NPR: Women Should Get Regular Mammograms Starting At 40, According To New Guidelines
Now, new draft recommendations released Tuesday from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force urges all women to get screened every other year, starting at age 40. The recommendation is based on a review of new evidence by an independent panel of experts at the task force. Until now, women in their 40s have been encouraged to have a conversation with their health care provider about when to start mammograms based on their personal risks. (Aubrey, 5/9)

The New York Times: New Mammogram Advice: What To Know
The advice applies to all “cisgender women and other people assigned female at birth” who are at average risk for breast cancer and do not have any troubling symptoms that might indicate breast cancer. This group includes women with dense breast tissue and a family history of breast cancer. (Rabin, 5/9)

In other cancer research —

Becker's Hospital Review: AI Can Detect Pancreatic Cancer 3 Years Before Diagnosis
Early detection for some cancers can come up to three years before a traditional diagnosis with the aid of artificial intelligence, researchers have found according to a May 8 news release from Harvard Medical School. An AI tool was successful at detecting pancreatic cancers up to three years before diagnosis by examining high-risk patients' medical records and comparing them with data on disease trajectories. (Hollowell, 5/9)

Stat: Weight Loss Drug May Boost Immune Cells That Fight Cancer: Study
Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become immensely popular for their ability to help people with obesity lose weight. A new small study suggests they may also be useful in fighting cancer. (Chen, 5/10)

Axios: Mapped: Cancer By Congressional District
Cancer deaths are on the decline in every congressional district, typically between 20% and 45% among males and a 10% and 40% among females, over the past quarter century, according to a study published today in the journal Cancer. But health disparities remain. (Reed, 5/9)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Advisers Weigh Allowing First U.S. Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill 
It was like a tale of two birth control pills. At a hearing Tuesday to consider whether the Food and Drug Administration should authorize the country’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, a panel of independent medical experts advising the agency was left to reckon with two contradictory analyses of the medication called Opill. (Belluck, 5/9)

CNN: As FDA Advisers Consider OTC Birth-Control Pill, Agency Scientists Worry It Won’t Work Due To Women’s Weight And Likelihood Of Following Label
The FDA scientists say they have two main concerns about Opill, a “mini pill” that uses only the hormone progestin. One has to do with obesity. The FDA approved Opill as a prescription drug in 1973, and “the prevalence of obesity in adults in the United States has changed dramatically since the original clinical studies were conducted over 50 years ago,” the scientists wrote in the document, citing a 13% obesity rate in 1960 compared with a 42% obesity rate now. (Cohen and Sealy, 5/9)

Abortion updates from North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio —

VPM: North Carolina Abortion Bill Could Heighten Stakes In Virginia 
A North Carolina bill that would ban most abortions past 12 weeks of pregnancy could have major consequences for Virginia providers, patients and legislative races if it becomes law, according to groups involved in the debate. North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, has vowed to veto the bill, which would also place major restrictions on abortion providers. Republicans hold enough seats in the state’s Legislature to overrule a veto, but Cooper urged several members of the Republican super-majority to buck their party. (Paviour, 5/8)

AP: South Carolina Republicans Advance New Abortion Restrictions 
South Carolina Republicans are pushing new abortion restrictions in a late attempt to curtail access after a near-total ban failed last month. A Senate bill that would ban abortion except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy is moving quickly through the South Carolina House in the first sign that Republican leaders may be close to restoring limits passed in 2021 but overturned by the state Supreme Court. The effort cleared two hurdles Tuesday. (Pollard, 5/10)

Reuters: Ohio Abortion Rights Fight Highlights Republican Electoral Vulnerabilities 
Republican vulnerabilities on abortion policy are on display in Ohio, with the party playing defense against a surge in abortion rights activism that could help President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party in next year's elections. Facing a Wednesday deadline, Republicans have spent weeks preparing a measure that could make it more difficult for voters to approve a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights that Democrats and activists are working to get on the ballot in November. (Lange, Borter and Ax, 5/10)

Also —

Military.com: Mifepristone Probably Won't Work As A Treatment For Combat PTSD, New Study Finds
More than a decade ago, the now controversial medication mifepristone showed promise for alleviating symptoms of service-related post-traumatic stress disorder in men. A new study published Tuesday, however, counters previous research, determining that, in most cases, the drug used in medication abortions currently facing judicial review in the U.S. court system is no more effective for treating military PTSD than a placebo. (Kime, 5/9)

