KHN Weekly Edition: April 15, 2022
How the Test-to-Treat Pillar of the US Covid Strategy Is Failing Patients
Hannah Recht
The federal “test-to-treat” program was designed to be a one-stop shop for people to get tested for covid and to receive treatment. But as covid cases rise again, many communities have no participating locations, and website bugs make it difficult to book an appointment at the biggest participant.
When Symptoms Linger for Weeks, Is It Long Covid?
Nina Feldman, WHYY
Patients with symptoms that last three to 12 weeks after an acute covid infection should adopt a “watchful waiting” approach to recovery, an expert says. Keep in contact with a primary care doctor and take it easy.
It’s Not Just Physicians and Nurses. Veterinarians Are Burning Out, Too.
April Dembosky, KQED
Empathy overload and compassion fatigue contribute to the mental health woes of veterinarians, who are more likely than other Americans to attempt suicide. And with 23 million families adopting pets during the pandemic, vets’ stress burden is no doubt heavier now.
Refurbished Walkers and Wheelchairs Fill Gaps Created by Supply Chain Problems
Kate Ruder
Loan closets are playing an important role as supply chain issues and the rising price of aluminum have led to shortages in medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and knee scooters.
Colorado Moves Toward Statewide Coverage of Wastewater Surveillance
John Daley, Colorado Public Radio
Colorado was among the first states to embrace wastewater testing to track the coronavirus, an important public heath intervention that can give early warning of outbreaks.
A Year In, Montana’s Rolled-Back Public Health Powers Leave Some Areas in Limbo
Katheryn Houghton
Montana lawmakers stripped authority from local health boards, leading to power struggles between cities and counties and leaving public health officers to wonder to whom they answer.
Biden Administration Announces Boost for Rural Health Care in Midterm Election Push
Katheryn Houghton
President Joe Biden’s Cabinet members are fanning out across the country to promote benefits coming to rural America from covid relief and infrastructure legislation.
Private Equity Ownership of Nursing Homes Triggers Capitol Hill Questions — And a GAO Probe
Victoria Knight
In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden decried these financial arrangements, which two members of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee had already asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate.
Babies Die as Congenital Syphilis Continues a Decade-Long Surge Across the US
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
Congenital syphilis rates keep climbing, according to newly released federal data. But the primary funding source for most public health departments has been largely stagnant, its purchasing power dragged even lower by inflation.
Persistent Problem: High C-Section Rates Plague the South
Lauren Sausser
Some U.S. states have reduced use of the procedure, including by sharing C-section data with doctors and hospitals. But change has proved difficult in the South, where women are generally less healthy heading into their pregnancies and maternal and infant health problems are among the highest in the U.S.
California Sees Dramatic Decline in Child Homicide Victims. What’s Changed?
Phillip Reese
Bucking the alarming spike in overall homicides in recent years, the homicide rate involving young children is down 70% in California from three decades ago. The nation has seen a parallel, albeit slower, decline.
Who Doesn’t Text in 2022? Most State Medicaid Programs
Phil Galewitz
As states prepare for the end of the covid public health emergency, they are making plans to reevaluate each Medicaid enrollee’s eligibility. They will rely primarily on mail and email because not many states can text enrollees.
How a Former Catholic Priest Is Navigating a California Medicaid Plan Through Big Changes
Bernard J. Wolfson
Michael Hunn left the clergy and became a hospital and health system executive. He’s been named CEO of CalOptima, Orange County’s Medi-Cal health insurance plan for low-income residents, and his spiritual background is helping him guide the publicly run plan into the future.
Profit Strategy: Psychiatric Facilities Prioritize Out-of-State Kids
Lauren Sausser
Nearly all psychiatric residential treatment centers for children in South Carolina operate as for-profit businesses — some backed by private equity — and many prioritize out-of-state kids because it’s better for the bottom line. The scramble to secure treatment for children and teenagers has become so competitive that South Carolina will spend millions more each year as of April 1 to keep out-of-state patients from flooding the state's treatment facilities.
It’s Your Choice: You Can Change Your Views of Aging and Improve Your Life
Judith Graham
Becca Levy of Yale University talks with “Navigating Aging” columnist Judith Graham about how people can alter ingrained perceptions of aging — which are often formed unconsciously and are unrecognized.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: News You Might Have Missed
Congress is in recess, so the slower-than-average news week gives us a chance to catch up on underreported topics, like Medicare’s coverage decision for the controversial Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm and ominous new statistics on drug overdose deaths and sexually transmitted diseases. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
A Travel Nurse Leaves Fears of Hospital Drug Tampering Across Three States
Brett Kelman
Kentucky nurse Jacqueline Brewster is accused of tampering with opioids in Tennessee and West Virginia, possibly contaminating drugs given to hospital patients.
Readers and Tweeters Sound Alarm Over Nurse’s Homicide Trial
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Journalists Discuss Insulin Costs and Ethical Questions Surrounding a North Carolina Rehab Program
KHN staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.