Rape Kit Training Bill Passed In West Virginia Senate
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
To lower victims’ burdens, the new bill would require all hospitals in the state with an emergency room to always have trained staff available to conduct forensic rape kit evaluations. Meanwhile, in Connecticut, a shortage of health care workers lends legal urgency to recruitment efforts.
Opioid Use Disorder Costs Hospitals $95 Billion A Year
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
Axios reports that the cost of treating opioid misuse amounts to about 8% of all hospital expenditures, according to data from Premier Inc. AI Applied Sciences. In Kentucky, the governor promoted a program to help fight the drug epidemic. Meanwhile, USA Today covers the rise of xylazine in the illicit drug supply.
Even Brief Periods Of Vigorous Activity Can Help Cognition Scores
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets cover research that highlights how physical inactivity is linked to a slight decline in memory and thinking activities, and that even six to nine minutes of movement can help. Also: weight loss, the body positivity movement, breast density, heavy metals in dark chocolate, and more.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, January 24, 2023
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
Tuesday’s roundup covers annual covid shots, gun violence trauma, abortion access, nursing home staffing, drug costs, opioids, and more.
Nursing Home Staff Levels At Lowest In Nearly 30 Years
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
A report from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living shows that there are 210,000 fewer workers than before the pandemic — the lowest level since 1994. Dollar General, CVS Health executives, Elevance Health, and more are also in the news.
Florida Supreme Court Will Decide If 15-Week Abortion Ban Is Constitutional
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Florida Supreme Court agreed to hear a lawsuit filed against the state’s new law. The 15-week restriction will remain in place while the legal challenges play out.
Newsom Demands Stricter Federal Gun Laws, But Legislative Reality Is Bleak
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
The gun used in Saturday’s Monterey Park shooting — CNN reported that it was a Cobray M11 9mm semi-automatic weapon compatible with 30-round magazines — was likely illegal to possess in California. However, the shooter could have legally obtained it in another state. As gun rights advocates point out, gun control only truly works if every state does it.
Trauma Of Gun Violence Devastates Another Community
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
As residents in California’s Half Moon Bay cope with the immediate aftermath of a shooting that killed seven people, other communities that are still paying the mental health toll of similar tragedies encourage seeking help from trained counselors.
Second Mass Shooting In California: 7 Dead In Half Moon Bay
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
A 67-year-old resident of Half Moon Bay, a city outside San Francisco, is suspected in the shootings and is in custody. The Wall Street Journal reports it was a targeted attack, with the gunman planning to kill specific people. California is still reeling from a mass shooting Saturday in Monterey Park, near Los Angeles.
Once-A-Year Covid Shot Plan In The Works By FDA
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
Like the flu shot, the FDA outlined a proposal Thursday that would encourage Americans to get an annual covid vaccine that’s tailored to that year’s expected dominant strains. The plan was released ahead of a vaccine advisory committee meeting at which tweaks to covid protocols will be discussed.
Amazon Wants To Sell You New Things On Subscription: Prescription Drugs
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
The retail giant is launching the medication delivery service RxPass, a $5-a-month service for Amazon Prime members. It’s aimed at consumers with common conditions. Advertising for “orphan drugs,” transplant lists for Black kidney failure patients, and more are also in the news.
First Edition: Jan. 24, 2023
January 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Watch: Fifty Years after ‘Roe,’ Abortion Rights Battle Shifts to the States
By Sarah Varney
January 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
On the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we asked people across the U.S. what the abrupt upending of abortion rights has meant to them, and we lay out the stakes in the battles ahead.
Latino Teens Are Deputized as Health Educators to Sway the Unvaccinated
By Heidi de Marco
January 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Some community health groups are training Latino teens to conduct outreach and education, particularly in places where covid vaccine fears linger.
As States Seek to Limit Abortions, Montana Wants to Redefine What Is Medically Necessary
By Katheryn Houghton
January 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Montana officials are looking to tighten rules around medically necessary abortions for those who use Medicaid as their health insurance. Reproductive health advocates and Democratic lawmakers have said the move is part of a broader agenda to whittle away access to the procedure.
Adolescentes latinos se entrenan para educar sobre las vacunas contra covid
By Heidi de Marco
January 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Organizaciones comunitarias de salud en California y en todo el país forman a adolescentes, muchos de ellos latinos, para que actúen como educadores de la salud en la escuela, en las redes sociales y en las comunidades donde persiste el miedo a la vacuna contra covid.
Viewpoints: Early Abortion Tissue Doesn’t Resemble Graphic Photos; Heartbeat Does Not Equal Personhood
January 23, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers examine abortion issues and other public health topics.
Trans Fats In Foods Still Threaten Heart Health Of 5 Billion People: WHO
January 23, 2023
Morning Briefing
In other news, the U.S. military is investigating whether nine officers’ cancers are related to their work decades ago at a nuclear missile base in Montana. Separately, the Washington Post reports on whether gel nail polish and UV polish curing lamps are safe.
Prosecutors: Elizabeth Holmes Tried To Leave US After Conviction
January 23, 2023
Morning Briefing
Prosecutors allege that Holmes, the former Theranos CEO, booked a one-way flight to Mexico. Government attorneys flagged Holmes’ legal team when they discovered the January 2022 flight, three days before it was set to take off. In other pharma news, Martin Shkreli may be held in contempt; N.Y.U. Langone Health pulls out of a Type 1 diabetes trial; and more.
Home Health Agencies May Face Financial Strife After CMS Pay Bump
January 23, 2023
Morning Briefing
2023’s “small” pay bump from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will not keep up with home health agencies’ rising expenses, Modern Healthcare reports. The Wall Street Journal reminds us that the home caregiver industry experiences high turnover, impacting patients.