Daily Edition for Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Raises for disability workers, food safety, mammograms, population growth, marijuana, hospital grades, and more are in the news.
WHO Overturns Dogma on Airborne Disease Spread. The CDC Might Not Act on It.
By Amy Maxmen
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.
‘Breaking a Promise’: California Deficit Could Halt Raises for Disability Workers
By Vanessa G. Sánchez
Families of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on an expected pay increase for care workers. If the delay goes through, it could impede services and invite legal challenges from advocates.
La OMS confirma cómo se propagan los virus por el aire. Los CDC tal vez miren para otro lado
By Amy Maxmen
La OMS concluyó que la transmisión aérea ocurre cuando las personas enfermas exhalan patógenos que quedan suspendidos en el aire, contenidos en pequeñas partículas de saliva y moco que, a su vez, son inhaladas por otros.
The Neglected U.S. Victims of Agent Orange
By Hannah Norman
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 […]
Daily Edition for Tuesday, April 30, 2024
California Will Provide Free Naloxone To Some Groups: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that California will soon purchase the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone for $24 a pack – about half the market price – and will provide it free to first responders, universities, and other qualifying groups. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and Bay Area News Group.
An Arm and a Leg: The Hack
By Dan Weissmann
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann explores what the fallout from a cyberattack says about antitrust concerns in health care.
Toxic Gas Adds to a Long History of Pollution in Southwest Memphis
By Andy Miller
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.
Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver’s Seat
By Katheryn Houghton
Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor’s own financial policy — which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon — can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.
AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients for Climate Change
By Samantha Young
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.
