New Technique Extends Heart Transplant Window
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
The new method “revolutionizes” heart transplants, CBS News says. It works by maintaining beats and blood flow in the donor heart during transport. Separately, a Boston Globe report says a local biotech startup has secured $10 million in funding to study techniques for regrowing lost limbs.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, February 16, 2023
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Narcan, Medicare funds, covid shots, unsanitary health facility conditions, abortion laws, breast cancer, guns and more are in the news.
Study: More With Breast Cancer Can Skip Post-Surgery Radiation Therapy
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study shows that more older women with low-risk breast cancer can skip radiation treatments after surgery, lowering both costs and also risky, painful side effects: data show the radiation didn’t impact overall survival rates. Meanwhile, the WHO says it will maintain the mpox global emergency.
Several Health Facilities Accused Of Being Unsanitary, Unsafe, Neglectful
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
In Illinois, a state-run facility for people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities was accused of shocking instances of cruelty and abuse, ProPublica reported. In Florida, problems at HCA Florida Bayonet Point led to, among other problems, anesthesiology errors that resulted in patients waking up during surgery, NBC News said. Other complaints concern hospitals in D.C. and Maine.
As Violence Grows, 63% Of Americans Want Gun Laws To Change, Poll Finds
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
The cycle of violence is so pervasive that some parts of the country are now coping with repeated shootings. In El Paso on Wednesday, one person was killed and three were injured in a shooting at a mall located steps away from the site of a 2019 Walmart rampage that left 23 dead.
South Carolina Lawmakers Again Pass ‘Near-Total’ Abortion Ban
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP reports that the South Carolina House, ruled by a Republican supermajority, “shows no sign of budging” from its efforts to totally ban abortion. But in Kentucky, Republicans pushed back against a bill introduced by Rep. Emily Callaway, also Republican, to raise illegal abortion to homicide status.
Moderna Says It Won’t Charge Americans For Its Covid Shots
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Earlier reports said Moderna was planning a price of $110 to $130 per dose in a pivot to commercial distribution, but the company now says it’s committed to enabling access for all. Separately, the DOJ says the government should face a patent lawsuit over covid shots — not Moderna.
Biden’s Annual Physical Takes Place In Spotlight Of Possible 2024 Campaign
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
President Joe Biden heads to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Thursday for yearly physical exams. The White House promises transparency on the outcome in the shadow of an expected presidential campaign in which Biden’s age is already an issue raised by opponents.
Federal Spending On Medicare, Social Security Will Outstrip Revenues: CBO
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Congressional Budget Office has new estimates about federal spending on Social Security and Medicare over the next decade, warning it may rise faster than revenues and the whole economy. Funds for Social Security would hit a shortfall in 2032 — a year earlier than expected.
Narcan Moves Closer To Being Sold Over The Counter
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Two panels of addiction experts recommended Wednesday that the FDA allow naloxone, an overdose-reversing nasal spray, to be sold without a prescription. Doctors and other advocacy groups have also pressed the Biden administration to make such a move to combat the opioid epidemic.
First Edition: Feb. 16, 2023
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
An Arm and a Leg: She Sued a Hospital and Lost — But Felt She’d Won
By Dan Weissmann
February 16, 2023
Podcast
A listener sued a hospital in small-claims court and lost but felt as if she’d won. Now, she wants to encourage more people to take their bills to court.
One State Looks to Get Kids in Crisis out of the ER — And Back Home
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
February 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
At many U.S. hospitals, children and teens are stuck in the emergency department for days or weeks because psychiatric beds are full. Massachusetts is trying a simple, promising solution.
Republican Lawmakers Shy Away From Changing Montana’s Constitutional Right to Abortion
By Katheryn Houghton
February 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Lawmakers in 14 states have passed near-total bans on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But in some conservative-led states where court rulings determined their constitutions protect abortion, including Montana, politicians haven’t asked voters to weigh in.
As Covid Grabbed the World’s Attention, Texas’ Efforts to Control TB Slipped
By Colleen DeGuzman
February 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Responding to covid has taken so much attention and energy that some public health workers believe it pushed tuberculosis off people’s radar.
Venden opioides mezclados con tranquizilantes para animales en vecindario de Philadelphia
By Courtenay Harris Bond
February 15, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Los traficantes utilizan xilacina, un sedante barato no autorizado, para cortar el fentanilo, un opioide sintético 50 veces más potente que la heroína. El nombre callejero de la xilacina es “tranq”, y el fentanilo cortado con xilacina se llama “tranq dope”.
Medicaid Bill Targets Private Firms Offering Trans Care In Tennessee
February 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
Republican lawmakers are behind a new effort to target trans health care in Tennessee, AP reports, with a new bill that would ban private companies from TennCare contracts if they cover gender-transitioning medical care. Meanwhile, in Idaho, a bill banning gender care for minors was passed.
Experimental Marburg Virus Vaccine May Be Deployed In Equatorial Guinea
February 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on a concerning outbreak of Marburg fever in Equatorial Guinea, which has prompted the World Health Organization to consider an experimental vaccine. No current vaccine or antiviral treatment is approved. Chikungunya and malaria are also in global health news.
Residents Told To Drink Bottled Water Near Ohio Train Incident
February 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets shine a spotlight on the health and environmental impact of toxic chemicals from the train derailment in Ohio, as locals’ and experts’ concerns continue. Officials told residents Tuesday to drink bottled water until testing shows local water supplies are safe.