The Hill: Pediatric Health Groups Call For National Emergency To Fight Respiratory Illnesses 
Pediatric health provider groups are calling on the Biden administration to declare a national emergency to help them combat the surge of hospitalizations due to respiratory illnesses in children. Seasonal flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory viruses are hitting young children especially hard this year. The resulting hospitalizations are putting an immense strain on a pediatric health system that is still reeling from COVID-19. (Weixel, 11/15)

Roll Call: Pediatricians Beg For More Federal Help To Fight Wave Of RSV
The pediatric care organizations argue that significant capacity issues in hospitals can only be solved by a federal emergency declaration from the White House and Health and Human Services secretary — like the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. An emergency declaration would allow for more telehealth flexibilities and waive certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements that make it difficult for providers to share resources. (Cohen, 11/16)

Is another pandemic coming? —

Stat: Pfizer Scientist Says A Flu Pandemic Is Only A Matter Of Time
Even after leading the charge combating the worst pandemic in a century, vaccine researcher Kathrin Jansen doesn’t feel that she can relax. Another pandemic — this one based on an influenza virus — is inevitable, Jansen said at the annual STAT Summit on Tuesday. (Goldhill, 11/16)

More on the spread of RSV and flu —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Health Authorities Recommend Masking Up, Not Kissing Babies For Thanksgiving
“With the triple threat of seasonal flu, COVID-19 and RSV looming, we’re advising people to get their flu vaccine and updated COVID-19 boosters before their Thanksgiving get-togethers,” Dr. Fermin Leguen, district health officer for the Southern Nevada Health District, said in a news release. It takes about two weeks for a vaccine to provide full protection. (Hynes, 11/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Plus Flu And RSV Spike Puts Bay Area Hospitals Under Strain
“This is the first year where we’re not only facing COVID but also increased influenza activity and unusually high levels of RSV,” Dr. Sarah Rudman, deputy health officer for Santa Clara County, said during a press briefing. “These are two other types of viruses that can also cause possibly the same respiratory symptoms as COVID, but can also cause severe respiratory disease — or even life-threatening disease.” (Vaziri and Kawahara, 11/16)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Flu Cases Start To Jump In Missouri With Pediatric Hospitals Already At Capacity
Pediatric hospitals continue to feel the pinch of surging RSV cases as the number of flu cases begin to jump in Missouri — all ahead of indoor and holiday gatherings that could worsen spread even more. (Munz, 11/16)

On flu vaccine research —

CIDRAP: Flu Vaccines Cut Pneumonia, Cardiovascular Issues In Heart Failure Patients 
An international study reveals that flu vaccines greatly reduce both pneumonia and cardiovascular complications in people with heart failure. The study was conducted by researchers from McMaster University in Canada and published in The Lancet Global Health. The large randomized controlled trial was conducted in 10 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Heart failure patients were matched 1:1 to receive either an annual flu shot for up to 3 years or a placebo injection of saline. (11/16)

Politico: Congress Sends First Weed Bill To Biden 
The Senate passed a bill designed to expand medical marijuana research on Wednesday by unanimous consent. Passage of the legislation, which is sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) in their respective chambers, signaled a new era in federal cannabis policy: It’s the first standalone marijuana-related bill approved by both chambers of Congress. The House passed the bill in July, also by unanimous consent. (Fertig, 11/16)

In other legislative news —

The Wall Street Journal: What GOP Control Of The House Means For Inflation, Taxes, Healthcare 
Republicans won the majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, ending unified Democratic control of Washington and presenting new challenges to President Biden’s legislative agenda. Here is a look at what divided government means for key issues. (11/17)

The Hill: Senators Introduce Bill To Lower Prescription Costs For Seniors With Chronic Illnesses
Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would allow people enrolled in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to choose their prescription drug plan under Medicare Part D and save more in monthly medication costs. PACE is a Medicare/Medicaid program that provides medical and social services through a team of health care professionals which enrollees have regular access to, with the aim of avoiding placement in a nursing home. (Choi, 11/16)