NPR: Maternity Home Provides A Place For Women Who Decide Not To Have An Abortion 
Called the Nesting Place, it's part of a Christian organization in Nampa, Idaho, that tries to dissuade people from abortion and persuade them to take up parenthood. Women can live in the home for free while they carry pregnancies. After their babies are born, they can stay for six months longer. (5/9)

Stat: Who’s In Charge Of The Covid Response After The Emergency Ends?
The White House isn’t quite ready to launch its new pandemic response office for a neat handoff at the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha told reporters Tuesday. Jha said White House officials are in the middle of setting up an Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy that Congress mandated them to create in December, but it won’t be ready in time for a clean transfer at the end of the public health emergency on May 11. (Cohrs, 5/9)

The New York Times: As Covid Emergency Ends, U.S. Response Shifts To ‘Peacetime’ Mode 
On Thursday, three years and 100 days after the Trump administration declared the coronavirus a public health emergency, the Biden administration will allow the emergency declaration to expire, ushering in a new era when the government will treat Covid-19 like any other respiratory ailment. If the coronavirus pandemic was a war, the United States is about to officially enter peacetime. (Stolberg and Weiland, 5/10)

The Washington Post: End Of Covid Emergency Highlights U.S. Weakness In Tracking Outbreaks
When the covid public health emergency ends May 11, laboratories across the United States will no longer be required to report coronavirus test results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitals and state health departments, too, will report less comprehensive data, making it more difficult for the federal agency responsible for detecting and responding to public health threats to protect Americans. (Sun, 5/10)

Reuters: Biden Revokes COVID Travel, Federal Employee Vaccine Requirements 
President Joe Biden on Tuesday revoked requirements that most international visitors to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19 as well as similar rules for federal employees and contractors. Biden's orders take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET May 12 with the expiration of the U.S. COVID public health emergency. The Biden administration's rules imposed in September 2021 requiring about 3.5 million federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated or face firing or disciplinary action have not been enforced for over a year after a series of court rulings. (Shepardson, 5/9)

More on the spread of covid —

Reuters: Calif. Top Court Reluctant To Hold Employers Liable For COVID Infections 
Judges on California's top state court on Tuesday said they were concerned that allowing employers to be sued when workers who contracted COVID-19 spread it to members of their households would unleash "an avalanche of litigation" against businesses. The seven-member California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in San Francisco over whether woodworking company Victory Woodworks Inc could be held liable for negligence by Corby Kuciemba, an employee's wife who says she became seriously ill when her husband contracted COVID at work in the early days of the pandemic in 2020 and passed it to her. Even with the COVID global health emergency officially over, the court's ruling in the case could have major implications for California businesses. (Wiessner, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: SFO Is First US Airport To Screen Airplane Wastewater For COVID
San Francisco International Airport has become the first in the United States to begin a government program to monitor airplane wastewater samples for new coronavirus variants. The initiative, created in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will regularly collect combined wastewater flows from international arriving flights using an automatic sampling device and send them off to a laboratory for testing for emergent strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. (Vaziri, 5/9)

CIDRAP: Antibodies Spiked Then Waned After Pfizer, Moderna COVID Vaccines, But J&J Response Was Opposite 
In a head-to-head comparison today in Scientific Reports, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) researchers describe very different antibody responses to the monovalent (single-strain) Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines up to 6 months after receipt. (Van Beusekom, 5/9)

On long covid —

CIDRAP: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Reduces Severe Fatigue In Long-COVID Patients 
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) lessens fatigue and improves concentration among long-COVID patients, finds a Dutch randomized controlled trial published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 5/9)

CIDRAP: Cognitive Issues, Anxiety, Depression During Acute COVID Linked To Lingering Symptoms 
A new study from clinicians at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) offers more insight into the mental and physical components of long COVID, suggesting that people who perceived having more cognitive difficulties during their acute COVID-19 illnesses—including "brain fog," anxiety, and depression—were more likely to later report the lingering physical symptoms that define long COVID-19. (Soucheray, 5/9)

Also —

CIDRAP: Experts Warn Widespread Use Of Antibacterial Products Could Promote Antibiotic Resistance, Other Health Threats
More than two dozen scientists warn that the accelerated use of antibacterial products during the COVID-19 pandemic could pose health risks, such as antimicrobial resistance, and that a comprehensive research and policy agenda is needed to understand and limit these potential impacts.(Dall, 5/9)

