Reuters: Hunger In US Continued Multi-Year Rise In 2023, Government Report Says 
Hunger reached its highest point in the United States in nearly a decade last year, with 18 million households, or 13.5%, struggling at some point to secure enough food, a Department of Agriculture report released on Wednesday said. Hunger has been on the rise in the country since 2021, after years of decline. U.S. Census Bureau data last year showed a rise in food insecurity after the end of programs that expanded food aid during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report did not provide an explanation for the increase. (Douglas, 9/4)

Newsweek: Map Shows States With Highest Food Insecurity As 47 Million Go Hungry
Millions of Americans are increasingly experiencing hunger because they live in households that can't afford to sustain proper diets, and a Newsweek map shows where food insecurity is hitting hardest. (Higham, 9/5)

In news about SNAP benefits —

Kiowa County Press: Deadline To Replace Stolen SNAP Benefits Looms 
The deadline to replace Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for recipients whose benefits were electronically stolen or skimmed is fast approaching. A September 30, 2024, deadline looms for those who had their benefits stolen between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2024, to replace their lost benefits. This comes after Congress passed a law in December 2022, hoping to reduce SNAP benefit theft. (Joyce, 9/4)

The Center Square: SNAP Benefits A Sticking Point That Is Holding Up The New Farm Bill 
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP program, has been a major talking point when it comes to negotiating the new Farm Bill. Republicans on the House Committee on Agriculture passed a version of the farm bill that would effectively cut nearly $30 billion in benefits over the next decade. (Bessler, 9/3)

Civil Eats: Project 2025 Calls For Major Cuts To SNAP And WIC 
Criticizing the USDA as “a major welfare agency,” the agenda takes issue with the agency’s long-standing nutrition programs that help feed millions of low-income Americans every year, including pregnant women, infants, and K-12 school children. It outlines policies that would substantially cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It would also shrink federal support for universal school meal programs. (Moran, 8/28)

Advantage News: Illinois Sees Sharp Rise In SNAP Benefit Recipients
With the state now home to the seventh highest share of resident using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford is urging lawmakers to do more to aid the growing number of individuals now struggling to survive. (Talamonti, 9/4)

Vox: How To Stop Mass Shootings Before They Start: What Experts Say Can Help
“One of the big stereotypes, or myths we have about mass shootings in general, is that perpetrators who do this go crazy and just snap,” says Mark Follman, author of the book Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America, and an editor at Mother Jones. “That’s not the reality at all of how this works.” Mass shootings are almost never random, according to Follman. The vast majority of mass shooters don’t spontaneously decide to pull out a gun in public and start shooting. Learning to identify who’s most at risk for committing mass violence, identifying warning signs and finding ways to intervene, can save lives. (Cogan, 9/4)

AP: Teen Charged With Killing 4 At Georgia High School Had Been Focus Of Earlier Tips About Threats 
More than a year ago, tips about online posts threatening a school shooting led Georgia police to interview a 13-year-old boy, but investigators didn’t have enough evidence for an arrest. On Wednesday, that boy opened fire at his high school outside Atlanta and killed four people and wounded nine, officials said. ... The sheriff’s office interviewed the then-13-year-old and his father, who said there were hunting guns in the house but the teen did not have unsupervised access to them. The teen also denied making any online threats. The sheriff’s office alerted local schools for continued monitoring of the teen, but there was no probable cause for arrest or additional action, the FBI said. (Amy, 9/5)

AP: A List Of Mass Killings In The United States This Year
It was the country’s 30th mass killing this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. At least 131 people have died this year in those killings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI. Last year ended with 217 deaths from 42 mass killings in the U.S., making 2023 one of the deadliest years on record. (9/4)

Statista: U.S. Mass Shootings, By Prior Signs Of Shooter's Mental Health Issues 
In 72 cases out of a total of 150 reported mass shootings in the United States since 1982, the shooter(s) displayed prior signs of mental health problems. In 17 cases out of 150, there were no signs of mental health issues in the shooters. (9/5)

