CBS News: As IV Shortage Continues After Hurricane, U.S. Invokes Wartime Power To Speed Recovery
The Biden administration says it has invoked the wartime powers of the Defense Production Act to speed rebuilding of a major American factory of intravenous fluids that was wrecked by Hurricane Helene last month. Damage to the plant in North Carolina has worsened a nationwide shortage of IV fluids, and hospitals say they are still postponing some surgeries and other procedures as a result. (Tin, 10/15)

Chief Healthcare Executive: Why Hospitals Are Likely To See IV Fluid Shortage For Some Time
Tom Cotter, the executive director of Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit group that works to ensure the availability of medical supplies in emergencies, says hospitals will likely need to continue to manage stores of IV fluids carefully for some time. Federal officials are working to help obtain more IV fluids, but Cotter tells Chief Healthcare Executive® that it’s going to take a while before health systems see some relief. Even if more supplies come from abroad, they won’t arrive overnight. (Southwick, 10/16)

In other news from the federal government —

Military Times: Pentagon Changes Discharges For 800-Plus Vets Kicked Out For Being Gay
About 820 veterans previously kicked out of the military for their sexual orientation will have their dismissals upgraded to honorable discharges following a year-long review of their service records. The upgrades were announced Tuesday morning by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said the effort was undertaken “to redress the harms done by ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and other policies on these former service members.” ... The changes mean that those veterans for the first time will be able to access certain VA education, health and financial benefits, a potential windfall for them and their families. (Shane III, 10/15)

The Hill: Lawmakers Calls For Extending Telemedicine Flexibilities, Object To Proposed DEA Rule
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate are calling for COVID-era flexibilities on telemedicine services to be extended to ensure access to “necessary and life-saving treatments,” and are speaking out against a proposed rule reportedly being advanced by the DEA that would limit telemedicine prescribing. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) led a group of 11 senators in a letter addressed to President Biden, objecting to a reported draft proposed rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to limit telemedicine prescribing. (Choi, 10/15)

CNY Central: Congress Could Move The Needle In Excellus Talks With Local Healthcare Providers
Negotiations between Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield and major health care providers are still ongoing; an industry expert believes it may take congressional legislation to ease the financial burden on the health insurer to help get to a break through. In August of 2023, the federal government announced nearly $1 billion was headed for Upstate New York hospitals after adjustments were made in how Medicare reimbursements are calculated. At the time, Sen. Chuck Schumer said it was a massive win for hospitals hemorrhaging money and staff following the hit of COVID-19. Hospitals saw this as a victory after making complaints about imbalance in care provided versus what hospitals actually received in Medicare. However, insurance companies and non for profits are taking a hit. (Wight, 10/15)

Politico: Casey, McCormick Tussle Over Abortion In Pennsylvania Senate Debate 
Fights over abortion are popping up in virtually every competitive race in the nation. And it was one of the more contentious moments on Tuesday at the mostly tame Pennsylvania Senate debate between Sen. Bob Casey (D) and businessman Dave McCormick (R). Republicans have been on defense since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and McCormick, who has praised the Supreme Court decision, worked to toggle both sides of the sensitive issue. (Perano, 10/15)

Politico: Cruz Pressed On Abortion, IVF In Texas Senate Debate
Sen. Ted Cruz repeatedly would not say whether he supports allowing abortion in the cases of incest or rape during what is likely to be the only debate between the Texas Republican and his Democratic opponent, Rep. Colin Allred. “Why do you keep asking me that?” Cruz asked the moderators after the third time they asked the question. “Hold on a second. I've asked Congressman Allred twice about his voting record, and the fact that he voted to strike down Texas's parental notification law and parental consent law.” (Diaz, 10/15)

The New York Times: Abortion Could Decide Control Of State Supreme Courts
The fight over the right to an abortion has expanded into yet another corner of American political life: the races to fill seats on state supreme courts. In 22 states, voters elect their supreme court justices. All but eight of them elect justices in contests that are officially nonpartisan, though the judges’ political leanings are often quite apparent. (Wines, 10/15)

