than two months later, Vaxcyte announced that it would hold off starting human trials for its strep vaccine, citing a need to conserve cash for its most advanced vaccine and a “dynamic macro environment.” (Gilbert and Johnson, 9/14)

On vaccine access and insurance coverage —

AP: More States Taking Steps To Ensure Easy Access To COVID-19 Vaccines
The governors of Arizona, Illinois, Maine and North Carolina have signed orders intended to make COVID-19 vaccines available in pharmacies for people without individual prescriptions. (Mulvihill, 9/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s How National Vaccine Chaos Could Put California Health At Risk
The chaotic national dialogue around immunizations could cause widespread and lasting damage to public health, even in places like the Bay Area where vaccine support remains robust, say experts in infectious diseases. As national leaders, including the United States’ own health secretary, argue about and frequently dismiss the value of vaccines across all ages, public health experts say the fallout could be as immediate as this winter: A decline in immunizations for the flu, COVID and RSV could result in an uptick in respiratory illnesses and deaths. Or the damage may be felt years or even decades from now, when vaccine-preventable diseases manifest in infants born to unvaccinated mothers. (Allday, 9/14)

Modern Healthcare: Vaccine Coverage May Shift As Insurers, Employers Weigh Options
Insurers and employers are considering the financial implications of covering — or not covering — vaccines as guidance from federal and state authorities shifts. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has radically reshaped the country’s approach toward public health. His controversial actions have provoked uncertainty for providers, patients and health insurance companies. Support for shots among insurers appears to be resolute, however. (Tong, 9/12)

On pertussis and flu —

Bloomberg: Senator Calls For RFK. Jr. To Back Whooping Cough Vaccines
Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to urge vaccination against whooping cough, as a nationwide outbreak is on track to hit a record. The leader of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions sent a letter to Kennedy on Friday asking him to make a public statement about the vaccine’s ability to protect children from the bacterial infection. (Nix, 9/12)

The New York Times: Rare But Serious Complication Shows Flu’s Potential Harm
Olivia Yanxi Li was entirely typical for a girl her age and yet extraordinary. She liked gymnastics, dressing up as Elsa from the movie “Frozen” and watching the animated television series Peppa Pig. She was fluent in Mandarin and English, switching effortlessly between the two. On Dec. 18, Olivia Li turned 4. Barely five weeks later, she slipped into unconsciousness, a rare and unexpected consequence of a flu infection. (Mandavilli, 9/12)

Reuters: Belgian Ministry Says US-Funded Contraceptives Still In Storage, Despite Reports Of Destruction 
U.S.-funded contraceptives and medicines valued at nearly $10 million remain in a Belgian warehouse despite reports of their destruction, a spokesperson for Belgium's environment ministry said in a statement on Friday. ... On Friday morning, Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns, who is responsible for the matter, sent an inspection team to the warehouse in Geel, in the province of Antwerp, following a New York Times report on Thursday that the supplies had been destroyed. "The Enforcement Division of the Department of Environment carried out on-site inspections this morning and confirmed that no shipments have been transported for incineration," a spokesperson for Brouns said. (Van Campenhout and Kannampilly, 9/12)

The Hill: Reproductive Rights Groups Urge Trump Officials To Save Birth Control Stockpile In Belgium
More than 70 reproductive groups are asking the Trump administration to call off the planned destruction of roughly $10 million of usable birth control products. Planned Parenthood is leading the most recent charge to save the contraceptives and sent a letter Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio with 77 co-signers. In the letter, the groups write that they “strongly oppose” the administration’s “cruel and wasteful” decision to incinerate the commodities. (O’Connell-Domenech, 9/12)

On the immigration crisis —

The Hill: Court Halts Trump Ban On Undocumented Kids In Head Start
A federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against a directive from the Trump administration banning children who lack permanent legal status from enrolling in Head Start. The ruling came after Head Start associations in multiple states sued over the Trump change from this spring. (Lonas Cochran, 9/12)