The Hill: Grieving Parents Push For Kids’ Online Safety Bills During Lame Duck
Congress has a busy itinerary in the lame duck session, but some grieving parents believe lawmakers should have a clear legislative priority: protecting minors from the harms they say led to their children’s deaths. A group of mothers whose children’s deaths were tied to social media are meeting with lawmakers this week, and sent a letter to congressional leaders, to push Congress to pass two bills that would add additional regulations governing how tech companies operate for children and teens. The group includes parents of kids who died by fentanyl-laced drugs purchased on apps, by suicide after being cyberbullied online and by participating in a dangerous viral “choking challenge.” (Klar, 11/16)

The Hill: Coalition Calls For Increased CDC Oversight
The Health Innovation Alliance on Tuesday called on congressional leadership to pass legislation that would increase accountability for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health agencies. “Not only has the CDC been provided an extensive amount of additional funding for COVID-19 response, but the agency failed to update and modernize its response plans and systems as required by Congress in 2006, and again twice since then,” the group’s Executive Director Joel White wrote in a letter addressed to top lawmakers. (Mueller, 11/16)

CNN: US Home Births Reached Highest Level In 30 Years In 2021
There were more than 50,000 home births in the United States in 2021, an increase of 12% over the year before and the highest level since at least 1990, according to a report released Thursday from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. This follows a 22% increase in home births between 2019 and 2020, “corresponding with the initial surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States,” the report says. (Hassan, 11/17)

AP: US Home Births Increased In Pandemic But Are Still Uncommon 
Elizabeth Gregory, the report’s lead author, said reasons for the increases are unknown, but they occurred when COVID-19 rates were high and vaccinations were either unavailable or not widely used. Other reports have shown that many people avoided hospital and doctor visits early in the pandemic. Other possible reasons: Women lacked health insurance or lived far from a hospital and couldn’t make it there in time. Previous research suggests that about 1 in 4 home births are unplanned. (Tanner, 11/17)

In news about abortion and reproductive rights —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Metro Atlanta Abortion Clinics Flooded With Calls After Court Strikes Down Restrictions
Phone calls to metro Atlanta abortion providers surged Wednesday after a judge struck down Georgia abortion restrictions that had been in place since July. Several clinics said they have begun performing abortions again for patients more than six weeks pregnant as women — and some protesters — showed up less than 24 hours after the court ruling. (Malik, Papp and Suggs, 11/16)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia GOP Will Let High Court Rule Before Pursuing New Limits On Abortion
Georgia legislators say they are taking a wait-and-see approach after a Fulton County judge overturned the state’s 2019 abortion law on Tuesday and told lawmakers they would need to pass new legislation if they wanted to reinstate limits on the procedure. (Prabhu, 11/16)

AP: N. Dakota AG: Docs Can Use Health Info To Defend Abortions
Doctors who perform abortions should be able to disclose the patient’s personal health information as part of their defense to avoid prosecution, North Dakota’s attorney general said Wednesday. North Dakota’s abortion ban, which is currently on hold because of a lawsuit, makes the procedure illegal except in cases of rape or incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. Doctors would have to prove those exceptions in court in order to be cleared of a Class C felony. (Kolpack, 11/17)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Republican Lawmakers Vote To Make Rare Stand Against Judge’s Block Of Utah’s Abortion Trigger Law
In a vote split along party lines, the Utah Legislature’s Legislative Management Committee voted Tuesday to submit an amicus brief opposing the injunction on the state’s abortion trigger law. The motion was put forward by Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, but, he said, was an idea from “multiple people.” The Utah Attorney General’s office is currently fending off a challenge of the law by Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. (Anderson Stern, 11/16)

Reuters: DeSantis Says He Cannot Be Witness In Prosecutor's Lawsuit Over Abortion Cases
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday sought a court order blocking him from being called as a trial witness by an elected state attorney who was suspended after saying he would not prosecute abortion cases. (Scarcella, 11/16)

More on the aftermath of the fall of Roe V. Wade —

NBC News: Same-Sex Marriage Protections Clear Key Senate Hurdle, Signaling GOP Support For Passage
In a statement, the bipartisan group said the amendment was crafted to “confirm that this legislation fully respects and protects Americans’ religious liberties and diverse beliefs, while leaving intact the core mission of the legislation to protect marriage equality.” (Concepcion, Shabad and Thorp V, 11/16)

