CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Abstract reported

Problem/Condition: In 2023, approximately 23,000 persons died of homicide and 49,000 persons died of suicide in the United States, according to the National Vital Statistics System. This report summarizes data from CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) on violent deaths and suicides that occurred in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2023.

Period Covered: 2023.

Description of System: NVDRS collects data from death certificates, coroner and medical examiner records, and law enforcement reports. This report includes data collected from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Forty-seven states had statewide data, three additional states had data from counties representing a subset of their population (31 California counties, representing 74.1% of its population; 38 Florida counties, representing 59.3% of its population; and 13 Texas counties, representing 62.9% of its population), and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had jurisdiction-wide data. NVDRS collates information for each death and links deaths that are related (e.g., multiple homicides, homicide followed by suicide, or multiple suicides) into a single incident.

Results: For 2023, NVDRS collected information on 70,133 fatal incidents involving 72,093 deaths. The deaths recorded in NVDRS accounted for 91.6% of all homicides, legal intervention deaths, suicides, unintentional firearm injury deaths, and deaths of undetermined intent in the United States in 2023. In addition, information was collected for 671 fatal incidents involving 730 deaths in Puerto Rico. Data for Puerto Rico were analyzed separately.

Of the 72,093 deaths that occurred in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the majority (62.4%) were suicides, followed by homicides (28.5%), deaths of undetermined intent that might be due to violence (6.9%), legal intervention deaths (1.5%) (i.e., deaths caused by law enforcement and other persons with legal authority to use deadly force acting in the line of duty, excluding legal executions), and unintentional firearm injury deaths (<1.0%). Of the 730 deaths reported for Puerto Rico, 66.4% were homicides and 32.9% were suicides. 

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MEDPAGE TODAY reported: Should Medicare's annual wellness visit (AWV) be less physician-driven and more artificial intelligence (AI)-driven?

That's the question being asked by CMS in its proposed physician payment rule, issued this past summer.

Although everyone agrees on the importance of prevention, "evidence regarding the impact of the AWV on outcomes is mixed," the authors of the rule wrote. "Some studies have found that AWV receipt is associated with increased use of preventive services but may not sufficiently close gaps in preventive care. However, other studies have found no substantive association between AWV adoption and improvements in evidence-based screening, acute care utilization, or spending, or potentially increasing downstream low-value services."

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US Census Reports: This month, the Census Bureau announced that real median household income was $87,460 in 2025, the highest on record dating back to 1967.

The official poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage points to 10.2% in 2025.

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The U.S. Census Bureau today announced that real median household income was $87,460 in 2025, the highest on record dating back to 1967.

The official poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage points to 10.2% in 2025. The following 2025 findings were not statistically different from 2024: the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate in 2025 was 13.1% and in 2025, 26.7 million people (7.9%) were uninsured for the entire year, according to the 2026 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC).

These findings come from three Census Bureau reports, “Income in the United States: 2025,” “Poverty in the United States: 2025” and “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025.” 

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Health News Illinois reported: Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Tuesday to set up a new group in the government to explore more regulations for artificial intelligence.

The cabinet will include stakeholders and senior leadership from state agencies like the Department of Public Health and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and is tasked with analyzing and assessing “the various risks posed by AI to the safety of Illinois residents and the critical infrastructure residents rely on.”

The cabinet will generate policies and procedures to protect Illinoisans and public assets like healthcare, water systems, education and information systems from threats posed by AI.

The advisory group will make recommendations and assess the feasibility, timeframe and any other challenges for implementing new policies.

“Artificial Intelligence has enormous potential to transform our everyday lives, but when experts and industry leaders sound the alarm bell, urge us to slow down, and ask for guardrails, we should listen,” Pritzker said in a statement announcing the order. “Illinois has already enacted nation-leading laws that hold Big Tech accountable and today I’m taking executive action to keep this a priority.”

The order comes amid renewed concerns over the future of AI, with a former Anthropic researcher saying earlier this month that AI companies are building a tool that could become “out of control” and pose a threat to human existence by 2030.

Several CEOs of AI companies are set to speak to the United Nations this week for a meeting about artificial intelligence. 

President Donald Trump has dismissed the concerns, reiterating this week that he will encourage AI companies to move forward with innovations. 

Don't miss the opportunity to attend  2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium on Sept. 28tth, 2026. More details and to register here> 

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Becker's Behavioral Health  reported: A series of recent studies highlights widening gaps in mental health access, shifting prescription patterns and mixed outcomes across behavioral healthcare in the U.S. The findings point to growing pressures on providers, uneven availability of services and emerging questions around the effectiveness of both traditional and newer treatment approaches. 

Here are 34 studies findings to know:

1. Frequent smartphone check-ins predicted 75% of suicide attempts and 87% of suicide-related events, such as hospitalization, in the following seven days, according to a Sept. 11 Boston Globe report. 
   
   
2. According to a study published March 2 in JAACAP Open, digital media or device-related problems were present in 19.2% of pediatric psychiatric crisis encounters.
   
   
3. Cannabis was detected in 21% of overdose deaths during January 2021–June 2025, according to the CDC’s Sept. 3 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 
   
   
4. A Pew Research Center report found that 39% of Americans said chatbots do more to hurt people who use them for loneliness, compared with 19% who said they do more to help. For depression, 36% said chatbots do more to hurt and 17% said they do more to help. For stress, 29% said they do more to hurt and 22% said they do more to help.

