Modern Healthcare: Key House, Senate Committees Advance PBM Reform Bills
Two influential congressional committees on Wednesday passed bills aimed at reigning in pharmacy benefit managers’ operations, signaling that lawmakers' scrutiny of the prescription middlemen is here to stay. With the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees' action, every congressional committee focused on healthcare has now passed proposals to increase oversight of PBMs, which negotiate prescription prices with drugmakers on behalf of insurers. More than 80% of the PBM market is controlled by CVS Health’s Caremark, UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx and Cigna’s Express Scripts. The three parent companies that also operate some of the largest insurers, provider groups and retail pharmacy networks. (Tepper, 7/26)

Stat: Senate Panel Puts Off Hardest PBM Reforms For Another Day
Senators on the Finance Committee on Wednesday nearly unanimously passed a bill to clamp down on drug middlemen, but kicked the can down the road on some of the more challenging policies. (Wilkerson, 7/26)

Stat: Dems Pitch Expanding Medicare Power To Negotiate Drug Prices
It’s drug pricing déjà vu: Just as they did in 2019, House Democrats are pushing a bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate dozens of drug prices a year, offer those prices to all insurers, and crack down on price hikes. Unlike then, Democrats have a starting place: the new bill represents an expansion of the major drug pricing legislation the party passed last year. But the first round of drug price negotiations hasn’t even started yet, and the law is under attack from the pharmaceutical industry in court. (Cohrs and Wilkerson, 7/26)

On health care transparency —

Stat: Democrats Decry New Health Bill For Going Easy On Private Equity
A rift between Democrats and Republicans over health care transparency was on full display in the House on Wednesday. Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee introduced a package this week that they say would increase health care transparency, but Democrats and outside groups are arguing that it doesn’t go far enough to force companies to disclose information about their ownership. They also think it goes too easy on the private equity firms that are buying up health care practices. (Cohrs, 7/26)

Axios: First Look: A New Republican Health Care Plan
A trio of policy experts from Stanford’s Hoover Institution are launching a new free-market health care plan this week that they're hoping will become the go-to Republican message for 2024 campaigns, with a focus on expanding health care choices. Ever since the Affordable Care Act "repeal and replace" effort failed in 2017, Republicans have struggled to find a unifying vision for health care they can put forward in presidential and congressional races. (Knight, 7/27)

Also —

NPR: McConnell Says He's 'Fine' After Abruptly Stopping Press Conference
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell abruptly stopped talking at his weekly press conference with top Senate GOP leaders on Wednesday when he froze and appeared unable to continue for more than 30 seconds as he gripped the podium. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the third ranking Republican and a physician, walked with McConnell for a few steps near the Senate floor as other leaders resumed the press conference. (Walsh, 7/26)

NBC News: McConnell Fell Recently At D.C. Airport Prior To Wednesday’s Freeze-Up
The fall, which has not been previously reported, occurred July 14 after the flight out of Washington was canceled while everyone was on board. McConnell, R-Ky., who was a passenger, had a “face plant,” someone who was on the plane at the time but did not witness the fall told NBC News. That passenger also said they spoke to another passenger who helped tend to McConnell. McConnell has also recently been using a wheelchair as a precaution when he navigates crowded airports, said a source familiar with his practices. (Haake and Kapur, 7/27)

The New York Times: U.S. Moves To Improve Airplane Bathrooms For People With Disabilities 
The Transportation Department announced on Wednesday that it had finalized new regulations to require more commercial aircraft to have accessible bathrooms, a long-awaited step to address complaints from disabled travelers about the difficulties of flying. Under the regulations, new single-aisle planes with at least 125 seats will eventually be required to have at least one lavatory large enough for a disabled passenger and an attendant to enter and move around in. Twin-aisle planes are already required to have an accessible lavatory. (Walker, 7/26)

Also —

CNBC: New Bill Aims To Help Low-Income People With Disabilities Save Money
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 33 years ago to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. But disabled people still face major hurdles when it comes to building wealth. To help make it easier for disabled individuals with lower incomes to save, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who serves as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, is introducing a new proposal, called the ABLE MATCH Act. The legislation would create a federal dollar-for-dollar match for new and existing ABLE accounts for individuals who earn $28,000 or less per year. (Konish, 7/26)