AP: Biden: Debt Meeting ‘Productive,’ Default ‘Not An Option’
President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming risk of an unprecedented government default. Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as “productive” even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t see any new movement” toward resolving the stalemate. (Miller, Min Kin, Boak and Mascaro, 5/10)

The New York Times: How Might The Government Avoid Default? Biden Offers Clues
Nearly two hours after the end of what appeared to be a fruitless meeting between President Biden and Republican leaders this week over raising the federal debt limit, Mr. Biden finally offered a hint as to how the government might avoid a catastrophic default. Actually, it was two hints, contained in an impromptu news conference in the Roosevelt Room. (Tankersley, 5/10)

The Hill: Biden Says Rescinding Unspent COVID-19 Relief Funds ‘On The Table’ 
President Biden on Tuesday said rescinding unspent COVID-19 relief funds is “on the table” when it comes to an area where he and lawmakers can agree to make some spending cuts — but he was vague on whether that could also be part of debt ceiling talks. When asked if he would consider clawing back the unspent funds “even if it’s independent on these debt limit discussions,” Biden appeared to leave that option open. (Gangitano, 5/9)

USA Today: How The Debt Ceiling And Default Fight Affect You: Why It Matters
The Treasury department makes millions of payments per day, all of which would be in jeopardy if the government runs out of money. “The most direct effect is that some people who are owed money from the federal government may not get paid,” Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told USA TODAY. Those payments include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, federal salaries, food stamps and more. (Tran, 5/10)

KFF Health News: Republicans Vow Not To Cut Veterans’ Benefits. But The Legislation Suggests Otherwise
House Republicans have set themselves a tough, if not impossible, task in attempting to use a standoff over the nation’s debt limit to cut federal spending to what it was in 2022. Retrenching to those budget levels would require cutting 8% or 9% from the discretionary program side of the ledger, which excludes entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Spending on those programs is required by law. Other spending is dictated by congressional appropriations annually. The latter is up for debate here. (McAuliff, 5/9)

In news about PEPFAR —

Roll Call: Lawmakers Push For PEPFAR To Stay Steady During Time Of Change
Now entering its 21st year, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the largest commitment by a country to eliminate a disease, is considered a government success story, credited with major advancements in combating HIV/AIDS globally. But this year, eight provisions of the law also known as PEPFAR are up for reauthorization, making it a key health measure up for congressional consideration. (Raman, 5/9)

The Texas Tribune: Raise-The-Age Gun Misses Key Deadline In Texas House
The unexpected elation felt this week by gun control advocates and families of Uvalde shooting victims dissolved to despair Tuesday, when a bill that would raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles lost its newfound momentum and was left off the Texas House’s agenda ahead of a key deadline. Barring an unexpected development, the delay likely ends the bill's chances of becoming law. (Serrano, 5/9)

Axios: Allen Gunman Had 8 Guns Bought Legally
The Allen shooter brought eight weapons with him, all of which were purchased legally, authorities said at a news conference Tuesday. (Rajawani-Dharsi, 5/10)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Firearm Fatalities Reach Near Three-Decade High 
Deaths from firearms in Texas — the vast majority of them suicides or homicides — have continued rising in Texas, reaching levels not seen in almost three decades. At the same time, Texas relaxed its gun laws in a decadeslong push to expand Second Amendment rights in the state, most recently in 2021 when Gov. Greg Abbott signed what Republicans called a “constitutional carry” bill into law, allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training. (Douglas and Ford, 5/10)

More on the gun violence epidemic —

ABC News: 1 Dead After Shooting In Hospital In Richmond, Virginia; Alleged Shooter In Custody
One man is dead after being shot inside of a Richmond, Virginia, hospital early Wednesday morning. Another man, the alleged shooter, is in custody. VCU and Richmond Police responded to a call that came in at about 12:04 a.m. about shots fired inside VCU Medical Center North Hospital. A fight broke out between two men resulting in one shooting the other, police said. (DiMartino and Corujo, 5/10)

AP: Sheriff: Louisiana Man Shot Child Playing Hide And Seek 
A Louisiana man faces aggravated assault and battery charges after firing a gun at children who were playing hide and seek outside his home, wounding a 14-year-old girl, according to the local sheriff’s office. The girl suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head early Sunday, and was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on social media Monday. (5/9)

