ABC News: Biden Administration Opens New Office To Study Long COVID Response, NIH Begins Clinical Trials
The Biden administration announced Monday it is forming a new Office of Long COVID Research and Practice to study the condition and help those who have been diagnosed with it. The office, which will be under the Department of Health and Human Services, "is charged with on-going coordination of the whole-of-government response to the longer-term effects of COVID-19," according to a news release. (Kekatos, 7/31)

CBS News: First Long COVID Treatment Clinical Trials From NIH Getting Underway
Up to 900 patients will be enrolled in the study, which is named RECOVER-VITAL — a smaller number  than was previously planned. The trial's design has also been tweaked to test taking the pills for 25 days, a difference from another recent study from Stanford University that was stopped early. That study had failed to find evidence the drug benefited patients, MedPage Today reported earlier this year. (Tin, 7/31)

AP: Brain Fog And Other Long COVID Symptoms Affect Millions. New Treatment Studies Bring Hope
Monday’s announcement from the NIH’s $1.15 billion RECOVER project comes amid frustration from patients who’ve struggled for months or even years with sometimes-disabling health problems — with no proven treatments and only a smattering of rigorous studies to test potential ones. “This is a year or two late and smaller in scope than one would hope but nevertheless it’s a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University in St. Louis, who isn’t involved with NIH’s project but whose own research highlighted long COVID’s toll. (Neergaard, 8/1)

In other covid developments —

Politico: What The New Covid-19 Surge Really Means 
Covid-19 hospitalizations are rising for the first time since the beginning of 2023, but public health experts and the White House appear confident the U.S. is well-positioned to manage the virus heading into the fall. It is more difficult than earlier in the pandemic to know how many infections are circulating in the U.S. due to the end of state data reporting requirements that were tied to the public health emergency, which ended in May. But a 10.3 percent increase in weekly Covid-19 hospital admissions in mid-July to 7,109 is a reminder that the virus is still a public health challenge. (Lim, 7/31)

Stat: National Panel Will Explore Requiring Free Covid Tests
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force will discuss recommending Covid-19 screening, the first step in requiring insurers to permanently cover the tests at no cost to patients. The national panel of experts will convene and “determine whether and how Covid-19 screening might be considered within the Task Force’s scope,” chair Michael Barry wrote in a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) exclusively shared with STAT. (Owermohle, 7/31)

USA Today: 'Fairly Shocking': Secret Medical Lab In California Stored Bioengineered Mice Laden With COVID
A months-long investigation into a rural California warehouse uncovered an illegal laboratory that was filled with infectious agents, medical waste and hundreds of mice bioengineered "to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus," according to Fresno County authorities. Health and licensing said Monday that Prestige Biotech, a Chinese medical company registered in Nevada, was operating the unlicensed facility in Reedley, California — a small city about 24 miles southeast of Fresno. The company, according to Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba, had a goal of being a diagnostics lab. (Nguyen and Martin, 7/31)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Appeals Court Backs University Of Miami In Campus Shutdown During COVID
As the Florida Supreme Court prepares to decide a similar case, a federal appeals court Monday rejected a lawsuit alleging the University of Miami should refund money to students because of a campus shutdown early in the COVID-19 pandemic. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge’s ruling that sided with the private university in a potential class-action lawsuit filed by student Adelaide Dixon. The case was one of numerous filed in Florida and across the country after students were forced to leave campuses and learn remotely in 2020 to try to prevent spread of the virus. (Saunders, 7/31)

AP: RFK Jr. Says He’s Not Anti-Vaccine. His Record Shows The Opposite. It’s One Of Many Inconsistencies
Again and again, Kennedy has made his opposition to vaccines clear. In July, Kennedy said in a podcast interview that “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and told FOX News that he still believes in the long-ago debunked idea that vaccines can cause autism. In a 2021 podcast he urged people to “resist” CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccines. “I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated,” Kennedy said. (Smith and Swenson, 7/31)