Also —

AP: Trial Expected To Focus On Shooter's Competency In 2021 Colorado Supermarket Massacre 
The closest thing to a possible motive in the King Soopers shooting revealed so far was when a mental health evaluator testified during a competency hearing last year that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa said he bought firearms to carry out a mass shooting and suggested that he wanted police to kill him. Alissa is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 15 counts of attempted murder and other offenses, including having six high-capacity ammunition magazine devices banned in Colorado after previous mass shootings. (Slevin, 9/3)

CIDRAP: Study Puts Understanding Of Long COVID And Vaccination Into Question 
A new study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggests that being vaccinated against COVID-19 does little to prevent long COVID. The findings contradict what has become conventional wisdom in the last 3 years—that vaccines offer a chance to significantly reduce the risk of long COVID, or new or persistent symptoms 3 months or more after infection, most likely by reducing the severity of infection. (Soucheray, 9/4)

CIDRAP: Wearable Activity Trackers Could Offer Early Clues On COVID-19 
A new study from researchers at the University of South Australia reveals that wearable activity trackers, such as Apple Watches and Fitbits, show promise in detecting early signals of disease—particularly atrial fibrillation associated with stroke and COVID-19. The study is published in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth. ... For COVID-19 diagnosis, wearables were accurate 87.5% of the time. The authors said the wearables were as accurate as rapid antigen tests, or lateral flow devices. (Soucheray, 9/4)

The Hill: Pregnancy Complications Spiked During Early Months Of Pandemic: Study
The COVID-19 pandemic caused more women to suffer serious health issues during their pregnancies than previously known, according to a new study.  ... The study, published Wednesday in the journal Epidemiology, shows a connection between the pandemic and an increase in rates of gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders and gestational weight gain among pregnant women. (O'Connell-Domenech, 9/4)

KFF Health News: Boom, Now Bust: Budget Cuts And Layoffs Take Hold In Public Health
Even as federal aid poured into state budgets in response to the covid-19 pandemic, public health leaders warned of a boom-and-bust funding cycle on the horizon as the emergency ended and federal grants sunsetted. Now, that drought has become reality and state governments are slashing budgets that feed local health departments. Congress allotted more than $800 billion to support states’ covid responses, fueling a surge in the public health workforce nationwide. (Orozco Rodriguez, 9/5)

On the spread of covid and flu —

The Guardian: ‘A Ton Of Covid Out There’: US Summer Wave Not Taken Seriously Enough – Experts 
Infectious disease experts say many people are not taking the latest Covid-19 wave in the US seriously enough and are not getting vaccinated or using antiviral drugs when sick, despite a summer wave that was larger and came earlier than anticipated. Epidemiologists are saying that while symptoms of this wave are more mild than earlier strains, the virus remains a threat – particularly for older adults and people with underlying health conditions. (Berger, 9/4)

The Atlantic: It Matters If It’s COVID
According to the CDC’s latest data, levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater are “very high” in every region of the country; national levels have been “very high” for about a month. Test positivity is higher now than it was during the most recent winter surge: Many people who seem like they might have COVID and who are curious or sick enough to get a test that’s recorded in these official statistics are turning out to, indeed, have COVID. COVID-19 remains deadlier than the flu, and has the potential to cause debilitating symptoms that can last for years. (Gutman-Wei, 9/4)

NBC News: Flu Shots Are Here. When's The Ideal Time To Get One, And Should You Get It With The Covid Vaccine?
Flu shot season is upon us. Pharmacies began giving out the vaccines — which are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older — last month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting a flu shot either this month or next, since flu activity typically picks up in the fall, with cases reaching their peak sometime from December to February. It takes around two weeks for the vaccine to become fully effective. (Bendix, 9/4)