CNN: Black And Hispanic People Exposed To Gun Violence In Chicago At 'Significantly And Persistently Higher Rate,' Report Says
Black and Hispanic people who grew up in Chicago were exposed to gun violence at a “significantly and persistently higher rate” by age 40 than their White counterparts, a new report shows. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open and stem from a survey that followed the lives of thousands of children in Chicago since the mid-1990s. In the new report, researchers examined the exposure that some of the survey’s participants had to gun violence from 1995 to 2021. (Chavez, 4/9)

St. Louis Public Radio: Why Do Kids Get Shot In St. Louis? A New Study Shows Just How Little We Know
In St. Louis, the prevalence of gun violence is driving researchers to better understand the causes behind these incidents. But a new study that evaluated three years of medical data from St. Louis Children's Hospital found that the majority of children injured by guns weren’t victims of negligent adults or picking up firearms themselves. Instead, the analysis, which analyzed 156 cases of children injured by guns between 2014 and 2017, found that just 13% were caused by intentional assaults. Nearly two-thirds of victims were “shot outdoors by an unknown shooter, the motivation of which was unknown.” (Wicentowski, 5/9)

NPR: A Grim History Of AR-15s And American Tragedies 
The AR-15, like its military version, is designed to kill people quickly and in large numbers. The National Rifle Association calls it "America's Rifle." Critics say the weapon has no valid recreational use and civilians should not be allowed to own them. (Franklin, 5/10)

Also —

The Washington Post: S.C. Deputies Fired Shots At Man During Wellness Check, Lawsuit Says 
Trevor Mullinax needed help. There was a shotgun in the cab of the pickup truck where he sat, parked in a South Carolina field. He was contemplating suicide. Tammy Beason, his mother, stood next to the truck trying to talk him down. Then, four deputies from the York County Sheriff’s Office drove up to Mullinax’s truck. A family member had called for a wellness check, according to a newly filed lawsuit. But the officers rode in “like cowboys from a John Wayne movie,” the lawsuit alleges. In a confrontation captured by dashboard and body-worn cameras, they can be seen quickly drawing their guns and firing at Mullinax, riddling his windshield with bullet holes. Beason, who was inches away, screamed and darted to the side. (Wu, 5/10)

If you are in need of help —

Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

Axios: Docs Warn About AI's "Existential Threat To Humanity"
Artificial intelligence poses "an existential threat to humanity" akin to nuclear weapons in the 1980s and should be reined in until it can be properly regulated, an international group of doctors and public health experts warned Tuesday in BMJ Global Health. (Reed, 5/10)

Read the article —

Threats by artificial intelligence to human health and human existence

Modern Healthcare: Northwell, Aegis Launch AI Company To Screen, Diagnose Diseases
Northwell Holdings and Aegis Ventures are starting a company that uses retinal imaging and artificial intelligence to detect and diagnose diseases. The investment arm for Northwell Health and venture firm Aegis are launching Optain with $12 million in funding through Ascertain, the joint venture AI platform company they created with $100 million in seed funding in April 2022 to form companies and commercialize healthcare AI solutions. Optain is the first company to come out of this collaboration. (Perna, 5/9)

In news about health care personnel —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Doctor Shortage Would Worsen With Malpractice Bill, Physicians Say
Proposed legislation that would dramatically increase the cap on awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases would intensify a doctor shortage in Nevada, opponents say. Voters nearly 20 years ago approved the cap on noneconomic damages when medical malpractice insurance rates skyrocketed in the state, threatening retention and recruitment of physicians. (Hynes, 5/9)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Medicine Residents Voted To Unionize, Creating The Biggest New Union In Philadelphia In More Than 50 Years
Residents and fellows in the University of Pennsylvania Health System have voted to unionize, becoming the first group of training doctors in Pennsylvania to do so. In an election administered by the National Labor Relations Board, just over 1,000 people voted, and 89% approved unionization for house staff — the industry term for these physicians in training. About 1,400 total workers would be represented by the union, Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR). (McLellan Ravitch, 5/9)

