Certain COVID-19 indicators continued their recent rise last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [US News-CDC]

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Latest Coronavirus and Vaccine News

Both coronavirus emergency department visits and test positivity increased, according to CDC data. The agency no longer tracks COVID-19 cases. Instead, it focuses on hospitalizations and deaths, which don’t yet show an increase.

The CDC reported last week that it was the first time since January that COVID-19 metrics showed an increase. The uptick is small, but it’s a notable reversal after months of declining coronavirus numbers.

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The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said Tuesday that it has confirmed 2,000 opioid-related deaths last year, the highest number reported in a single year. [Health News Illinois] 

More than 91 percent of the opioid overdose deaths involved fentanyl, up about 2 percentage points from the prior year.

Of the deaths, 56 percent were Black residents, 29 percent were white and just under 15 percent were Latinx.

Just over 70 percent of opioid overdose deaths were in the city of Chicago.

The previous single-year high in opioid deaths was 1,935 reported in 2021.

 The office said data from 2023 is not yet available as it awaits toxicology results for pending cases.

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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra used a Monday stop in Chicago to highlight steps the Biden administration has taken to increase access to healthcare services.  [Health News Illinois] That includes setting aside over $1 billion dollars to allow those either underinsured or uninsured to be able to access COVID-19 vaccines this fall. Becerra said at the UnidosUS Annual Conference that they will partner with federally qualified health centers and pharmacies to ensure individuals know they will be able to access vaccines. “We're gonna go where people are to get their healthcare," he said. Another area of focus has been the implementation of the 988 lifeline for those experiencing a mental health crisis. Becerra said they have made concerted efforts to recruit multi-lingual individuals to work call centers, specifically those who speak Spanish. Becerra visited Mount Sinai Hospital earlier in the day to discuss efforts to lower prescription drug costs, as well as to make sure individuals do not lose their Medicaid coverage during redeterminations. "I'd plead that everyone here in Chicago please work with us to ensure that people who currently have Medicaid don't forget to reapply,” he said. ###

Advocates from across the mental health spectrum told members of a Chicago City Council committee that more steps need to be taken to improve the region’s mental health infrastructure. [Health News Illinois] 

Dr. Arturo Carrillo, deputy director of health violence prevention at the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and member of the Collaborative for Community Wellness, told the council’s Health and Human Relations Committee that Chicago must invest in community safety. That includes support for prevention, support during crises and after-care services.

He said they need to train more individuals to engage community residents at high risk of mental health before a crisis occurs.

“This long-term care can and will be provided by Chicago's public mental health centers as we reestablish this system and this infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for the well-being of all Chicagoans,” Carrillo said.

The collaborative released a white paper earlier this month outlining its proposal to improve the city's approach to crisis response and mental health.

The committee heard testimony related to an ordinance that would re-open the city’s shuttered mental health clinics, a stance supported by Mayor Brandon Johnson, as well as give the health department the ability to send out crisis response teams staffed by paramedics and social workers to address mental health crises.

Dr. Dave Chokshi, the former health commissioner of New York City, told the committee that the city has the chance to be the “vanguard of a bold new approach” to mental health. 

Along with the continued expansion and investment in community health workers that can work with residents and advocate for policy changes, Chokshi said they must invest in the public health infrastructure and a combination of physical facilities and mobile teams that can best reach individuals in need of services.

“My three themes were community, public and investment — public investment in our communities,” he said. “Broadly, this is what we need to reverse the decline in American life expectancy that is happening on our watch.”

The committee also heard from representatives from other municipalities about their models of care, such as Denver’s mixture of crisis response to non-emergency situations and its utilization of 24-hour walk-in crisis centers. 

Samantha Rabins, a supervisor for Denver County's Co-Responder Program that works closely with the region’s Support Team Assisted Response, said while their model is specific to the Denver community, it gives each individual "access to whatever crisis service that they feel is best for them."

Committee Chair Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez said Monday’s discussion is the “first step” in a multi-year process to improve the city’s systems of care.

 “We know that in order to have a safe city, we need to ensure that our most vulnerable people, the most at risk are protected,” she said. “We know that Black and Brown people, especially Black people, are most likely to be harmed or killed by police during a mental health crisis. We know we can save precious lives by caring for people instead of criminalizing them.”

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Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin exceeded $1 billion in 2020 vs $236 million in 2007.¹ High costs lead some patients with diabetes to reduce adherence to insulin, increasing the risk of adverse health outcomes.^{2-4 [JAMA Network]}

Although efforts to cap patients’ cost sharing for insulin have existed in some states since 2020, and in certain Medicare Part D plans since 2021, in January 2023 the Inflation Reduction Act⁵ capped cost sharing for insulin at $35 for a 1-month supply for all Part D beneficiaries and, therefore, may have a greater effect on adherence. This study measures the association of this cost-sharing cap with insulin fills.

