Public Health Archives - Page 13 of 182

The State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain

Episode 387

March 6, 2025

The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing to honor completed contracts, even as lower-court judges started blocking efforts to fire workers, freeze funding, and cancel ongoing contracts. Meanwhile, public health officials are alarmed at the Department of Health and Human Services’ public handling of Texas’ widening measles outbreak, particularly the secretary’s less-than-full endorsement of vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Stephanie Armour of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A photo of a large junk pile containing bags of clothing and trash. Home decor, shoes, and vintage electronics are also piled in.

For Seniors With Hoarding Disorder, a Support Group Helps Confront Stigma and Isolation

Hoarding disorder disproportionately affects older people. As baby boomers age, it is a growing public health concern. Effective treatments are scarce, and treating hoarding can require expensive interventions that drain municipal resources. Some experts fear a coming crisis.

By Sarah Boden

March 6, 2025

CDC Firings Undermine Public Health Work Far Beyond Washington

The Trump administration’s sudden firings have gutted training programs across the nation that bolstered state and local public health departments.

By Rachana Pradhan

March 5, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Discuss a Mysterious, Deadly Illness in Congo and Early Moves by Secretary RFK

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

March 1, 2025

A small group of students are sitting on a small boat. An adult man stands behind the group, speaking. In the background is a river with deep green water. It is a sunny day.

Human, Bird, or Dog Waste? Scientists Parsing Poop To Aid DC’s Forgotten River

A huge infrastructure project coupled with a new scientific review of microbes in the water could be bringing Washington, D.C., closer to a once-unimaginable goal — a safely swimmable Anacostia River.

By Jackie Fortiér

Feb. 27, 2025

An adult man wearing a baseball cap and a high-collar sweatshirt looks into the camera.

Los Angeles County Has Cut Homelessness, but Wildfires Threaten To Erase That Gain

As Los Angeles recovers from historic wildfires, both previously unsheltered and chronically homeless people are facing even greater instability. Some lawmakers and providers argue now is the time to put in even more resources to maintain the progress the county and state have made in fighting the crisis.

By Angela Hart

Feb. 26, 2025

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office at the White House. A flag is behind him.

With RFK Jr. in Charge, Supplement Makers See Chance To Cash In

The FDA is already limited in policing claims of health benefits by makers of supplements and herbal remedies — a $70 billion industry. Get ready for even less regulation.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 25, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Discuss Health Care for Incarcerated Children and the Possibility of a Bird Flu Pandemic

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Feb. 22, 2025

A photo of a doctor giving a little girl a bandage on her arm after getting vaccinated.

Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread

Health officials expect a measles outbreak in West Texas to exceed 100 cases because of low vaccination rates and undetected infections. Vaccine misinformation and new laws may make such situations more common and harder to contain.

By Amy Maxmen

Feb. 21, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Medicaid in the Crosshairs, Maybe

Episode 385

Feb. 20, 2025

President Donald Trump has said he won’t support major cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program for people with low incomes, but he has endorsed a House budget plan that calls for major cuts, leaving the program’s future in doubt. Meanwhile, thousands of workers at the Department of Health and Human Services were fired over the holiday weekend, from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with possibly more cuts to come.

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A close-up photo of an ice-skater's shoes while they stand on the ice. Surrounding the skater are illustrated green and white lines swooping around, along with stacks of dollar bills.

Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash

An Ice Rink To Fight Opioid Crisis: Drug-Free Fun vs. Misuse of Settlement Cash

A decision about how to spend settlement funds in Carter County, Kentucky, which was hit hard by the opioid epidemic, offers a window into the choices that surround this windfall.

By Aneri Pattani

Feb. 20, 2025

The Covid ‘Contrarians’ Are in Power. We Still Haven’t Hashed Out Whether They Were Right.

Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health, opposed most covid mandates. Without an honest public debate about what worked and what didn’t, public health experts say, we’re even less prepared for the next pandemic.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 19, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Talk Southern Health Care: HIV Drug Access, Medicaid Expansion, Vaccination Rates

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Feb. 15, 2025

The Week in Brief

Sights, Sounds Trigger Trauma for Super Bowl Parade Shooting Survivors

Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Feb. 14, 2025

A photo of a nurse talking to a patient in a hospital waiting room.

Urgent CDC Data and Analyses on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate

Delays in urgent CDC analyses of seasonal flu and bird flu, and the agency’s silence, will harm Americans as outbreaks escalate, doctors and public health experts warn.

By Amy Maxmen

Feb. 14, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Courts Try To Curb Health Cuts

Episode 384

Feb. 13, 2025

Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time — not from Congress, but from the courts. Federal judges around the country are attempting to pump the brakes on efforts to freeze government spending, shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminate access to health-related webpages and datasets, and limit grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, Congress is off to a slow start in trying to turn President Donald Trump’s agenda into legislation, although Medicaid is clearly high on the list for potential funding cuts. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Maya Goldman of Axios News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and a former health official during the George W. Bush administration, about the impact of cutting funding to research universities.

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A woman with blonde hair and glasses closes her eyes as she faces the sun

The Injured

A Year After Super Bowl Parade Shooting, Trauma Freeze Gives Way to Turmoil for Survivors

Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Peggy Lowe, KCUR

Feb. 11, 2025

A black and white cat gingerly approaches a bowl of milk or cream.

House Cats With Bird Flu Could Pose a Risk to Public Health

The current strain of bird flu is spreading from wildlife and livestock to house cats. To keep pets healthy, many virologists and veterinarians say, house cats shouldn’t eat raw food and should be kept indoors. Despite no known cases of H5N1 transmission between cats and people, some public health agencies and virologists are warning cat owners to be mindful of the theoretical risks to the health of humans in their households if a pet gets sick.

By Sarah Boden

Feb. 10, 2025

A man in a baseball cap and white coveralls moves crates of eggs. He is surrounded by dozens of crates of eggs.

On the Front Lines Against Bird Flu, Egg Farmers Say They’re Losing the Battle

Tools used to contain previous bird flu outbreaks aren’t working this time, experts say. The virus has sickened at least 67 people in the U.S. and killed one, with egg producers begging for a new approach. “I call this virus a terrorist,” said one egg farmer, who lost 6.5 million birds to H5N1 in two weeks.

By Kate Wells, Michigan Public

Feb. 7, 2025