Bloomberg: Potential Outbreak-Causing Viruses Found In China’s Animals Farmed For Fur
Novel and potentially dangerous viruses, including coronaviruses and influenza, are harbored in raccoon dogs, mink and other animals farmed for fur in China, scientists found in the first in-depth investigation of the seldom-studied critters. Researchers scoured for viruses in the lungs, intestines and other tissues of 461 individual fur animals that were found dead due to disease across China. They identified 125 virus species, including 36 that were novel and 39 at potentially-high risk of crossing the species barrier, including spilling over to infect humans. (Gale, 9/5)

On mpox —

Stat: Moderna Reports Encouraging Results On Its MRNA-Based Mpox Vaccine
The emergence of a second mpox outbreak in which the virus is spreading from person-to-person, as well as a sharp increase in overall cases of the disease in several African countries, is straining the world’s capacity to make and distribute vaccine to battle the threat. New options are needed, and a study published Wednesday suggests another may be on the horizon. (Branswell, 9/4)

Bloomberg: Mpox Vaccines To Start Arriving In Congo Thursday, WHO Head Says
The World Health Organization expects mpox vaccines will arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo Thursday as a lethal outbreak of the disease that’s become a global health emergency spreads. The shots are a donation from the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response unit, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus told reporters Wednesday. (Kew, 9/4)

Other outbreaks and health threats —

Wyoming Public Radio: Anthrax Detected In Multiple Beef Herds And A Dead Moose In Carbon County
Anthrax has been detected in multiple beef herds in Carbon County near Elk Mountain. The State Veterinary Laboratory confirmed the cattle diagnosis late afternoon on Aug. 31. A dead moose in the area also tested positive for the bacterial disease, according to lab results received by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Sept. 3. The Wyoming Livestock Board says these are the first confirmed cases of anthrax in Wyoming cattle since the 1970s. Game and Fish says the last confirmed case in wildlife occurred in 1956 in Sublette County. (Ouellet, 9/4)

New Hampshire Public Radio: How To Stay Safe From Triple E And Other Mosquito-Borne Illnesses In New Hampshire
There’s been a lot of attention on mosquito-borne illnesses in recent weeks, after a Hampstead man died from eastern equine encephalitis, also known as Triple E. The rare but serious virus has also been detected in several animals – including multiple batches of mosquitoes – across the state. Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire’s state epidemiologist, says it’s not uncommon for these viruses to peak every few years — and Triple E, in particular, is especially active this season. (9/5)

NPR: State Fairs Pose Risk For Spread Of Bird Flu, Caution Experts
Between July and October states across the country hold their annual state fairs. The events are known for things like Ferris wheels and corn dogs, sculptures made entirely from butter and the biggest pig in the state. But state fairs can also be places where it’s easier to spread disease – bringing humans and animals from farms across the state into close contact. That’s of particular concern this year, as H5N1 or bird flu infections have been confirmed in dairy cattle in 14 U.S. states, including in California as of last Thursday. (Thorp, 9/4)

Central Florida Public Media: A Tale Of Two (Invasive) Lizards: UF Scientists Explore A Unique Public Health Connection 
As a battle for territory unfolds between two species of lizards invasive to Florida, a team of University of Florida scientists is trying to determine what it could mean for public health. (Duerig, 9/4)

CBS News: Neither Trump Nor Harris Has Released Comprehensive Recent Medical Records As Election Day Nears
With two months to go until Election Day, neither former President Donald Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris has released comprehensive recent medical records, leaving voters in the dark about the current state of their health. Trump, 78, would be the oldest person to ever assume the Oval Office. And the 59-year-old Harris, who became the Democratic nominee last month and ran for president in 2020, hasn't publicly released the results of a comprehensive physical in either of her bids for the White House. (Watson, 9/4)

CalMatters: How Will California Health Care Change Under Trump Or Harris? Here’s What Their Records Show
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stand far apart on most issues, and health care is no exception. The November election carries major implications for Californians’ access to health care and the cost they pay for it. (Ibarra, 9/3)

