1. Health Care Workers
2.  

Mental Health Workers in KP Could Strike on Monday: More than 2,000 unionized psychologists, therapists, and other mental health professionals at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California are preparing to strike Monday amid complaints that the massive system has failed to address problems with how it provides mental health care. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.

Thousands of Health Care Workers Receive Pay Raise Today: Some of the lowest-paid health care workers in California will get a pay bump Wednesday under a state law gradually increasing their wages to at least $25 an hour. About 350,000 workers are affected, according to the University of California, Berkeley Labor Center. Read more from AP.

AP: California Health Care Workers See Pay Increase Under New Minimum Wage Law

Some of the lowest-paid health care workers in California will get a pay bump Wednesday under a state law gradually increasing their wages to at least $25 an hour. Workers at rural, independent health care facilities will start making a minimum of $18 an hour, while others at hospitals with at least 10,000 full-time employees will begin getting paid at least $23 an hour this week. The law will increase workers’ pay over the next decade, with the $25 hourly rate kicking in sooner for some than others. (Austin, 10/16)

1. Hospital News

Becker's Hospital Review: Two Men Charged in Cedars-Sinai Cyberattack
A federal grand jury indicted two Sudanese nationals for cyberattacks including a 2024 hack of Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai. Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer, 22, and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer, 27, were charged with one count each of conspiracy to damage protected computers, the U.S. Justice Department said Oct. 16. Ahmed Salah was initially charged with three counts of damaging protected computers. The men were allegedly members of cybercriminal group Anonymous Sudan. (Bruce, 10/17)

Fresno Bee: Valley Children’s Spent $52M on Executive Retirement Plans, Raising Questions from Fresno Officials
When Valley Children’s Hospital publicly posted its latest federal nonprofit tax filing in mid-August, the document contained details about more than $52 million it spent on sophisticated life insurance arrangements with key executives. (Galicia, 10/17)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Children's Pediatrics Recognized for Efforts to Combat Physician Burnout
Texas Children’s Pediatrics earned national recognition for its efforts to improve its physicians’ well-being by reducing the prevalence of burnout — a persistent problem in the health care industry. Texas Children’s Hospital’s pediatric primary care network is among 62 health systems, hospitals and medical groups across the U.S. recognized as Joy in Medicine health organizations by the American Medical Association. The program recognizes organizations that are working to alleviate physician burnout, which skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains higher among health care workers than other professions. (MacDonald, 10/16)

1. LGBTQ+ Health
2.  

The Desert Sun: Governor Gavin Newsom Signs and Vetoes Several LGBTQ Bills
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed bills requiring insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization for the LGBTQ+ community and prohibiting bans of books with LGBTQ+ content. (Mason, 10/16)

Stat: Study Finds Few Hospital Websites Highlight LGBTQ+ Services or Policies
When children’s hospitals around the country were subject to threats and harassment in 2022 over misconceptions about gender-affirming care services, many of them responded by stripping information about the care from their websites. Two years later, new research shows that few adult and children’s hospital websites share information about LGBTQ+ services and policies. That finding was part of a broader study by a group of students at Harvard Medical School who analyzed the websites of 300 adult hospitals and 46 pediatric hospitals to get a full picture of what information hospitals provide online for sexual and gender minority patients. Overall the results were “very concerning,” said Sahil Sandhu, a fourth-year medical student and first author on the study, published Monday in JAMA. (Gaffney, 10/14)

1. Children’s Health
2.  

AP: Teen Smoking and Tobacco Use Fall to Lowest Levels in 25 Years, CDC Reports
Teen smoking hit an all-time low in the U.S. this year, part of a big drop in the youth use of tobacco overall, the government reported Thursday. There was a 20% drop in the estimated number of middle and high school students who recently used at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches and hookahs. The number went from 2.8 million last year to 2.25 million this year — the lowest since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s key survey began in 1999. (Stobbe, 10/17)

EdSource: The Importance of Outdoor Time for Preschoolers in Nature’s Classroom
Amid the post-pandemic rise in behavioral issues, some suggest that outdoor education might be an antidote to shattered attention spans and frayed nerves. (D'Souza, 10/18)

AP: Whooping Cough Reaches Highest Level in a Decade in the U.S.
Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. There have been 18,506 cases of whooping cough reported so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800. (Shastri, 10/17)

