AP: Final State Emergencies Winding Down 3 Years Into Pandemic 
California’s coronavirus emergency officially ends Tuesday, nearly three years after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order and just days after the state reached the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths related to the virus. As California’s emergency winds down, such declarations continue in just five other states — including Texas and Illinois — signaling an end to the expanded legal powers of governors to suspend laws in response to the once mysterious disease. President Joe Biden announced last month the federal government will end its own version May 11. (Beam, 2/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: California’s COVID Emergency Ends This Week. What Happens Next?
California will lift its sweeping COVID-19 state of emergency on Tuesday — nearly three years to the day after it was put in place, giving Gov. Gavin Newsom broad power to impose strict mandates and lockdown restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Vaziri, 2/27)

More on the spread of covid —

San Francisco Chronicle: CDC Death Certificate Guidance Now Includes Long COVID
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded in its guidance for certifying deaths due to the coronavirus to include complications of long COVID. “Emerging evidence suggests that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, can have lasting effects on nearly every organ and organ system of the body weeks, months, and potentially years after infection,” the new guidance says. (Vaziri, 2/27)

The Boston Globe: Lawsuit Filed In Chelsea Soldiers’ Home Deaths From COVID
Army Staff Sergeant Joseph “Red” Terenzio helped rescue more than two dozen fellow soldiers from enemy territory while serving in the South Pacific during World II, despite being wounded. Maurice “Master Chief” Poulin served in the Coast Guard for 24 years, participating in nine invasions during World War II. And John Sullivan enlisted in the Navy after graduating high school and served as a second class machinist mate during the Vietnam War. (Murphy, 2/27)

CIDRAP: COVID May Be More Likely To Spread In And Beyond Bars, Clubs Than Other Settings 
A case-series investigation of more than 44,000 COVID-19 patients in Tokyo in 2020 reveals that SARS-CoV-2 transmission events in healthcare and nightlife settings (eg, bars and nightclubs) were most likely to involve at least five infections, with nightlife cases more likely to generate further spread. (Van Beusekom, 2/27)

Detroit Free Press: Report: Michigan Closed The Gap On COVID-19 Racial Disparities
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, it became clear that Michigan had a problem: Black residents were getting infected by the virus and dying at far higher rate than white Michiganders — representing more than 40% of deaths from COVID-19 in March and April of 2020, while making up just 13.6% of the state's population. (Jordan Shamus, 2/27)

The Washington Post: A Condition Called POTS Rose After Covid, But Patients Can’t Find Care
A life-changing condition called POTS, which can cause fainting, irregular heartbeats and dizziness, particularly among young women, appears to be on the rise as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But the condition isn’t well understood, and many patients are dismissed as having anxiety, delaying diagnosis. Once diagnosed, many patients face waiting lists as long as two years to get treatment from specialists. (Morris, 2/27)

Politico: Still No Consensus On Covid’s Origins, White House Says
The U.S. government still has not reached a consensus on how the coronavirus pandemic started, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday — despite news reports that the Energy Department has concluded the virus most likely leaked from a lab in China. “The intelligence community and the rest of the government is still looking at this,” Kirby said. “There’s not been a definitive conclusion, so it’s difficult for me to say — nor should I feel like I should have to defend press reporting about a possible preliminary indication here. What the president wants is facts.” (McCarthy, 2/27)

The Boston Globe: ‘We May Not Ever Know’: Fauci Says Origin Of Coronavirus Could Remain A Mystery
The pandemic’s true origin may never be uncovered, despite a new assessment favoring the lab leak theory from the US Department of Energy, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Monday. ... The “fireside chat” between Fauci and Anna Kuchment, the Globe’s medical and biotechnology editor, was the first event in the Globe’s series of online seminars celebrating advances in science and technology. In December, Fauci stepped down as NIAID chief and also as President Biden’s chief medical adviser. (Freyer, 2/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Former CDC Director Says “People Will Realize” Virus Came From Lab
Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Trump administration, on Monday backed a controversial reported assessment from the Department of Energy “low confidence” finding that COVID-19 likely began with a lab leak in Wuhan, China. U.S. media organizations cited unnamed sources saying the department had such a report based on new intelligence. (Vaziri, 2/27)