Other election news on pregnancy and abortion —

The Wall Street Journal: How America’s Baby Bust Became An Election Issue 
America’s falling birthrate is becoming a bigger issue in this year’s election. A small but dedicated cadre of advocates has pushed the topic to the forefront of conservative policy agendas in Washington and Silicon Valley, warning that U.S. economic growth and the solvency of Social Security depend on lifting fertility from its record-low levels. Democrats, meanwhile, are offering more support for new parents through Vice President Kamala Harris’s Opportunity Economy plan without explicitly tying it to incentivizing childbearing. (Whyte, 9/5)

Politico: Trump Pivoted On Florida’s Abortion Ban. Here’s What Anti-Abortion Leaders Want Next
The anti-abortion activists celebrating Donald Trump’s vow to vote no on Florida’s upcoming abortion-rights amendment have their sights on a bigger target: extracting a promise from the former president to staff his administration with staunch abortion opponents if he wins in November. (Ollstein and McGraw, 9/5)

Roll Call: Once A Liability For Democrats, Abortion Gets New Life With Harris As Nominee 
Reproductive rights groups say they are more confident that Vice President Kamala Harris will be able to appeal to voters, with some citing frustration with President Joe Biden’s abortion messaging. Abortion access and reproductive rights have been a central theme in Harris’ campaign since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, with reproductive rights groups hopeful that the Harris campaign can use her message on the issue to further fuel voters’ enthusiasm for her. (Heller, 9/4)

NBC News: States With Strictest Abortion Laws Offer The Least Support For Women And Families
New research from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago compared state abortion laws to public programs meant to help families, such as paid parental leave and state-funded nutrition programs for families with children. “States with the most severe abortion restrictions have the least public infrastructure to support families,” said Dr. Nigel Madden, a maternal-fetal medicine physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who led the study published Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health. (Sullivan, 9/4)

The Louisiana Illuminator: Doctors Grapple With How To Save Women's Lives Amid 'Confusion And Angst' Over New Louisiana Law
When a woman starts bleeding out after labor, every second matters. But soon, under a new state law, Louisiana doctors might not be able to quickly access one of the most widely used life-saving medications for postpartum hemorrhage. The Louisiana Illuminator spoke with several doctors across the state that voiced extreme concern about how the rescheduling of misoprostol as a controlled dangerous substance will impact inpatient care at hospitals. Misoprostol is prescribed in a number of medical scenarios — it’s an essential part of reproductive health care that can be used during emergencies, as well as for miscarriage treatment, labor induction, or intrauterine device (IUD) insertion. (O'Neil, 9/3)

AP: Judge Blocks Ohio From Enforcing Laws Restricting Medication Abortions
Two more Ohio laws restricting abortions have been blocked by the courts as the legal impacts of a 2023 constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to the procedure continue to be felt. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway issued a preliminary injunction Aug. 29 that extends an existing order temporarily halting enforcement of a law banning use of telemedicine in medication abortions. It also blocks another law prohibiting non-doctors — including midwives, advanced practice nurses and physician assistants — from prescribing the abortion pill mifepristone used in the procedure. (Smyth, 9/4)

More reproductive health news —

CNN: Cervical Cancer Screening Self-Collection Kits Now Being Shipped, As Some Patients Opt To Forgo The Pap Smear Speculum
The first shipments of some self-collection HPV tests for cervical cancer screening are currently on their way to doctors’ offices across the United States. In May, the US Food and Drug Administration gave the greenlight for patients to have the option to collect their own vaginal samples for cervical cancer screenings instead of undergoing traditional HPV tests or Pap smears, which involve a speculum to screen for the disease. Similar to how they may collect their own urine samples, patients can now collect their own vaginal samples in a health-care setting, such as a doctor’s office, urgent care or pharmacy clinic. (Howard, 9/5)

Stat: Immune System Sex Differences Revealed In Study Of Trans Men 
Researchers have long known that, in general, women are more susceptible to autoimmune disorders than men, who are more vulnerable to infectious disease. But why? New research drawing on people who’ve undergone gender-affirming care suggests that hormones are a key part of the answer. (Wosen, 9/4)