AP: Former Nurse Sentenced For Dosing Error Seeks License Return
A former Tennessee nurse who was convicted of homicide last year after a medication error killed a patient argued Tuesday that the state Board of Nursing acted improperly when it revoked her license. Nurses around the country rallied for RaDonda Vaught during her criminal trial, saying the risk of going to prison for a mistake made nursing intolerable. Vaught was ultimately sentenced to three years of probation. (Loller, 5/9)

AP: Kansas Physician Admits To Role In Telemedicine Fraud Scheme
A doctor from Kansas admitted Tuesday to a role in a telemedicine fraud scheme for unnecessarily ordering genetic testing and orthotic braces, defrauding Medicare of about $16 million. Gautam Jayaswal, 64, of Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He could face up to five years in prison and must repay the money. (5/9)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Oscar Health To Exit California Health Insurance Market
Oscar Health plans to halt sales on the Covered California health insurance exchange at the end of year as new CEO Mark Bertolini reevaluates the company's position, executives told investors Tuesday. (Tepper, 5/9)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta-Based NextGen Sued For Healthcare Data Breach Of 1M Customers
NextGen Healthcare, which makes and sells software for medical and other healthcare providers, is the target of a federal lawsuit charging that it was negligent in defending itself against a cyberattack that permitted hackers access to information about more than a million consumers. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, claims the Atlanta-based company did not follow federal and industry guidelines for protecting data. (Kanell, 5/9)

Wyoming Public Radio: Cody Hospital Launches The First Hospital-Owned Medical Flight Program In Wyoming
Cody’s hospital recently launched the first hospital-owned medical transport program in the state. First Flight of Wyoming will serve the Greater Basin Region with medical flights out of state. Cody Regional Health operates the largest EMS network in the state. CEO Doug McMillan said that’s why the flight program is needed. (Kudelska, 5/9)

The Boston Globe: Brigham Creates Institute Focused On Immunology With Record $100 Million Gift
Brigham and Women’s Hospital will launch a new institute focused on immunology and inflammation, thanks to a $100 million gift, the largest in the hospital’s history. The donation, from Gene Lay, founder and CEO of San Diego-based company BioLegend, will establish the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation. (Bartlett, 5/9)

CIDRAP: USDA Green-Lights Lyme Disease Vaccine That Targets Mice Hosts
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has conditionally licensed an oral vaccine designed to limit the spread of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The vaccine is sprayed onto pellets and distributed in natural settings to be consumed by mice. (Schnirring, 5/9)

More environmental health news —

AP: Minnesota Prepares For Near-Total Ban On 'Forever Chemicals'
Minnesota is on the verge of banning non-essential uses of “forever chemicals.” And lawmakers say they are naming the legislation after a woman who spent the last months of her life campaigning for restrictions that will be some of the toughest in the country. Legislators, environmentalists and family members paid tribute Tuesday to Amara Strande. She died two days shy of her 21st birthday last month from a rare form of liver cancer. She grew up in a St. Paul suburb where the groundwater is contaminated by PFAS and believed the chemicals were part of what caused her cancer, which was diagnosed when she was 15. (Karnowski, 5/9)

Detroit Free Press: Marcus Garvey Academy Reopened; Haemophilus Influenzae Confirmed In 4
The Detroit Health Department has confirmed four cases of a bacterial infection at a Detroit school that closed temporarily last week because of an increase in illnesses among an undisclosed number of children. The Detroit Health Department identified the illness as Haemophilus influenzae disease found in the four people from Marcus Garvey Academy, with the cases limited to a single classroom. (Hall, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Mystery Deepens Over Hazmat Mercury Spill At Bay Area Train Station
Martinez police Tuesday said they still don’t know how 1 pound of liquid mercury ended up near a public garbage can at the East Bay city’s new Amtrak train station. (Johnson, 5/9)

Axios: Illinois May Harbor Second Worst Lead Problem In U.S. 
Lead removal experts have long believed Illinois had the nation's biggest network of lead water lines. But last month an Environmental Protection Agency report suggested that Florida's inventory of lead lines (an estimated 1.16 million) exceeds our 1.04 million lines. (Eng, 5/9)

In other health and wellness news —

Becker's Hospital Review: Smart Toilet Seat That Detects Heart Rate, Oxygen Levels Gets FDA Clearance
A smart toilet seat that measures people's vital signs has received FDA clearance. The Heart Seat from Casana got approved to detect heart rate and oxygen levels. The company says it plans to launch its first product by the end of 2023 and pursue systolic and diastolic blood pressure monitoring in future filings. (Bruce, 5/9)