Tennessee Lookout: District 75 State House Race Could Prove An Early Referendum On Abortion 
Tennessee doesn’t have an abortion referendum on the ballot this year, but the state House race in District 75, which encompasses the city of Clarksville, may yield the clearest indication yet of how much the issue sways Tennessee voters. Incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Burkhart, a former city councilmember and small business owner first elected to state office in 2022, faces political newcomer Allie Phillips, a former day care operator.  (Wadhwani, 10/16)

The Washington Post: Nebraska Voters To Choose Between Historic, Dueling Abortion Questions 
The competing measures have drawn intense attention and are likely to drive voter turnout in a way that could even affect the outcome of the presidential race. (Gowen, 10/16)

AP: Missouri Abortion-Rights Campaign Fundraising Total At $22M One Month Before Election
A campaign to restore abortion access in Missouri so far has raised close to $22 million, finance reports filed Tuesday show. The campaign reported bringing in more than $14 million between July and the end of September alone. Missourians for Constitutional Freedom seeks to undo the state’s near-total abortion ban and is one of nine statewide campaigns to enshrine abortion rights into state constitutions. (Ballentine, 10/15)

The Baltimore Sun: Abortion Rights Group Outraises Opponents, Spends Big On Ad Campaign Supporting Maryland Ballot Question
Abortion rights advocates trying to drum up support for Maryland’s reproductive freedom ballot question have vastly outraised and outspent their opponents — pulling in more than five times the funds and unleashing a new $500,000 ad campaign three weeks before Election Day. (Janesch, 10/15)

In other election news —

The Wall Street Journal: Gender Gap Is Defining Feature Of Deadlocked Trump-Harris Race 
Vice President Kamala Harris is struggling to win support from men. Former President Donald Trump has the same problem with women. The gender gap has come to define a deadlocked presidential race, with a galvanized group of women voting for Harris because of her support for abortion rights and Trump wooing men with uber-masculine rhetoric. The split has affected the candidates’ media strategies and how they frame the issues most important to voters in the final weeks of the campaign. (Lucey, Zitner and Martinez, 10/15)

KFF Health News: Harris Backs Slashing Medical Debt. Trump’s ‘Concepts’ Worry Advocates
Patient and consumer advocates are looking to Kamala Harris to accelerate federal efforts to help people struggling with medical debt if she prevails in next month’s presidential election. And they see the vice president and Democratic nominee as the best hope for preserving Americans’ access to health insurance. Comprehensive coverage that limits patients’ out-of-pocket costs offers the best defense against going into debt, experts say. (Levey, 10/16)

Democracy Docket: Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Restrictive Drop Box Rules 
In a 4-3 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld a recent directive from Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) that effectively prohibits authorized individuals from returning an absentee ballot to a drop box on behalf of a family member or voter with disabilities. (Selzer, 10/15)

The New York Times: Supreme Court Leans Toward Truck Driver Fired Over Drug Test 
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday over whether a truck driver fired for failing a drug test after using a “wellness product” which was falsely advertised to be free of THC may sue the manufacturer under a federal racketeering law. A majority of the justices seemed ready to side with the driver, Douglas Horn, on the narrow question before them: whether he could satisfy the law’s requirement that he had been injured in his “business or property.” But that is not the only hurdle Mr. Horn must clear to win under the law, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. (Liptak, 10/15)

Military.com: Two Veterans Will Argue To Supreme Court That VA Disability Claims Aren't Getting 'Benefit Of Doubt'
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that challenges the Department of Veterans Affairs' handling of benefits applications and appeals, a question that could affect thousands of previously decided or current claims. In the case Bufkin v. McDonough, the plaintiffs challenged decisions by the VA and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims denying benefits for health conditions. They argue that the Veterans Board of Appeals, and later, the appeals court, failed to apply a "benefit-of-the-doubt" rule that should have resulted in disability compensation awards. (Kime, 10/15)

CNN: Supreme Court Leaves In Place Pennsylvania Law Barring People Under 21 From Carrying Guns 
 The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling from Pennsylvania that allowed residents under 21 to carry firearms in public, though the justices declined for now to hear arguments in the case themselves. At issue was a state law that barred 18- to 20-year-olds from open carrying firearms during declared states of emergencies. The court’s decision tosses a federal appeals court ruling that found the law violated the Second Amendment. (Fritze, 10/15)