CBS News: Women With False Positive Mammograms Are Less Likely To Return For Follow-Up, Study Says
A new study finds that women who receive a false positive result on a screening mammogram are often lost to follow-up. If you have ever received a call about an abnormal mammogram, you know it can be terrifying, but many of these scares turn out to be false-positives, meaning that after additional imaging or a biopsy, there is no cancer found. False-positive results are common, occurring in 10 to 12% of mammograms in women in their 40s. (Marshall, 9/4)

The 19th: Can You Trust AI To Detect Sexually Transmitted Infections?
In March, health technology startup HeHealth debuted Calmara AI, an app proclaiming to be “your intimacy bestie for safer sex.” The app was heavily marketed to women, who were told they could upload a picture of their partner’s penis for Calmara to scan for evidence of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Users would get an emoji-laden “Clear!” or “Hold!!!” verdict — with a disclaimer saying the penis in question wasn’t necessarily free of all STIs. (Mithani, 9/4)

USA Today: Steward Health CEO Ralph De La Torre Refuses Senate Subpoena
The CEO of Steward Health Care told senators Wednesday that despite a subpoena he would not appear before a bipartisan Senate committee next week to answer questions about the financial dealings of his bankrupt hospital chain. In a bipartisan vote in July, a Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions authorized the subpoena mandating [Ralph] de la Torre to be present on Sept. 12 for testimony in Washington, D.C. (Alltucker, 9/4)

Reuters: Bankrupt Steward Health Approved To Sell Six Massachusetts Hospitals At A Loss 
Steward Health Care, the largest private hospital operator in the U.S., received a bankruptcy judge's approval on Wednesday to sell six Massachusetts hospitals, despite taking no profit from the $343 million sale. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez approved the sales as "the best deal that's on the table," at a court hearing in Houston, Texas. The sale will allow Steward to stem its losses and minimize the disruption to patients, even though the company won't make any money from the sale, Steward's attorney Candace Arthur told Lopez. (Knauth, 9/4)

More hospital news —

San Francisco Chronicle: Sutter Health Charged 30% More Than Other Hospitals, New Study Finds
New research from University of Southern California health economists has found evidence that Sutter Health began implementing allegedly anticompetitive contracting practices in the early 2000s that resulted in prices 30% higher than at comparable hospitals. The findings echo some of the claims in recent lawsuits — including one that had been resolved in Sutter’s favor — accusing the health care giant of abusing its market power to charge insurers and consumers higher prices for medical care. (Ho, 9/4)

Military.com: VA Hospitals Earn High Marks In New Federal Ratings 
A new quality assessment of U.S. hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave nearly 58% of Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers the highest four- or five-star ratings -- down 9% from 2023. The VA scores were still significantly higher than private medical centers, only 40% of which earned four or five stars. The department announced Tuesday that its hospitals also outperformed non-VA facilities on patient satisfaction surveys, which gave 79% of VA hospitals four or five stars, compared with 40% of non-VA hospitals. (Kime, 9/4)

Crain's Detroit Business: Henry Ford Health To Take Over 8 Ascension Hospitals
A joint venture between Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan will launch on Oct. 1, a spokesperson for Henry Ford Health confirmed to Crain’s. Under the no-cash deal, eight Ascension and Genesys hospitals and an addiction treatment center will be rebranded under Henry Ford Health. (Walsh, 9/4)

Also —

Fierce Healthcare: Humana Exiting Medicare Advantage In 13 Markets
Humana reaffirmed its full-year guidance but is leaving 13 Medicare Advantage (MA) markets next year, Chief Financial Officer Susan Diamond said during the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference on Wednesday. Other members will have fewer plans to choose from in certain geographies. Diamond explained around 560,000 members, or 10% of its individual MA membership base, would be impacted by the cutbacks, but Humana anticipates it will absorb about half of those members into other plans. (Tong, 9/4)

Modern Healthcare: The Ensign Group Acquires 8 Skilled Nursing Facilities
Senior living company The Ensign Group acquired eight skilled nursing facilities across Colorado and Kansas in two separate deals, the company announced Tuesday. The Ensign Group acquired the operations of seven Colorado nursing homes for an undisclosed amount, according to a news release. (Eastabrook, 9/4)