The 19th: COVID Uncertainty Looms Over Americans With Disabilities Act Anniversary
July 26 is normally a time when disability groups gather and celebrate. On that date in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act — the landmark legislation that established wide-reaching rights for disabled Americans — was signed into law. But COVID-19 disrupted celebrations marking the anniversary in 2020. As millions of disabled and older Americans died in hospitals and nursing homes, the community took a step back from in-person organizing. (Luterman, 7/26)

The 19th: What Are Disability Doulas? People Provide Support Through Isolating Life Transitions
Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu began doing disability doula work long before they ever heard the term. From the time they were in middle school, they remember “being responsible for big, intense crisis situations” with their friends. Throughout high school, a close friend self-injured. Kaufman-Mthimkhulu would drive to her house and listen. They would also take care of their friend’s wounds, spend time watching bad TV shows and eat ice cream. What they didn’t do is blame or shame their friend. (Mithani, 7/26)

CBS News: Amazon Is Failing To Provide Accommodations For Disabled Workers, Labor Group Claims
Amazon is failing to provide adequate workplace accommodations for disabled employees, a violation of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), according to labor activists. Amazon workers with disabilities told United for Respect, a nonprofit group that advocates for retail workers, that the e-commerce giant's warehouses have high injury rates and that the company discriminates against disabled employees. Amazon's process for injured and disabled workers to request job accommodations is also unclear, according to a report released on Wednesday. (Bangalore, 7/26)

The Washington Post: Some Long-Covid Patients May Have Cognitive Issues For At Least Two Years
Some people who experience cognitive issues after long covid continue to struggle with brain function for at least two years, a new study shows. Researchers in the United Kingdom found that people who reported having long-covid symptoms for at least 12 weeks after being infected with the coronavirus showed reduced performance in tests for, among other things, memory, reasoning and motor control, for up to two years after the infection. Their findings were published last week in the Lancet journal eClinicalMedicine. (Bever, 7/26)

CIDRAP: Wastewater Surveillance May Be Best Marker Of Community COVID-19 Prevalence
Wastewater surveillance may be the most accurate way to track SARS-CoV-2 community prevalence and identify variants of concern amid increased home COVID-19 testing, decreased public health reporting, and fewer healthcare visits due to asymptomatic cases and the wide availability of vaccines and treatments, Stanford University researchers report today in JAMA Network Open. The team conducted a time series analysis of wastewater surveillance data from 268 counties in 22 US states from January to September 2022 and offer a strategy for communities to use SARS-CoV-2 wastewater metrics amid declining reliability of conventional surveillance methods. The study period took place during SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant predominance. (Van Beusekom, 7/26)

CIDRAP: Smartwatch Data Show Impact Of COVID Vaccines
Health information from smartwatch wearers shows COVID-19 vaccination may lessen the severity of breakthrough infections. The study is published in PNAS Nexus. The study was conducted through the Corona-Datenspende-App, which was launched in Germany in April 2020 and by April of 2022 was being used by 190,000 people, 120,000 of whom were submitting daily data on resting heart rate, physical activity, and sleep duration. In addition to the automated metrics from the smartwatch, participants also completed voluntary surveys on COVID-19 test results and vaccination status. (Soucheray, 7/26)

On vaccine resistance —

Politico: DeSantis Suggests He Could Pick RFK Jr. To Lead The FDA Or CDC 
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might have an offer to run a federal agency in 2025 — but not for the party he is running to gain the nomination from. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is struggling to gain steam in the GOP primary, mused on Wednesday in an interview with Clay Travis on OutKick that he generally aligns with Kennedy’s conservative views on Covid-19 policies and vaccines. Those views, DeSantis indicated, could make him a pick to lead a federal agency with medical jurisdiction. (Zhang, 7/26)