AP: China Says It's Been 'Open And Transparent' On COVID Origins
China on Tuesday said it has been “open and transparent” in the search for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and dismissed U.S. criticism as politicizing the issue. China had “shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Mao told reporters at a daily briefing. (2/28)

Also —

The Washington Post: Little-Known Scientific Team Behind New Assessment On Covid-19 Origins 
Even at low confidence, however, the Energy Department’s analysis carries weight. For its assessment, the department drew on the expertise of a team assembled from the U.S. national laboratory complex, which employs tens of thousands of scientists representing many technical specialties, from physics and data analysis to genomics and molecular biology. The labs were established as part of the U.S. nuclear weapons program and operate largely in the classified realm. The department’s cadre of technical experts includes members of the Energy Department’s Z-Division, which since the 1960s has been involved in secretive investigations of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons threats by U.S. adversaries, including China and Russia. (Warrick, Nakashima and Harris, 2/27)

USA Today: COVID Lab Leak Theory From The Energy Department, Explained
National security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to confirm or deny the news of the Energy Department report to media outlets. Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that President Biden has requested the Department of Energy's national labs to be "brought into this assessment," because he "wants to put every tool at use to be able to figure out what happened here." (2/27)

AP: Coronavirus Origins Still A Mystery 3 Years Into Pandemic 
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the report. All 18 offices of the U.S. intelligence community had access to the information the DOE used in reaching its assessment. Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, said she isn’t sure what new intelligence the agencies had, but “it’s reasonable to infer” it relates to activities at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. She said a 2018 research proposal co-authored by scientists there and their U.S. collaborators “essentially described a blueprint for COVID-like viruses.” (Ungar and Jalonick, 2/28)

The Atlantic: The Lab Leak Will Haunt Us Forever
The lab-leak theory lives! Or better put: It never dies. In response to new but unspecified intelligence, the U.S. Department of Energy has changed its assessment of COVID-19’s origins: The agency, which had previously been undecided on the matter, now rates a laboratory mishap ahead of a natural spillover event as the suspected starting point. That conclusion, first reported over the weekend by The Wall Street Journal, matches up with findings from the FBI, and also a Senate Minority report out last fall that called the pandemic, “more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident.” (Engber, 2/28)

Axios: Kids Could Soon Fall Off Medicaid Rolls
Almost 7 million children and teens are at risk of losing their health coverage when the public health emergency ends, new estimates from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute show. States in April will begin redetermining Medicaid eligibility as pandemic-inspired coverage requirements lapse and enhanced federal matching funds dry up. (Dreher, 2/27)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Centene Expects To Lose Millions Of Medicaid Customers Beginning In April
Centene Corp. expects to lose millions of Medicaid customers when state governments resume reviewing recipients’ eligibility in April after a three-year hiatus, setting off a period of rebalancing for health insurers. The Clayton-based health insurer said this month that it hopes to regain some customers who switch to Affordable Care Act exchange plans. Other health insurance companies are making similar predictions. (Merrilees, 2/27)

Politico: Why One State’s Plan To Unwind A Covid-Era Medicaid Rule Is Raising Red Flags
President Joe Biden is giving states a year to check whether millions of low-income Americans are still eligible to receive health insurance through their government’s Medicaid program. Arkansas is planning to do it in half that time. GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former President Donald Trump’s press secretary, is pushing to remove people from “government dependency,” and this month her Medicaid agency started sending letters to tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients asking for proof of income and a host of other details to show they are still eligible for the insurance program. (Messerly, 2/27)

AP: Mississippi House Could Vote On Longer Medicaid For Moms
The day after Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves reversed course and said he wants the state to let women have a full year of Medicaid coverage after birth, another Republican leader pledged not to block a vote on the issue. House Speaker Philip Gunn said Monday that he will let the House Medicaid Committee consider a bill that would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to a year. The committee meets Tuesday. (Pettus, 2/28)