Axios: Health Worker Shortages Forecast Thru 2028
Continued worker burnout and more demand for care from an aging population will drive health care workforce shortages into 2028 — though with significant variations by state, according to a Mercer analysis. While there's been considerable attention paid to physician shortages, the analysis highlights an acute need for more nurse practitioners, even in states like California and Texas that will have overall surpluses of health workers. (Goldman, 9/5)

KFF Health News: Errors In Deloitte-Run Medicaid Systems Can Cost Millions And Take Years To Fix
The computer systems run by the consulting giant Deloitte that millions of Americans rely on for Medicaid and other government benefits are prone to errors that can take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to update. While states wait for fixes from Deloitte, beneficiaries risk losing access to health care and food. Changes needed to fix Deloitte-run eligibility systems often pile on costs to the government that are much higher than the original contracts, which can slow the process of fixing errors. (Liss and Pradhan, 9/5)

KFF Health News: Patients Suffer When Indian Health Service Doesn’t Pay For Outside Care
When the Indian Health Service can’t provide medical care to Native Americans, the federal agency can refer them elsewhere. But each year, it rejects tens of thousands of requests to fund those appointments, forcing patients to go without treatment or pay daunting medical bills out of their own pockets. In theory, Native Americans are entitled to free health care when the Indian Health Service foots the bill at its facilities or sites managed by tribes. (Zionts and Houghton, 9/5)

Reuters: US Pharmacy Chain Rite Aid To Operate As A Private Company As It Emerges From Bankruptcy 
Rite Aid will operate as a private company after it successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the U.S. drugstore chain said on Tuesday. The pharmacy has used its bankruptcy to close hundreds of stores, sell its pharmacy benefit company Elixir, and negotiate settlements with its lenders, drug distribution partner McKesson and other creditors. (9/4)

The Hill: U.S. Allows Increased Vyvanse Production Amid ADHD Drug Shortage
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has allowed an increase in Vyvanse production of around 24 percent to help with the ADHD drug shortage nationwide. The DEA greenlighted the spike in production following a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) request, according to a notice first reported by Bloomberg News. The FDA’s request came in July. (Timotija, 9/4)

Reuters: Walgreens Hit With Lawsuit Claiming Generic Cold Medicine Has Cancer-Causing Chemical 
Walgreens is facing a proposed class action lawsuit brought on Wednesday by customers who say they weren’t warned that the pharmacy chain’s generic version of cold medicine Mucinex contains a cancer-causing chemical. The lawsuit, filed in Chicago federal court, claims Walgreens did not label the products or otherwise warn customers that they contained benzene, a known carcinogen. (Jones, 9/4)

Reuters: Johnson & Johnson Adds $1.1 Billion To Proposed Talc Settlement 
Johnson & Johnson plans to pay an additional $1.1 billion to resolve tens of thousands of legal actions alleging its baby powder and other talc products caused cancer, two people familiar with the matter said. The increase would boost the size of the settlement to more than $9 billion paid over 25 years. J&J on Wednesday said it reached an agreement with a plaintiffs' lawyer representing 12,000 clients to recommend the settlement offer to them, adding to support already received from other claimants. (Spector and Knauth, 9/4)

On weight loss drugs —

Modern Healthcare: Ochsner Health Digital Program To Offer Wegovy, Other GLP-1s
Ochsner Health is expanding its digital medicine program to offer weight management, the health system said Wednesday. Some patients in the program will have access to popular weight loss medications including glucagon-like peptide agonists, Ochsner said in a news release. The digital medicine program has previously focused on patients with hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia. (Perna, 9/4)