NBC News: New Heart Stents for Infants Could Help Kids Avoid Multiple Surgeries
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a heart stent made specifically for infants and young children, a device that could help kids born with certain congenital heart defects avoid a series of open heart operations over their childhoods. About 40,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some cases, those defects are treated with stents, which prop open blood vessels, ensuring that blood can properly flow through them. (Syal and Herzberg, 10/17)

USA Today: The Long-Standing Pediatric Cancer Drug Shortage: Why It Persists for Decades
Doctors told Laura Bray that she was “lucky" because her 9-year-old daughter's leukemia was curable. Abby had a 90% chance of beating the blood cancer if she followed a three-year treatment. There was just one problem. Doctors told Bray the key drug that kicked off Abby’s chemotherapy in 2018 was hard to find. She had to figure out a way to tell her daughter. (Rodriguez, 10/17)

1. Behavioral/Mental Health
2.  

Times of San Diego: New Language in California Law Enhances Dignity and Compassion for Individuals with Behavioral Health Conditions

A new report from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on the mental health impact of parenting is the latest call to action in what is broadly recognized as a national mental health crisis. From the toll of social media on children’s mental health to the epidemic of opioid addiction, there have never been more reasons to talk about mental health and substance use. By talking about these issues in the right way — and emphasizing that people aren’t solely defined by their behavioral health conditions — we can ensure more people get the help they need. (Dr. Ryan Quist, 10/14)

The Washington Post: Michigan to Pay $13M Following Shooter Drill at Child Psychiatric Hospital
A frantic announcement played through the speakers of a Michigan psychiatric hospital in 2022: Two men with guns were on the property. Staff members rushed crying children into windowless rooms and stacked chairs, tables and mattresses against the doors. They armed themselves and children with any items they could find — hot coffee, combs and soap. They called 911 while holding back tears. But unbeknownst to the employees and children, there was no actual threat. Officials for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which owned the hospital, were conducting a surprise active shooter drill, police said. Many patients and employees at the Hawthorn Center filed a class-action lawsuit against the MDHHS last year, claiming that the shooter drill gave them post-traumatic stress and upended their lives. (Melnick, 10/17)

Roll Call: CDC Reports Unprecedented Decline in Drug Overdose Deaths
Drug overdose deaths dropped a record amount during the past year, according to provisional data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday. The CDC reported that 94,758 individuals died because of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending May 2024 — a 15 percent drop from the previous 12-month period. The agency estimates that number may rise to 98,820 when finalized, which would be a 12.7 percent drop. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, commended the data, which showed a decline in nationwide drug-related deaths for the sixth month in a row. (Raman, 10/16)

CNN: Study Finds Adolescents Treated for Obesity with GLP-1 Drugs Experienced Lower Risk of Suicidal Thoughts
A review of the medical records of thousands of adolescents treated for obesity found that kids who received the GLP-1 medications semaglutide or liraglutide were less likely to have suicidal thoughts or attempts than those treated with behavioral interventions. The study of about 7,000 children between ages 12 and 18, published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, showed that the medicines were associated with a 33% lower risk over a year. (Tirrell, 10/15)

Axios: Firstborn and Only Children More Likely to Experience Anxiety
Firstborn and only children are likelier to develop anxiety and depression by the time they reach age 8 than children who are born second or later, according to a new review of almost 182,500 cases. (Bettelheim, 10/16)

1. Patient Transportation
2.  

Patients are Turning to Lyft and Uber for Long-Distance Travel to Medical Care

Uber and Lyft have become a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure for transporting ailing people from their homes — even in rural areas — to medical care sites in major cities such as Atlanta. (Michael Scaturro, 10/17)

KFF Health News: Patients Depend on Lyft and Uber for Long-Distance Travel to Medical Care
When Lyft driver Tramaine Carr transports seniors and sick patients to hospitals in Atlanta, she feels like both a friend and a social worker. “When the ride is an hour or an hour and a half of mostly freeway driving, people tend to tell you what they’re going through,” she said. Drivers such as Carr have become a critical part of the medical transportation system in Georgia, as well as in Washington, D.C., Mississippi, Arizona, and elsewhere. (Scaturro, 10/17)

1. WIC
2.  

The New York Times: WIC Expands Its Menu to Support More Families
The program, which provides free groceries to millions of women and children nationwide, now covers naan, soy milk, teff and more. (Schmall, 10/17)