NBC News: OTC Naloxone: FDA Opens Door To Make Opioid Overdose Antidote Easier To Access
In a notice published online Tuesday, the agency said that it “strongly encourages” naloxone makers to contact the FDA “as early as possible” to initiate a discussion about a potential switch from prescription to over the counter. (Lovelace Jr., 11/16)

Stat: Top U.S. Addiction Scientist Calls For Broad Methadone Deregulation
The U.S. government’s top addiction researcher is calling for broad deregulation of methadone, a key drug used to treat opioid use disorder. American doctors should “absolutely” be allowed to prescribe methadone directly to patients, Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said Wednesday. (Facher, 11/16)

Overdose rates show a 'hopeful trend' —

AP: US Overdose Deaths May Be Peaking, But Experts Are Wary 
Have U.S. drug overdose deaths stopped rising? Preliminary government data suggests they may have, but many experts are urging caution, noting that past plateaus didn’t last. U.S. overdose death rates began steadily climbing in the 1990s driven by opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths led by other opioids like heroin and — most recently — illicit fentanyl. Last year, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses — the highest tally in U.S. history. (Stobbe, 11/16)

Also —

Fortune:  Researchers May Have Discovered A Breakthrough Vaccine For Fentanyl—The Drug At The Center Of The Opioid Crisis 
A team at the University of Houston that developed the new vaccine say it could affect fentanyl’s impact on the brain, eliminating the euphoric feelings it produces. They published their findings in the journal Pharmaceutics. (Mikhail, 11/16)

USA Today: Walmart Opioid Settlement: $3.1 Billion To States, Changes To Pharmacy
Walmart’s plan would have to be approved by 43 states by Dec. 15, and local governments could sign on by March 31, 2023. Each state’s allocation depends partly on how many local governments agree. The retail giant’s announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 from the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., which each said they would pay about $5 billion. (Magdaleno and Ramm, 11/16)

The Washington Post: Lab-Grown Meat Is Safe To Eat, Says FDA
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday declared a lab-grown meat product developed by a California start-up to be safe for human consumption, paving the way for products derived from real animal cells — but that don’t require an animal to be slaughtered — to someday be available in U.S. grocery stores and restaurants. Dozens of major food companies are jostling to debut cultivated meat to the American public. As of now, Singapore is the only country in which these products are legally sold to consumers. (Reiley, 11/16)

Bloomberg: Lab-Grown Chicken Meat Clears FDA Hurdle In Step To Entering US Market
The regulator indicated Wednesday that the cultivated chicken product by Californian startup Upside Foods is safe to eat. ... While Upside Foods’ chicken is cleared for human consumption, it’s not approved to be sold. The product still needs to meet other requirements from the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture before it can enter the market. (Ng, 11/17)

In other news from the FDA —

Reuters: U.S. FDA Advisers Back Ardelyx's Kidney Disease Drug
A panel of advisers to the U.S. health regulator on Wednesday recommended the approval of Ardelyx Inc's drug for chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis, more than a year after it was initially rejected. (Leo and Mandowara, 11/16)

The Hill: FDA Warns E-Cig Companies Over Products That Look Like Toys And Target Children
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to several e-cigarette companies on Wednesday for packaging their products to look like toys and appeal to children. The FDA criticized the five relatively unknown companies — Wizman Limited, Shenzhen Fumot Technology, Shenzhen Quawins Technology, Ruthless Vapor and Moti Global — for selling e-cigarettes designed to look like items such as glow sticks, Nintendo Game Boys and walkie-talkies, or to imitate foods such as popsicles. (Shapero, 11/16)

Stat: Tobacco Companies Turn To Gas Station Ads To Fight FDA Menthol Ban
At the Gateway mini mart here, you can buy menthol-flavored hemp cigarettes, an impressive 1-pound bag of pipe tobacco, or a Dragon Ball Z-themed bong — or, you can submit a formal comment to regulators at the Food and Drug Administration. (Florko, 11/17)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Black Hairy Tongue, An Unsightly But Common Symptom, Gets Fresh Attention
Tongue discoloration is a condition that has been associated with various viral infections long before the coronavirus pandemic, but the symptom has drawn fresh attention since the death last month of author Julie Powell, the inspiration for the movie “Julie and Julia.” In her final tweet, the 49-year-old food writer who had recently recovered from a bout of COVID-19 said she woke up “with something that’s literally Black Hairy Tongue.” (Vaziri, Kawahara and Buchmann, 11/16)

