Senate bill aims to narrow mental health workforce shortage
Robert King, Fierce Healthcare
The discussion draft (PDF), released Thursday by the Senate Finance Committee, is part of a larger effort by the panel to reform mental health. The legislation would also boost bonus payments for mental health providers that offer care to underserved communities.
WHO: World “off track” in goal to reduce deaths from chronic diseases
Han Chen, Axios
The World Health Organization warned in a report Wednesday that most countries are “far off track” in their efforts to reduce premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
With overdoses rising, a push for syringe service programs
Sandhya Raman, Roll Call
Experts say the spike in overdoses and diseases related to sharing needles means it’s time to revoke a longtime ban restricting federal funds for syringe exchanges. But lawmakers in both parties remain resistant to allowing taxpayer dollars to go toward clean needles and syringes for drug use.
What happens when you don’t get enough sleep? Blood samples show heart risks.
Linda Carroll, NBC News
Cutting sleep short on a regular basis may harm immune stem cells, potentially increasing the risk of inflammatory disorders and heart disease, a small new study suggests.
Why mosquitoes were the vaccinators in a new malaria vaccine trial
Max Barnhart, NPR News
“We use the mosquitoes like they’re 1,000 small flying syringes,” explains University of Washington, Seattle physician and scientist Dr. Sean Murphy, lead author on a paper in Science Translational Medicine released on August 24 detailing the vaccine trials.
The Fatal Error of an Ancient, HIV-Like Virus
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic
Many, many millions of years ago, an HIV-like virus wriggled its way into the genome of a floofy, bulgy-eyed lemur, and got permanently stuck.
Monkeypox has worsened stigma of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis
Amanda Morris, The Washington Post
A cashier with psoriasis received daily complaints from customers at work. A traveler with eczema was escorted off a flight and questioned by airline employees. A commuter with small, benign tumors on her body was unknowingly filmed and scrutinized on social media. All of them were singled out because people mistakenly believed they had monkeypox.
To contain monkeypox, colleges must step up outreach to LGBTQ+ students, experts say
Nadra Nittle, The 19th
Multiple colleges and universities have reported monkeypox cases, but the resources they have to fight the virus aren’t equal.
Wisconsin’s governor eyes statewide vote on ‘criminal’ abortion ban
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) on Wednesday called a special session of the state legislature for October in an effort to enable voters to repeal the state’s 1849 abortion ban through a referendum.
Abortion looms over 2022 state ballots
Oriana Gonzalez and Victoria Knight, Axios
Five forthcoming state ballot initiatives on abortion rights could add fissures to the fractured post-Roe landscape and the evolving patchwork of reproductive health policies.
Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In
Markian Hawryluk, Kaiser Health News
Private equity firms are investing in health care from cradle to grave, and in that latter category quite literally. A small but growing percentage of the funeral home industry — and the broader death care market — is being gobbled up by private equity-backed firms attracted by high profit margins, predictable income, and the eventual deaths of tens of millions of baby boomers.