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Chicago City Council approves $2.9 million purchase of Lincoln Square hotel for transitional housing, behavioral health support

The Chicago City Council signed off Wednesday on the $2.9 million purchase of the former Diplomat Hotel in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, with the goal to turn it into a pilot program site that provides behavioral health and housing support for those experiencing homelessness. [Health News Illinois]

The program will build off the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the city offered hotel rooms to those experiencing homelessness as well as on-site healthcare workers who monitored for the virus and provided medical care for chronic health and behavioral health conditions.

Fifty-one percent of those participating in that program successfully transitioned into some type of housing, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Department Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the pilot program will be the first long-term city program “solely focused on stabilizing people experiencing homelessness who also have major untreated health needs.”

“It’s about breaking the cycle of homelessness by first providing transitional housing while focusing on addressing these acute health needs, with a longer-term goal of eventually moving individuals into both permanent housing and ongoing healthcare,” she said.

The Diplomat Hotel was selected based on program needs, location accessibility and support from local Alderman Andre Vasquez.

In other business, the council approved a resolution to hold a subject matter hearing on an ordinance focused on addressing behavioral health in the city. 

Along with re-opening the city’s shuttered mental health clinics, the proposal would also give the health department the ability to send out crisis response teams staffed by paramedics and social workers to address mental health crises.

“These actions taken today are a tremendous step forward in implementing our vision of supporting workers and working families and individuals in need of mental healthcare and resources, which is essential to the success of our city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said after the meeting. “While this kind of transformational change won’t happen overnight, we are determined to chart the best path forward and create a better future for all Chicagoans.”

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In recent years, it's felt more and more like every cultural battle is a medical one. A look at how it happened and how it's changing the medical field [Medscape Medical News]

In an August 2022 survey of emergency doctors conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians, 85% of respondents said violence against them is increasing. One in four doctors said they're being assaulted by patients and their family and friends multiple times a week, compared to just 8% of doctors who said as much in 2018. Sixty-four percent of emergency physicians reported receiving verbal assaults and threats of violence; 40% reported being hit or slapped, and 26% were kicked.

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Professional medical organizations recommend that adults receive routine postpartum care. Yet, some states restrict public insurance coverage for undocumented immigrants and recently documented immigrants (those who received legal documentation status within the past 5 years). [JAMA Network]

The objective is to examine the association between public insurance coverage and postpartum care among low-income immigrants and the difference in receipt of postpartum care among immigrants relative to nonimmigrants.

Compared with states without insurance restrictions, immigrants living in states with public insurance restrictions were less likely to receive postpartum care. Restricting public insurance coverage may be an important policy-driven barrier to receipt of recommended pregnancy care and improved maternal health among immigrants.

Read full paper here>

Download full paper here>

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., has proposed a plan that aims to help the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps recruit, retain and mobilize members to better respond to national and global public health crises. [Health News Illinois]

The bill would give corps members access to benefits and entitlements provided to reserve components of all other uniformed services, including leave rights and GI Bill educational benefits.

The corps is one of the nation’s eight uniformed services and has an exclusive focus on protecting the country during public health emergencies like Ebola, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Duckworth.

“One of the most critical lessons we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic is how important it is for our country to be prepared for the next public health crisis,” Duckworth said. “Supporting our Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and ensuring Ready Reserve Corps service members have the same benefits as our other uniformed service members will help create more opportunities for Americans to serve and protect our country against current and future public health emergencies.”

Despite dating back to 1798, the corps lacked an operational ready reserve component or public health emergency response strike team until the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was signed into law in 2020, according to Duckworth. The initial authorization left gaps in personnel policy and benefits relative to other branches.

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For Star August, the birth of her first son did not go as planned. August hired an out-of-hospital midwife to guide her through the pregnancy but attended checkups in a hospital as a cost-saving measure. At one of her last checkups, the doctors told her that her amniotic fluid was low and wanted to induce labor. [Crains]

"I wasn't able to get a hold of my midwife, and I didn't know what to do," August recalls.

What happened next was a harrowing experience. After taking Pitocin, a synthetic hormone used to induce labor and speed up contractions, her son's heart rate began to drop. August was rushed to the operating room for an emergency C-section. She wasn't completely anesthetized before doctors cut into her skin, and they ignored her pleas to stop.

After awakening from a drug-induced coma, she saw her newborn son being resuscitated next to her. Once revived, the baby was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. August couldn't experience skin-to-skin contact with her child at birth, which can decrease stress in both mother and child and help initiate breastfeeding.

August's traumatic birthing story is a familiar one, especially for Black and Brown women, who face a greater risk of trauma and death due to childbirth, compared to their white peers.

Research published earlier this month by the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, found higher maternal mortality rates in Black communities, while Native American and Alaska Native people experienced a particularly rapid rise. State median mortality rates more than tripled over the last two decades. 

Dr. Melissa Simon, MD, is a Fellow of IOMC and a member IOMC's Maternal Health and Child Workgroup. If you would like more information about this workgroup, send an email to the IOMC office at iomcstaff@iomc.org. 

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