Federal lawmakers should consider establishing a permanent standard time, instead of daylight saving time, as the latter system is associated with potential health risks, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine said March 15.
Category: Public Health
CDC: Omicron subvariant accounts for 23% of new cases; 3 more COVID-19 updates
The omicron subvariant BA.2 now accounts for about 23 percent of new cases, according to the latest estimates from the CDC.
As COVID cases, hospitalizations rise in UK, so do questions
U.S. health officials are monitoring an unusual situation in the United Kingdom, where COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are simultaneously climbing due to the BA.2 subvariant, CNN reports.
‘American Diagnosis’: A Fuller Moon Rising — Revised ‘Violence Against Women Act’ Offers Hope
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was reauthorized on March 10, 2022, reaffirming tribes’ authority to prosecute non-Native perpetrators of sexual violence and certain other crimes. This episode looks at the history of VAWA, and how protections for Native women have been tangled in the fine print of the law.
Children’s health measures worsening: 4 study findings
The number of children diagnosed with anxiety and depression increased significantly between 2016 and 2020, according to a study examining measures of children’s well-being published March 14 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Coronavirus levels rising at some US wastewater sampling sites
Coronavirus levels are rising at 38 percent of wastewater sampling sites in the U.S. that submit data to the CDC.
Medicare Advantage Plans Send Pals to Seniors’ Homes for Companionship — And Profits
Many Medicare Advantage plans send caregivers to the homes of seniors periodically to help with housework and provide companionship. But the workers may also prod seniors into activities that boost the plans’ Medicare ratings and federal reimbursements.
Want Vulnerable Californians to Have Healthier Pregnancies? Doulas Say the State Must Pay Up.
California was supposed to start paying doulas this year to help Medicaid enrollees have healthy pregnancies. But the benefit has been delayed because doulas feel lowballed by the state’s proposed reimbursement rate, which is below what most other states pay.
Want Vulnerable Californians to Have Healthier Pregnancies? Doulas Say the State Must Pay Up.
California was supposed to start paying doulas this year to help Medicaid enrollees have healthy pregnancies. But the benefit has been delayed because doulas feel lowballed by the state’s proposed reimbursement rate, which is below what most other states pay.
What’s driving Europe’s uptick in COVID-19 cases: 5 notes
COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise in several European countries, which could signal a slight rise in cases this spring in the U.S.