The New York Times: What To Do For Unusual Covid Symptoms: Hairy Tongue, Hair Loss And More 
By this point in the long slog of the pandemic, many people know the telltale symptoms of a Covid-19 infection: a ragged ache in your throat, a pernicious cough, congestion, fever and full-body exhaustion. But a tiny subset of people also develop less common symptoms, ones that can sound like hexes from a children’s story: hairy tongues, purple toes, welts that sprout on their faces. (Blum, 11/16)

More on the spread of covid —

NBC News: New Coronavirus Subvariants Overtake BA.5 For First Time Since July
Two new omicron subvariants have overtaken BA.5 as the prevailing versions of the coronavirus in the U.S. BA.5 became dominant in July, then consistently accounted for the majority of new Covid infections until last week. (Bendix, 11/16)

Bloomberg: Covid Drug Treatments Aren't Keeping Up With Virus Mutations
Covid-19’s constant mutations have proven nearly impossible for drugmakers to keep up with. Omicron’s newest stepchildren threaten to render the last two antibody drugs on the market ineffective: Eli Lilly & Co.’s bebtelovimab, which is used to treat symptoms, and AstraZeneca Plc’s Evusheld, which helps prevent infections. (Muller, 11/16)

Scientific American: Who Is Dying From COVID Now, And Why 
For the past several weeks, the COVID death rate in the U.S. has stayed fairly steady, with 2,344 people dying of the illness in the seven-day period ending on November 9, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even so, the U.S. still accounts for a large portion of all confirmed COVID deaths happening around the globe, and it has the highest number of confirmed COVID deaths of any country. There have been 1.2 million excess deaths in the U.S. since February 2020, according to the CDC—losses that have reshaped almost every part of American life. (Schreiber, 11/16)

KHN: Blackfeet Nation Challenges Montana Ban On Vaccine Mandates As Infringement On Sovereignty
J.R. Myers’ frustration grew as he read the email: To attend a local economic development council meeting in Browning — the largest community on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana — he had to bring proof he was vaccinated against covid-19. It was November 2021. Six months earlier, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, had signed a law prohibiting businesses and governments from discriminating against people who aren’t vaccinated against covid or other diseases. To Myers, the requirement to attend the meeting of the Glacier County Regional Port Authority — formed by local governments in Glacier County’s tribal and nontribal areas — appeared to violate that law. (Houghton, 11/17)

Stat: Across 10 Countries, Primary Care Doctors Report High Burnout
The increased stress doctors have faced throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is making some feel like they are providing worse patient care, according to a new survey of primary care physicians from 10 wealthy countries. (Joseph, 11/17)

Axios: Burnout Plagues Younger Primary Care Physicians
Half of U.S. primary care physicians under the age of 55 say they're burned out and some anticipate leaving the profession in the next three years, per a new survey from the Commonwealth Fund. It's the latest evidence of doctor shortages that could hamper efforts to reduce health disparities and fill gaps in care as the nation emerges from the pandemic. (Dreher, 11/17)

In related news —

The Boston Globe: ‘It Feels Like We Just Got Them Into Harvard’: The High-Stakes Mission To Ease Gridlock Inside Mass. Hospital Emergency Departments
Gail McCabe has gotten good at scrounging and pleading, hunting for places that will accept patients ready to be discharged from Tufts Medical Center. They need rehabilitation or long-term care, but few facilities have room for them. (Lazar, 11/16)

More health care industry news —

Yahoo Finance: Uber Health Looking To Expand Food, Medical Delivery Services
Uber Health, a subsidy of the popular ride-sharing app, has seen growing demand for services as it continues its foray into the $4 trillion health-care industry. Global Head of Uber Health Caitlin Donovan said there is especially growing interest in delivery services for specialized meals and medical devices. When it launched in 2018, it was primarily for patient ride services. (Khemlani, 11/16)