Axios: Medicare Pilot Aims To Coordinate Dementia Care
The Biden administration on Monday rolled out a new Medicare pilot program aimed at improving the quality of life for people with dementia and reducing the burden on unpaid caregivers. The new payment model from Medicare's innovation lab will test a standardized approach to providing coordinated care to patients with dementia, who often have complex health care needs. (Millman, 7/31)

Stat: Medicare's Plan To Improve Alzheimer’s Care Sidesteps Drug Prices
Medicare announced Monday a pilot program aimed at improving dementia care and reducing the strain on unpaid caregivers, but it does not deal with controlling the price of new Alzheimer’s drugs. (Wilkerson, 7/31)

Also —

Reuters: Quest Diagnostics Launches Alzheimer's Blood Test For Consumers
Quest Diagnostics on Monday launched the first direct-to-consumer blood test to detect abnormal levels of beta amyloid, a key Alzheimer's disease protein that can appear years before dementia symptoms arise. The $399 test, called AD-Detect, uses the same technology as a blood test the company began selling for use by doctors in early 2022. (Seenhuysen, 7/31)

Axios: 1 In 10 Older Adults In Arizona Have Alzheimer's Disease
An estimated 11% of Arizona residents ages 65 and older have Alzheimer's disease, per a new study. It's critical for public health officials, policymakers and others to have a clear look at the number of Alzheimer's cases in a given area, authors say. Caring for those with the disease cost an estimated $321 billion nationwide last year, much of which came via Medicare and Medicaid. (Boehm, Beheraj and Fitzpatrick, 7/31)

Axios: Alzheimer's Prevalence In California 
California has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer's disease in the country, according to a new study. It's critical for public health officials, policymakers and others to have a clear look at the number of Alzheimer's cases in a given area, the authors say — in part because caring for those with the disease cost an estimated $321 billion nationwide last year, much of which came via Medicare and Medicaid. An estimated 12% of adults 65 or older in California have Alzheimer's disease, according to data published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. (Fitzpatrick and Dickey, 7/31)

The Hill: 600K Medicare Beneficiaries’ Data Accessed In Breach
The personal information of 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries were accessed in a sweeping data breach that affected what could be hundreds of organizations, including the government contractor, Maximus Federal Services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a press release Friday that it is notifying people affected by the data breach, which could have affected information including beneficiaries, names, Social Security numbers, medical histories, diagnoses and other personal details. (Fortinsky, 7/31)

More Medicare updates —

Fierce Healthcare: AHA, BCBSA Urge CMS To Ditch 'Conflicting' Requirements In Prior Authorization Reform Proposal
Lobbying groups representing different camps of the healthcare industry have come together to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) to reconsider “conflicting regulatory proposals” that require different electronic standards for electronic data exchanges during prior authorization. (Muoio, 7/31)

AP: Health Care Provider To Pay Largest Medicare Fraud Settlement In Maine History
Martin’s Point Health Care Inc. will pay nearly $22.5 million to resolve allegations of submitting inaccurate codes for Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees to increase Medicare reimbursements, federal prosecutors said Monday. The U.S. attorney’s office in Maine confirmed it was the largest Medicare fraud settlement in state history. A Martin’s Point representative didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Monday. The company was accused of submitting the inaccurate diagnosis codes for Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in Maine and New Hampshire between 2016 and 2019. (7/31)

The Virginian-Pilot: Bon Secours Drops Anthem-Managed Medicare Plans
Bon Secours Mercy Health and insurance company Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield didn’t reach an agreement on reimbursement rates by their deadline Monday, leaving around 6,000 Hampton Roads residents who use Medicare out of network as of Tuesday. This means that most people who have an Anthem/BCBS-managed Medicare plan and use Bon Secours Mercy Health medical services will need to find new providers or pay out of pocket. (Dix, 7/31)

USA Today: US News & World Report Hospital Rankings: Find Out Which Hospitals Made The 'Honor Roll'
U.S. News and World Report on Tuesday released their latest “Best Hospital” rankings for the 34th consecutive year amid criticism from schools and public officials, and recent changes to their rating system. The report ranks 484 regional hospitals, evaluating them on 30 medical and surgical services. Of those facilities, 22 hospitals were named to the national “Honor Roll.” This year, the outlet decided to scrap ordinal rankings in favor of an “Honor Roll” in no particular order. (Rodriguez, 8/1)

