Category: Kaiser Health News

‘Like a Russian Roulette’: US Military Firefighters Grapple With Unknowns of PFAS Exposure

Federal research linking “forever chemicals” to testicular cancer confirms what U.S. military personnel long suspected. But as they seek testing for PFAS exposure, many wonder what to do with the results. There’s no medical treatment yet.

Most States Have Yet to Permanently Fund 988. Call Centers Want Certainty.

For rural Americans, who live in areas often short of mental health services and die by suicide at a far higher rate than urbanites, the federally mandated crisis phone line is one of the few options to connect with a crisis counselor.

Cozy Images of Plush Toys and Blankets Counter Messaging on Safe Infant Sleep

Unsafe sleep environments are among the main reasons accidental suffocation or strangulation is a hard-to-solve public health problem.

Even in the Most Depressed County in America, Stigma Around Mental Illness Persists

An estimated 32% of adults in Logan County, West Virginia, have been diagnosed with depression, the highest rate in the United States, according to a recent CDC report.

NPR and KFF Health News Share the Story of Two Health Heroes Who Helped Stop Smallpox

Regina G. Barber from NPR’s “Shortwave” podcast speaks with physician-epidemiologist Céline Gounder about two men who were among the public health heroes who helped wipe out a 3,000-year-old virus, and the lessons that victory offers for the next public health emergency.

Workers Pay the Price While Congress and Employers Debate Need for Heat Regulations

Studies suggest official numbers vastly underestimate heat-related injuries and illness on the job. To institute protections, the government must calculate their cost — and the cost of inaction.

Mississippi’s Cervical Cancer Deaths Indicate Broader Health Care Problems

Mississippi has among the highest cervical cancer mortality rates in the U.S. When low-income women can’t afford regular preventive care, much less gynecological visits, this highly preventable and treatable cancer becomes a killer.

Biden Administration Proposes New Standards to Boost Nursing Home Staffing

The proposal would require major hiring at the most sparsely-staffed homes. But the proposal is already badly received by the nursing home industry which claims it can’t boost wages enough to attract workers.

Activist Misuses Federal Data to Make False Claim That Covid Vaccines Killed 676,000

Anti-vaccine tech entrepreneur Steve Kirsch, whose wild assertions have been repeatedly debunked, wrongly attributes deaths following vaccination to the vaccines themselves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which runs the database, calls that inaccurate and irresponsible.

When Temps Rise, So Do Medical Risks. Should Doctors and Nurses Talk More About Heat?

The medical dangers of heat are real. But people often ignore public heat alerts or don’t realize how vulnerable they are. A new alert system prompts clinicians to talk about heat with patients.