Also —

AP: NC Medicaid Switch For Mentally Ill, Disabled Delayed Again 
North Carolina health officials have again delayed the start of a managed care program for Medicaid enrollees specifically who also receive services for behavioral health needs or intellectual or development disabilities. The state Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that it would push back the most recent start date for these managed care “tailored plans” for nearly 150,000 people from April 1 to Oct. 1. (2/27)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Is Short On Workers For People With Disabilities
It’s a longtime problem in Colorado: Even when people with developmental disabilities are approved for Medicaid services, there isn’t the work force to actually sign up for them. And the workforce crisis of the past two and a half years has made it worse. (Brown, 2/27)

KHN: Community Workers Fan Out To Persuade Immigrant Seniors To Get Covered 
For three years, Bertha Embriz of San Francisco has gone without health insurance, skipping annual wellness exams and recently tolerating a broken molar by trying not to chew with it. As an immigrant without legal status, the 58-year-old unpaid caregiver knew that California’s Medicaid program was closed to her. That changed in May, when California expanded Medi-Cal — its Medicaid program for residents with low incomes — to adults 50 and older, regardless of immigration status. The problem was that Embriz didn’t realize she would be eligible until she attended a community meeting in San Francisco. (Boyd-Barrett, 2/28)

Reuters: Court Revives Challenge To New York Law Protecting Workers Who Get Abortions 
A U.S. appeals court on Monday revived an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center's challenge to a New York state law that prohibits retaliation against employees for getting abortions or making other reproductive health decisions. A panel of the Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state law violates Evergreen Association Inc's constitutional right to freedom of association by forcing the nonprofit, which counsels patients against getting abortions, to employ people who go against its message. (Wiessner, 2/27)

KHN: NYC Makes Clear Its Intent To Lead On Abortion Access 
New York City has long been a haven for people who want an abortion, and new city programs and policies aim to make sure it remains one since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and tossed abortion regulation back to the states. In 1973, before Roe legalized abortion nationwide, New York was the only state that generally allowed abortions without a residency requirement or medical restrictions before fetal viability, according to the Guttmacher Institute. A year earlier — 1972 — more than 100,000 women traveled to New York City for a legal abortion. (Andrews, 2/28)

In other abortion news —

Stateline: Activists Aim For Supreme Court With Local Abortion Bans In Blue States
Nearly 70 cities and counties across rural America have banned abortion in the past few years as part of a slow-burning conservative campaign to outlaw the procedure everywhere. The ordinances, debated in states from California to Ohio, aim to prevent health clinics from offering abortions or allow private civilians to sue providers. Most of the bans have had no practical impact, passing in tiny towns without abortion providers such as Willey, Iowa — population 73 — or in states such as Louisiana and Texas, which already ban abortion. (Dewey, 2/27)

ProPublica: Minnesota May Chart Its Own Path Dealing With Anti-Abortion Counseling Centers
Anti-abortion counseling centers, often called “crisis pregnancy centers,” may soon face an existential choice in Minnesota: Leave behind their explicit agenda of dissuading people from having abortions or risk losing state funding. While some center operators could see that as a nonstarter, state Democrats may leave the door open for them to continue receiving taxpayer dollars — albeit under a battery of rules some Minnesota lawmakers hope could expand services for pregnant people amid the country’s rapidly shifting abortion landscape. (Lussenhop, 2/28)

AP: Lawmakers: Tennessee AG Has Legal Concerns Over Abortion Ban
Lawmakers say Tennessee’s top legal chief has voiced concerns about the legality of the state’s abortion law, adding an extra layer of urgency among some Republicans to insert exemptions into one of the strictest bans in the country. According to House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti advised lawmakers that proposed changes to the so-called trigger law would better protect it from court challenges. And Sen. Richard Briggs, who joined a recent teleconference with Skrmetti and lawmakers, said the attorney general has “concerns” about the existing law. (Mattise and Kruesi, 2/27)

Daily Beast: Tennessee Abortion Ban A ‘Living Nightmare’ For Woman With Doomed Pregnancy
Allie Phillips of Tennessee was 19 weeks pregnant with a girl she and her husband already named Miley Rose when she went to see a high-risk obstetrician on Friday morning. A technician began to conduct an ultrasound scan, but suddenly stopped and went to get the doctor. The 28-year-old expectant mom was left lying on the table and texted a friend to see if that had ever happened to her. “Never,’” the friend replied. The doctor entered and directed Phillips’ attention to the screen and a gap in a white line down the middle of her baby’s brain. The doctor explained that the gap showed the brain had not fully divided into the right and left hemispheres. (Daly, 2/28)

