KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A(nother) Very Unhappy Week

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This week’s mass capturing of elementary schoolers in Texas (simply 10 days after a racially motivated mass capturing at a Buffalo, New York, grocery retailer) has reignited the gun debate in Washington, D.C., and across the nation. However the political disagreements over weapons and their acceptable position in American society are as insoluble as ever.

In the meantime, Oklahoma turns into the primary state to attempt to ban all abortions, because the nation awaits the Supreme Court docket’s ruling in a case it's anticipated to make use of to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade choice.

And on Capitol Hill, lawmakers criticize the FDA for its dealing with of the toddler system scarcity, rekindling a debate over whether or not meals needs to be regulated by a separate company.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Faculty of Public Well being and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg Information, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Though a lot of the nation has been riveted by the Could 24 capturing in Uvalde, Texas, hundreds of Individuals are killed every year in gun violence that doesn’t make headlines. Greater than half of these deaths are suicides and plenty of others consequence from remoted shootings.
• Regardless of an epidemic of gun violence, the regulation of weapons within the U.S. has declined previously couple of a long time. Not solely did the federal assault weapons ban expire, however many states have moved to make weapons simpler to buy and personal.
• Because the Columbine Excessive Faculty capturing in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999, a complete era has come of age with the prospect of violence hitting their colleges. The oldest of these persons are sending their very own youngsters to colleges the place capturing drills are a truth of life.
• Texas officers have mentioned that the Uvalde capturing demonstrates a necessity for extra safety in colleges however that including metallic detectors and extra guards don't essentially make youngsters really feel secure, particularly in communities the place they might have motive to concern the police, too.
• In a congressional listening to this week, lawmakers blasted the FDA for its gradual response to stories that an Abbott toddler system plant in Michigan had excessive contamination issues and its dealing with of the aftermath when that plant closed and system grew to become scarce. The problem factors up difficulties on the FDA when it was attempting to cope with the covid pandemic and was additionally with no everlasting chief. The Biden administration was gradual to appoint anybody to go the company; Dr. Robert Califf didn’t take the helm till earlier this yr.
• The toddler system issues have renewed a debate about whether or not meals security needs to be positioned beneath the purview of a brand new, separate company for the reason that FDA is so busy dealing with drug and medical machine points.
• A report out this week from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention finds that 1 in 5 adults who get covid will develop longer-term issues that may embody neurological points and a few organ problems. The research of lengthy covid, nonetheless, has left many questions unanswered, together with whether or not vaccination reduces the variety of instances and the way lengthy the issues final.
• The excessive variety of long-covid instances recognized within the report means that there may very well be a big improve within the inhabitants of individuals needing incapacity companies.
• Because the nation awaits a choice by the Supreme Court docket on the way forward for entry to abortion companies assured by its 1973 Roe v. Wade choice, states proceed to enact restrictive legal guidelines. Oklahoma’s governor this week signed a legislation that bans abortion from the time of fertilization. Some firms have pledged to assist employees journey to get abortion companies, however that will run afoul of states’ efforts. Texas lawmakers say they wish to cease companies from offering that profit.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Richard Baron, president and CEO of the American Board of Inside Drugs. Baron co-authored a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine about how the medical group ought to cope with medical doctors who unfold medical misinformation on social media.

Plus, for further credit score, the panelists advocate their favourite well being coverage tales of the week they assume it is best to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: “Strangerville” podcast’s “Episode 203: Jacob,” by Jessica and Justin Van Wyen

Joanne Kenen: NBC Information’ podcast “Needle In/Tiffany Dover Is Dead*” by Brandy Zadrozny

Anna Edney: ProPublica’s “The Plot to Keep Meatpacking Plants Open During COVID-19,” by Michael Grabell

Rachana Pradhan: The Washington Put up’s “We’re Ignoring a Major Culprit Behind the Teen Mental Health Crisis,” by Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright

Additionally mentioned on this week’s podcast:

Vox.com’s “The School Shooting Generation Grows Up,” by Marin Cogan

Stat’s “Viruses That Were on Hiatus During Covid Are Back — And Behaving in Unexpected Ways,” by Helen Branswell

The New York Instances’ “More Than 1 in 5 Adult Covid Survivors in the U.S. May Develop Long Covid, a C.D.C. Study Suggests,” by Pam Belluck

The Texas Tribune’s “Businesses That Help Employees Get Abortions Could Be Next Target of Texas Lawmakers if Roe v Wade Is Overturned,” by Zach Despart

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