Stat: UnitedHealth Gave Doctors Bonuses, Praise For Medicare Advantage Visits
The emails from UnitedHealth Group managers were filled with exclamation marks and pleasantries about the weather. But the underlying message to doctors in late 2020 was persistent and urgent: Hit your targets to see more patients. We need to bring in more money. (Bannow, Herman, Ross and Lawrence, 10/16)

Modern Healthcare: CMS' 2030 Value-Based Care Goal At 'Inflection Point'
The Biden administration's goal to move all Medicare beneficiaries into accountable care arrangements by 2030 may be just within reach, but is at a turning point. The most immediate question that could determine the initiative's future is whether Congress extends a bonus program meant to help providers transition away from fee-for-service reimbursement and toward value-based payment before it expires this winter. (McAuliff, 10/15)

Modern Healthcare: How Biden Transformed Medicare Advantage
The clock is running out on one of the most consequential eras for Medicare Advantage since its inception nearly three decades ago. President Joe Biden’s single term in office has featured some of the most high-velocity policymaking on Medicare Advantage — both in quantity and potency — since George W. Bush's presidency. The Biden administration has overseen dozens of changes to the financing and the rules governing the private sector alternative to fee-for-service Medicare. (Early, 10/16)

Axios: Independent Pharmacies May Skip Low-Cost Medicare Drugs
More than half of independent pharmacies are considering not stocking the first 10 drugs that were subject to Medicare price negotiations over concerns they'll have to absorb upfront costs. If the drug stores decide it's not worth it to carry these drugs, seniors could have a harder time benefiting from the first round of reduced drug prices that take effect in 2026 — especially as more chain pharmacies close. (Goldman, 10/16)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Group's Andrew Witty Bullish On Medicare Advantage
UnitedHealth Group remains optimistic about its Medicare Advantage business after a challenging year and a half for the program at large, CEO Andrew Witty said Tuesday. The healthcare conglomerate that owns UnitedHealthcare, the leading Medicare Advantage carrier by market share, responded to financial and regulatory setbacks for the sector by emphasizing stability in its offerings, and will continue efforts to improve its star ratings quality scores, Witty told investor analysts when announcing the company's third-quarter results. (Berryman, 10/15)

Also —

The Hill: Extra Check Coming To Some Social Security Recipients In November: Here’s Why
It may be hard to believe, but November is fast approaching. With it will come Election Day, Thanksgiving, and, for some 7 million Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries, an extra check. It’s all thanks to a quirk in the 2024 calendar. (Bink, 10/15)

Stat: Yale Tested 6 Early-Warning Algorithms Used By Health Systems. Epic's AI Tool Didn’t Fare Well
In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals were desperate for ways to manage the flood of seriously ill patients. Many turned to an artificial intelligence algorithm developed by Epic Systems, the electronic health record company, to predict which patients were most likely to rapidly deteriorate so they could get the critical care they needed. (Palmer, 10/15)

Crain's New York Business: VC Interest In AI-Backed Healthcare Explodes In New York
There’s an adage in venture capital circles that a company will raise money as long as it slaps an “AI” sticker on its packaging. The trend is especially pronounced in healthcare, a sector that has struggled to automate its processes and is looking to make up for lost time. New York’s market for health-tech companies in the AI rush has exploded. As of October, venture capital investments in New York-based health companies using AI have already surpassed $1 billion, up from $670 million in all of 2023 and $530 million in 2022, according to the research firm PitchBook. (Geringer-Sameth, 10/14)

Modern Healthcare: The Pressure Facing Future Digital Health IPOs
The celebratory pomp and circumstance of an initial public offering may not last long for digital health companies going public in 2025. As a potential new wave of digital health companies look to IPO in 2025, the weight of the sector will be on their shoulders. They will have to convince public investors that digital health companies can run durable, financially sound businesses, experts say. (Turner, 10/15)

Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Sinks on Rare Miss as 2025 Outlook Disappoints
UnitedHealth Group Inc. shares plunged the most in four years on Tuesday after its forecasts for 2024 and 2025 fell short of investors’ expectations, a rare stumble for the health-care giant. The company hasn’t issued an early outlook that missed Wall Street’s view for years. The forecast reflects persistent hurdles, including rising medical expenses and stricter federal reimbursement rules that are cutting into revenue. (Tozzi, 10/15)