Also —

The 19th: How Abortion Data Rates Will Change After Dobbs
Collecting abortion data has always been difficult: People are often unwilling to share their experiences with researchers, and the United States has no centralized count of abortions performed. Every state collects data differently, and some refuse to share it with federal researchers due to privacy concerns. Sometimes researchers have to estimate abortion incidence based on historical trends because up-to-date data isn’t available. (Mithani, 2/27)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Jessa Duggar Seewald’s Pregnancy Loss Is Bringing The Abortion Access Conversation To The Forefront
Jessa Duggar Seewald, of 19 Kids and Counting fame, revealed in a YouTube video that she was recovering from a “D&C” — which stands for dilation and curettage, a common medical procedure used in cases of dangerous, unwanted, or non-viable pregnancies. Duggar, and subsequent media coverage, called the procedure “a miscarriage.” Abortion-rights advocates and people in the medical community say it’s the same thing as an abortion, which Duggar and her family say they are vehemently against. (Bloch, 2/27)

AP: Feds Promise To Trim Backlog Of Health Care Investigations 
Federal officials said Monday they’re working to cut down on a growing backlog of complaints lodged against health care providers, insurers or government agencies by patients who claim their civil rights or privacy have been violated. Americans filed more than 51,000 complaints against health agencies last year, a number that has grown tremendously — 69% — over the last five years, the federal Health and Human Services agency announced. Some complaints can take years to investigate. (Seitz, 2/27)

On surprise billing —

Roll Call: Surprise-Billing Lawsuits Slow Payments Processes
A year after the Biden administration implemented Congress' law to ban surprise medical bills, the policy particulars are still caught up in litigation, and lawsuits are preventing insurers and hospitals from settling out-of-network disputes. (Cohen, 2/27)

KHN: Surprise-Billing Law Loophole: When ‘Out Of Network’ Doesn’t Quite Mean Out Of Network
It was the first day of her family’s vacation in the San Juan Islands last June when Danielle Laskey, who was 26 weeks pregnant, thought she was leaking amniotic fluid. A registered nurse, Laskey called her OB-GYN back home in Seattle, who said to seek immediate care. Staff members at a nearby emergency department found no leakage. But her OB-GYN still wanted to see her as soon as possible. Laskey and her husband, Jacob, made the three-hour trip to the Swedish Maternal & Fetal Specialty Center-First Hill. Laskey had sought the clinic’s specialized care for this pregnancy, her second, after a dangerous complication with her first: The placenta had become embedded in the uterine muscles. (Meyer, 2/28)

In other health care industry news —

Reuters: Hospital, Top Surgeon To Pay $8.5 Mln In Whistleblower Suit Over Simultaneous Surgeries
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the head of its cardiothoracic surgery department have agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims that they fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for complex surgeries. The settlement resolves a 2019 whistleblower lawsuit by a former UPMC doctor, claiming that UPMC regularly allowed James Luketich to book as many as three complex surgeries at the same time, going back and forth between patients, not participating in key parts of the surgeries, and sometimes keeping patients under unnecessary anesthesia. (Pierson, 2/27)

Bloomberg: Elevance’s Deal For Louisiana Blue Plan To Cost $2.5 Billion
Elevance Health Inc. agreed to pay $2.5 billion for its previously announced purchase of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, documents reviewed by Bloomberg show, and additional conditions might raise the value of the transaction by $1 billion. (Tozzi, 2/27)

Columbus Dispatch: OhioHealth Spending $400 Million On Grant Medical Center Expansion
OhioHealth will spend hundreds of millions to expand and remodel parts of Grant Medical Center in downtown Columbus over the next five years. The expansion will bring with it a new seven story building along Town Street that will house a new trauma center, emergency department and critical care pavilion that will add 160 beds, according to OhioHealth. (Filby, 2/27)