News Service of Florida: A Florida Judge Backs The PGA Tour In A Job Dispute Over COVID Testing And Masking
An administrative law judge has rejected allegations that the PGA Tour improperly fired a former reporter and producer who objected to required COVID-19 testing and mask-wearing. Teryn Gregson argued that the golf tour’s testing and mask requirements violated her religious beliefs and that she suffered “discrimination on the basis of religion” in the November 2021 firing, according to a document filed last month by her attorney. The tour required testing and masking for employees, such as Gregson, who declined to be vaccinated. (Saunders, 7/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Hedge Funds Seek To Cut Off $1 Billion Meant For Opioid Victims
A group of hedge funds is devising a plan to cut off about $1 billion meant to help victims of opioid addiction, opening the way to keep some of the money for themselves. Mallinckrodt, one of America’s largest manufacturers of opioids, last year agreed to pay $1.7 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits brought by state and local governments and opioid-addicted individuals, who accused the company of helping cause a public-health crisis. The settlement funds, to be paid through 2030, were meant to help state health departments buy lifesaving overdose reversal drugs like Narcan and pay treatment costs for people who took prescription opioids. (Saeedy, Gladstone and Matsuda, 7/26)

KFF Health News' 'Payback' Investigation: Tracking The Opioid Settlement Funds

In other public health news —

The New York Times: For Adults With No Heart Attack or Stroke History, Evidence Says Not to Start Baby Aspirin
A new analysis of data from a large clinical trial of healthy older adults found higher rates of brain bleeding among those who took daily low-dose aspirin, and no significant protection against stroke. The analysis, published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA, is the latest evidence that low-dose aspirin, which slows the clotting action of platelets, may not be appropriate for people who do not have any history of heart conditions or warning signs of stroke. Older people prone to falls, which can cause brain bleeds, should be particularly cautious about taking aspirin, the findings suggest. (Baumgaertner, 7/26)

Bloomberg: Syphilis Cases Surge Amid Penicillin Shortage, US Considers Health Emergency
A shortage of penicillin to treat a skyrocketing number of syphilis cases is so dire that US health officials are debating the need to declare a public health emergency, according to people familiar with the matter. Major US medical centers are rationing the recommended treatment for the deadly sexually transmitted disease because of a supply crunch. From Michigan to Missouri to Texas, some health-care providers are prioritizing giving a key treatment — penicillin G benzathine — to pregnant patients and babies, because the drug can pass through the placenta and also treat the fetus. (Swetlitz, Griffin and Griffin, 7/26)

CBS News: Woman Gives Birth To Baby Boy After Uterus Transplant In Alabama
A woman born without a uterus welcomed a baby boy, becoming the first person outside of a clinical trial to give birth after receiving a uterus transplant. The mom, identified by University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital only as Mallory, was 17 when she was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, which affects approximately 1 in 4,500 female newborns. She was told she would never be able to biologically carry her own child. (Chasan, 7/26)

CBS News: Almond Or Soy Milk May Not Be As Nutritious As Cow's Milk, Researchers Say
Many people are turning to plant-based milk such as soy, almond, and oat as healthy alternatives to traditional cow's milk, which is fortified with two vital nutrients, calcium and vitamin D. It's also a good source of protein. But researchers at the University of Minnesota examined more than 200 plant-based milk products sold in the U.S. and found that only 12 percent contained similar or greater amounts of calcium, vitamin D, and protein. (Marshall, 7/26)

NBC News: Why Young Adults, Especially Women, Are Prone To Falls On Stairs
Children under 3 and adults over 85 are the age groups most commonly injured from falling down stairs, but the third-most likely group is often overlooked, experts say: young adults in their 20s. So in a study published Wednesday, a team of researchers at Purdue University focused on that cohort, analyzing particular behaviors that lead young adults to fall on stairs and how much those behaviors varied between men and women. (Pandey, 7/26)