Also —

CBS News: Health Care Workers Union Reaches Tentative Agreement With University Of Michigan Health
The Service Employees International Union Health Care Michigan (SEIU) Healthcare Michigan announced on Monday it had reached a tentative agreement with the University of Michigan Health, avoiding a work stoppage on Tuesday. The union did not provide details on the three-year agreement but said it allows "workers to move forward and keep their focus on taking care of Michiganders," according to a news release. (Booth-Singleton, 10/15)

Axios: How Walgreens Plans To Retool The Future Of Its Pharmacies
Walgreens is dramatically shrinking its retail footprint and revamping its front-of-store product mix in a bid to fend off competition from online and other rivals who've upended the pharmacy business. The moves announced on Tuesday reflect big chain pharmacies' challenge to revive their core businesses amid sluggish demand, workforce crunches and shrinking prescription payments. (Reed, 10/16)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens' VillageMD, Other Care Delivery Ventures Lose $14B
Walgreens is still waiting for its healthcare services bet to pay off as the overall business loses billions of dollars. Walgreens nearly doubled its U.S. healthcare services operating losses to $526 million in the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2024 ended Aug. 31, according to financial results released Tuesday. That brings full-year losses in the segment to $14.2 billion, compared with a loss of $1.7 billion in 2023. (Hudson, 10/15)

CNN: Why Your Drug Store Is Closing
CVS is closing 900 stores. Rite-Aid is closing 500. Walgreens announced Tuesday it plans to close 1,200 stores, meaning 1 in 7 will disappear. What is going on with America’s drug stores? (Nathaniel Meyersohn, 10/16)

More pharmaceutical and biotech news —

Reuters: J&J Must Pay $15 Million To Man Who Says Its Talc Caused His Cancer, Jury Finds 
Johnson & Johnson must pay $15 million to a Connecticut man who alleges that he developed mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, as a result of using the company's talc powder for decades, a jury found on Tuesday. Plaintiff Evan Plotkin sued the company in 2021 soon after his diagnosis, saying he was sickened by inhaling J&J's baby powder. (Pierson, 10/15)

The Boston Globe: Broad Institute Of MIT And Harvard Announces 87 Layoffs
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, one of the most prominent biotech research centers in the world, has laid off 87 employees, a spokesperson confirmed Sunday. The layoffs came as a lucrative partnership with Microsoft was expected to conclude at the end of the year. In an email to staff Thursday, Dr. Todd Golub, the Broad’s director, attributed the cuts to the “rapid pace of technological and scientific change [which] requires us to retool to stay ahead” in the institute’s field. (Hilliard, 10/15)

CBS News: 23andMe Faces An Uncertain Future. Here's How To Delete Your DNA Data
23andMe, a genetic-testing and ancestry-tracing company, collects the most personal kind of data from its customers: their DNA. Now, after a data breach in late 2023 and a full board resignation, the company faces an uncertain future, and many customers believe the genetic information they once willingly handed over could be vulnerable. CEO Anne Wojcicki has also previously said she'd consider a potential takeover of the company, which has raised concerns among customers about what would happen to their data in the event of a sale. Wojcicki later clarified that she is not considering third-party takeover proposals, and that she intends to take the company private. (Cerullo, 10/14)

Stat: Biotech Finds Its Next Gold Rush In Autoimmune Disease Treatments
Biotech investors have been buzzing around new areas of drug development this year, such as the red-hot obesity market. But there’s one field that has seen an even more significant amount of activity: autoimmune diseases. Companies that are developing new medicines for autoimmune conditions, as well as other immune system disorders, have brought in more money and closed more deals so far this year than most other areas, including the cardiometabolic field, data from investment bank Oppenheimer show. (Oncology remains king when it comes to investment, driven in part by interest in new approaches like radiopharmaceuticals). (DeAngelis, 10/14)

In technology news —

Reuters: US FDA Clears CMR Surgical's Robotic Device To Assist Gall Bladder Removal 
UK-based medical device maker CMR Surgical said on Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the upgraded version of its surgical robot to be used in gall bladder removal procedures. The portable device, called Versius Surgical System, was cleared for use in patients aged 22 years and older who are eligible for minimally invasive surgery, the company said. (10/15)