On prescription drug advertising —

The New York Times: Targeting Hims & Hers, F.D.A. Takes On A New Type Of Drug Advertiser
The Food and Drug Administration has warned Hims & Hers, a major telehealth purveyor of widely popular obesity drugs, to stop “false or misleading” marketing, according to a copy of a letter sent to the company and obtained by The New York Times. The F.D.A.’s letter was one of about 100 warning letters sent to drug advertisers this week. (Jewett, Robbins and Blum, 9/12)

The Hill: Trump Effort To Target Television Drug Ads Could Have Massive Implications
An effort by President Trump’s administration to curb advertising for pharmaceutical drugs on television is posing a potential marketing hurdle for some of the country’s largest drugmakers while threatening a key revenue stream for media companies. Advertising and pharmaceutical industry experts say an executive order Trump signed this week could pose an existential threat to the business model of both drugmakers and the media companies, which raked in an estimated $5 billion in advertising revenue from pharmaceutical companies in 2024. (Mastrangelo, 9/14)

An FBI drug burn goes awry —

AP: FBI Drug Burn Smokes Up Montana Animal Shelter
A cloud of smoke from two pounds of methamphetamine seized by the FBI and incinerated inside a Montana animal shelter sent its workers to the hospital, city officials in Billings said. The smoke started to fill the building during a drug burn on Wednesday, apparently because of negative pressure that sucked it back inside, Billings Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland said Friday. A fan was supposed to be on hand in such situations to reverse the pressure so smoke would flow out of the building, but Iffland said it wasn’t readily available. (Brown, 9/13)

The Washington Post: Long-Term Unemployment Hits Post-Pandemic High, Straining Workers And The Economy
More Americans are facing stretches of unemployment of six months or more, a worrisome sign for the U.S. economy. More than 1 in 4 workers without jobs have been unemployed for at least half a year, new data shows. That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil. (Bhattarai, 9/15)

The Motley Fool: Social Security Will Permanently Change On Sept. 30, With 5 Additional Changes A Near-Certainty On Jan. 1
For the more than 53 million retired workers currently receiving a Social Security benefit each month, this payout isn't a luxury. According to 24 years of polling from Gallup, between 80% and 90% of retirees lean on their Social Security income, to some varied degree, to cover their expenses. For nine decades, Social Security has laid a financial foundation for aging workers who could no longer provide for themselves. It's also expanded its coverage to include workers with disabilities and survivors of deceased workers. (Williams, 9/13)

On Obamacare and insurance costs —

Politico: The House Republican Risking GOP Backlash To Save Obamacare Subsidies
Rep. Jen Kiggans, 54, of Virginia — a former Navy helicopter pilot, nurse practitioner and mother of four — is seen in the Republican Conference as something of a model member, hailing from one of the toughest swing districts in the country. She is viewed by her peers as personable and a team player. Now, Kiggans has stepped into a political minefield in her quest to secure an extension of enhanced health care tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. (Guggenheim and Hill, 9/15)

AP: Millions Face Skyrocketing Health Insurance Costs Unless Congress Acts
There’s bipartisan support in Congress for extending tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. But the credits are in danger of expiring as Republicans and Democrats clash over how to do it. Democrats are threatening to vote to shut down the government at the end of the month if Republicans don’t extend the subsidies, which were first put in place in 2021 and extended a year later when they controlled Congress and the White House. (Jalonick and Seitz, 9/13)

NBC News: Families On Obamacare Brace For Higher Health Care Premiums Next Year
Leighanne Safford and her husband, Lorry, pay just $278 a month for health insurance. But starting Jan. 1, their monthly premium could jump to as much as $1,800. Safford’s family is among the millions who could be forced to pay hundreds of dollars more for their health insurance premiums next year as enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of December. The enhanced subsidies were put into place under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, which made ACA plans affordable for many middle-class families. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extended the subsidies through 2025. (Lovelace Jr., 9/13)