CNN: More Than 40% Of Americans Are At Risk Of Extreme Heat Today
 A brutal heat wave is set to persist Thursday as more than 140 million Americans from coast-to-coast are under heat alerts, with parts of the Northeast expected to sizzle under their highest temperatures this year. Dangerously high temperatures are creeping east into parts of the Midwest and Northeast over the next two days after extreme heat consistently smashed record highs in southern states in recent weeks. (Elamroussi, 7/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Cardiac Arrest Isn’t Increasing Among Athletes Despite Incidents Like Bronny James’s Collapse 
Despite the clustering of headline-grabbing cases, experts say there has been no statistically significant rise in cardiac events of young athletes. What has changed is the high profile of the athletes involved—and the preparedness to respond to those emergencies. (O'Connell and Higgins, 7/26)

Politico: N.C. Governor Sets Medicaid Expansion Date, Pressuring Republicans To Act 
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration on Wednesday announced the state will expand Medicaid on Oct. 1 — even though lawmakers have yet to approve the funding to do so. The unusual move, agreed to by the Biden administration, puts additional pressure on the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to either pass a budget or fund Medicaid expansion separately — something the Democratic governor and his health and human services secretary, Kody Kinsley, have been calling for since lawmakers failed to reach a spending deal earlier this month. (Messerly, 7/26)

In other Medicaid news —

The Star Tribune: Minnesota Delays Deadline For Second Batch Of Medicaid Renewals
Minnesota has delayed the re-enrollment deadline for a second group of Medicaid beneficiaries so they will have more time to submit required documentation for renewing government-funded health insurance. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the change on Wednesday for people with Medicaid-related coverage who were facing a July renewal deadline. (Snowbeck, 7/26)

AP: GOP Nominee Says He Would Renew Push For Medicaid Work Requirement If Elected Governor In Kentucky
Republican candidate Daniel Cameron said Wednesday that he would move quickly as Kentucky’s governor to revive a push to require some able-bodied adults to work in exchange for health care coverage through Medicaid. If he succeeds in unseating Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear later this year, Cameron said his administration would seek federal permission to impose the Medicaid work requirement. The proposed rule would exclude able-bodied adults who are “truly vulnerable,” including those with children or who are pregnant, his campaign said in a follow-up statement. Cameron declared that connecting Medicaid coverage to work for some Kentuckians would raise workforce participation in the post-pandemic era. (Schreiner, 7/26)

WRIC ABC 8News: Audit Finds Virginia Paid Nearly $22 Million For Dead Medicaid Patients 
Virginia paid insurers to cover Medicaid services for patients who had already died, a nearly $22 million mistake over three years that the state is working to recover and repay. A recent federal audit found that the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, the state’s Medicaid office, accidentally paid out capitation payments – or monthly fixed payments for each enrollee – to Medicaid managed care organizations on behalf of dead patients from 2019 through 2021. (Mirshahi, 7/26)

News Service of Florida: Judge Denies The State's Request For A Stay After Ruling To Remove Kids From Nursing Homes
Warning against “foot-dragging,” a federal judge has rejected a request by the state to put on hold a ruling that requires Florida’s Medicaid program to make changes aimed at keeping children with complex medical conditions out of nursing homes. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks issued a seven-page order Tuesday denying the state’s request for a stay of a ruling and an accompanying injunction that he issued July 14. The state wanted the stay while it appeals the ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. (Saunders, 7/26)

Reuters: Insight: Wegovy Weight-Loss Injection Factory Plagued By Sterile-Safety Failures 
The factory that fills the self-injection pens for booming weight-loss drug Wegovy has repeatedly breached U.S. sterile-safety rules in recent years and staff have failed to perform required quality checks, a Reuters review of regulatory documents shows. The breaches at Catalent, the Wegovy pen filler, were found by inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who visited the plant in Brussels in October 2021 and August 2022 to check on its compliance with manufacturing regulations, according to detailed FDA reports on the inspections, obtained by Reuters under freedom of information laws. (Fick, 7/27)

Reuters: Obesity Drugs Don't Make WHO's Essential List, But Ebola, MS Drugs Added 
Obesity drugs will not join the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest essential medicines list, but treatments for diseases, including Ebola and multiple sclerosis will, documents published by the U.N. agency showed. The WHO's essential medicines list is a catalogue of the drugs that should be available in all functioning health systems. (Rigby, 7/26)