1. IV Fluid Shortage
2.  

Chief Healthcare Executive: Reasons Hospitals Are Expected to Face an IV Fluid Shortage for the Foreseeable Future
Tom Cotter, the executive director of Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit group that works to ensure the availability of medical supplies in emergencies, says hospitals will likely need to continue to manage stores of IV fluids carefully for some time. Federal officials are working to help obtain more IV fluids, but Cotter tells Chief Healthcare Executive® that it’s going to take a while before health systems see some relief. Even if more supplies come from abroad, they won’t arrive overnight. (Southwick, 10/16)

Becker's Hospital Review: 20 Strategies for Hospitals During IV and Peritoneal Dialysis Solution Shortages
After Hurricane Helene struck Baxter's site in North Cove facility in Marion, N.C. — the nation's main manufacturer of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions — several healthcare organizations have shared conservation and drug shortage mitigation tips. The site has been temporarily closed since Sept. 29. Baxter said it plans to resume operations at the plant by end of year but is unsure when supply will rebound to normal levels, according to an Oct. 14 post on its website. (Twenter, 10/15)

CBS News: U.S. Uses Wartime Powers to Accelerate Recovery Amid Ongoing IV Shortage Following Hurricane
The Biden administration says it has invoked the wartime powers of the Defense Production Act to speed rebuilding of a major American factory of intravenous fluids that was wrecked by Hurricane Helene last month. Damage to the plant in North Carolina has worsened a nationwide shortage of IV fluids, and hospitals say they are still postponing some surgeries and other procedures as a result. (Tin, 10/15)

Modern Healthcare: Baxter Begins Importing IV Fluids to Address Shortage
While Baxter International cleans and restores a North Carolina medical supply plant that was damaged by Hurricane Helene, the Deerfield-based company is temporarily importing products from its manufacturing facilities in other countries to help stem hospital supply shortages. Baxter today provided more details on plans to import intravenous solution and dialysis products from sites in Canada, China, Ireland and the U.K., a move the U.S. Food & Drug Administration authorized Oct. 9. (Davis, 10/14)

1. COVID
2.  

The Boston Globe: What Causes Long COVID? New Research Offers Insights for Nearly Half of Cases.
Scientists and doctors have suspected for years that one cause of the mysterious condition known as long COVID may be reservoirs of the virus that remain hidden in the bodies of its victims long after their acute infections have passed. Earlier this month, a research team led by Boston-area scientists unveiled a study suggesting that this is true for almost half of those suffering from the condition. (Piore, 10/15)

Stat: COVID in Children Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
It may be time to add Covid-19 infection to the list of possible risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes at a young age. An observational study published Monday in JAMA Network Open found that children and adolescents were one-and-a-half times more likely to be diagnosed with the metabolic disorder in the months after having Covid-19 compared to similar kids who weathered other respiratory infections. Children with obesity were twice as likely to have new type 2 diabetes post-Covid and those who were sick enough to be hospitalized were almost three times as likely to do so. (Cooney, 10/14)

1. Telemedicine
2.  

The Hill: Lawmakers Urge Extension of Telemedicine Flexibilities, Oppose Proposed DEA Rule

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate are calling for COVID-era flexibilities on telemedicine services to be extended to ensure access to “necessary and life-saving treatments,” and are speaking out against a proposed rule reportedly being advanced by the DEA that would limit telemedicine prescribing. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) led a group of 11 senators in a letter addressed to President Biden, objecting to a reported draft proposed rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to limit telemedicine prescribing. (Choi, 10/15)

1. International News
2.  

The New York Times: U.N. Agency Warns Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children at Risk of Starvation
Nearly two million children may die of malnutrition because a product used to treat the condition is in short supply, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Monday. Four countries — Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad — have exhausted their supplies of the peanut-based, high-nutrient product, called ready-to-use therapeutic food, or are on the brink of doing so. Another eight nations, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, could run out by mid-2025. (Mandavilli, 10/14)

1. Individuals with Disabilities
2.  

AP: Presidential Candidates Are Ignoring Voters with Disabilities, They Say
The disabled voting bloc is growing as the U.S. population ages, but voters and advocates say the hurdles that make people feel excluded from the electoral process aren’t being addressed. That ranges from inaccessible campaign materials to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris seldomly mentioning how issues like COVID-19 impact the disability community, as well as Trump making a statement at a rally last month that advocacy groups considered discriminatory. (Hunter and Alexander, 10/14)