The Washington Post: Surgeons Can Create Virtual Twin Organs To Plan For Complex Surgeries
A global consortium of doctors and researchers have created a way to map a virtual organ ahead of complicated surgeries that enables surgeons to test their actions in real time. (Bernstein and McGinley, 10/15)

The Boston Globe: What Causes Long COVID? For Nearly Half Of Cases, New Research Suggests An Answer.
Scientists and doctors have suspected for years that one cause of the mysterious condition known as long COVID may be reservoirs of the virus that remain hidden in the bodies of its victims long after their acute infections have passed. Earlier this month, a research team led by Boston-area scientists unveiled a study suggesting that this is true for almost half of those suffering from the condition. (Piore, 10/15)

USA Today: Latest On COVID-19: XEC And KP.3.1.1 Variants, Symptoms, Cases, Data
KP.3.1.1 is still the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States as it accounts for nearly 60% of positive cases, but the XEC variant is not far behind, recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows. "CDC is monitoring the XEC variant," Rosa Norman, a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY. "XEC is the proposed name of a recombinant, or hybrid, of the closely related Omicron lineages KS.1.1 and KP.3.3." (Forbes, 10/15)

Reuters: GSK Sues Moderna For US Patent Infringement Over COVID, RSV Vaccines 
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline sued Moderna in U.S. federal court in Delaware on Tuesday, accusing it of violating GSK patent rights in messenger RNA technology with its blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax and RSV shot mResvia. According to the two lawsuits, Moderna's lipid nanoparticles for transporting fragile mRNA into the human body infringe several GSK patents covering similar innovations. (Brittain, 10/15)

In other outbreaks and health threats —

CBS News: Two More Locally Acquired Cases Of Dengue Reported In Baldwin Park
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials have reported two additional cases of locally acquired dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that has been located in several other nearby cities in recent weeks. The two cases reported Tuesday, both in Baldwin Park, now make the total five for that area after a cluster was discovered in September. Since then, cases have been reported in Panorama City and El Monte. (Fioresi, 10/15)

NBC News: Parasitic Outbreak In North Carolina Traced To Undercooked Bear Meat, CDC Says
A gathering in North Carolina last year resulted in 10 probable cases of a parasitic infection from undercooked bear meat, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outing in the western region of the state in November culminated in a presumed outbreak of trichinellosis, a rare parasitic disease linked to wild game meat, the CDC said in the report published last week. Trichinellosis occurs when people eat undercooked or raw meat harboring dormant roundworm larvae, the report said. (Planas, 10/15)

Stat: Bird Flu Pandemic Risk Divides Experts. Is It Time To Panic Yet?
If you’re aware of the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cattle — you may have seen some headlines or read something on social media — perhaps you are wondering what the fuss is about. Yes, there have been nearly a couple dozen human cases, but all have had mild symptoms. The virus does not decimate herds in the way it does poultry flocks; most — though not all — of the infected cows come through the illness OK. If, however, you are more familiar with the history of this form of bird flu, you might be getting anxious. (Branswell, 10/16)

The Baltimore Sun: Flu Shot May Not Be As Effective As Last Year, But It’s Still Worth Getting
October is the prime time to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself through the worst of the respiratory season. However, keep your expectations in check. This year’s shot may be less effective than last year’s at preventing severe disease. Newly released data from the Southern Hemisphere, where flu season typically runs from April through September, suggests that this year’s flu vaccines offer 34% efficacy against hospitalization, compared to 50% last year. (Goodman, 10/15)

USA Today: Farm Recalls Enoki Mushrooms Citing Possible Listeria Contamination
A mushroom farm has recalled packages of enoki mushrooms due to possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced. The manufacturer, Enoki King Mushroom Farm of Ventura, California, made its own announcement that same day. The recall includes lot 4877 of the farm’s 5.3-ounce packages of Enoki Mushroom. The recalled mushrooms were sold from California and New York, as well as through produce distributors or wholesalers to retail locations all around the country, the FDA said. (Martin, 10/15)

Also —

Reuters: New Mystery Death Of Hong Kong Monkey Takes Zoo Toll To Nine 
Zoo authorities in Hong Kong are keeping close watch on a monkey that is behaving unusually a day after the ninth death this week of one of the animals, while hastening tests to find out what killed them. ... The ninth monkey, belonging to the white-faced saki species, died a day after Sunday's deaths of a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins and three white-faced sakis. (10/15)