U.S. News & World Report: America's Best Hospitals: The 2023-2024 Honor Roll And Overview 
Rankings by region and specialty, with an honor roll of hospitals that excel in complex specialty care. (Harder, 8/1)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clinic Again Wins Top Spot For Heart Care From U.S. News: See The Changes In 2023-24 Rankings
For the 29th year in a row, the Cleveland Clinic ranked first in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery in the U.S. News & World Report 2023-24 Best Hospitals rankings. But in a change this year, there are no rankings for best hospitals overall. (Kroen, 8/1)

On staffing shortages —

Axios: Biden Push For Mental Health Parity Collides With Behavioral Workforce Shortages
The Biden administration's new effort to improve insurance coverage for mental health services is on a collision course with the nation's shortage of behavioral health professionals. More than 160 million Americans live in areas lacking enough mental health professionals to meet the need. (Goldman, 8/1)

Health News Florida: UCF Could Get $700,000 From State To Alleviate Florida Nursing Shortage
The University of Central Florida's Board of Trustees will consider approving nearly $700,000 dollars in matching funds from the state of to help boost its nursing program. The Florida Hospital Association estimates that by 2035, Florida will face a shortage of 59,000 nurses. The money would come from the Florida Board of Governors and would help pay for more equipment to train current nursing students. (Prieur, 7/31)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Fox Chase Nurses Who Answer Patient Phone Calls Want To Join The Center’s New Nurses Union
The nurses who answer the phone calls of concerned patients at Fox Chase Cancer Center filed paperwork to join a union last week. They would be the third group of workers at the Northeast Philadelphia hospital to unionize since June. The 21 nurses were excluded from the much-larger group of 350 registered nurses at Fox Chase who voted to unionize in June. (Gutman, 7/31)

More health care industry updates —

Fierce Healthcare: Amazon Clinic Expands To All 50 States With Telehealth Services
Amazon Clinic is expanding to all 50 states, including nationwide telehealth services to offer access to clinicians through its website and mobile app. The online retail giant unveiled Amazon Clinic back in November as a virtual medical clinic to provide care for 30 common health concerns like urinary tract infection, pink eye, and acid reflux. Launched as a message-based virtual consultation service, Amazon Clinic connects consumers with licensed clinicians who can diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for a range of common health and lifestyle conditions. (Landi, 8/1)

Capital & Main: Americans With Health Insurance Are Increasingly Putting Off Important Medical Treatments They Can’t Afford
Last year was a grim one for people in California and elsewhere who needed to see a doctor. According to Gallup, nearly four in 10 Americans said they or a family member postponed medical treatment in 2022 because of the cost. (Kreidler, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: An Actor's Heart Problems Highlight Health Insurance Concerns Amid SAG-AFTRA Strike 
When Brooklyn McLinn nearly died of a heart attack in his kitchen, he felt a sense of peace that his health troubles — the open-heart surgeries, the pacemaker, the fear of the next big one — could finally be over. This is the sentiment the actor and former college basketball player, 50, has after surviving two heart attacks, a stroke and a heart transplant. The first heart attack happened a few years earlier while playing basketball in Los Angeles in 2016. He was home taking a quick break from filming as a cast member for Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and Have Nots” before he flew back to Atlanta. (Evans, 7/31)

Modern Healthcare: Tenet Healthcare Q2 Profits Led By Recovering Patient Volumes
Tenet Healthcare Corp. is the latest for-profit system benefiting from recovering patient volumes in the first half of 2023. Dallas-based Tenet said Monday same-hospital admissions in the second quarter grew by about 3% compared with a year ago, including a 5% growth in non-COVID-19 patients, while ambulatory surgical cases grew 6.6%. (Hudson, 7/31)