AP: Georgia Senate Seeks To Allow Rural Hospitals Without Permit
Georgia senators want to allow new hospitals to be built in counties with fewer than 50,000 residents without state permission, a measure particularly aimed at allowing an undisclosed entity to build a new hospital in the home county of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Senators voted 42-13 to pass Senate Bill 99 on Monday, sending it to the House for more debate. The measure says governments or private nonprofit groups can build hospitals in less-populated counties without getting a certificate of need from the state Department of Community Health. (Amy, 2/27)

Stat: One Type Of Artificial Sweetener May Increase Heart Attack Risk, Preliminary Study Says
The sweetener erythritol, which is becoming increasingly popular in snack bars and low-sugar ice cream substitutes, may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a paper published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. (Herper, 2/27)

USA Today: Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Common In Keto Foods, May Increase Your Risk For Stroke
A sweetener found in nature and often added to diet products, particularly for the ketogenic diet, may actually contribute to clogged arteries and strokes, a new study suggests. People with the highest level of the sugar substitute erythritol in their blood were shown to have twice the risk for stroke, blood clot or death compared with those with the lowest level. (Weintraub, 2/27)

In other news about nutrition —

CBS News: Big Food Companies Slam Government Proposal For Regulating "Healthy" Food Labeling
Some of the biggest makers of cereals, frozen and packaged food have submitted dozens of claims to the Food and Drug Administration objecting to new rules that would exclude food with high amounts of added sugar and salt from being labeled as "healthy" on packaging. Some manufacturers have even called the regulations unconstitutional, saying they violate companies' First Amendment rights. (Ivanova, 2/27)

The Mercury News: FDA Warns Of Guillain-Barre Syndrome As Possible Risk Of Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration has flagged Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological condition, as a potential risk for Pfizer’s respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. Two people in their 60s who received the shot were diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, out of about 20,000 vaccine recipients who participated in Pfizer’s Phase 3 clinical trial, according to the FDA document. One person’s illness had completely resolved after three months, while the other continues to show signs of improvement six months later. (Schladebeck, 2/27)

In other health and wellness news —

Fox News: Wearable Fitness Trackers With Sensing Technology Could Interfere With Implantable Cardiac Devices: Study
Many people use fitness trackers, such as smartwatches, as part of achieving a healthy lifestyle — but some cardiac patients should be aware of the risks. Some smart scales, smart rings and wearable fitness devices that use "bioimpedance," a sensing technology that emits a tiny unnoticeable electrical current into the body, may interfere with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), like pacemakers and defibrillators, according to a new study. (Sudhakar, 2/27)

USA Today: Heart Disease Study Shows Hope For Stem Cell Treatment
Researchers have tried for decades to use stem cells to restore a damaged heart. A new study shows they still haven't succeeded, but it offers the first glimmers of hope for heart disease, which is blamed for about 1 in 5 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 700,000 people a year. (Weintraub, 2/27)

The Washington Post: Researchers Are Exploring How The Brain Helps Prevent Knee Injuries
Sports medicine experts for years have advocated the importance of safe biomechanics and lower body strengthening and coordination training to prevent injuries, especially to the ACL. But now some are exploring a brain-injury connection and hoping that targeting the capacity of the nervous system to adapt can both prevent injuries and help with recovery from them. (McMahan, 2/27)

Stat: FDA's Billy Dunn, Key Figure In Aduhelm Approval, To Leave Agency
Billy Dunn, who presided over the polarizing approval of the Alzheimer’s disease treatment Aduhelm, is leaving the Food and Drug Administration after more than 15 years at the agency, STAT has learned. Dunn, 53, is retiring from the agency to “explore other opportunities,” according to an internal FDA email sent Monday. (Feuerstein and Garde, 2/27)

In other news from the FDA —

CBS News: New FDA-Approved Drug Can Slow Vision Loss For Those With Age-Related Eye Disease Geographic Atrophy, A Form Of Macular Degeneration
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first drug to treat geographic atrophy, a form of macular degeneration, which affects a person's central vision. Syfovre will be available as an injection and can slow the progression of the disease, although it will not reverse it. The drug is expected to be on the market in early March. An injection will be needed every one to two months and a vial will cost $2,190, according to Apellis Pharmaceuticals. (Lapook, Ann Winick and Novak, 2/27)