Military.com: Military Obesity Policies Need To Catch Up With Science, Look At New Weight Loss Drugs, Think Tank Says
The U.S. military spends $1.24 billion each year to address obesity in the ranks, but Defense Department policies have been slow to adopt weight management treatments, including therapies and medications such as Wegovy or Zepbound, to address a major readiness concern, according to new research. Obesity is the main reason potential recruits are disqualified from serving -- preventing an estimated 52,000 from joining last year -- and is a leading cause of separation from duty, with roughly 101,000 troops leaving from 2018 to 2022 for weight-related reasons, according to a paper published Wednesday by the American Security Project think tank. (Kime, 9/4)

The Dallas Morning News: Fentanyl Vaccine Heads For Clinical Trials, With Goal Of Saving Lives
A fentanyl vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Houston is expected to head to clinical trials sometime in the middle of next year, with the hope of being a groundbreaking solution to a deadly crisis. The vaccine, which has shown success in animal studies, is designed to stop the highly addictive opioid from entering the brain and causing an overdose. Biopharmaceutical startup Ovax acquired the license to produce and test the vaccine in November 2023 and raised over $10 million toward that effort by June. (Fauzia, 9/4)

Politico: Democrats And Republicans Say Methadone Can End The Fentanyl Epidemic. Methadone Clinics Say That’s Naive
A plan to expand access to the drug treatment is hung up on fears of a black market, despite bipartisan support. (Paun, 9/5)

The New York Times: Rethinking Addiction As A Chronic Brain Disease 
Some researchers argue that the roles of social environment and personal choice have to be considered in order to make progress in treating people addicted to drugs. (Hoffman, 9/3)

In related news about depression —

Stat: Brain Scans Can Predict Depression Treatment Outcomes, Study Says
Depression has many faces. Some people can’t sleep, while others struggle to get out of bed. Even though symptoms and severity can vary from person to person, a recent study found that a specific brain circuit might be associated with the mental malady. (Broderick, 9/4)

Houston Chronicle: UT Health Houston To Test Effectiveness Of Psilocybin For Depression
Researchers at UT Health Houston are looking for volunteers to test the effectiveness of psilocybin, the same chemical found in magic mushrooms, on stubborn cases of depression. Psilocybin has gained traction in recent years as a potential treatment for mood disorders. (Lomax V, 9/4)

Stateline: Emergency Responders Struggle With Burnout, Budgets As Disasters Mount
Climate change has rewritten the script for disasters, leaving communities vulnerable to weather patterns that don’t abide by schedules or the rules of past behavior. As a result, hundreds of thousands of emergency responders are facing unprecedented challenges —from burnout to post-traumatic stress disorder to tighter budgets — as they battle hurricanes, windstorms, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters that are more frequent and intense than those in the past. (Montgomery, 9/4)

More health news from across the U.S. —

San Francisco Chronicle: Gavin Newsom Pushes Back Against Prop 36 Treatment Claims
Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted supporters of a measure to increase jail time for thieves and drug users, saying Wednesday their argument that it will lead to more treatment is wrong. In recent weeks, supporters of the measure, which will appear as Proposition 36 on California ballots in November, have said it will usher in an era of “mass treatment.” (Bollag, 9/4)

CBS News: Juul To Pay Baltimore $7.5 Million For Marketing Flavored E-Cigarette's To City's Youth
Baltimore has won a 7.5 million lawsuit against the e-cigarette company, Juul, the most recent of three settlements against predatorial drug manufacturers in the past year. The city sued Juul Labs in 2020, accusing them of using deceptive marketing tactics aimed at children and teens by offering flavored vaping pens without disclosing their high nicotine content. (Adeolu, 9/4)

Reuters: Utah Top Court Skeptical Of Reviving Youth-Led Climate Change Case 
Utah's highest court on Wednesday appeared reluctant to revive a lawsuit by young people alleging the state was violating their right to life under the state's constitution by adopting laws that contribute to climate change by promoting fossil fuel development. (Raymond, 9/4)

Stateline: Demand For Bilingual Spanish Health Care Services Is Growing — Can Utah Keep Up?
When social worker Jules Martinez met one teen client, it seemed like the boy had given up: He’d dropped out of school, started selling drugs and stopped speaking with his mother. He’d been hospitalized multiple times for aggression and suicidal ideation and, as it later came out, was developing schizophrenia. The teen and his mother, like a number of Hispanic Utahns, struggled to find health care that took into account their language, cultural background and experiences several years after immigrating to the United States. (Chapman Gonzalez, 9/4)