Reuters: Judge Blocks Idaho Prosecution Of Out-Of-State Abortion Referrals
A U.S. judge on Monday blocked the state of Idaho at least temporarily from prosecuting doctors who refer patients out of state to get an abortion, finding that would violate a medical provider's right to free speech. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill of the District of Idaho agreed with a challenge led by Planned Parenthood that Republican Attorney General Raul Labrador's interpretation of the state's criminal abortion law was "chilling" to providers' First Amendment rights. (Trotta, 8/1)

Reuters: Abortion Providers Sue Alabama To Block Prosecution Over Out-Of-State Travel 
Healthcare providers and an abortion rights group on Monday sued Alabama in an effort to block the state from criminally prosecuting people who help others travel out of state to get abortions. In a lawsuit filed in Montgomery, Alabama federal court, the West Alabama Women's Center, the Alabama Women's Center and its medical director Yashica Robinson said any such prosecutions would violate a basic right to travel between states under the U.S. Constitution. The Yellowhammer Fund filed a separate, similar lawsuit. (Pierson, 7/31)

Abortion news from Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and the campaign trail —

AP: ACLU Of Indiana Asks State's High Court To Keep Hold On Near-Total Abortion Ban In Place For Now 
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana asked the state’s high court Monday to keep Indiana’s near-total abortion ban on hold while it pursues a narrower preliminary injunction in a trial court to address the scope of the ban’s exemption allowing women facing serious health risks to obtain abortions. The petition seeking a rehearing will delay the ban from taking effect as soon as Tuesday while the Indiana Supreme Court considers the matter. The ACLU of Indiana’s request comes after the high court ruled on June 30 that Indiana’s Republican-backed ban doesn’t violate the state constitution. (Callahan, 7/31)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Launches Service For Complex Abortion Cases
A few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a 19-year-old woman traveled from Memphis to Chicago seeking an abortion. But medical providers at a local clinic told her the procedure would require hospital care due to scarring from a previous cesarean section. The unexpected complication added travel days and lodging costs the patient hadn’t planned for, according to officials with the Chicago Abortion Fund, who scrambled to help the young woman find an abortion appointment a few days later at a Chicago hospital. The local nonprofit covered the cost of a hotel room, food and other necessities. (Lourgos and Petrella, 7/31)

Stateline: Lawsuit Over Texas Abortion Ban Could Be A Model In Other States
Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The Texas ban includes an exception that allows physicians to end a pregnancy if it could result in the death of the woman or a “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.” But the plaintiffs in the case, more than a dozen Texas women, argue that doctors and hospitals denied them necessary care because the providers were afraid to run afoul of the law. Those who violate the ban could face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and loss of their medical license. (Montgomery, 8/1)

The Hill: ‘Unacceptable’: Susan B. Anthony List Slams DeSantis’s Position On Abortion 
The Susan B. Anthony List, a conservative anti-abortion group, is slamming Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis for his position on abortion and sidestepping of whether he would support a federal ban on abortion. “A pro-life president has a duty to protect the lives of all Americans,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, in a statement. She added that DeSantis should be the “National Defender of Life.” (Nazzaro, 7/31)

In other reproductive health news —

Axios: Iowa's Maternal Death Rate Rises As Birthing Units Close 
Maternal mortality rates in Iowa increased between 1999 and 2019, according to a JAMA study providing the first state-level breakdowns by ethnic group. The overall number of deaths per 100,000 live births in Iowa increased from 10 to nearly 22 during the 20-year study period. (Clayworth and Gonzalez, 7/31)

Axios: Oregon's Maternal Morbidity Rate Spikes Over Past Two Decades 
Maternal mortality rates nationwide have risen across racial and ethnic groups over the past 20 years, according to a recent study co-authored by researchers at the University of Washington. The overall number of deaths per 100,000 live births in Oregon increased from 6.5 to 14 between 1999–2019. Researchers say most maternal deaths are preventable, yet the U.S. has one of the highest rates of such deaths among high-income countries. (Gebel and Gonzalez, 7/31)