The Hill: Utah Gov. Cox: Social Media Is A Societal Cancer
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) on Friday urged people to turn away from social media, calling it a “cancer on our society” after announcing that the suspected gunman in the killing of Charlie Kirk is in custody. At the end of his press conference announcing 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected gunman in the shooting at Utah Valley University, Cox urged people to log off of social media, citing the violent imagery that proliferates through the medium. (Choi, 9/12)

AP: Advice For Parents On Shepherding Kids Through Intense Online Imagery
In hardly any time at all, the footage of the horrifying moment when a bullet hit conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the neck cascaded across the internet. ... And, of course, among those seeing it were kids, teens and other young people — those who live with their phones practically attached and are often far more chronically online than their parents. It raises a question that modern-day parents are sadly having to ask more frequently: How do you talk to your kids about what’s going on, what they’re seeing and hearing? (Hajela, 9/12)

More mental health news —

NBC News: Roblox, Discord Sued After 15-Year-Old Boy Was Allegedly Groomed Online Before He Died By Suicide
The mother of a 15-year-old California boy who took his own life is now suing Roblox and Discord over his death, alleging her son was groomed and coerced to send explicit images on the apps. Rebecca Dallas filed the lawsuit Friday in San Francisco County Superior Court, accusing the companies of “recklessly and deceptively operating their business in a way that led to the sexual exploitation and suicide” of Ethan Dallas. (Lenthang and Mullen, 9/14)

Medical Xpress: Study Finds AR/VR Sports Games Boost Mental Health And Social Connection
Published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, the study shows that playing AR/VR sports games can promote psychological well-being by helping players feel connected to others and engage in real-time communication. More interestingly, the positive effects of feeling socially present were even stronger for those experiencing loneliness. (Knapp, 9/14)

Undark: Mental Health Coaches Seek To Fill Gaps, But Oversight Lags
“I‘d rather just skip lunch today,” read a June text from Megan McArthur. The message was addressed to Cambria Camp, an eating disorder recovery coach McArthur had been working with since the previous December. McArthur said that, through a text exchange, Camp helped her remember that regular meals are crucial for eating disorder recovery and guided her through assembling a nutritious meal from the products in her kitchen. After years of food struggles and multiple hospitalizations, McArthur might have found the missing piece in her treatment plan. (Rowińska, 9/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: Peer Counselors Help Bay Area Schools Tackle Teen Mental Health Crisis
Nearly a third of the juniors in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District felt “so sad or hopeless” last year that it hindered their normal activities. Fourteen percent said they had seriously considered suicide. At the same time, campus resources weren’t scarce. Mountain View High has six on-campus therapists and a slate of referral options in place for roughly 2,000 students. The district sees 1 in 4 students pass through school-facilitated wellness programs. (Xu, 9/14)

Also —

AP: Maui Students Face Ongoing Mental Health Battle After Wildfires
Mia Palacio felt like she lost a piece of herself when wildfires destroyed her hometown of Lahaina. ... Moving between high schools, she never felt welcome, Palacio said, and the pain only intensified as the months wore on. Finally, near the first anniversary of the fires, Palacio reached out for help. Hundreds of students like Palacio have struggled mentally since the fires – and not all have received the help they need. (Tagami, Jones and Díaz Ramos, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: How Epic's Community Connect Program Brings EHRs To Rural Areas
Epic is bringing its electronic health record system to rural America through a program that highlights the company’s larger ambitions. Its Community Connect program, which allows smaller providers to link to Epic through a larger “host” health system, has emerged as a key tool as the company seeks to expand its fortunes beyond large health systems. It also is courting payers, digital health players, life science companies and international health systems. (Perna, 9/12)

Stat: Hospital 'War Rooms' Are Bracing For Impact Of GOP Medicaid Cuts
In the war rooms hospitals have stood up to respond to the historic Medicaid cuts enacted by Republicans earlier this year, leaders are planning substantial financial moves and innovative solutions as they brace for revenue dips. The reactions are split between the haves and have-nots, according to hospital leaders and their advisers, nearly a dozen of whom spoke to STAT for this story since the cuts were signed into law in July. (Payne, 9/15)

