Latest News On CDC

Latest KFF Health News Stories

US Officials Want to End the HIV Epidemic by 2030. Many Stakeholders Think They Won’t.

KFF Health News Original

The federal government’s ambitious plan to end the HIV epidemic, launched in 2019, has generated new ways to reach at-risk populations in targeted communities across the South. But health officials, advocates, and people living with HIV worry significant headwinds will keep the program from reaching its goals.

The CDC Lacks a Rural Focus. Researchers Hope a Newly Funded Office Will Help.

KFF Health News Original

Advocates for improving rural health pushed for the CDC to extend its rural health focus by creating an Office of Rural Health. They hope the agency will commit to rural health research and provide analyses that lead to good public health policies for rural communities.

¿Ayudan las nuevas guías sobre opioides a los pacientes con dolor crónico?

KFF Health News Original

Las recomendaciones dejaron a muchos pacientes lidiando con las consecuencias para la salud mental y física de la reducción rápida de la dosis o la suspensión abrupta de los medicamentos que habían estado tomando durante años, lo que conlleva riesgos de abstinencia, depresión e incluso suicidio.

New CDC Opioid Guidelines: Too Little, Too Late for Chronic Pain Patients?

KFF Health News Original

In November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for prescribing opioids for pain, allowing physicians more flexibility. But doctors, patients, and advocates wonder if the updated standards will be too little, too late to help chronic pain patients in a country still focused on fighting the ongoing opioid crisis.

Congress Told HHS to Set Up a Health Data Network in 2006. The Agency Still Hasn’t.

KFF Health News Original

Since 2006, federal officials have been charged with setting up a network to let various parts of the U.S. health system share information during emergencies. It still hasn’t been built or even planned, even after the communication and data-sharing failures put on display during the pandemic.

HIV Outbreak Persists as Officials Push Back Against Containment Efforts

KFF Health News Original

Research shows offering clean syringes to people who misuse IV drugs is effective in combating the spread of HIV. But an epidemiologist and advocates say state and local officials in West Virginia, home to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent years, have taken measures that render syringe exchange less accessible.

Hospital Financial Decisions Play a Role in the Critical Shortage of Pediatric Beds for RSV Patients

KFF Health News Original

Yes, the U.S. is experiencing an unusual spate of childhood RSV infections. But the critical shortage of hospital beds to treat ailing children stems from structural problems in pediatric care that have been brewing for years.

More States to Consider Extending Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Beyond Two Months

KFF Health News Original

Fifteen states haven’t moved to extend Medicaid coverage for new moms beyond the minimum of 60 days after birth. But at least four of those holdout states — Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, and Mississippi — are expected to consider proposals to extend coverage in their upcoming legislative sessions.

Much of the CDC Is Working Remotely. That Could Make Changing the Agency Difficult.

KFF Health News Original

Like many U.S. workplaces, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention went remote during the pandemic. Most of the agency’s staff members haven’t returned to the office full time, raising concerns about the CDC’s ability to reform itself after recent stumbles.

Mistrust and Polarization Steer Rural Governments to Reject Federal Public Health Funding

KFF Health News Original

As the covid-19 pandemic grinds on, Elko County, Nevada, still lacks a public health department. Yet its elected leaders rejected federal funds that could have helped it create one. Decisions like the one in Elko, and ones made by officials with other state and local governments, leave health experts concerned about whether the country’s public health infrastructure will be prepared to handle future health challenges.

Thousands of Experts Hired to Aid Public Health Departments Are Losing Their Jobs

KFF Health News Original

As the covid-19 pandemic raged, an independent nonprofit tied to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hired an army of seasoned professionals to fill the gaps in the country’s public health system. Now, the money has largely run out, and state and local health departments are again without their expertise.