The Hill: Leprosy Cases Surging In Central Florida: CDC 
Health officials say that cases of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, are surging in Central Florida. In a news release Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Central Florida has accounted for 81 percent of reported cases in the state and almost one-fifth of reported cases nationwide. (Oshin, 7/31)

CBS News: Leprosy Could Be Endemic In Central Florida, CDC Says. What To Know About The Disease
"Leprosy has been historically uncommon in the United States; incidence peaked around 1983, and a drastic reduction in the annual number of documented cases occurred from the 1980s through 2000," the letter's authors wrote. "However, since then, reports demonstrate a gradual increase in the incidence of leprosy in the United States. The number of reported cases has more than doubled in the southeastern states over the last decade." (Moniuszko, 7/31)

USA Today: As Florida Leprosy Cases Rise, What To Know About Causes, Spread, Cure
The number of reported leprosy cases across the country has doubled over the past decade, according to the CDC. Citing data from the National Hansen’s Disease Program, the CDC says there were 159 new cases reported in the U.S. in 2020. Nearly 70% of these new cases were reported in Florida, California, Louisiana, Hawaii, New York and Texas. (Girod and Crowley, 7/31)

On mpox, smallpox, and hep C —

CIDRAP: Study Shows Proctitis As Predictor Of Mpox Among Symptomatic Men
Proctitis was the strongest predictor of clinically confirmed mpox in thousands of patients with suspected illness who presented for testing, according to a new study in Clinical Microbiology and Infection. (Soucheray, 7/31)

KFF Health News: 'Epidemic': Do You Know Dutta? 
By the mid-1970s, India’s smallpox eradication campaign had been grinding for over a decade. But the virus was still spreading beyond control. It was time to take a new, more targeted approach. This strategy was called “search and containment.” Teams of eradication workers visited communities across India to track down active cases of smallpox. Whenever they found a case, health workers would isolate the infected person then vaccinate anyone that individual might have come in contact with. (8/1)

The Washington Post: The Hepatitis C Cure Rate Is Far Behind U.S. Goal For 2030, CDC Says 
Just 34 percent of Americans diagnosed with the most common type of hepatitis — hepatitis C — are being cured of the liver infection, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The finding stems from the analysis of data on more than 1.7 million people who tested positive for hepatitis C from 2013 through 2022. (Searing, 7/31)

Stat: New Safety Details Link Apellis Eye Drug To Rare Cases Of Blindness
Five elderly people have been blinded in one eye by a severe side effect after receiving injections of a newly approved treatment for eye disease from Apellis Pharmaceuticals. The frequency of this side effect — a severe type of eye inflammation — is low but its cause remains unknown. (Feuerstein, 7/31)

In other pharmaceutical developments —

The Wall Street Journal: CVS To Shed 5,000 Jobs In Cost-Cutting Push 
CVS Health said it is shedding about 5,000 jobs to help reduce costs as the retail pharmacy giant sharpens its focus on healthcare services. The company on Monday said in a statement that the jobs affected are primarily corporate positions. CVS said it doesn’t expect customer-oriented roles in stores, pharmacies and clinics will be affected in the layoff plan. (Yeung, 7/31)

Stat: Vivek Ramaswamy Wants To ‘Gut’ The FDA. His Claims Don’t Hold Up To Scrutiny
STAT readers know Vivek Ramaswamy from his time as the founder of the biotech conglomerate Roivant — and for his role in some of its various subsidiaries and spinoffs. Of course, the world now knows Ramaswamy for a very different reason: He’s running for president, and has made the cut to participate in the first debate of the Republican primary. Earlier this month, Ramaswamy posted a video on Twitter trading on his biotech bona fides to talk about his plans to “expose and ultimately gut” the Food and Drug Administration. (Feuerstein and Herper, 7/31)

San Francisco Chronicle: New Blood Test That Screens For Cancer Raises Hopes — And Concerns
Galleri, priced at $949, is the first of a wave of so-called multi-cancer early-detection tests, which analyze DNA fragments in the blood for abnormalities associated with cancer. Grail, the Menlo Park-based biotech company that created Galleri, says it checks more than a million specific DNA sites for cancer signals and can identify more than 50 types of cancer, including cervical, colon, breast and prostate. More than a dozen prospective rivals are developing their own cancer-screening products. (Kreidler, 7/31)

