Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Racial Disparities In CPR Can Be Deadly; Ideas For Helping Those In Our Lives With Depression
CPR saves lives. Yet nationally, only 46% of people whose heart stops somewhere outside a hospital receive CPR. And Black people, who are twice as likely as white people to experience a sudden cardiac arrest, are less likely than white people to receive CPR from a bystander. (Ogechi Nwodim, 2/10)
The experts say if you know someone who is depressed, it’s OK to ask explicitly about suicide. The experts emphasize that you’re not going to be putting the thought into the person’s head. Very often it’s already on her or his mind. (David Brooks, 2/9)
While heart disease deaths are at a historic high, so too are disorders arising from high blood pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy, a problem that predated the pandemic. Between 2007 and 2019, high blood pressure in pregnancy, including preeclampsia — a disorder of elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine that can cause serious complications for pregnant people and their babies — doubled in the United States. (Nisha Parikh and Alison Cowan, 2/10)
My column this week focused on the ongoing discussion at the Food and Drug Administration about switching the United States to a yearly covid-19 booster schedule. (Leana S. Wen, 2/9)
Covid is still killing about 500 Americans every day — picking off the oldest, frailest members of our society. About 9 in 10 Covid deaths are now among people over 65. (Faye Flam, 2/9)
As last week’s announcement by the Biden administration — that it intends to end the national and public health emergency declarations for addressing COVID-19 — makes clear: when it comes to the pandemic, we are no longer in a state of emergency. Nearly every part of society has returned to normal, with a few exceptions. (Dr. Jeanne Noble, Dr. Shira Doron and Dr. Leslie Bienen, 2/9)
The health care industry has navigated unprecedented challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, bringing heightened awareness to health inequities that exist in our country. (Sherri Neal, 2/9)
Last week, the Biden administration announced that it will end the COVID-associated national and public health emergencies on May 11. That means stopping payments for COVID-19 tests and vaccines for some Americans depending on their insurance status, other people losing benefits such as Medicaid and some hospitals receiving less funding — placing higher burdens on our already depleted healthcare workforce. (Saad B. Omer, 2/9)