Stat: Why Doesn't The U.S. Have More Black Doctors?
When LaShyra “Lash” Nolen was learning about how to recognize signs of Lyme disease in a class at Harvard Medical School, a fellow Black classmate pointed out that all the examples featured people with white skin. ”How would I recognize these on someone’s skin who looked like mine?” her classmate asked. (Trang, 11/16)

KHN: Fight Over Health Care Minimum Wage Yields A Split Decision In Southern California
An expensive fight over health worker pay in two Southern California cities appears to have ended in a draw, with each side claiming a victory and a loss. Inglewood residents were poised to approve a ballot measure that would boost the minimum wage to $25 at private hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and dialysis clinics. The latest vote count showed Measure HC leading 54% to 46%, according to Los Angeles County election officials. In Duarte, roughly 35 miles away, voters were on track to decisively reject a similar proposal, Measure J, 63% to 37%. (Bluth, 11/17)

KHN: How Banks And Private Equity Cash In When Patients Can’t Pay Their Medical Bills
Patients at North Carolina-based Atrium Health get what looks like an enticing pitch when they go to the nonprofit hospital system’s website: a payment plan from lender AccessOne. The plans offer “easy ways to make monthly payments” on medical bills, the website says. You don’t need good credit to get a loan. Everyone is approved. Nothing is reported to credit agencies. In Minnesota, Allina Health encourages its patients to sign up for an account with MedCredit Financial Services to “consolidate your health expenses.” In Southern California, Chino Valley Medical Center, part of the Prime Healthcare chain, touts “promotional financing options with the CareCredit credit card to help you get the care you need, when you need it.” (Levey and Pattani, 11/17)

Modern Healthcare: OptumRx To Cover Biosimilars For Humira
By placing biosimilars on the same formulary level as Humira, OptumRx will allow members to continue using the brand-name medicine or switch to a lower-cost alternative. OptumRx is the first PBM to reveal how it plans to deal with the high-cost, brand-name drug when competitors hit the market. AbbVie did not immediately respond to an interview request. (Tepper, 11/16)

Bloomberg: UnitedHealth To Keep AbbVie’s Humira Drug Available As Biosimilar Sales Start
The decision disclosed by Heather Cianfrocco, chief executive of UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx unit, at the HLTH conference Tuesday in Las Vegas is at least a partial win for AbbVie. The company’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment Humira has generated almost $200 billion in sales in nearly two decades on the market. (Tozzi, 11/15)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Stat: Vertex Made Cystic Fibrosis Manageable. Executives Say That’s Just The Start
Vertex Pharmaceuticals reshaped the way doctors treat cystic fibrosis, turning what was once a childhood death sentence into a manageable condition — and making the Boston biotech a multi-billion-dollar company in the process. Its next goal? Reproducing that success. (Wosen, 11/17)

CBS News: As STDs Proliferate, Companies Rush To Market At-Home Test Kits. But Are They Reliable?
Online shoppers can already choose from more than a dozen self-testing kits, typically ranging in price from $69 to $500, depending on the brand and the variety of infections they can detect. But, except for HIV tests, the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved STD test kits for use outside a medical setting. That leaves consumers unsure about their reliability even as at-home use grows dramatically. (Szabo, 11/17)

Stat: Thrive Founders Launch Blood Testing Startup To Spot Cancer's Return
Among the many anxiety-inducing issues faced by cancer patients is the question of whether the disease will return. The fathers of a new field of cancer diagnostics, known as liquid biopsies, have a test in the works that could give patients answers. (DeAngelis, 11/16)

Stat: For Eisai, Success Against Alzheimer's Has Been Long Time Coming
A once-in-a-generation medicine was built on more than two decades of regret. In 1997, Eisai launched Aricept, a revolutionary treatment for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, invented and developed by the company’s scientists in Japan. The arrival of the drug was a galvanizing moment for Eisai — a blockbuster product for a company on the rise and the first of what was expected to be a string of medicines to slow or even reverse the effects of the disease. Instead, a succession of promising ideas resulted in failure after failure. (Feuerstein, Mast and Garde, 11/17)