Reuters: Exclusive: UK Probes Novo's Ozempic, Weight-Loss Drug Saxenda Over Suicidal, Self-Harming Thoughts 
Britain is reviewing a class of drugs used in a diabetes medicine and a weight-loss treatment sold by Novo Nordisk after some patients reported suicidal or self-harming thoughts, two weeks after similar action by the European Union. (Fick, 7/26)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Reuters: Moderna/Merck Begins Late-Stage Study Of Skin Cancer Vaccine Combination
Moderna and its partner Merck said on Wednesday that they had begun enrolling patients in a late-stage study testing their personalized mRNA-based skin cancer vaccine in combination with the immunotherapy Keytruda. Data from a mid-stage study in 157 patients had shown that the vaccine combination cut the risk of recurrence or death by 44% in patients with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, when compared with Keytruda alone. (7/26)

Bloomberg: Private Equity Backers Of Plan B Morning-After Pill Weigh $4 Billion Sale
The private equity owners of Foundation Consumer Healthcare are exploring a potential sale of the company behind popular morning-after pill Plan B One-Step, according to people familiar with the matter. (Davis and Tse, 7/26)

Bay Area News Group: Dietary Supplement Company Balance Of Nature To Pay $1.1 Million Over Misleading Advertising
A dietary supplement company agreed to pay a $1.1 million settlement after a group of California district attorneys — including several in the Bay Area — challenged the company’s claims that its freeze-dried capsules could cure diabetes, lupus and numerous other ailments. Evig LLC — which does business as Balance of Nature — agreed to the settlement after the California Food, Drug and Medical Device Task Force filed a civil lawsuit against the company, claiming that its advertising campaigns across California “were not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence,” according to a news release by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. (Rodgers, 7/26)

Stat: FDA Inspection Underscores Problem At Major Drug Compounder
One of the largest compound pharmacy operations in the U.S. recently recalled a slew of injectable medicines used by hospitals over concerns about possible side effects and a newly released regulatory report underscores the extent of the problem. (Silverman, 7/26)

The Boston Globe: The Once-Hot Market For Biotech Jobs And Lab Space Has Cooled. What Now?
When Crystal Shih Byers left her job at Novartis in 2020, she was excited to make the leap into a smaller startup. Byers had spent almost nine years at Novartis, most recently helping lead a group that worked on gene therapy. But pharmaceutical companies are large and complex, and she craved more immediate impact. “I was looking for a place where I could be in the room,” she says. She wanted more autonomy, and to feel like her work would reach patients sooner. (Miller, 7/26)

Stat: UHS Says Company Favors Patients Whose Insurance Pays More
The country’s largest private psychiatric hospital operator cherry-picks patients whose insurance will pay more, its finance chief said on an earnings call Wednesday. It’s no secret that such hospitals, especially when run by for-profit companies, base admission decisions on how much they’ll get paid, but it’s rare to hear the practice described so bluntly. (Bannow, 7/26)

In hospital news —

Axios: Report Finds Hospitals Still Struggle To Discharge Patients
Hospitals are struggling to discharge recovering patients to less intensive settings amid staffing shortages at nursing homes and home health agencies, a new report from WellSky finds. Patients who remain hospitalized longer than necessary can reduce the overall capacity of the facility, limit the ability to treat new patients and even cause canceled or delayed procedures, the report noted. (Dreher, 7/26)

CIDRAP: Israeli Study Links Spread Of Resistant Bacteria To Hospital Water Sources 
A single-center study in Israel highlights the roles that hospital sinks and showers may play in spreading carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control. (Dall, 7/26)

Billings Gazette: St. Vincent Healthcare Earns Five-Star Rating For Quality
St. Vincent Healthcare, part of Intermountain Health, has earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its latest quality review of more than 4,000 hospitals nationwide. CMS developed Star Ratings to help consumers make more informed decisions. CMS evaluates hospitals on their performance in areas such as safety, readmissions, patient experience, and mortality after heart attack or pneumonia. Hospitals receive one to five stars, with more stars indicating better performance in the areas evaluated. (7/26)

