Viewpoints: Asylum-Seeking Kids Deserve Health Care; How To Tell If It’s Alzheimer’s
August 22, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle pediatric care for asylum-seeking families, Alzheimer’s, health care reimbursement, and more.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, August 22, 2023
August 22, 2023
Morning Briefing
Health misinformation, RSV vaccines, covid’s long-term risks, drug pricing, abortion law, medical debt, listeria, and more are in the news.
FDA Approves Pfizer’s Adult RSV Shot That’s Meant To Protect Newborns
August 22, 2023
Morning Briefing
The vaccine, also approved for use in adults 60 and older, is given to pregnant people in the latter part of pregnancy, Stat reports. The CDC must still sign off on the vaccine but is expected to do so.
Toddlers’ Use Of Tablets, Phones Linked To Developmental Delays
August 22, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets cover research relating to screen time for the very young, showing that giving a 1-year-old a screen like a tablet for more than four hours a day is linked to developmental delays at ages 2 and 4. Separately, gun-related deaths among children rose in 2021.
Covid Can Leave People Vulnerable To New Health Problems 2 Years Later
August 22, 2023
Morning Briefing
A large study of Veterans Affairs health records finds that patients who were infected with covid are at a higher risk developing other diseases or disabilities. Mortality risks were also found to be greater for people who were hospitalized.
First Edition: Aug. 22, 2023
August 22, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Doctors Advocate Fresh Efforts to Combat Chagas Disease, a Silent Killer
By Paula Andalo
August 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Chagas disease, caused by a parasite, affects people primarily in rural Latin America. But an estimated 300,000 residents of the U.S. have the disease, which can cause serious heart problems. Patient advocates call for much more aggressive efforts to fight it.
Médicos abogan por nuevos esfuerzos para combatir al Chagas, un asesino silencioso
By Paula Andalo
August 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
La enfermedad de Chagas, causada por un parásito, afecta principalmente a personas en las zonas rurales de Latinoamérica. Pero se estima que 300,000 personas en Estados Unidos viven con la enfermedad, que puede causar problemas cardíacos graves. Defensores de pacientes piden esfuerzos mucho más agresivos para combatirla.
Few Firm Beliefs and Low Trust: Americans Not Sure What’s True in Age of Health Misinformation
By Darius Tahir
August 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A new poll from KFF shows many Americans aren’t willing to embrace misinformation — but aren’t willing to reject it either. And they don’t know whom to trust.
Life in a Rural ‘Ambulance Desert’ Means Sometimes Help Isn’t on the Way
By Taylor Sisk
August 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
No local hospital and anemic ambulance services mean residents in rural Pickens County, Alabama, are thrown into perilous situations when they have medical emergencies. It’s a kind of medical care roulette that has become a fact of life for rural Americans who live in ambulance deserts.
Viewpoints: It’s Past Time For Museums To Repatriate Human Remains
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers examine museums use of human remains, fracking’s link to cancer, American maternal mortality, misinformation, and more.
Morning Briefing for Monday, August 21, 2023
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicaid enrollment, abortion law, mental toll of wildfires, malaria, corporal punishment, covid, and more are in the news.
Only 265 Approved So Far For Georgia’s Medicaid Plan With Work Requirements
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Georgia’s Pathways Medicaid program — seen as a test case for work requirements — is off to a slow start since its July 1 launch, with just a few hundred approved for benefits. This comes at the same time that thousands are losing traditional Medicaid as states review enrollments, post-pandemic. News on Medicaid unwinding is also reported from Virginia, Missouri, Florida, and Wisconsin.
Nebraska Abortion Ban Faces Appeal; Issue Could Appear On 2024 Ballot
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Planned Parenthood is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit to the Nebraska Supreme Court. Meanwhile, a group called Protect Our Rights has filed paperwork in support of a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Other reproductive health news is reported from Florida and Alabama.
Pediatrician Group Calls For Ban On Corporal Punishment In All Schools
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Updated policy released by the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for a ban on all striking or spanking of school children. Separately, new research shows that kids who experienced assault are more likely to develop mental illnesses.
Emotional Toll Of Maui Fire Coming Into Sharper Focus
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Maui’s chief mental health administrator John Oliver is calling the Hawaiian blaze “the worst mental health disaster in our state’s modern history.” Special emphasis is being placed on school intervention as students begin to go back to class. Meanwhile, forensic specialists continue the grim task of identifying the victims.
Maryland Joins List Of States With Locally Acquired Malaria Case
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Such cases are rare, NBC News reports. The patient, the latest in a string of such infections, hadn’t recently traveled outside the U.S. Meanwhile, in Florida, four new cases of locally acquired dengue fever were reported between July 30 and Aug. 5, bringing the state’s total to 10 this year.
Study Finds Risk Of High Blood Pressure From Covid Infections
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study looked at data of U.S. covid patients who previously had no hypertension, finding those hospitalized with covid-19 were diagnosed with hypertension at twice the rate of those who were not. Also in the news: covid-blood clot links in cancer patients; U.S. covid rates tick up slowly; more.
Changing State Laws Push Up Patient Consults With Alternative Medical Staff
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Media outlets explain how patients are increasingly meeting with physician assistants and nurse practitioners alongside traditional doctors as shifting state laws help hospitals deal with the ongoing physician shortage. Nurse strikes, pay for tribal health workers, and more are also reported.
Cyberattack Has Prolonged Impact On Hospital System In Several States
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Prospect Medical Holdings is experiencing outages of key computer systems more than two weeks after a cyberattack. Among other news: Mayo Clinic is continuing its expansion; Axios says rural hospitals are experiencing a “squeeze” from Medicare Advantage; and more.