- Women’s Health
Dietary Habits Associated with Increased Preeclampsia Rates in Latina Women
Researchers at the USC Keck School of Medicine found that Latinas who ate vegetables, fruits, and healthy oils-based foods had fewer incidences of preeclampsia. More research is needed to determine the exact diet that could be beneficial. (Vanessa G. Sánchez, 4/5 )
The Hill: Study Finds Over 12% of New Mothers Report Experiencing Mistreatment During Childbirth
As the U.S. grapples with a maternal health crisis, a new study shows more than 1 out of 8 new moms are shouted at, scolded or ignored by a healthcare provider during their deliveries. The study published in JAMA Network Open Thursday used data from the 2020 Postpartum Assessment of Health Survey, a large-scale data collection effort on the health and well-being of postpartum people conducted by Columbia University. (O’Connell-Domenech, 4/4)
- Migrant Children
The Hill: Federal Judge Rules Border Patrol Responsible for Care of Migrant Children in Its Custody
When the federal government locks migrants up, it’s responsible for them — regardless of whether they’ve been formally processed, a federal judge found Wednesday. As migrant crossings over the border between Mexico and Southern California have overwhelmed local detention facilities, thousands of people have been left to camp in the desert, often for days. (Elbein, 4/4)
- Children’s Health
KFF Health News: Rising Child Drug Overdose Deaths Prompt Questions About Pediatrician Involvement
A 17-year-old boy with shaggy blond hair stepped onto the scale at Tri-River Family Health Center in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. After he was weighed, he headed for an exam room decorated with decals of planets and cartoon characters. A nurse checked his blood pressure. A pediatrician asked about school, home life, and his friendships. This seemed like a routine teen checkup, the kind that happens in thousands of pediatric practices across the U.S. every day — until the doctor popped his next question. (Bebinger, 4/5)
The Washington Post: Study Shows Unsafe Sleep Practices Linked to Majority of Sudden Infant Deaths
More than three-quarters of sudden infant deaths involved multiple unsafe sleep practices, including co-sleeping, a recent analysis suggests. A study published in the journal Pediatrics looked at 7,595 sudden infant death cases in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention registry between 2011 and 2020. The majority of deaths occurred in babies less than 3 months old. (Blakemore, 3/31)
Medical Xpress: Unidentified Brain Infections Possibly Linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Some infants who pass away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are known to have had acute minor infections. Could these have played a role in their death? Using next-generation molecular tools, a new study provides evidence that undiagnosed inflammation and occult infection can contribute to SIDS and the brainstem pathology seen in some infants. The findings are published in JAMA Neurology. (Fliesler, 3/27)
Stat: Researchers Discover Potential Treatment Pathway for Lethal Childhood Tumor
Most targeted cancer drugs work like tranquilizer darts, snaring an overzealous gene that has spurred the cell into murderously rapid growth. But many tumors don’t have a hyperactive gene. Like the mayhem in “Cat in the Hat,” they are enabled by parental absence. They grow because the genes that are meant to provide discipline, guiding the activity of other genes or self-destructing a cell whose DNA is too damaged, are broken or missing. (Mast, 4/1)
- Mental Health
Teams Without Weapons To Respond To Mental Health Crises In LA: A new program in Los Angeles is deploying teams of clinicians — not police officers — to respond to incidents involving people in mental health crises, city leaders announced Wednesday. Read more from the LAist.