Houston Chronicle: Could Avocados Lower Your Risk For Developing Type 2 Diabetes?
Good news, avocado lovers: Eating the “superfood” may also be helping to prevent Type 2 diabetes, according to a study from Baylor College of Medicine researchers. The study, published last month in the Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, found that eating avocados was associated with a 20 percent reduction in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes over a six-year period. (MacDonald, 5/9)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’ 
This week on the KFF Health Minute: air pollution’s effects on mental health, and how the end of the public health emergency could leave Americans at high risk for covid-19 without information they need to stay safe. (5/9)

AP: Trans Minors Protected From Parents Under Washington Law 
Minors seeking gender-affirming care in Washington will be protected from the intervention of estranged parents under a measure Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday. The new law is part of a wave of legislation this year in Democratic-led states intended to give refuge amid a conservative movement in which lawmakers in other states have attacked transgender rights and limited or banned gender-affirming care for minors. (Komenda, 5/9)

AP: Kansas City Considers Becoming LGBTQ Sanctuary City
A Kansas City Council committee will consider a resolution on Wednesday that would designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, even as the state’s attorney general is proposing a new restrictions on the procedures for adults and children. The resolution, which was proposed by LGTBQ advocates in Kansas City, says the city will not prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps someone receive gender-affirming care such as as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery. (Stafford, 5/10)

AP: Transgender Youth Sue Over Montana Gender-Affirming Care Ban
Two transgender children, their parents and two health care providers filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing that a Montana law that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth is unconstitutional. The ban on puberty blockers, hormone treatment and surgical procedures applies only to transgender youth being treated for gender dysphoria, but that same care can be provided to cisgender adolescents for any other purpose, according to the complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Montana and Lambda Legal. (Hanson, 5/9)

On drug use in Virginia and California —

AP: Youngkin Seeks Plan For Wastewater Surveillance Of Fentanyl 
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Tuesday that directs state agencies to take 10 steps intended to bolster the fight against the fentanyl crisis, including setting up a plan to use wastewater surveillance to keep tabs on use of the drug. Fentanyl overdose deaths in Virginia have grown more than 20-fold since 2013, according to Youngkin’s executive order, which also states that since 2020, more Virginians have died from fatal drug overdoses than motor vehicle and gun-related deaths combined. (5/9)

Bay Area News Group: Santa Clara University Unveils Narcan Vending Machine
As lawmakers in Sacramento debate solutions to the fentanyl crisis, public health students at Santa Clara University unveiled their own unique approach on Tuesday: a free on-campus vending machine that dispenses canisters of the opioid-overdose reversing medication Narcan to anyone who wants it. It’s the first of its type on a Bay Area campus, with Stanford University expected to introduce one in a few weeks. (Nickerson, 5/9)

KFF Health News: California Confronts Overdose Epidemic Among Former Prison Inmates 
Michael Vera walked into a bedroom of a residential drug treatment program in Los Angeles in March to find its occupant slumped over on his bed and struggling to breathe, a homemade straw on the floor beside him and tinfoil with what appeared to be drug residue under his body. The 35-year-old overdose victim had been out of custody less than 48 hours, in the midst of a frequently fatal danger zone: Individuals newly released from prison are 40 times as likely to die of opioid overdoses as members of the general population, researchers say. (Thompson, 5/10)

Mental health news from Alaska and North Carolina —

Anchorage Daily News: Reform To Involuntary Commitment Laws Passes The Senate, Highlighting Flaws In Alaska’s Mental Health Services
The Alaska Senate has passed a bill that aims to close the loopholes that allowed a known offender to stab an Anchorage woman while she was in a public library last year. Angela Harris was at Anchorage’s Loussac Library last February when a man named Corey Ahkivgak stabbed her in the back. Ahkivgak had randomly attacked two other women in Midtown Anchorage two months earlier, but he had been found incompetent to stand trial on those charges and allowed to walk free. (Samuels, 5/9)

North Carolina Health News: Psych Hospital Failed To Provide 'Safe And Therapeutic' Environment 
Federal regulators have threatened to terminate Medicare funding to a psychiatric hospital in eastern North Carolina after a series of visits to the facility, which started with a complaint alleging mistreatment and sexual assault of an 11-year-old patient. State regulators made a surprise visit to Brynn Marr Hospital, a privately owned facility in Jacksonville, after news reports late last year detailing the alleged mistreatment and assault of the child. (Knopf, 5/10)