Health News Florida: Tampa General Hospital Agrees To Purchase Three CHS Hospitals In Hernando And Citrus Counties
With the purchase of three hospitals from Bravera Health, Tampa General is expanding its “geographic footprint” into Hernando and Citrus counties. The agreement, estimated at $290 million, includes Bravera Health Brooksville, Bravera Health Spring Hill and Bravera Health Seven Rivers. The purchase, announced Tuesday, also includes clinics and outpatient services, according to Bravera’s parent company, Community Health Systems. (Mayer, 7/26)

KFF Health News: Home Sweet Parking Lot: Some Hospitals Welcome RV Living For Patients, Families, And Workers 
Jim Weaver has had two major surgeries in the past decade: one to remove cancerous tumors from his bladder and another to clear a blocked artery. Weaver, 70, knew that after he emerged from surgery, he’d want privacy. But because he and his wife drove more than 150 miles from Bend, Oregon, to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, immediately returning home was not an option. (Saint Louis, 7/27)

More health care news —

Bloomberg: Amazon Enters Health Care Generative AI Market, Adds Chatbot Tools
Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud unit, determined to take on Microsoft and Google in the burgeoning market for generative artificial intelligence, has unveiled a range of new AI products, including a service that helps health care providers summarize doctor visits and software that let companies create their own chatbots. (Bass, 7/26)

Modern Healthcare: Headspace Health Closes $105M In Senior Debt With Oxford Finance
Headspace Health, a digital mental health "unicorn," closed a $105 million senior debt facility Wednesday. Headspace Health CEO Russell Glass said in a written statement the company began conversations with Oxford Finance, a firm that provides loans to public and private life science and healthcare companies, in January. He said the company looked for ways to “proactively reduce risk given the current economic landscape.” (Turner, 7/26)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevadans Covered By Friday Health Plans Need To Find New Insurer By Fall
Troubled health insurance company Friday Health Plans of Nevada will be liquidated in September and over 2,800 Nevadans will need to find a new insurer, state officials said. Friday Health Plans of Nevada’s assets will be sold on Sept. 1 and those still insured by the company will need to find a new health insurer on or before Aug. 31 to avoid a gap in coverage, according to a news release from the state Division of Insurance. There will be a special enrollment period for those impacted to get into a policy provided by Nevada Health Link, which is run by the state agency the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange. (Hemmersmeier, 7/26)

On LGBTQ+ health care —

AP: Michigan Bans Use Of Conversion Therapy On LGBTQ Youth Under Measure Signed By Governor 
The scientifically discredited practice of so-called conversion therapy, which aims to “convert” LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality or traditional gender expectations, is now banned for minors in Michigan under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Michigan becomes the 22nd state to outlaw conversion therapy, which state lawmakers defined as any practice or treatment by a mental health professional that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. That does not include counseling that provides assistance to people undergoing a gender transition. (Cappelletti, 7/26)

Axios: Travel Time For Gender-Affirming Care Doubles In States With Bans
State bans on gender-affirming care for youths have left more than a quarter of kids under 18 in need of such services at least a four-hour drive away from the nearest clinic that provides them, according to a new JAMA study. 70 clinics were inactive as of May in the 20 states that imposed restrictions on gender-affirming care, per the report published Tuesday. (Moreno, 7/26)

On climate change and health —

Bloomberg: In Phoenix Heat, Ice-Filled Body Bags Are A Life-Saving Technology
As temperatures hit 119F in Phoenix last Thursday, doctors at Valleywise Health Medical Center saw a patient whose internal temperature was at least 110F — the maximum registered by its thermometers. Needing to cool the patient down as quickly as possible, the emergency medical team turned to a technique they had designed and honed themselves: immersing the person in a body bag filled with ice. It worked. In less than half an hour, the patient’s temperature was down to about 102F, low enough to move on to further treatment and observation. ... (Hirji, 7/26)