Stat: Flow Neuroscience Device Shows Promise In Trial For Depression
Flow Neuroscience, a small Swedish company treating depression with brain-stimulating headsets, released early data on Monday showing that its device relieved depressive symptoms in clinical trials. (Lawrence, 7/31)

Modern Healthcare: Wegovy, Ozempic Craze Leaves Traditional Weight Loss Docs Wary
The popularity of GLP-1s, such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic, has led to a growing number of weight loss entrants in the virtual health industry. In the last year, digital health companies such as Teladoc and Noom have launched virtual weight loss businesses with GLP-1 medication prescription offerings. Traditional weight loss company WeightWatchers acquired a telehealth company to begin prescribing the drugs. (Turner, 7/31)

Also —

The Baltimore Sun: Family Of Henrietta Lacks Settles HeLa Cell Lawsuit With Biotech Giant, Lawyer Says
The family of Henrietta Lacks agreed Monday to settle a lawsuit against Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company that sold products derived from the Baltimore County resident’s cells, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The terms of the settlement are confidential, Crump said in a statement shortly before midnight Monday. (Roberts and Belson, 8/1)

The Washington Post: How Scientists Make Corrections And Retractions After Errors In Research
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, an internationally known neuroscientist, recently resigned as president of Stanford University after an investigation determined he had failed to correct errors in years-old scientific papers, and that labs he led had an unusual number of instances of manipulated data. Tessier-Lavigne said he would ask for three papers to be retracted and two corrected, a request the publications say they will honor or review. (Svrluga and Johnson, 7/31)

The Washington Post: Marijuana Addiction Is Real. Those Struggling Often Face Skepticism
But as legal recreational sales have expanded — Maryland in July became the latest state to permit sale of marijuana products for recreational use — the suggestion that marijuana is addictive has often met with derision, especially because science isn’t always clear on the benefits and harms. There can be reluctance to seek treatment. (Ovalle and Nirappil, 7/31)

ABC News: Doctors Increasingly Discourage Vaping Amid Mounting Health Concerns
Doctors are increasingly discouraging people from using e-cigarettes given the mounting evidence about the significant negative health impact of vaping-- even as a smoking cessation tool. For current smokers, "there are other very powerful, safe and FDA approved interventions," Dr. Petros Levounis, the President of the American Psychiatric Association and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said. (Oje, 7/31)

NBC News: $11 Million Awarded To Family Of Woman Who Died After Taking Kratom, An Opioid-Like Herb
The family of a woman who died after taking kratom, an herb with opioid-like effects, was awarded $11 million last week in a wrongful death lawsuit against a company that sold the substance. Krystal Talavera, a 39-year-old mother of four who lived in Florida, collapsed in her kitchen while preparing breakfast for her family in June 2021. By her side was an open package of kratom with a handwritten “Space Dust” label. (Bendix,7/31)

The New York Times: Scenes From A City That Only Hands Out Tickets For Using Fentanyl 
For the past two and a half years, Oregon has been trying an unusual experiment to stem soaring rates of addiction and overdose deaths. People caught with small amounts of illicit drugs for “personal use,” including fentanyl and methamphetamine, are fined just $100 — a sanction that can be waived if they participate in a drug screening and health assessment. The aim is to reserve prosecutions for large-scale dealers and address addiction primarily as a public health emergency. (Gale and Hoffman, 7/31)

In other health and wellness news —

Stateline: In A Summer Marked By Extreme Heat, Some Suggest It Is Time For A National Cooling Standard
Heat, humidity and the quest for air conditioning are a part of every summer. But Ashley Ward believes this summer is a wake-up call for many Americans. Ward directs the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Her work focuses on the health impacts of climate extremes and community resilience. “We’re not talking about a heat wave anymore,” Ward said in a media briefing last week. “We’re talking about a season. We’re talking about a marker of a shift in our heat regime that we need to pay attention to.” (Henkel, 7/31)