Other health news from Maine and Texas —

USA Today: Maine Reports First Case Of Measles Since 2019; Child Tests Positive
Maine health officials say they received a report of a child testing positive for measles, the first such case in the state since 2019. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced in a Friday news release it was notified of a positive measles test result, adding it was awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Guzman, 5/9)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Leads US In Babies Born With Syphilis, Numbers Increasing
The number of babies born with syphilis in the U.S. continued its upward climb in 2021, new data shows, worrying doctors and public health investigators in Texas who have been trying to draw attention to what they say is a largely hidden crisis. (Gill, 5/9)

KFF Health News: An Outdated Tracking System Is A Key Factor In Texas’ Foster Care Shortcomings 
The decades-old system Texas foster care officials use to track and monitor the health records of the nearly 20,000 children in their custody is both outdated and unreliable — so much so, advocates say, that children have been harmed or put at risk. And those deficiencies persist despite a 2015 order by a federal judge that state leaders fix the system’s deficiencies. “The frustration with IMPACT is well known,” said Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, a Democrat from Houston, referring to the aging software. (DeGuzman, 5/10)

Bloomberg: US Extends Use Of Telehealth For Drugs Like Adderall, Xanax 
Health-care providers can prescribe controlled substances online through Nov. 11, according an advance copy of a rule posted online Tuesday. In addition, practitioners who establish relationships with patients on or prior to that date can continue to prescribe controlled substances for an additional year. (Swetlitz and Belloni, 5/9)

Stat: Gilead Defeats CDC In Battle Over Patents For HIV Prevention Pills
A federal jury handed a major win to Gilead Sciences on Tuesday in a closely watched battle with the U.S. government over the rights to groundbreaking HIV prevention pills. The jury decided Gilead did not infringe on patents held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and, in fact, that the agency’s patents were invalid. The CDC helped fund academic research into HIV prevention that later formed the basis for the pills. The Department of Health and Human Services contended that Gilead refused to reach a licensing agreement despite several attempts to reach a deal. (Silverman, 5/9)

Reuters: US FDA Approves Eyenovia's Pupil-Dilating Spray 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved Eyenovia Inc's pupil-dilating spray for use with the company's proprietary drug delivery device during eye examinations. The spray is indicated for mydriasis, or pupil dilation, for eye examinations carried out before cataract surgery or corrective prescriptions and can only be used in combination with the company's experimental drug delivery device, Optejet. (5/8)

Stat: What To Know About The FDA Hearing On Sarepta's Gene Therapy
On Friday, a committee of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will meet to discuss Sarepta Therapeutics’ closely watched experimental gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It will be the first FDA advisory panel hearing for a Duchenne drug from Sarepta since 2016, when hundreds of patients and family members traveled to the FDA campus in Maryland to plead with experts to authorize an earlier therapy from the company despite limited evidence. (Mast, 5/9)

FiercePharma: Amid High Demand, Novo Temporarily Throttles US Supply Of Low-Dose Wegovy
Just last week, GLP-1 giant Novo Nordisk promised a supply boost of its in-demand obesity med Wegovy after lining up a second contract manufacturer. Now, though, the company is “temporarily" reducing U.S. supply of lower dosage strengths to “safeguard continuity of care,” the company said in a statement. (Becker, 5/4)

Stat: Sun Pharma Halts Shipments From A Plant With A Troubled History
In a fresh sign of quality-control problems in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration decided that a Sun Pharmaceuticals facility failed to comply with a legal mandate to correct serious shortcomings. As a result, the company has halted exports from the plant to the United States. (Silverman, 5/9)

Reuters: Philips Will Continue To Deliver Hospital Equipment To Russia, CEO Says
Dutch health technology company Philips will continue to deliver hospital equipment to Russia, despite its war on Ukraine, Chief Executive Officer Roy Jakobs said on Tuesday. "The right to healthcare is universal, and we are part of the system delivering healthcare," Jakobs said at the company's annual shareholders meeting in Amsterdam. "We do this in Russia, as we do in Ukraine." (5/9)

