Category: Public Health

Student dies amid outbreak of unknown illnesses at Detroit school

Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of unidentified illnesses at an elementary in Detroit, NBC News reported May 4.

California Says New Cigarettes Appear to Violate State’s Flavored Tobacco Ban

The attorney general is warning two tobacco companies, R.J. Reynolds and ITG Brands LLC, that their reformulated cigarettes appear to violate the state’s ban on flavored tobacco products, based on marketing materials. R.J. Reynolds said Thursday that its cigarettes comply with the law.

Lead Contamination Surfaces in Affluent Atlanta Neighborhood

The Environmental Protection Agency recently confirmed high lead levels in an upscale Atlanta neighborhood. The location stands in contrast to many polluted sites investigated by the federal Superfund program — often in former industrial or waste disposal areas where environmental racism has left marginalized groups at risk.

How data transparency in hospitals propels safety initiatives

Hospitals across the country eagerly await the release of The Leapfrog Group’s Safety Grades in the spring and fall each year. Leah Binder, president and CEO of the organization, spoke with Becker’s about why her organization’s A-F grades are important.

States where 3 HAIs have risen the most since 2019: Leapfrog 

Some states saw “alarming” and “dangerous” increases in three specific healthcare-acquired infections, according to Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. The organization’s spring 2023 Safety Grades report was released May 3.

4 notes on how children's hospitals are preparing for the next 'tripledemic'

After an intensive ‘tripledemic’ virus season where flu, COVID-19 and RSV all peaked at high rates nationwide, physicians at children’s hospitals are actively preparing to take on what could be another round this fall, U.S. News reported May 3.

Health Programs Are at Risk as Debt Ceiling Cave-In Looms

A warning from the Treasury Department that the U.S. could default on its debt as soon as June 1 has galvanized lawmakers to intervene. But there is still no obvious way to reconcile Republican demands to slash federal spending with President Joe Biden’s demand to raise the debt ceiling and save the spending fight for a later date. Meanwhile, efforts to pass abortion bans in conservative states are starting to stall as some Republicans rebel against the most severe bans. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

COVID-19 lowers to a whisper as some hospitals report zero cases

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are nearing a new low after various variants caused spikes and dips, data shows, and some hospitals say they have zero cases. 

Colorado Becomes the First State to Ban So-Called Abortion Pill Reversals

The controversial practice of administering progesterone to people after they have taken the abortion pill mifepristone may be coming to an end in Colorado. Pills have emerged as the latest front in the war over abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.

CDC debuts 1st public health data strategy

The CDC has released its first-ever strategic plan on public health data, which aims to “help our nation quickly respond to health threats, promote health equity and improve health outcomes,” the agency said in a May 3 tweet.