Stat: Lilly CEO Says Twitter Flap Over Insulin Costs Shows 'More Work To Do'
After a tweet from a fake corporate account last week claimed Eli Lilly would give insulin away for free, the drugmaker’s chief executive officer acknowledged the need to do a better job of widening access to the life-saving diabetes treatment and change perceptions of its existing efforts to do so. (Silverman, 11/16)

AP: Officials: Monkeypox Contributed To Indiana Resident's Death 
Monkeypox was a contributing factor in the recent death of an Indiana resident, state health officials said Wednesday. The Indiana Department of Health said the person who died had a monkeypox infection as well as multiple other health conditions which contributed to that individual’s death. Patient privacy laws prevent officials from releasing additional information about the person who died. (11/16)

The New York Times: NYC Ends Monkeypox Emergency And Mobile Vaccine Vans 
The city’s mobile vaccination program for monkeypox, which has placed vans outside community centers, nightclubs and sex parties since late summer, has lost its funding and is coming to an end. The mass vaccination sites that the city set up this summer also closed on Nov. 14. (Otterman, 11/17)

In other outbreaks and health threats —

CIDRAP: Arizona's Maricopa County Reports Local Dengue Case
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) in Arizona this week reported a dengue infection in someone who was probably exposed to an infected mosquito in Maricopa County. Mosquito surveillance has detected dengue virus in a mosquito trap in one of the county's neighborhood, the MCDPH said in a Nov 14 press release. (11/16)

Bloomberg: Ebola Shots Donated By Merck To Be Tested On Vaccine-Resistant Strain
Ebola vaccine that Merck & Co. donated to an international immunization group will be part of a trial testing three shots against a resistant strain of the deadly virus that’s spreading in Uganda. (John Milton, 11/16)

NPR: How Can We Stop Hendra Virus From Spilling Over From Bats To Horses ... To Us?
Fortunately, Hendra doesn't spread easily among humans. There have only been seven documented cases, but four of them were lethal. And each time a virus jumps from animals to humans — in this case, from bat to horse to person — it gets another chance at evolving and becoming more infectious. (Daniel, 11/16)

PBS NewsHour: Why The Ongoing Bird Flu Outbreak Is Driving Up Poultry Costs Ahead Of Thanksgiving 
The only known human case in the U.S. during the current outbreak was found in a man in Colorado who had contact with infected birds. The man tested positive once, then negative on follow-up tests, and reported only mild symptoms, so health experts theorized that the virus may have been present in his nose without actually causing an infection. (Sato, 11/16)

The Hill: Texas Bills Seek To Add Criminal Penalties To Gender-Affirming Health Care, Drag Performances
At least three bills filed Monday in the Texas House would designate gender-affirming care for minors as child abuse under state law, and another would revoke liability insurance for providers that prescribe medications used to treat gender dysphoria in minors. (Migdon, 11/16)

Dallas Morning News: Safety, Sex Ed And School Funding: Lawmakers Pre-File Dozens Of K-12 Bills
Several bills address how school leaders can respond to students who have a history of violent behavior or mental health issues, including HB 34 filed by Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands. The bill would codify the requirement for every primary and secondary school to establish an annual “classroom safety review committee” that could oversee school safety initiatives and even refer students with a history of violence to law enforcement or alternative schools. (Mangrum, 11/16)

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

New Hampshire Bulletin: ‘Family Glitch’ Fix Makes Thousands Of Granite Staters Newly Qualified For Cheaper Insurance
The “open enrollment” window to buy subsidized health care from the federal government opened Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15. Here’s the bigger news: A fix of the so-called “family glitch” means thousands more people may now qualify for cheaper insurance – but not know it. (Timmins, 11/16)

Billings Gazette: Montana Health Department Sued After Denying Public Records Request
Disability Rights Montana filed a lawsuit against the state health department Wednesday after the agency denied a public records request regarding the hiring of Mike Randol, head of Montana’s Medicaid and Health Services program. (Schabacker, 11/16)