Stat: For Cytokinetics, FDA Rejection Of Heart Drug Would Help, Not Hinder
Cytokinetics was founded 26 years ago but has not yet developed a drug successfully to approval. That makes Tuesday’s Food and Drug Administration decision on its treatment for heart failure a big deal — except nearly everyone, even investors who own Cytokinetics — hopes the agency rules against it. (Feuerstein, 2/27)

Stat: FDA Is Petitioned To Boost Enforcement Of Trial Sponsors
An organization that promotes and studies clinical trial disclosure has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to take several steps to boost its enforcement of wayward trial sponsors and investigators that fail to register studies and report results. (Silverman, 2/27)

And more pharmaceutical developments —

The Wall Street Journal: Altria In Talks To Buy Vaping Startup NJOY For At Least $2.75 Billion, Divest Its Stake In Juul
Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. is in advanced talks to buy e-cigarette startup NJOY Holdings Inc. for at least $2.75 billion and plans to divest its stake in Juul Labs Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. The deal for NJOY, one of the few e-cigarette makers whose products have clearance from federal regulators, could be announced as soon as this week, the people said, though the talks could still fall apart. (Maloney, Chung and Thomas, 2/27)

The New York Times: A Drug Company Exploited A Safety Requirement To Make Money
The pharmaceutical industry is rife with tales of companies dreaming up ways to prolong their monopolies on lucrative drugs. They tinker with chemicals. They tweak dosing. They swap out capsules for tablets. By piling up patents, drug companies delay the day when competitors can introduce similar, cheaper products. Jazz Pharmaceuticals has figured out a way to push the boundaries even further — a feat that demonstrates the lengths to which drug makers go to eke out extra profits and that two federal courts have now ruled was improper. (Robbins, 2/28)

The Wall Street Journal: What Happens When You Stop Taking Ozempic? 
People who stopped taking semaglutide gained back, on average, two-thirds of the weight they lost within a year, according to a study published in August 2022 in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. Novo Nordisk funded the trial. “Some people don’t have an awareness that this might have to be a medication that will be lifelong,” said Alexandra Sowa, an obesity medicine physician in New York. Dr. Sowa said more than half of her new patients are asking about semaglutide. (Janin, 2/27)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Judge: ER Boarding Illegally ‘Commandeers’ NH Hospital Resources
New Hampshire’s practice of temporarily boarding mental health patients in hospital emergency departments is an illegal seizure of the hospitals’ property that disrupts care for other patients in need, a federal judge has ruled. (Cuno-Booth, 2/27)

North Carolina Health News: Worker Shortages Mean Hospitals Can't Admit Mental Health Patients
Mental health patients in need of admission to state-run psychiatric hospitals across North Carolina might spend hours, days or even weeks in an emergency department, waiting for an open bed in a facility that is better staffed and equipped for their needs. The state Department of Health and Human Services created a monitoring system over the past year that provides a quick report about the location of open mental health care beds available across the state. What it shows can be disturbing. (Hoban, 2/28)

In other news about mental health care —

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. To Create Court For Severely Mentally Ill People. Will It Work?
The Legislature passed Newsom’s bill, and now San Francisco is among the first batch of counties tasked with launching the program by Oct. 1. Dubbed CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment) Court, the program could refer hundreds of people in San Francisco to court-ordered care plans, offering hope to families who’ve long struggled to get their loved ones into care, but drawing opposition from disability and civil rights advocates. (Moench, 2/27)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Working To Expand Virtual, School-Based Therapy To All Districts
As the demand for youth mental health services skyrockets, state leaders are trying to expand the program into every Texas school district whose administrators are interested. That is an ambitious task made challenging by the national shortage of mental health professionals, said Dr. Laurel Williams, a Baylor College of Medicine professor who oversees the program.  "Every state is struggling with this – Texas isn’t unique in that way – but there are not enough qualified providers in the state,” she said. “That’s our biggest road block.” (Bauman, 2/27)