Crains Chicago Business: AMA CEO John Whyte Seeks To Restore The Doc Group’s Lost 'Luster'
The new CEO of the American Medical Association says the nation’s largest physicians advocate can have a bigger impact on the practice of medicine and take a greater leadership role in the health of the United States. Just over two months into the job, Whyte sat down with Crain’s to discuss his plans for the chief executive role, following 14 years under the stewardship of Dr. James Madara. (Asplund, 9/12)

Actor Noah Wyle thanks doctors after Emmy win —

Deadline: Noah Wyle Thanks Doctors Coming Off Shift For First Emmy Win: “Thank You For Being In That Job, This Is For You”
After seven nominations, Sunday marked Noah Wyle's first Emmy win in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for his work on The Pitt. “What a dream this has been,” he said as he accepted the award. ... After all of his thanks, Wyle ended his speech with a nod to hospital workers. “Mostly, to anyone who is going on shift tonight or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job,” he says. “This is for you.” (Fleming, 9/14)

In pharma and tech news —

Medical Xpress: Higher Doses Of Semaglutide Can Safely Enhance Weight Loss For Adults Living With Obesity, Clinical Trials Confirm
A higher weekly dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg) can significantly improve weight loss and related health outcomes in adults living with obesity, including those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of two large-scale, international phase 3 clinical trials. The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, suggest that a higher dose of semaglutide offers a promising new option for people with obesity, including those with T2D, who have not achieved sufficient weight loss with existing treatments. (9/14)

Medical Xpress: A Pathological Partnership Between Salmonella And Yeast In The Gut
University of Illinois Chicago-led researchers have found that a common gut yeast, Candida albicans, can help Salmonella Typhimurium take hold in the intestine and spread through the body. When interacting, a Salmonella protein called SopB prompts the yeast to release arginine, which turns on Salmonella's invasion machinery and quiets the body's inflammation signals. (Jackson, 9/13)

KFF Health News: An AI Assistant Can Interpret Those Lab Results For You
When Judith Miller had routine blood work done in July, she got a phone alert the same day that her lab results were posted online. So, when her doctor messaged her the next day that her overall tests were fine, Miller wrote back to ask about the elevated carbon dioxide and low anion gap listed in the report. While the 76-year-old Milwaukee resident waited to hear back, Miller did something patients increasingly do when they can’t reach their health care team. She put her test results into Claude and asked the AI assistant to evaluate the data. (Ruder, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Siemens Healthineers, Cook Medical Partnering On IMRI
Imaging company Siemens Healthineers and minimally invasive medical device maker Cook Medical announced a partnership Saturday to offer one of the first turnkey interventional MRI suite solutions. The solution comprises Siemens Healthineers’ MRI technologies and services like its interventional planning software along with Cook Medical‘s medical devices designed for MRI, including catheters, guidewires and sheaths. Both companies will provide specialized training and ongoing clinical support. (Dubinsky, 9/13)

Phys.org: Mini Microscope Enables Real-Time 3D Brain Imaging In Freely Moving Mice
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a miniaturized microscope for real-time, high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of brain activity in mice. The device is a significant step toward revolutionizing how neuroscientists study the brain. (Marcure, 9/13)

AP: West Virginia Approves More Coal Mining In Area Residents Say Is Already Contaminated
In 2023, dirty mine water gushed out of the ground behind James Christian’s home, flooding his yard in Wyoming County, West Virginia. ... Residents have blamed the mine for contaminating their creek and making some of their neighbors sick. Since then, a lawsuit by state regulators sparked a court battle between three coal companies over the incident. Now, the state is responsible for cleaning up the mine and the damage it caused through a program that has historically been underfunded. Meanwhile, state regulators have also approved a new mine expansion over the objections of local residents. (Elbeshbishi, 9/12)

WCHS: As Black Lung Cases Continue To Climb, Silica Rule Delay Leaves Miners Vulnerable
In his 35 years working underground as a coal miner, it was typical for David Bounds to work ten hours a day and six days a week, only taking off Sunday. Bounds, who lives in Oak Hill, West Virginia, is one of thousands in the state who need oxygen and nebulizer treatments just to get through the day. The CDC estimates that about one in five miners in Appalachia is impacted by the disease. (Saunders, 9/9)

