Patient access to mental healthcare is poorer among women, with high costs and limited provider availability stymying the process, according to new figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation. [KFF]

Mental healthcare access issues are playing out in gender-based health disparities, with a smaller proportion of the women who need mental healthcare attempting to access it compared to men. 

The healthcare industry is finding itself at a crossroads in terms of mental healthcare. Nearly three years into a pandemic that disrupted work and daily life for virtually everyone, the US healthcare system needs to come to grips with skyrocketing mental health needs. 

Full article here>

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The homicide rate among children in the United States rose by more than 4% per year since 2013, but jumped nearly 28% from 2019 to 2020, new data show. [MedScape]

Although long-term trends varied by region and demographics, with some groups and areas seeing declines in killings, the increases were the highest among Black children and boys ages 11 to 17 years old, according to the researchers, who attribute the surge in violent deaths to a recent rise in firearm-related killings in children. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in the United States, claiming what the American Academy of Pediatrics has equated to a classroom-full of lives each day.

"There are troubling recent rate increases among several groups, warranting immediate attention, with some racial and ethnic disparities persisting for more than 20 years," said Rebecca F. Wilson, PhD, of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who helped conduct the study.

Wilson and her colleagues, whose findings appear this week in JAMA Pediatrics, examined data on 38,362 homicide victims in the United States aged 0 to 17 years who were killed between 1999 to 2020.

Full article here>

Another article of interest - Rising Rates of Homicide of Children and Adolescents  Preventable and  Unacceptable. Visit this page>

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The $1.7 trillion spending bill Congress unveiled this week includes an extension of HHS rules that made telehealth more accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic, but falls short of permanently extending the flexibilities. Despite that, telemedicine groups cheered the legislation, while still reminding lawmakers there’s more to do.

“Today, our Congressional telehealth champions on both sides of the aisle came through,” Kyle Zebley, SVP of public policy at the American Telemedicine Association, said in a statement. “We asked Congress and they listened.”  [Healthcare Dive]

Full article here> 

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As the US was entering the 2022 holiday season—a time when public health experts anticipated a spike in cases of COVID-19—most nursing home residents and staff members were not up to date with their vaccinations against the disease, according to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)... [JAMA Health Forum] 

The KFF authors analyzed data on vaccination rates of nursing facility residents and staff members in the 14 400 nursing facilities that reported such data (out of 15 200 total). In their analysis, they found that as of November 20, fewer than half (45%) of all nursing facility residents and fewer than a one-quarter of staff (22%) were up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, defined by the CDC as “having received a bivalent booster or having received a final shot of the original vaccines less than 2 months ago.”

Full article here> 

Download PDF of article here> 

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Nearly $3.3 million in fines were issued to 202 nursing homes during the third quarter of this year, according to recent data from the Department of Public Health.

Six homes received $50,000 fines for “type AA” violations that led to the death of residents. Those include:

·    Good Samaritan Pontiac for failing to assess a resident’s risk for a fall, resulting in them falling in the shower and subsequently dying from their injuries.

·    Heritage Health Chillicothe for failing to provide diabetic monitoring, necessary equipment and medication for a patient, resulting in them becoming comatose and dying from diabetic ketoacidosis.

·    Mt. Vernon Countryside Manor for failing to thoroughly assess a resident in distress and contacting a physician for further guidance, leading to their death. 

·    Parc Joliet for failing to ensure a resident was free from neglect, leading them to not receive glucose monitoring and scheduled insulin.

·    Shawnee Senior Living for failing to identify, monitor and treat pressure wounds for three residents reviewed for pressure ulcers. One individual was later hospitalized with abnormal labs and died.

·    Southpoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Chicago for failing to provide medication for the treatment of a seizure disorder for a resident. The resident, who was later found unconscious and experiencing seizures, died.

In addition, 104 homes received “type A” violations for incidents with a “substantial probability” for death or serious mental or physical harm. 

Download full report here>

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Five companies recently received FDA warning letters for selling illegal e-cigarettes designed to look like toys, food, and cartoon characters. [JAMA Network]

“The designs of these products are an utterly flagrant attempt to target kids,” Brian King, PhD, MPH, director of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement.

The e-cigarettes look like glow sticks and popsicles and other items popular with youth and feature characters from video games, television shows, and films, such as The Simpsons, Squid Game, and Minions.

None of the products’ manufacturers had submitted a premarket application to the FDA, whose approval is necessary before a new tobacco product is introduced to the market. The agency said it has issued more than 440 warning letters to companies marketing illegal e-cigarettes containing tobacco-derived nicotine.