Fox News: Lead And Other Metal Contaminants Increase Heart Disease Risk, AHA Warns: ‘We Need To Do Better’
There are a total of 9.2 million lead pipes across the country, with an estimated 1.16 million of them located in Florida, according to a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These pipes potentially deliver contaminated drinking water to millions of households, the EPA said. While the adverse health effects of lead exposure are well-known, many physicians aren’t aware of the link between heavy metal contaminants and cardiovascular issues. (Rudy, 7/31)

KFF Health News: Black Women Weigh Emerging Risks Of ‘Creamy Crack’ Hair Straighteners
Deanna Denham Hughes was stunned when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year. She was only 32. She had no family history of cancer, and tests found no genetic link. Hughes wondered why she, an otherwise healthy Black mother of two, would develop a malignancy known as a “silent killer.” After emergency surgery to remove the mass, along with her ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, and appendix, Hughes said, she saw an Instagram post in which a woman with uterine cancer linked her condition to chemical hair straighteners. “I almost fell over,” she said from her home in Smyrna, Georgia. (Cohen, 8/1)

AP: Appeals Court Lets Kentucky Enforce Ban On Transgender Care For Minors
A federal appeals court is allowing Kentucky to enforce a recently enacted ban on gender-affirming care for young transgender people while the issue is being litigated. The 2-1 decision Monday from the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is not unexpected. The same three-judge panel ruled the same way earlier this month on a similar case in Tennessee. (Barakat, 7/31)

Stat: How Primary Care Doctors Are Learning About Trans Health
Harrison has an informal test that he runs on primary care physicians when he meets them for the first time: the eye contact test. When he arrives at the appointment and tells them that he’s transgender, he watches their eyes for a reaction. He’s looking for signs of shock — have they ever met a trans person before? Do they get nervous, or start talking at him, rather than with him? Trying to find an accepting clinician, especially where he lives in the mountains of North Carolina, can be tough. He’s been ghosted before — doctors tell him to follow up over an online patient portal or to call back later, which he does, only to never hear back again. (Gaffney, 8/1)

More health news from across the U.S. —

The Colorado Sun: Not All 988 Crisis Calls Are Reaching Colorado’s Call Center
A year after it went live, the 988 national mental health hotline is still working out some issues — and Colorado needs a huge increase in staff to meet the 24/7 demands. For starters, when people dial the three-digit number, their call is routed to the state call center that matches their area code, not their location. This is particularly bad for Colorado, which has a high number of transplants who moved here with out-of-state area codes and a large military population. Also, Colorado realized it needs 260 additional employees to answer the calls on top of the 130 it started with if it’s going to meet a federal requirement taking effect in April that call centers must pick up within 20 seconds. The current threshold is 59 seconds. (Brown, 7/31)

North Carolina Health News: NC Jails Have Arbitrary Release Protocols For Sick Inmates
When a group of local researchers set out to understand more about health care services in jails in the Southeast, they discovered that there are many informal ways incarcerated people are released early because they have various health conditions. Jails are required by law to provide health services for those in custody, and research has shown over time that the jail population tends to be sicker than the general population. Incarcerated individuals have higher rates of bloodborne illnesses, chronic illnesses and mental illness, largely because they come from low wealth communities and have had limited access to health care before they were incarcerated. (Knopf, 8/1)

Minnesota Public Radio: Fergus Falls Nonprofit To Help Forgive Medical Debt For 3,700 Minnesotans
Beginning Aug. 7, about 3,700 Minnesotans can expect a pink envelope in the mail that says: “Congratulations, your medical debt has been retired and we have notified the credit bureaus that this debt has been extinguished. ”That’s according to Jeff Smedsrud. He’s the managing director of CA Foundation, a Fergus Falls nonprofit that made a donation last week to a national charity that will buy $3.3 million in unpaid medical debt from low-income Minnesotans. (Ki, 8/1)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Gave Up On A Mental Health Program — And Is Handing Back Millions In Grants
Providers insist that what are known as child and adult outreach triage teams were saving some of L.A. County’s sickest residents by closing a gap in care. Officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, however, said they were underwhelmed by the teams’ performance. (Seidman, 7/31)