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Don't miss the opportunity to attend  2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium on Sept. 28tth, 2026. More details and to register here> 

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Becker's Behavioral Health reported: The CDC released new data Sept. 21 showing improvements in several mental health, suicide risk and dietary indicators among U.S.…

The CDC released new data Sept. 21 showing improvements in several mental health, suicide risk and dietary indicators among U.S. high school students from 2023 to 2025. 

The findings are included in the CDC’s Youth Health in Focus report, which examines mental health and suicide risk alongside dietary behaviors, physical activity, sleep and digital behaviors. The report presents national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 2023 to 2025 and 10-year trends from 2015 to 2025. 

Here are five things to know:

1. Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness improved from 40% to 33%, poor mental health improved from 29% to 23% and seriously considering suicide improved from 20% to 14%. 

2. Daily fruit consumption rose from 33% to 39%, while daily vegetable consumption rose from 58% to 63%. The share of students drinking plain water at least three times a day rose from 54% to 58%. 

3. The share of students who played on a sports team rose from 52% to 58%. Daily physical activity, muscle-strengthening activity and meeting recommended activity guidelines remained unchanged. 

4. In 2025, 24% of students got at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night, similar to 23% in 2023. CDC said insufficient sleep is linked to poor mental health, difficulty concentrating and risky behaviors. 

5. About 36% of students reported using social media every hour or more in 2025, similar to 37% in 2023. Among students who drove in the past month, 46% texted or emailed while driving in 2025, compared with 42% in 2023. 

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We are highlighting our 2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium speakers this week; check back with daily to stay on top of all the topics.

Jacqueline Hairston, MD
Assistant Professor, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Topic: Obesity and Obstetric Care
 
BIO: Dr. Jacqueline C. Hairston is a maternal-fetal medicine physician and assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She currently serves as the medical director of diagnostic ultrasound and one of the associate residency program directors. Northwestern Medicine is anchored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital, with eight specialties ranked in the top 10 in the nation by _U.S. News & World Report, 2025 - 2026.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this talk is to review our current understanding of the risks associated with pursuing pregnancy in the setting of obesity, how bias and stigma impact patient care and to distill out novel approaches to care to improve outcomes for patients living with obesity.

September 28, 2026 
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM CT 
Full Day 
This activity is approved for up to 5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. *
Physician and Other Participant Credit - Physician assistants (PA's), Nurse practitioners (NP's), and Nurses *

More details and to register>

We can’t wait to see you there!

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KFF Health News reported today

According to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, 60% of uninsured adults under 65 have medical debt, as well as 40% of adults with insurance. An estimated 15% of all U.S. adults between ages 19 and 64 with private insurance have $2,000 or more in medical debt, Healthcare Drive reported.

Healthcare Dive: Insurance Doesn’t Protect US Adults From Medical Debt, Commonwealth Fund Finds 

One-third of adults with private insurance are contending with medical debt, according to a new survey, showing how healthcare coverage isn’t a guarantee of protection from financial devastation. About 37% of those with medical debt drained all or or part of their savings to pay their bills, and 30% delayed necessary care, according to the survey released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund. Another 30% reported cutting back on food, heat or rent to make ends meet. (Hughes, 9/18)

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United States Census Bureau  reported States With Highest Poverty Rates Clustered in the South

The national official poverty rate of 10.2% was 2.9 percentage points lower than the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate of 13.1% in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Poverty in the United States: 2025 report released today.

Estimates from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) show that the SPM, which includes government benefits and deductions, also topped the official rate when using three-year averages.  

All but one (New Mexico) of the 11 states with official+ poverty rates significantly above the national rate of 10.7% were in the South.

From 2023 to 2025, the national SPM rate was 13.0% and the official rate was 10.7%. SPM rates were higher than official poverty rates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, lower in five states and not significantly different in the remaining 19.

The Census Bureau recommends using three-year averages for state-level analyses based on the CPS ASEC due to sample size.

The version of the official poverty rate used in this article (hereafter official+) includes unrelated individuals under age 15 to allow direct comparisons to the SPM. 

Comparing Official⁺ Poverty and the SPM

The official poverty measure defines poverty by comparing pre-tax money income — gross (before taxes) income from things like earnings, Social Security, and pensions — to a threshold based on family size. Families or individuals are considered to be in poverty if their income falls below that threshold.

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Reported by the FDA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the final design of the Expedited Investigational New Drug (IND) Pilot. Accelerating clinical trial timelines and eliminating regulatory hurdles to maintain American leadership in global medical innovation is a core priority for the Trump Administration. Driven by the President's directive, the pilot seeks to accelerate the time it takes from identifying a drug to initiating a first-in-human clinical trial by partnering drug companies with qualified research institutions (QRI) that have scientific expertise to support efficient development of IND applications. The FDA will accept applications to participate in the pilot until October 30, 2026.

Currently, first-in-human clinical trials may take up to two years to complete in the United States. The same types of trials are completed much faster in China and Australia, threatening America's leadership in scientific innovation. As a key component of the Trump Administration's healthcare modernization efforts and as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Operation TrialBlazer, the FDA has committed to proactively addressing these clinical development challenges through dedicated initiatives such as the Expedited IND Pilot.

"The pilot not only pairs industry innovators with top research institutions to accelerate high-quality data being submitted to the FDA, it also tests if the partnership can accelerate what happens after the FDA allows a clinical trial to proceed," said Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, J.D. "Under the Trump Administration, boosting domestic innovation and ensuring American patients have first access to groundbreaking treatments is a top priority. The FDA will continue implementing Operation TrialBlazer to modernize regulatory processes to keep our country ahead of global competitors without compromising patient safety."

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You may be interested in our 2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium on Sept. 28th, 2026. Full Day- Eight Sessions - 12 Speakers. For more details and to register> 

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