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CIDRAP: New Guidance Calls For Stopping Antibiotic Prophylaxis Immediately After Surgery
New expert guidance for the prevention of surgical-site infections (SSIs) recommends that antibiotic prophylaxis (prevention) be discontinued when a patient's incision is closed. (Dall, 5/5)

Stat: Amoxicillin Shortage Continues To Plague Doctors, Families 
During last fall’s “tripledemic,” cases of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid-19 in children soared nationally. There was a spike in ED room visits, urgent care appointments, and hospital admissions. Amid the strain on providers and patients, medication shortages were an unwelcome addition to an already challenging viral season. (Nishant Pandya, 5/8)

The CT Mirror: CT Pharmacists Should Be Able To Prescribe Birth Control
S.B. 171 — An Act Allowing Pharmacists to Prescribe Birth Control Medication, a bipartisan bill currently in the Connecticut legislature, would expand access to birth control for residents of Connecticut by giving pharmacists the authority to prescribe it. (Pia Baldwin Edwards, 5/9)

Stat: The IRA's False Distinction Between Small And Large Molecule Drugs
Researchers have more sophisticated tools not only to identify new drug targets, but also to make drugs to hit those targets. A wide variety of therapeutic agents help make these drugs, including chemically synthesized small molecules; larger molecules made of amino acids like peptides, proteins, and antibodies; and nucleic acids like RNA or DNA. (Daniel M. Skovronsky, 5/9)

Stat: The Misconceptions About The Accelerated Drug Approval Pathway
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration’s Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee will meet to discuss the Biologics License Application for Sarepta Therapeutics’ gene therapy delandistrogene moxeparvovec for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. (Emil D. Kakkis and Camille Bedrosian, 5/10)

The Washington Post: How To Stop Fentanyl-Laced Pills From Massacring Teens 
Logan Rachwal, 19, had just started his freshman year at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. On Valentine’s Day in 2021, he had an argument with his girlfriend and decided to take a Percocet, a painkiller, that he had bought through the social media app Snapchat. (Leana S. Wen, 5/8)

The New York Times: The Drug That Saves Lives Even If It’s Never Used 
The F.D.A. recently approved Narcan for over-the-counter purchase, an important step in making it accessible to those who might need it or be in a position to give it to someone who’s overdosing. (Elizabeth Spiers, 5/7)

Bloomberg: How Do Facebook, Twitter, TikTok Affect Kids' Brains? We Still Don't Know 
The American Psychological Association has issued its first advisory on social media use in adolescence. What’s most striking in its data-based recommendations is how little we really know about how these apps affect our kids. (Lisa Jarvis, 5/9)

Vox: Blaming The Texas Mall Mass Shooting On Mental Health Issues Obscures The Real Problem 
Though the Texas legislature has allocated more than $1.5 billion toward mental health services in the last few years, those services remain inaccessible to many in Texas, which faces a critical shortage of mental health professionals. What’s more, it’s not clear that addressing the state’s mental health crisis will have any meaningful impact on preventing gun violence, given the large body of research that shows most individuals with serious mental health issues never become violent. (Nicole Narea, 5/8)

The Star Tribune: It's Time To Normalize Conversations About Mental Health In Public Safety
Have you seen the stats about mental health since the onset of COVID? It's staggering. There has been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide since March 2020. If there is ever a time to normalize conversations about mental health, it's now. (Kiri Faul, 5/9)

Stat: The Wasteful $400 Million Golden Gate Bridge Anti-Suicide Net
Each year about 30 people make the gut-wrenching decision to leap off the Golden Gate bridge to their deaths. To address this tragedy, a Suicide Deterrent Net is being constructed — a planned $142 million project that, after years of delays, may end up costing more than $400 million, according to contractors embroiled in a lawsuit. The stainless steel barrier will undoubtedly catch people before they hit the frigid San Francisco Bay. But speaking as a psychiatric nurse, I believe the $400 million net proves we’re approaching mental health care in this country from the wrong end of the problem. (Sherrie Page Guyer, 5/10)

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The CT Mirror: CT Legislature Must Help Community Health Centers
For more than 417,000 Connecticut residents, or 11% of our state’s total population, their health care needs are met by a community health center (also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs). With more than 250 locations in Connecticut, every corner of the state is served by one of these health centers, and served well. (Nichelle A. Mullins and Katherine S. Yacavone, 5/10)