The CT Mirror: Drug Overdoses In CT Prisons Raising Alarms
On July 21, Tracy Ciccone got a call from the warden at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown. Her son, 32-year-old Tyler Cole, was being held in the facility awaiting trial. She said she expected the call to be about some kind of “little ruckus” that her son had caused at the facility. Instead, the warden told her that, hours earlier, Cole had been found dead. She said she barely remembers what happened after that. “I must have yelled or something, because I remember [my husband] Jason running down the hall and picking me up off the ground,” she said. Cole is one of 15 people who have died from overdoses while in custody of the Department of Correction since 2023, according to information from the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. (Otte, 9/14)

North Carolina Health News: HealthySteps, Which Supports Families In Pediatric Clinics, Looks To Expand In NC
Jamestown resident Ashley Robinson’s third child arrived three months early. A micro-preemie, Milo weighed just 1 pound, 2.7 ounces, smaller than an average woman’s shoe. At 3 weeks old, he had his first surgery. Since then, he’s had at least seven others, including for repairs to his intestines and for glaucoma, a condition where the optic nerve is damaged, usually by pressure in the eye. (Fernandez, 9/15)

More public health news from California and elsewhere —

KFF Health News: Why Are More Older People Dying After Falls?
For a while, walking the dog felt hazardous. Earl Vickers was accustomed to taking Molly, his shepherd-boxer-something-else mix, for strolls on the beach or around his neighborhood in Seaside, California. A few years ago, though, he started to experience problems staying upright. (Span, 9/15)

The Washington Post: Incredibly, This Covid Postmortem Never Happened
In June 2021, this newspaper published a call to establish a bipartisan, 9/11-type commission to review the covid pandemic response. The main goal was to prepare for the next public health crisis. Incredibly, four years later this endeavor has yet to be realized, though it continues to be urgently needed, especially before the next health catastrophe hits — whether during a Republican or Democratic administration. (Daniel Halperin, 9/12)

The Washington Post: RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again Plan Would Make Americans Sicker 
When President Donald Trump tapped anti-vaccine crusader Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary, politicians on both sides of the aisle and many reputable doctors reacted with cautious optimism. They reasoned that any damage he might inflict on vaccine standards could be offset by his promised reforms to address chronic diseases. (Leana S. Wen, 9/12)

The New York Times: FDA Director Marty Makary: I’m Cracking Down On Pharma Ads 
American drug advertisements are filled with dancing patients, glowing smiles and catchy jingles that drown out the fine print. It’s not education — it’s distraction by design. This is not how the practice of medicine is supposed to be. (Marty Makary, 9/13)

The Boston Globe: RFK Jr.'s MAHA Report Won’t Make Children Healthy
If Americans want their children to live longer, healthier lives than their parents, the country needs a strategy that is as bold as it is honest — one that confronts our biggest threats, stands firmly on the evidence, and never compromises on the truth. The strategy report released this week by the Make America Healthy Again Commission is not that plan. (Ashish K. Jha, 9/12)

Stat: The MAHA Children's Health Report Falls Short On Better Pesticide Regulation
After months of anticipation and two leaked drafts, the Make America Healthy Again Commission has finally released its second report, “Make Our Children Healthy Again,” outlining its public health agenda and strategy. (Dina Akhmetshina, 9/15)

The Boston Globe: The Silent Goodbyes At The Free Psychiatry Clinic
We knew months in advance that the free psychiatry clinic would be closing, not for political reasons but for logistical ones. There was going to be plenty of time to reassure patients, transition them elsewhere, and say farewell. (Elissa Ely, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Health Equity Must Be A Community Effort - Not Just Hospitals 
Trust is fragile in America today. Confidence in government, media, schools and even the justice system has fallen to historic lows. Yet when people are most vulnerable, they still turn to one place: their local hospital. (Deborah Visconi, 9/15)