Los Angeles Times: 17-Year-Old In Midst of Mental Health Crisis Shot by Deputies
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies on Tuesday shot and killed a 17-year-old boy authorities say was experiencing a mental health crisis — the second teen killed by the law enforcement agency in less than a month. The boy was inside the Victorville foster home of his sister when deputies responded around 1 p.m. to a call of an “unwanted subject” in the house in the 17100 block of Forest Hills Drive, according to the Sheriff’s Department. (Goldberg, 4/3)
Axios: Increasing Number of Americans Choosing to Go Without ADHD Medications Due to Ongoing Shortages
Shortages of commonly prescribed drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have stretched on for nearly 18 months, with no clear end in sight for many Americans who've found it difficult if not impossible to get the treatments. Why it matters: As demand for stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse soared, the fill rate for such prescriptions has dropped more than 10% in two years, according to a new analysis from health analytics firm Truveta. (Reed, 4/3)
NPR: Accessing Mental Health Care is Challenging, Particularly with Medicare or Medicaid
With rates of suicide and opioid deaths rising in the past decade and children's mental health declared a national emergency, the United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis. But access to mental health care for a significant portion of Americans — including some of the most vulnerable populations — is extremely limited, according to a new government report released Wednesday. The report ... finds that Medicare and Medicaid have a dire shortage of mental health care providers. (Chatterjee, 4/3)
Modern Healthcare: Joint Commission Contemplates Enhanced Suicide Prevention Standards
The Joint Commission is considering whether its hospital accreditation standards should include more requirements tied to suicide prevention efforts. The accrediting body already has standards intended to prevent suicide among patients treated for behavioral health conditions once they are discharged. However, there are no standards for other patients related to detailed safety planning, including how individuals are transitioned to outpatient care providers and how access to lethal weapons is restricted. (Devereaux, 4/2)
CIDRAP: Research Details Heightened Severity of Pediatric Mental Health Crises Amidst Pandemic
Children visiting the emergency department (ED) for mental health crises during the pandemic had longer stays and more severe diagnoses, according to a new study in Academic Emergency Medicine. The study was based on ED visits to nine US hospitals participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry from 2017 to 2022. (Soucheray, 4/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Research Suggests Keto Diet May Aid in Managing Severe Mental Illness
Eating a ketogenic diet appears to help people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers — underscoring the importance of diet in the management of serious mental illness. The study, published in Psychiatry Research on March 27, found that trial participants who were instructed to follow a ketogenic diet — high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrates — for four months showed improvements in both psychiatric outcomes and metabolic syndromes like obesity and insulin resistance. (Ho, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Snapchat's Friend-Ranking Feature Contributes to Teen Anxiety
A Snapchat feature lets paying users see their position in their friends’ digital orbits. For some teens, whose friends are everything, it’s adding to their anxiety. Snapchat+ is the app’s $4-a-month subscription service. Subscribers can check where they rank with a particular friend based on how often that friend communicates with them. The result is automatically rendered in a solar-system metaphor: Are you Mercury, the planet closest to your friend? Great! Uranus? Bad sign. (Jargon, 3/30)
Reveal: Profiting from Adolescents in Distress
The first time Trina Edwards was locked in a psychiatric hospital for children, she was 12 years old. She was sure a foster parent would pick her up the next day. But instead, Trina would end up spending years cycling in and out of North Star Behavioral Health in Anchorage, Alaska. At times, she was ready to be discharged, but Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services couldn’t find anywhere else to put her – so Trina would stay locked in at North Star, where she would experience violent restraints and periods of seclusion. Then, shortly before her 15th birthday, Trina was sent to another facility 3,000 miles away: Copper Hills Youth Center in Utah. (Lurie, 3/30)
The Hill: The Newest Social Media Trend Among Teens? Self-Diagnosing Their Mental Health Challenges
Teenagers are increasingly using social media to self-diagnose their mental health issues, alarming parents and advocates who say actual care should be easier to access. A poll by EdWeek Research Center released this week found 55 percent of students use social media to self-diagnose, and 65 percent of teachers say they’ve seen the phenomenon in their classrooms. (Lonas, 3/30)
- Telehealth Access
KFF Health News: Termination of Internet Subsidies for Low-Income Households Endangers Telehealth Access
For Cindy Westman, $30 buys a week’s worth of gas to drive to medical appointments and run errands. It’s also how much she spent on her monthly internet bill before the federal Affordable Connectivity Program stepped in and covered her payments. “When you have low income and you are living on disability and your daughter’s disabled, every dollar counts,” said Westman, who lives in rural Illinois. (Tribble, 4/4)
- Healthcare Coverage
Axios: Surging ACA Enrollment Brings Tradeoffs for Children
More kids than ever are covered through the Affordable Care Act as the law's insurance markets help catch those affected by the nationwide Medicaid enrollment purge that began a year ago this week. Why it matters: The transition to the ACA marketplaces from Medicaid or a sister program just for kids comes with tradeoffs that hundreds of thousands of families may be discovering about their child's new coverage. (Goldman, 4/2)
KFF Health News: ACA Plan Changes Occurring Without Enrollees' Consent
Some consumers covered by Affordable Care Act insurance plans are being switched from one plan to another without their express permission, potentially leaving them unable to see their doctors or fill prescriptions. Some face large IRS bills for back taxes. Unauthorized enrollment or plan-switching is emerging as a serious challenge for the ACA, also known as Obamacare. (Appleby, 4/2)