CNN: Adolescents Treated For Obesity With GLP-1 Drugs Had Lower Risk Of Suicidal Thoughts, Study Finds 
A review of the medical records of thousands of adolescents treated for obesity found that kids who received the GLP-1 medications semaglutide or liraglutide were less likely to have suicidal thoughts or attempts than those treated with behavioral interventions. The study of about 7,000 children between ages 12 and 18, published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, showed that the medicines were associated with a 33% lower risk over a year. (Tirrell, 10/15)

Axios: Firstborn And Only Children Likelier To Have Anxiety
Firstborn and only children are likelier to develop anxiety and depression by the time they reach age 8 than children who are born second or later, according to a new review of almost 182,500 cases. (Bettelheim, 10/16)

If you need help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

More health and wellness news —

The Hill: Coca-Cola Recalls 'Zero Sugar' Lemonade After It's Found To Contain Full Sugar
Coca-Cola has recalled thousands of cans of Minute Maid Zero Sugar Lemonade that were improperly labeled and actually contained the regular formula of lemonade with 40 grams of sugar, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recall, which Coca-Cola issued in September but didn’t announce publicly, applied to 13,152 cases, each with 12 cartons of 12 cans of 12 ounces of lemonade. (Fortinsky, 10/15)

AP: Protesters Demand Kellogg Remove Artificial Colors From Cereals
Dozens of people rallied outside the Michigan headquarters of WK Kellogg Co. Tuesday, demanding that the company remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the U.S. Kellogg, the maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, announced nearly a decade ago that it would remove artificial colors and ingredients from its products by 2018. ... On Tuesday, activists said they were delivering petitions with more than 400,000 signatures asking WK Kellogg to remove artificial dyes and BHT from their cereals. Protesters said there was evidence that artificial dyes can contribute to behavioral issues in children. (Durbin, 10/15)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (10/15)

In global health news —

The Washington Post: Brazil Transplant Patients Received Organs Infected With HIV 
Brazilian health officials are scrambling to explain how six transplant patients in the country’s well-regarded public health system received organs infected with HIV — and investigating whether there are more cases to come. The revelation has shocked this South American nation and plunged its health network, a source of national pride, into crisis. (McCoy and Dias, 10/15)

The New York Times: Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children At Risk Of Starvation, U.N. Agency Says 
Nearly two million children may die of malnutrition because a product used to treat the condition is in short supply, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Monday. Four countries — Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad — have exhausted their supplies of the peanut-based, high-nutrient product, called ready-to-use therapeutic food, or are on the brink of doing so. Another eight nations, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, could run out by mid-2025. (Mandavilli, 10/14)

Reuters: Meta Must Face US State Lawsuits Over Teen Social Media Addiction 
Facebook parent company Meta must face lawsuits by U.S. states accusing it of fueling mental health problems among teens by making its Facebook and Instagram platforms addictive, a federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday. Oakland-based U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Meta's bid to toss the claims made by the states in two separate lawsuits filed last year, one involving more than 30 states including California and New York and the other brought by Florida. (Pierson, 10/15)

In other updates from California —

AP: California Health Care Workers Get A Pay Bump Under A New Minimum Wage Law
Some of the lowest-paid health care workers in California will get a pay bump Wednesday under a state law gradually increasing their wages to at least $25 an hour. Workers at rural, independent health care facilities will start making a minimum of $18 an hour, while others at hospitals with at least 10,000 full-time employees will begin getting paid at least $23 an hour this week. The law will increase workers’ pay over the next decade, with the $25 hourly rate kicking in sooner for some than others. (Austin, 10/16)

USA Today: California Students Will Learn About Periods, Menopause
California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the Know Your Period Act in late September, making the Golden State among the first places to require menstrual health education. The new law, which goes into effect in January, is modeled after the first menstrual health education requirement in schools in Washington, D.C., last year, said Edgar Guerra, a spokesperson for Democrat California Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who authored the bill. (Jimenez, 10/16)