Bloomberg: New Jersey’s Bill For Controversial Horizon Health-Cost Program Hits $75 Million
New Jersey has paid $75 million for a controversial health-cost savings program that’s been under fire from unions and was the subject of a contract dispute last year between the state Treasury and its health insurer, a letter from the state’s auditor shows. (Tozzi, 11/16)

The CT Mirror: CT Expanding Supportive Housing For Adults With Disabilities
All her life, Bethanne Debellis knew she didn’t want to go into a group home. She wanted the independence to make decisions — like what time to go to bed and how to decorate her kitchen. But she still needed some support, so her only option was to live at her parents’ house in West Hartford until a new supportive housing facility opened in Bloomfield earlier this year. (Monk, 11/17)

Columbus Dispatch: Child Sexual Assault, Abuse In Ohio Is Common
Thousands of Ohio children are sexually abused every year, with dozens of reports coming daily to child protective and police officials across the state's 88 counties. In recent years, child protective workers annually investigated nearly 10,000 reports of child sexual abuse, a USA TODAY Network Ohio analysis shows. That number is close to the child populations of the cities of Mansfield or Delaware. (Laird, DeMio and Bruner, 11/15)

ScienceDaily: Ancient Disease Has Potential To Regenerate Livers 
Scientists have discovered that parasites associated with leprosy can reprogramme cells to increase the size of a liver in adult animals without causing damage, scarring or tumors. (University of Edinburgh, 11/15)

CIDRAP: Long-COVID Rate May Be Similar Whether Hospitalized Or Not 
Nearly 60% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 68% of their nonhospitalized counterparts seen at two healthcare centers in Madrid, Spain, early in the pandemic reported still having at least one symptom 2 years later, suggests a study published today in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 11/15)

CIDRAP: As Global COVID Cases Rise, Multiple Viruses Stress Health Systems 
Global COVID-19 cases showed a small rise last week, with infection increasing in three world regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its weekly update. (Schnirring, 11/16)

New England Journal of Medicine: Safety And Efficacy Of A Monoclonal Antibody Against Malaria In Mali 
CIS43LS is a monoclonal antibody that was shown to protect against controlled Plasmodium falciparum infection in a phase 1 clinical trial. Whether a monoclonal antibody can prevent P. falciparum infection in a region in which the infection is endemic is unknown. (Kayentao. M.D., Ph.D, et al, 11/17)

The Boston Globe: Antiabortion Pregnancy Centers Are Deceiving Women. They Need To Know That
Crisis pregnancy centers often locate near abortion clinics in a bid to draw in unwitting patients. And they provide inaccurate medical information and incomplete care. That can be dangerous. (11/17)

CNN: I'm An Epidemiologist, And My Daughter's RSV Case Shook Me 
My 2-year-old daughter, Laila, recently came down with the respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, a common and highly contagious virus, and required trips to our local urgent care clinic, our pediatrician’s office and the emergency department – all within the span of five days. (Syra Madad, 11/16)

Stat: Eradicating Polio Using Lessons From Countries Fighting It 
Despite growing up in two countries — Pakistan (Z.B.) and Cameroon (R.L.) — separated by 7,000 kilometers, we both know what it is like to live and work in communities plagued by polio. As a physician, one of us (Z.B.) has sat beside countless parents as they come to terms with the life-long disability, and sometimes even death, of their child. (Rose Gana Fomban Leke and Zulfiqar Bhutta, 11/17)

Newsweek: Life And Death—More Black And Brown Health Professionals Needed 
With lack of resources, access to quality health care, medical providers and a long history of rightful distrust of the medical community combined with systemic racism, it all adds up to poor health outcomes and premature death for Black people. (Rukiya Curvey-Johnson, 11/16)

The Tennessean: Comprehensive Sex Ed Could Promote Adolescent Mental Health
Comprehensive sex education, not generally taught in Tennessee, has far-reaching benefits beyond sexual health, including promoting adolescent mental health. (Suzannah Ward, 11/16)

Chicago Tribune: Pass An Assault Weapons Ban Now For Our Children
As pediatric emergency medicine doctors, we care for kids who have been shot more now than any other time in history. (Tyler Lennon, Samaa Kemal and Jillian Gorski, 11/16)