- Gun Violence
KFF Health News: Parents Under Scrutiny as Potential Cause of School Shootings
For the first time, a jury has convicted a parent on charges related to their child’s mass-shooting crime: A Michigan mother of a school shooter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. What remains unclear is whether this case succeeded because of compelling evidence of negligence by the shooter’s mother or if this could become a new avenue for gun control advocates to pursue. (2/8)
Medical Xpress: Link Between Gun Violence Exposure and Suicidal Tendencies in Black Adults
Black adults who have been exposed to gun violence are more likely to have lifetime suicidal ideation, according to a study by Rutgers Health researchers. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that Black adults who were shot, threatened with a gun, knew someone who was shot or witnessed or heard about a shooting are at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior. (Zielinski, 2/6)
The Washington Post Fact Checker: Is Gun Violence the Primary Cause of Death Among Children?
Deaths from gun violence, after remaining relatively stable from 1999 to 2014, have spiked in recent years, to a peak of 48,830 in 2021, according to data maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But has gun violence become so horrific that it is now the leading cause of death for children? The Biden White House, in various venues, has made that claim. But the source cited in the White House news release — a 2022 study by the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins University — reports data with a broader focus. It cites gun deaths of “children and teens,” meaning it includes deaths of 18- and 19-year-olds, who are legally considered adults in most states. (Kessler, 2/7)
- Hospital Cyberattack
Crain's Chicago Business: Lurie Children's Hospital Cyberattack Attributed to 'Criminal Threat'
Officials at Lurie Children's Hospital on Feb. 8 confirmed the cybersecurity issue that has taken its network down since Jan. 31 is the work of a "known criminal threat actor." The Streeterville children's hospital is going into its second week without phone, internet services or access to many electronic health records. Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, chief medical officer at Lurie's, said in a statement that the hospital took its network offline "in an effort to protect the information of our patients, workforce and organization at large." (Asplund, 2/8)
Crain's Chicago Business: Disruption in Lurie Children's Hospital Network Causes Outage
Lurie Children’s Hospital is now in its third day of a systemwide network outage due to a “cybersecurity matter” that’s disrupting all communication and patient care. Lurie’s said it is working to establish a call center in the meantime to address patient and provider needs. “We are taking this very seriously, are investigating with the support of leading experts, and are working in collaboration with law enforcement agencies,” Julianne Bardele, Lurie’s director of public affairs and communications, said in a text message to Crain’s. (Davis, 2/2)
- Medical Costs
Capital & Main: Over 50% of Californians Postpone or Forgo Medical Treatment Due to Financial Constraints
For most California residents, and the vast majority of the state’s lower income workers, the cost of health insurance has been running away from them for years. That’s hardly news to anyone who has actually used their health policy in the recent past. But the health care squeeze is largely incremental — an increase in the cost of a doctor visit here, a hike in an X-ray price there. Though those costs almost never go down, they rise in such a gradual, consistent way that many people aren’t aware of just how dramatically they’ve escalated. A new report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center puts those costs in context, and the result is breathtaking. In short, Californians have been absolutely hammered by insurers and providers over the past 20 years. As a result, many of the state’s residents either don’t use their health coverage even though they need it, or they go into debt trying to pay for the insurance and the medical costs their plans don’t cover. (Kreidler, 2/8)
- Mental Health
The New York Times: Increased Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Adolescent Boys: Insights from Two Experts
For decades, eating disorders were thought to afflict mostly, if not exclusively, women and girls. In fact, until 2013, the loss of menstruation had long been considered an official symptom of anorexia nervosa. Over the last decade, however, health experts have increasingly recognized that boys and men also suffer from eating disorders, and they have gained a better understanding of how differently the illness presents in that group. A small but growing body of scientists and physicians have dedicated themselves to identifying the problem, assessing its scope and developing treatments. (Richtel, 2/8)
- Children’s Health
The New York Times: Concerns Raised by Recent Report Regarding Long-Term Covid Effects in Children
A large analysis published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics underscores the toll long Covid can take on children, in some cases leading to neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral symptoms in the months after an acute infection. “Long Covid in the U.S., in adults and in kids, is a serious problem,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the V.A. St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, who studies the condition but was not involved in the new report. He said that the paper, which drew on numerous studies of long Covid in children, is “important” and illustrates that the condition can affect multiple organ systems. (Smith and Blum, 2/7)
USA Today: Study Finds Link Between Plastics and Thousands of Preterm Births in the U.S.