Detroit Free Press: 2 Michigan Residents Test Positive For Mosquito-Borne Jamestown Canyon Virus
A resident of Oakland County and another from Macomb County have tested positive for the Jamestown Canyon virus. They have the first confirmed human cases of mosquito-borne disease in Michigan in 2023, state health officials said. They may also be the first in the U.S. to contract the virus this year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, as of July 25, the nation had not yet recorded any confirmed human cases in 2023. (Jordan Shamus, 7/31)

New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Hospital Aims To Meet Emergency Food Needs With ‘Little Free Pantry’
It looks like one of those take-a-book, leave-a-book lending libraries that you might see around town. But the “Little Free Pantry” outside New London Hospital is filled with canned goods, pasta and other food items. It’s part of an effort to address food insecurity in the area. People can stop by to take any food they need, or donate if they’re able. (Cuno-Booth, 8/1)

The Washington Post: Extreme Heat Is Threatening Virtually Every Aspect Of Human Health 
Extreme heat has blanketed much of the world this summer. The World Meteorological Organization reports that July has been the hottest month ever recorded on Earth. The frequency of heat waves has been steadily increasing in the United States, from an average of two per year in the 1960s to six today. (Leana S. Wen, 8/1)

Los Angeles Times: Long COVID Is Debilitating To Me And 65 Million Other People. Where Is The Urgency To Treat It? 
In a world where most pandemic safety protocols have evaporated, where is the sense of urgency to treat, or at the very least support, people with long COVID? (Julia Moore Vogel, 7/31)

Houston Chronicle: Superbugs Are Here. We're Not Ready
More than 80 Americans across 18 states, including Texas, have been struck with a serious bacterial infection thanks to contaminated eye drops. Several have suffered permanent vision loss or had surgical eyeball removal. Four have died. (Rachael Lee, 7/29)

USA Today: As America Goes Back To School, Help Reverse The Decline Of Our Children's Physical Health
As we know from previous studies, physical inactivity and sedentary habits are among the major risk factors for decreased mental well-being. Since its formation in 2010, GENYOUth has aggressively responded to health and wellness issues facing our youth. (Roger Goodell and Ann Marie Krautheim, 8/1)

The Star Tribune: 'Boarding' Of Patients Needs To End
"Boarding" patients in ERs and other hospital spaces because of a lack of available nursing home and mental health care beds has long been a problem in Minnesota and one that intensified during and after the pandemic. (7/30)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Medical Debt Is A Bigger Problem Than Student Debt. Where's That Relief? 
It’s unfathomable that following a multiyear pandemic that killed more than a million Americans and left millions more with long-term disability (long COVID), the issue of medical debt wouldn’t be a major topic of discourse, especially among politicians running in 2024. It is not. (Victoria A. Brownworth, 7/28)

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The Washington Post: Medicaid Coverage Losses Due To Paperwork Show Cruelty Of Health Care 
Two months ago, Avery was kicked off Medicaid. She’s supposed to still be eligible, but Arkansas’s Department of Human Services terminated her coverage anyway, saying she hadn’t completed all the necessary paperwork. To be fair, paperwork is not exactly Avery’s forte. Because she’s 15 months old. (Catherine Rampell, 8/1)

Dallas Morning News: Medicare Bill Can Help Physicians And Patients
As physicians, we’re problem-solvers, diagnosing our patients’ ailments and finding remedies. We establish a treatment plan. Imagine if your problem persisted for 20 years with no solution; you might seek another doctor. Yet every year, that’s the scenario physicians and patients face with the failing Medicare physician payment system: For more than two decades, Congress has not passed a comprehensive, stable fix so doctors can continue caring for the nation’s older adults and those with disabilities. (Rick W. Snyder II, 7/31)