The FDA considers e-cigarettes without marketing authorization to be adulterated and misbranded. If the companies marketing them fail to correct violations, the FDA can seek a permanent injunction, seizure, or civil money penalties.

Analyzing 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey data, the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 14.1% of high school students reported having used e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days and more than one-quarter of those who vaped said they did so every day.

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Illinois health leaders again urged caution Friday ahead of the holidays as the state’s COVID-19 metrics continue to rise. [Health News Illinois]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a mask in 43 Illinois counties, up 14 from a week ago, and that those at high risk of severe illness from the virus take precautions in 43 counties, down two from a week ago.

“As we prepare for holiday gatherings with our loved ones, I want to remind Illinoisians that these elevated COVID-19 community levels, along with rising flu levels, are leading to a surge of respiratory infections, increased hospitalizations and limited hospital beds,” Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement.

As of Thursday, 1,712 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, up eight from Wednesday and up 130 from the prior week.

The seven-day average for new cases on Friday was 3,333, up 275 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths was 12, up four from the prior week. So far, there have been a total of 3,930,135 cases, including 35,632 deaths.

The seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 people is 26.2, up 2.2 from the prior week.

Of Illinois’ total population, more than 78 percent have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 71 percent have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. Of eligible Illinoisans, more than 17 percent have received the bivalent booster dose.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said more than 473,000 booster doses were administered to Chicagoans as of Dec. 14. About 17.6 percent of eligible Chicagoans have received the updated booster.

CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady reiterated Friday she expects the city to follow the trend of New York and Los Angeles and reach “high” COVID-19 activity in the coming weeks.

“With people gathering for the holidays, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a further surge in cases, which is why we need people masking up, thinking about testing ahead of gathering and getting the new, updated booster vaccine," she said.

BQ.1.1 remains the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the region that includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to estimates from the CDC.

Variant proportions were at the end of last week were: 

·    BQ.1.1: 39.5 percent, up 4.6 percentage points from the prior week.

·    BQ.1: 28.8 percent, up 1.5 percentage points.

·    BA.5: 11.7 percent, down 4.5 percentage points.

·    BF.7: 6.6 percent, down 1.1 percentage point.

·    XBB: 3.9 percent, up 0.8 percentage points.

·    BN.1: 3.8 percent, up 0.1 percentage points.

 Other COVID-19 lineages were circulating at less than 3 percent each.

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People also choose dark chocolate in particular for its potential health benefits, thanks to studies that suggest its rich supply of antioxidants may improve heart health and other conditions, and for its relatively low levels of sugar. In fact, more than half of people in a recent survey from the National Confectioners Association described dark chocolate as a “better for you” candy. [Consumer Reports] 

But there’s a dark side to this “healthier” chocolate. Research has found that some dark chocolate bars contain cadmium and lead—two heavy metals linked to a host of health problems in children and adults. 

The chocolate industry has been grappling with ways to lower those levels. To see how much of a risk these favorite treats pose, Consumer Reports scientists recently measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 dark chocolate bars. They detected cadmium and lead in all of them.

Full article here> 

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The percentage of adolescents reporting substance use in 2022 largely held steady after significantly declining in 2021, according to the latest results(link is external) from the Monitoring the Future survey(link is external) of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States. [NIH Dept. of Health and Human Services] 

Reported use for almost all substances decreased dramatically from 2020 to 2021 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and related changes like school closures and social distancing. In 2022, reported use of any illicit drug within the past year remained at or significantly below pre-pandemic levels for all grades, with 11% of eighth graders, 21.5% of 10th graders, and 32.6% of 12th graders reporting any illicit drug use in the past year.

Full paper here>

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Chicago needs to get the lead out a lot faster than it has done so far.

The city has the nation’s most serious problem with lead in drinking water. No level of lead in water is safe. Even at low levels, lead can harm kidneys and developing brains, leading to lower IQs, hearing loss and learning and behavior issues.

Lead in the water can come from old lead water service lines that connect buildings to city water mains, which are often made of iron. It can also come from lead-containing fixtures. It’s a widespread hazard because Chicago required lead pipes until 1986.

Yet, as Brett Chase reported in the Dec. 4 Sun-Times, the city has replaced only 280 of an estimated 390,000 lead service lines over the past two years. Tests can detect the presence of lead, but because the amount of lead getting into the water goes up and down, tests must be done more than once.

Editorials

”The current pace of replacement is disappointing,” Howard Learner, president and executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, told us. “Even doubling that would not be a sufficient response.”

Full article here>

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