Chemicals commonly used for plastic in food containers, lotion and other products are linked to tens of thousands of preterm births in the U.S. each year, according to a new study. Those babies’ medical bills over their lifetimes cost billions, the study says. The researchers behind the Lancet Planetary Health study published Tuesday looked at daily exposure to phthalates, synthetic chemicals used in everyday items, by examining national data on 5,000 mothers. The study showed an increased risk of preterm birth, which has risen in the U.S. (Cuevas, 2/6)
AP: Ecuadorian Authorities Identify Probable Origin of Contaminated Cinnamon Responsible for Poisoning U.S. Children
Officials in Ecuador have named the likely source of contaminated ground cinnamon used in fruit pouches tied to more than 400 potential cases of lead poisoning in U.S. children, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. Carlos Aguilera, a cinnamon-processing company in Ecuador, supplied the spice added to WanaBana and other applesauce pouches sent to the U.S., according to the Ecuadorian regulatory agency ARCSA. The cinnamon, which was sent to another supplier, Negasmart, was found to be contaminated with high levels of lead and chromium, an FDA analysis showed. Carlos Aguilera is not operating at this time, ARCSA said. (Aleccia, 2/6)
NBC News: The Anti-Vaccine Movement's Efforts to Minimize the Risks of Measles
As outbreaks of measles spread throughout the world, anti-vaccine activists aren’t just urging people not to get vaccinated — they’re taking a page from a well-worn playbook, falsely downplaying the dangers from the highly contagious respiratory disease. ... But national health agencies warn the fear of measles is well-founded. ... For every 1,000 cases of measles, about 200 children may be hospitalized, 50 may get pneumonia, one child may develop brain swelling along with deafness or disability, and between one and three may die. (Zadrozny, 2/5)
- LGBTQ+ Health
The 19th: Survey Reveals Long-standing Economic and Health Disparities Faced by Transgender Americans
Transgender Americans are at the center of growing political attacks and national media coverage, and yet there is little data — and plenty of misinformation — about their lives. A report released Wednesday aims to change that. (Rummler and Sosin, 2/7)
- Disability Statistics
NPR: Controversial Proposal to Alter Disability Statistics Dropped by the Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau is no longer moving forward with a controversial proposal that could have shrunk a key estimated rate of disability in the United States by about 40%, the bureau's director said Tuesday in a blog post. The announcement comes just over two weeks after the bureau said the majority of the more than 12,000 public comments it received about proposed changes to its annual American Community Survey cited concerns over changing the survey's disability questions. (Lo Wang, 2/6)
NPR: Census Bureau Delays Changes to Disability Data for the Time Being
The U.S. Census Bureau is no longer moving forward with a controversial proposal that could have shrunk a key estimated rate of disability in the United States by about 40%, the bureau's director said Tuesday in a blog post. The announcement comes just over two weeks after the bureau said the majority of the more than 12,000 public comments it received about proposed changes to its annual American Community Survey cited concerns over changing the survey's disability questions. (Lo Wang, 2/6)
- Workplace Violence
Modern Healthcare: Survey by NNU Shows Increasing Incidents of Workplace Violence Against Nurses
Nearly half of nurses reported an increase in workplace violence last year, leading many to consider leaving their job or healthcare altogether, according to a recent survey from National Nurses United. The survey gathered data from more than 900 nurses nationwide and found that in 2022 and 2023 more than 80% of nurses experienced some form of workplace violence. Attacks ranged from bites, punches, kicks and thrown urinals to “racist and sexually aggressive comments,” the union said. (Devereaux, 2/6)