Mass General Brigham Staff Rocked By Layoffs Of Chaplains, Abuse Counselors
April 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Chaplains help families navigate the decision to take loved ones off life support and also comfort employees struggling with traumatic situations. Among other jobs cut were a clinical social worker who led violence intervention and prevention programs and a tobacco treatment specialist.
Nashville School Shooter Manipulated Mental Health Providers, Report Says
April 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Audrey Hale, who died in the 2023 attack, was able to convince providers and family members that her “homicidal and suicidal ideations were well in her past,” the investigative case summary concludes. Meanwhile, efforts are underway in Florida’s Miami-Dade County and in Ohio to ban fluoride from public drinking water. More news comes from Indiana, North Carolina, and California.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, April 3, 2025
April 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
We’d like to speak with personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies about what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message us on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
FDA Layoffs Will Likely Force Cutbacks In Food And Drug Inspections
April 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
CBS reports that roughly 170 workers were laid off from the FDA’s Office of Inspections and Investigations. In related FDA news, the pharmaceutical industry is worried about the cuts; layoffs include senior veterinarians working on bird flu; and more. Also, President Donald Trump’s tariff exemptions for pharma.
First Edition: Thursday, April 3, 2025
April 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump’s DEI Undoing Undermines Hard-Won Accommodations for Disabled People
By Stephanie Armour
April 3, 2025
KFF Health News Original
From halting diversity programs that benefit disabled workers to making federal staffing cuts, the Trump administration has taken a slew of actions that harm people with disabilities.
‘If They Cut Too Much, People Will Die’: Health Coalition Pushes GOP on Medicaid Funding
By Christine Mai-Duc
April 3, 2025
KFF Health News Original
As House Republicans mull a massive $880 billion cut from federal programs likely including Medicaid, constituents, disability advocates, and health care providers are joining forces to lobby GOP members in California — including those who represent rural, deeply conservative pockets that stand to lose the most.
What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer
By Arthur Allen
April 3, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has helped improve health care safety in a country where thousands die of medical errors each year. It was effectively dissolved Tuesday.
Prosecutors To Seek Death Penalty For Mangione In UnitedHealthcare Slaying
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Luigi Mangione, 26 — on trial in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — of committing a “cold-blooded assassination.” President Donald Trump has restored the use of federal executions, which had been on hold since mid-2021 under the Biden administration.
Study: Exposure To Phthalates May Impact Brain Development In Infants
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, looked at moms’ phthalate exposure and newborns’ brain development. Other health news is on a promising new drug in the fight against ovarian cancer, the impact of “cold-water immersion” on your body’s cells, and more.
LA County Forms New Homeless Agency Despite Mayor’s Disapproval
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
According to the Los Angeles Times, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a plan Tuesday to move more than $300 million in funds from the existing homeless services agency. Other news is from Massachusetts, Georgia, Colorado, Illinois, and North Carolina.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, April 2, 2025
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
We’d like to speak with personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies about what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message us on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
‘Liberation Day’ Arrives; Some In GOP Try To Stop Tariffs On Canadian Drugs
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
An analysis recently published in JAMA found that the tariffs would likely result in price hikes on a “wide range of medications, from antibiotics to mental health treatments,” the lead author said. In related news, Mark Cuban says his Cost Plus Drugs will be forced to raise prices if tariffs take effect.
23 States Sue Trump Administration Over $11B In Health Funding Cuts
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
AP reports that the attorneys general involved in the lawsuit say the funding cuts will result in “serious harm to public health.” In related news about the Trump administration and DOGE: rural internet access, a kidney donor held by ICE, and more.
House Panel Discusses Vulnerability Of Aging Medical Devices
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Alabama Republican Rep. Gary Palmer noted that even though the hardware can last up to 30 years, software tends to become outdated more quickly, potentially exposing patients to risk and hospitals to cybersecurity threats. New York Democrat Yvette Clarke wondered how these issues can be addressed after government departments have been gutted.
Wisconsin High Court Keeps Liberal Tilt With Abortion Rights On Docket
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Liberal Judge Susan Crawford bested conservative Judge Brad Schimel for a seat on the court. Separately: Wyoming makes it harder for people to obtain procedural abortions; funding freezes limit contraception access nationally and globally; and more.
HHS Guts Health Agencies, Ousts 5 NIH Directors In Broad Reduction In Force
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
During a day of widespread layoffs, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya told employees he plans to “implement new policies humanely,” while FDA Commissioner Marty Makary touted his “impeccable credentials” in an email to his charges. News outlets break down what programs were affected by Monday’s purge and what’s next.
First Edition: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
April 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
How Much Will That Surgery Cost? 🤷 Hospital Prices Remain Largely Unhelpful.
By Daniel Chang
April 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Health care price transparency is one of the few bipartisan issues in Washington, D.C. But much of the information that hospitals and health plans have made available to the public is not helpful to patients, and there’s no conclusive evidence yet that it’s lowering costs or increasing competition.