The Boston Globe: Who Will Be Guardians For Legions Of ‘Unbefriended’ Elders? A New Initiative Tries To Address An Urgent And Growing Problem In Mass. 
The man was adamant. He did not, he insisted, have any family. But while cleaning out his apartment, Mary Kate Egan stumbled on paperwork that clearly showed he had been married and had children. Egan, a case manager at Public Guardian Services, was starting to manage health care decisions for the man, who had been living alone but was no longer capable of handling his own affairs and was moving into a nursing home. (Lazar, 2/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Cerebral To Cut 15% Of Staff In Fresh Round Of Layoffs 
Cerebral Inc. is cutting 15% of its workforce, the latest round of layoffs at the telehealth startup. The layoffs are part of Cerebral’s yearlong plan to reorganize the company and focus on the services patients want, a spokesman for the company said Monday. The spokesman didn’t say how many jobs would be cut, or what areas would be affected. The layoffs were earlier reported by Business Insider. (Pisani, 2/27)

Bloomberg: Therapy Startup Headway To Be Valued At $1 Billion-Plus In Round
Mental-health company Headway is expected to be valued at more than $1 billion in a new funding round, according to people familiar with the matter. The New York-based therapy-referral business is in talks to raise about $100 million from Spark Capital, Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Accel, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. (Roof, 2/28)

On the gun violence epidemic —

AP: Colorado Supermarket Shooting Suspect Has Schizophrenia 
Lawyers for a man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 confirm he has schizophrenia, with one expert finding he was “approaching catatonia” before being moved to the state mental hospital for treatment. The defense information, contained in a court filing earlier this month, provides the clearest picture to date of 23-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa’s mental health. District Attorney Michael Dougherty had mentioned last month that Alissa had been showing symptoms of schizophrenia, a mental disorder which causes people to have trouble understanding reality, but would not elaborate. (Slevin, 2/28)

Also —

The Washington Post: Sen. Fetterman Remains Hospitalized, ‘On Path To Recovery,’ Office Says
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) remains hospitalized nearly two weeks after he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said Monday. “We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery,” Fetterman spokesman Joe Calvello said in a statement. “He is visiting with staff and family daily, and his staff are keeping him updated on Senate business and news.” (Wang and Itkowitz, 2/27)

Fox News: Victims Of Ohio Train Derailment Can Get Free Medical Assistance From Virtual Health Care Company
As residents of East Palestine, Ohio, continue to struggle in the aftermath of the train derailment and subsequent toxic chemical fires earlier this month, a health-focused company has pledged to provide free medical care for victims. The Wellness Company of Boca Raton, Florida, is a virtual provider of health care, supplements and wellness services. (Rudy, 2/27)

Reuters: House Committee To Probe EPA Response To Ohio Derailment
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said on Monday it is opening an inquiry into the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) actions following the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio derailment of a Norfolk Southern operated train. (2/27)

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

Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Dies In The House
Wyoming's "Don't Say Gay" bill has failed this session, having missed a key deadline Friday evening. The bill was a close copy of a law passed in Florida last year. In Florida, the law limits what can be talked about in public schools. Wyoming lawmakers drafted a similar bill this session. (Victor, 2/27)

NPR: House Rep. Joaquin Castro Underwent Surgery To Remove Gastrointestinal Tumors
House Rep. Joaquin Castro underwent surgery Monday to remove tumors from his gastrointestinal tract, he said. Castro, who represents Texas' 20th Congressional District, said in a statement that the tumors, which doctors discovered last summer in a series of tests, were small and slow-growing and did not present any symptoms. (Archie, 2/28)

New Hampshire Public Radio: New Overdose Prevention Van Seeks To Bring Narcan, Other Supplies To More People In NH
As drug deaths rise in New Hampshire, a new mobile service aims to make it easier for people to get life-saving supplies like the overdose-reversal medication naloxone. The New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition recently launched what it’s calling its overdose prevention van — a vehicle stocked with naloxone, fentanyl test strips, wound care kits, bottled water, COVID tests and other items. (Cuno-Booth, 2/27)