ProPublica: Judge Orders Guardianship Firm to Return Thousands It Took From an Elderly Woman for Services It Never Provided
A New York judge has ordered one of the city’s most prominent guardianship companies to return thousands of dollars to an elderly woman for the court-mandated care and oversight it failed to provide her. Supreme Court Justice Lee Mayersohn wrote in an Aug. 8 decision that the company, New York Guardianship Services, billed Judith Zbiegniewicz monthly but provided “minimal services, if any” for years, including at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. (Pearson, 9/5)

ScienceDaily: Researchers Identify Mechanism Underlying Allergic Itching, And Show It Can Be Blocked
Researchers identified a mechanism for why some people will itch from an allergen or mosquito bite exposure, while others will not in a new study, and showed this pathway can be targeted to prevent allergic responses in preclinical models. (Mass General Brigham, 9/4)

ScienceDaily: 'Forever Chemicals' Influence The Development And Function Of The Brain 
Some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are poorly degradable and are also known as 'forever chemicals'. They adversely affect health and can lead to liver damage, obesity, hormonal disorders, and cancer. A research team has investigated the effects of PFAS on the brain. (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 9/4)

New England Journal of Medicine: A New Orthonairovirus Associated With Human Febrile Illness 
In June 2019, a patient presented with persistent fever and multiple organ dysfunction after a tick bite at a wetland park in Inner Mongolia. Next-generation sequencing in this patient revealed an infection with a previously unknown orthonairovirus, which we designated Wetland virus (WELV). (Zhang et al, 9/4)

New England Journal of Medicine: A Monoclonal Antibody To PACAP For Migraine Prevention
Targeting pituitary adenylate cyclase–activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a new avenue for treating migraine. The efficacy and safety of intravenous Lu AG09222, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the PACAP ligand, for migraine prevention are unclear. (Ashina et al, 9/4)

The Boston Globe: Don’t Panic Over EEE. But Be Cautious. 
The tragic death of New Hampshire resident Steven Perry is raising awareness — and concern — about the dangers of eastern equine encephalitis, a rare mosquito-borne disease. Perry was a healthy 41-year-old who worked as the director of a nursing agency and loved Boston sports, according to his family. He contracted EEE, was hospitalized, and died within a week, relatives told the Globe. (9/4)

Dallas Morning News: Will A Fentanyl Vaccine Turn The Tide In The War Against Opioids?
As law enforcement officials wage war against the fentanyl trade, we are encouraged by an announcement from Texas scientists that they are developing a vaccine against the opioid. Researchers at the University of Houston said a fentanyl vaccine they created will start clinical trials next year. (9/5)

Chicago Tribune: We Must Give Students A Mental Health Lifeline
The reality is stark: Youth suicide rates have risen steadily over the last 15 years and are currently the second leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14 and the third for those ages 15 to 24. These statistics are more than just numbers — they’re deeply personal to me. (Alison Malmon, 9/5)

Stat: Anti-Fluoridation Activists Are Wrong About This New Study 
Fluoride is having a rough day in the court of public opinion. The National Toxicology Program (NTP), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has released a comprehensive study titled “Monograph on the State of Science Concerning Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopment and Cognition,” and longtime fluoride foes argue that it includes a supposed bombshell finding: It linked high levels of fluoride with lower IQs in children. (Jess Steier, 9/5)

Mountain Times: Celebrating 60 Years Of The Food Stamp Act: Why SNAP Must Be Protected For Future Generations
Instead of a reauthorization, Congress passed a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, which ensured that funding for SNAP and other federal nutrition programs would not lapse. This year, the House and Senate agriculture committees finally took up the Farm Bill, resulting in two dangerously different visions for the future of food security and agriculture policies. (Ivy Enoch, 9/4)