New Hampshire Bulletin: NH Wasn't Built For Extreme Heat. Experts Say Vulnerable People Are Paying The Price
As 90-degree summer heat hangs over Manchester, residents do their best to stay cool. In one window, a fleece red-and-white holiday blanket hangs to block out the sun. In another, socks are crammed into the window gaps to prevent any AC air from leaking out. On the west side, Dupont Splash Pad is a popular way to stay cool. Families stretch out in the grassy shade, while adults and toddlers walk under colorful fountains for relief. A girl’s pink skirt flops up and down as she jumps on the fountains spurting up from below, willing the timed jets of water to return quickly. Manchester resident Judy Harding said she’s certain the city heat has been getting worse. (Pirani, 7/26)

NPR: In Florida's Local Malaria Outbreak, Forgotten Bite Led To Surprise Hospitalization
At first, Hannah Heath thought she probably just had a bad case of food poisoning. The Sarasota, Fla. resident was vomiting and had chills and a fever. But four days later, she was still really sick. "Finally I called my husband and I was like, 'You have to take me to the ER, I think I'm dehydrated; I think I need an IV,'" said Heath, 39. (Colombini, 7/26)

USA Today: Hammerhead Worms In Virginia, Carolinas, D.C. Here's How To Kill Them
Hammerhead worms have been found near the Washington, D.C. area, the latest region to become a home to the invasive species. Hailing from Southeast Asia and so far preferring hotter climates in the U.S., hammerhead worms are slowly making their way around the country. And beyond being a strange-looking creature you may come across in your yard, hammerhead worms secrete toxins that could be dangerous for humans or pets. (DeLetter, 7/26)

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

Philadelphia Inquirer: Cooper's Kaitlan Baston Slated To Be NJ's Next Health Commissioner
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday he plans to nominate Kaitlan Baston, a Cooper University Health Care doctor who specializes in addiction medicine, to be the next commissioner of the state’s Department of Health. Baston founded a center at Cooper that includes integrated pain, addiction, and behavioral health care. She is expected to succeed Judy Persichilli, who is retiring after having led the department since 2019. The health department regulates health care providers and administers many of the state’s health care policies. (Brubaker, 7/26)

Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming’s First Freestanding Birth Center Opens Up In Cheyenne
Earthside Birth and Wellness Center recently opened its doors in Cheyenne. The center is Wyoming’s first freestanding birth center, meaning that it isn’t attached to a hospital. It is currently taking clients for well-woman visits and will begin delivering babies on August 7. Sarah Morey, Earthside’s CEO, said the idea came about when she and her friends realized how limited the birthing options were for Wyoming women. (Singareddy, 7/26)

Los Angeles Times: These Southern California Counties Have Some Of The Highest Cases Of Alzheimer's Disease
Four Southern California counties recorded some of the highest numbers in the nation for Alzheimer’s disease, with cases expected to increase in the next few years as the state’s population ages, according to a new report by the Alzheimer’s Assn. The report, which was shared at the 2023 Alzheimer’s Assn. International Conference in Amsterdam last week, is the first to estimate the disorder’s prevalence and number of people diagnosed at the county level in the U.S. Researchers reviewed 3,142 counties across the country. (Arredondo, 7/26)

The Boston Globe: Families Impacted By Police Violence Fight For ‘Medical Civil Rights’ 
The “Act Establishing Medical Civil Rights” would require all law enforcement officers, including officers at universities, hospitals, the state police department, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police department, to summon emergency medical care for anyone who communicates they’re experiencing a medical emergency or reasonably appears to be medically unstable. The act would guarantee the right to medical care while experiencing an emergency related to physical or mental health, substance use disorder, and severe pain or injury. (Mohammed, 7/26)

KFF Health News: Covered California To Cut Patient Costs After Democratic Lawmakers Win Funding From Gov. Newsom 
Weeks after Democratic lawmakers forced Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use tax penalty proceeds from fining the uninsured to increase health insurance subsidies for low- and middle-income Californians, Covered California officials announced they will funnel that money into reducing out-of-pocket spending for many enrollees struggling with the cost of care. The state’s health insurance exchange will zero out some patients’ hospital deductibles, up to $5,400; lower the copay of primary care visits from $50 to $35; and reduce the cost for generic drugs from $19 to $15. Some enrollees will also see their annual out-of-pocket spending capped at $6,100, down from $7,500. (Hart, 7/27)