Des Moines Register: Rapid Rise In Iowa Medical Marijuana Waivers Fuels Fears Of Abuse
The website for Iowa's only medical cannabis manufacturer is bold and splashy, with a trendily dressed couple casually loitering next to a big black-and-white message on a startling red background: "Get full THC in Iowa. Legally," Bud & Mary's message proclaims. "There's no THC cap on Iowa medical cannabis, and getting a card is fast and easy. Get your med card today!" (Ramm, 2/27)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Lawmakers Want To Speed Up Health Insurance Authorizations
Wayne Township Schools teacher Alyssa Preddie Allen was diagnosed in October with complex migraines ― complex because they come with stroke symptoms ― and her doctor prescribed medication. But that wasn't the end of the story. (Dwyer, 2/27)

The New York Times: NYC Banned Sleeping At Homeless Drop-In Centers. But One Is Resisting 
The city’s overnight drop-in centers for homeless and runaway youth, which are serving a rising number of young people, received a jarring message last month: “Effective immediately, providers are required to discontinue the practice of allowing youth and young adults to sleep overnight.” At least one of the centers has responded in turn: no. (Needelman, 2/26)

The New York Times: The New Weight Loss Drugs And The Old Weight Gain Myths
In his 2017 book, “The Hungry Brain,” Stephan Guyenet, a neurobiologist, argues that weight gain is less about willpower than it is the product of an evolutionary mismatch between our brains, our genetics and our environments. Now a new class of weight loss drugs is raising the possibility that we can change our brains to fit this new environment. (Ezra Klein, 2/28)

The Washington Post: How To Stop Another Baby Formula Shortage, According To Congress
Many of the babies who wanted for infant formula during the U.S. shortage in 2022 have moved on to solid foods. But a year on from the events that left shelves empty for months, the possibility of a repeat disaster remains. (Alyssa Rosenberg, 2/27)

Newsweek: States Can Save The Lives Of New Mothers By Taking A Single Step 
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, building on the American Rescue Plan, permanently allowed states to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum women to one year. Yet at least a dozen states have not done so. (Matthew Alexander, 2/27)

Los Angeles Times: Guns Are The Biggest Public Health Threat Kids Face. Why Aren't We Warning Them?
I still remember the raspy voice of the wizened cancer patient with the hole in her throat. So addicted to the poison that was killing her ‌— cigarettes ‌‌— she interspersed her words of warning about the dangers of smoking with taking puffs of a cigarette through her tracheostomy hole‌‌. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 2/28)

Bloomberg: How Did Covid Start? DOE Lab Leak Report Has A Key Caveat 
The Department of Energy now finds a lab leak to be a likely cause of the Covid-19 pandemic. The truth remains unresolved, but the report got one thing right — it admitted to “low confidence” in its findings. (Faye Flam, 2/27)

The Washington Post: Where Did Covid Start? We're Asking The Wrong Question
The Energy Department, in a recent classified intelligence report, concluded with “low confidence” that the coronavirus originated from an accidental lab leak, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, Republicans have latched onto the news as confirmation of their beliefs and are clamoring to use it against perceived enemies, including China and scientists such as Anthony S. Fauci. (Leana S. Wen, 2/27)

USA Today: Lab Leak? COVID Origin Story Won't Solve China's Lack Of Transparency
With recent revelations about the Department of Energy now saying that COVID-19 most likely came from a lab leak, and Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and their own version of the COVID-19 select committee, the raging debate about COVID origins has come back to the forefront. (Dr. Jerome Adams, 2/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: People Aren’t Getting The COVID Booster. Employers Can Change That
We may be done with COVID, but COVID isn’t done with us. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest report, the XBB.1.5 omicron variant now accounts for 80% of all coronavirus cases in the United States and it is just as contagious as its predecessors. Hospitalizations are at least as high as with the omicron wave in March 2022. In the Bay Area, there are growing concerns about a new COVID wave as viral levels in wastewater soar. (Gleb Tsipursky, 2/27)

The Star Tribune: It's Still OK To Think Masks Were A Good Idea
The human mind is ill at ease with ambiguity, with imperfect solutions and, especially, with being told to think what it isn't inclined to think. (2/27)