CBS News: UC Davis Health Has New Clinic For Treatment-Resistant Depression
A UC Davis clinic is offering hope to those who are struggling with depression. Dr. Katharine Marder, a psychiatrist with UC Davis Health, works in the clinic for treatment-resistant depression. That is depression that hasn't gotten better with traditional treatments. It affects one in three people with depression. "What we do know is people with treatment-resistant depression do tend to have more severe depression," Marder said. "They tend to be sick for longer. They tend to have more disability and higher risk of suicide." (Garcia, 10/15)

CBS News: Experimental SF Program Uses Meals To Help Dementia Patients Unlock Memories
The idea for this new experimental program is simple: use food to bring forgotten stories back to life. ... Studies have already shown that music can unlock memories from the past. Dr. Adrienne Green, the CEO of the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living is betting the same thing can happen with food. "They're just coming back to life in ways that we don't see every day," she said. During a dinner party, residents got to share their dishes with the group and read a story they wrote with the help from specialists. (Hod, 10/15)

More health news from across the U.S. —

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Long Wait Times For Aid Could Be Addressed By Missouri’s Next Governor
Missouri’s next governor will face a $14 million decision in January aimed at addressing the state’s long-standing issues with granting welfare benefits to the state’s poorest residents. Less than a year after Missouri was among 16 states flagged by the federal government for long waiting times for applications for Medicaid and food stamps, the state Department of Social Services is asking for funding to hire 220 additional employees. (Erickson, 10/15)

AP: Idaho Will Begin Using Deep Veins As Backup For Lethal Injection Executions, Officials Say
Idaho will begin using central veins deep in the groin, neck, chest or arm for executions by lethal injection if attempts to insert standard IV lines fail, the Idaho Department of Correction announced Tuesday. Using a central venous line — which involves threading a catheter through deep veins until it reaches a location near the heart — has long been a backup plan under the state’s official execution policy, but it has never been used because prison officials said the execution chamber was not designed in a way to protect the subject’s dignity during the process of inserting the line. The execution chamber has now been remodeled. (Boone, 10/15)

KFF Health News: More Mobile Clinics Are Bringing Long-Acting Birth Control To Rural Areas
Twice a month, a 40-foot-long truck transformed into a mobile clinic travels the Rio Grande Valley to provide rural Texans with women’s health care, including birth control. The clinic, called the UniMóvil, is part of the Healthy Mujeres program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. The U.S. has about 3,000 mobile health programs. But Saul Rivas, an OB-GYN, said he wasn’t aware of any that shared the specific mission of Healthy Mujeres when he helped launch the initiative in 2017. “Mujeres” means “women” in Spanish. (Zionts, 10/16)

The Washington Post: South Dakota Could Deliver A Blow In The Fight To Save Abortion
Ever since the Supreme Court struck down the abortion protections of Roe over two years ago, antiabortion forces have been stunned by their defeats at the ballot box. In California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont and Ohio, citizens have voted to protect access to abortion. (Rick Weiland, 10/15)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Supervisors, Middle Managers Can Thrive With Support 
Investing in the needs of frontline employees became a pandemic priority at health systems across the country. It's a critical part of the workforce that continues to garner significant resources today. (Rodney Hanners and Marty Sargeant, 10/14)

Modern Healthcare: Technology Can Transform Healthcare, But Not Without People
Just a couple of weeks ago at a medical appointment, I heard employees at a registration desk seeking the OK from patients for their doctors to use ambient dictation to record their visits, versus typing notes during the appointments. I didn’t hear anyone say no; who wouldn’t want more eye contact with their doctors and nurses? (Mary Ellen Podmolik, 10/14)

Scientific American: Kids With ADHD May Still Have Symptoms As Adults 
Although a few studies have suggested it is possible for ADHD to appear for the first time in adulthood, more recent research indicates that adult onset is highly unlikely. Nearly all such cases are probably either misdiagnoses of another condition, such as substance use or anxiety, or instances in which childhood symptoms were missed, Sibley says. (Lydia Denworth, 10/15)

The Hechinger Report: Norway Law Decrees: Let Childhood Be Childhood
At a time when the U.S. has yet to meaningfully invest in widespread, high-quality child care for all, especially for infants and toddlers — and federal child care spending, provided to states through block grants, reaches only 13 percent of eligible American children — Norway provides an example of what affordable, universal, child-centric early care can look like. (Jackie Mader, 10/15)