ScienceDaily: Food Allergy In Infancy Linked To Childhood Asthma And Reduced Lung Function 
Having a food allergy as a baby is linked to asthma and reduced lung function later in childhood, according to a world first study. The research, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute and published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, found that early life food allergy was associated with an increased risk of both asthma and reduced lung growth at six years of age. (Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, 7/25)

ScienceDaily: New Study Reveals Why Defense Against Brain Corrosion Declines In People With Alzheimer's Disease
A new study has revealed that the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be slowed by suppressing a specific protein in the brain that causes corrosion. (Case Western Reserve University, 7/24)

CIDRAP: US Researchers To Investigate Multidrug-Resistant Organisms In Nursing Homes 
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a team of US researchers $13.7 million to investigate multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in nursing homes. The team, led by researchers from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health, will study more than 16,000 MDRO isolates collected from 50 US nursing homes to identify key sources and drivers of MDRO spread, best detection methods, high-yield interventions for preventing MDRO spread, and the major risk factors associated with colonization, infection, and hospitalization. Their focus will be on six MDROs—five bacteria and one fungus—deemed serious and urgent national health threats. (Dall, 7/26)

The Washington Post: Newborn Genome Screening Could Save Lives And Bring Thousands Of Cures 
Hundreds of treatable genetic diseases go unnoticed for years — not because they cannot be diagnosed, but because newborn screening for them is not routine in the United States. If biomedical breakthroughs are to benefit the millions of children afflicted with rare diseases, genetic testing of babies needs to expand. (Bina Venkataraman, 7/26)

Bloomberg: Climate Change And Cities: How Urban Areas Should Adapt To Extreme Heat 
The human body can barely cope with weather this hot. In Phoenix, where the asphalt can hit 180F (82C), emergency-room doctors are zipping heat-stroke victims into body bags full of ice. Tens of thousands worldwide die from overheating each year, a toll that’s set to worsen. Global cities must prepare to deal with extreme heat as a matter of public health. (7/26)

New England Journal of Medicine: Project NextGen — Defeating SARS-CoV-2 And Preparing For The Next Pandemic
Next-generation vaccines and treatments are needed if we are to break the cycle of responding to new variants as they appear: we need tools that can improve our bodies’ ability to stop infections, reduce transmission, build longer-lasting immunity, and target parts of the virus that are less likely to evolve. (Xavier Becerra, J.D. and Ashish Jha, M.D., M.P.H., 7/26)

New England Journal of Medicine: A Critical Opportunity To Improve Public Health Data
Among the many problems facing U.S. public health authorities during the Covid pandemic, none was more damaging than the absence of reliable, timely, and accurate data on the distribution of the disease and the availability of resources to combat it. (David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P. and Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H., 7/27)

The Tennessean: UnitedHealthcare Should Not Make It Harder To Get A Colonoscopy
Colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the United States. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that in 2023 over 153,000 individuals will be diagnosed with colon cancer and 52,550 won’t survive. This is why UnitedHealthcare’s proposed decision to require prior authorization for most colonoscopies and endoscopies on commercial plans was so shocking. (Mark Green, 7/26)

Stat: The Mammogram Wars Are Not Over 
New breast cancer screening guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force give the impression that the decades-long debate over when women should start getting mammograms is settled. The agency now recommends beginning at age 40, reversing the age-50 guideline that had been in place since 2009. This change aligns it with other expert organizations such as the American College of Radiology (though the two still differ on whether women should get mammograms annually or every two years). Despite this apparent new consensus, the “mammography wars” are not over. (Asia Friedman, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Youngkin Takes Vital Resources Away From LGBTQ+ Youth — Again 
On May 31, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) quietly authorized the removal of a resource page for LGBTQ+ youths on the Virginia Department of Health website following an inquiry from the conservative news outlet the Daily Wire. (7/27)