Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Addiction Treatment Homes Say Montana’s Funding Fixes Don’t Go Far Enough

KFF Health News Original

Montana has created a voucher program to help cover room and board costs at low-intensity residential programs for people with addiction. Those running the homes say bridging that care is urgent but that the program’s funding falls far below the need.

Medics at UCLA Protest Say Police Weapons Drew Blood and Cracked Bones

KFF Health News Original

In contrast to police statements, volunteer medics said they treated serious wounds as UCLA’s pro-Palestinian protest was besieged by police and counterprotesters, including some injuries that appeared to be caused by “less lethal” projectiles fired by cops.

Médicos que atendieron a manifestantes en la protesta estudiantil en la UCLA dicen que la policía dejó huesos rotos y hemorragias

KFF Health News Original

La protesta de la UCLA, que reunió a miles de personas que se oponen a los continuos bombardeos de Israel sobre la Franja de Gaza, comenzó en abril y alcanzó un peligroso crescendo en mayo, cuando manifestantes pro Israel y la policía se enfrentaron a los activistas y a los que los apoyaban.

After a Child’s Death, California Weighs Rules for Phys Ed During Extreme Weather

KFF Health News Original

A California lawmaker wants the state to craft guidelines for how and when schoolchildren can play or exercise during extreme weather, including heat waves. The bill comes after a 12-year-old boy died after a physical education instructor told him to run as the temperature topped 90 degrees.

Nursing Homes Wield Pandemic Immunity Laws To Duck Wrongful Death Suits

KFF Health News Original

More than 172,000 nursing home residents died of covid. In lawsuits, some families who lost loved ones say they were misled about safety measures or told that covid wasn’t a danger in their facilities.

Tres personas heridas en el desfile del Super Bowl viven con balas que siguen alojadas en sus cuerpos

KFF Health News Original

A casi tres meses del tiroteo en el desfile del Super Bowl de los Kansas City Chiefs, que dejó al menos 24 personas heridas, recuperarse de esas heridas es algo profundamente personal e incluye una sorprendente área gris de la medicina: si las balas deberían o no extraerse.

Three People Shot at Super Bowl Parade Grapple With Bullets Left in Their Bodies

KFF Health News Original

Despite the rise of gun violence in America, few medical guidelines exist on removing bullets from survivors’ bodies. In the second installment of our series “The Injured,” we meet three people shot at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade who are dealing with the bullets inside them in different ways.

What’s Keeping the US From Allowing Better Sunscreens?

KFF Health News Original

A decade after Congress told the FDA to expedite the approval of more effective sunscreens, the federal government still has not approved sunscreen ingredients that are safely being used around the world. Meanwhile, skin cancer is the nation’s most common cancer.

Stranded in the ER, Seniors Await Hospital Care and Suffer Avoidable Harm

KFF Health News Original

Many older adults who need hospital care are getting stuck in emergency room limbo — sometimes for more than a day. The long ER waits for seniors who are frail, with multiple medical issues, lead to a host of additional medical problems.

WHO Overturns Dogma on Airborne Disease Spread. The CDC Might Not Act on It.

KFF Health News Original

After grave missteps in the covid pandemic, the World Health Organization revisited the science and now confirms that many respiratory viruses are inhaled as airborne particles. The new framework implies that stopping transmission relies on costly measures like ventilation and masking.

AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients for Climate Change

KFF Health News Original

Oregon is giving Medicaid patients air conditioners and other equipment to help them cope with soaring heat, smoky skies, and other dangers of climate change. Oregon health officials hope to show other states and the federal government that they can save lives and money.

The Neglected U.S. Victims of Agent Orange

KFF Health News Original

The Department of Veterans Affairs has long given Vietnam veterans disability compensation for illness connected to Agent Orange, widely used to defoliate Southeast Asian battlefields during the U.S. war. Less well known: The powerful herbicide combination was also routinely used to kill weeds at domestic military bases. Those exposed to the chemicals at the bases are still waiting for the same […]

Toxic Gas Adds to a Long History of Pollution in Southwest Memphis

KFF Health News Original

People across the nation claim cancer-causing emissions from local sterilizing plants are making them sick. It’s an example of environmental racism, say residents of one predominantly Black area in southwest Memphis, Tennessee, where life expectancy is much shorter than county and state averages.

Para frenar las muertes por fentanilo, reparten kits para revertir las sobredosis puerta por puerta

KFF Health News Original

En Philadelphia, funcionarios esperan que este enfoque proactivo transforme a la naloxona en un artículo que esté en los botiquines, para evitar que las personas mueran por sobredosis, especialmente los residentes negros.