December 2024 Health News Roundup

New Hampshire:

• Pneumonia case levels high across NH, VT (NHPR, 12/27)
• Concord Hospital Health System Secures over $353,000 to Advance Maternal Health and Maternity Care (Concord Hospital, 12/26)
• Executive Council clears the way for Dartmouth Health to operate Hampstead Hospital (NHPR, 12/18)
• New England Cancer Specialists Welcomes Oncologist Dr. Laura Salama, Expanding Specialized Breast Cancer Services to Sourthern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire (MMA, 12/18)
• NH DHHS and Dartmouth Health Form Public-Private Partnership to Operate Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility (NH DHHS, 12/18)
• Dr. Ramiro Madden-Fuentes Recognized as Center of Excellence for AMS 700^th Inflatable Penile Prosthesis (Concord Hospital, 12/16)
• Dr. Milchev & Dr. Bali Join Speare Primary Care in Plymouth! (Speare Memorial Hospital, 12/10)
• Capital Division colleagues support North Carolina sister facility after Hurricane Helene (Portsmouth Hospital, 12/6)
• Mission Zero: No Adults Waiting in Emergency Departments for Psychiatric Placement (NH DHHS, 12/6)
• Order Waiving Physician Assistant Continuing Education Requirements (NH Board of Medicine, 12/4)
• Wentworth-Douglass Grant Provides $30K for Children with Disabilities (Mass General Brigham Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, 12/4)
• Welcome Home Healthcare Hospice and Community Services (HCS) to the MCH Campus (Monadnock Community Hospital, 12/2)

New England:

• WHO: Statement on the Antigen Composition of COVID-19 Vaccines (MMA, 12/24)
• HHS Office for Civil Rights and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island Reach Agreement with the State of Rhode Island to Resolve Violations of Federal Disability Laws for Children with Disabilities in State Care (HHS, 12/19)
• HHS Office for Civil Rights Settles with Delaware to Enforce Federal Disability Rights Laws (HHS, 12/18)
• Massachusetts Medical Society announces policies on crisis pregnancy centers, medical leave, and resilience of the health care medical supply chain (MMS, 12/11)
• Public Health Leaders Celebrate Signing of New Law that Will Transform Local Public Health System (MPHA, 12/10)
• Healey-Driscoll administration awards $2.6 million to launch diversion program for people with substance use disorder (MA DPH, 12/3)
• RIDOH Launches PrEP Champions Network to Reduce HIV Health Disparities (RI DOH, 12/2)

General:

• After a long lull, Covid-19 levels are surging in the US (CNN, 12/31)
• HHS Awards $10 Million for New Community-Based Maternal Behavioral Health Services Grant Program (HHS, 12/31)
• NIH officials assess threat of H5N1 (NIH, 12/31)
• Statement from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra as New $2,000 Out-of-Pocket Cap Takes Effect, Saving Millions on Prescription Drugs (HHS, 12/31)
• The Emerging Threat of H5N1 to Human Health (NEJM, 12/31)
• Behavioral intervention decreases how much pain affects daily activities in people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure (NIH, 12/30)
• Low Birth Weight Linked to Increased COPD Risk (AJMC, 12/30)
• Norovirus cases are surging in parts of the US, CDC data shows (AP, 12/28)
• Global Measles Cases Rose 20% in 1 Year as Vaccine Coverage Fell Short (JAMA, 12/27)
• HHS Office for Civil Rights Proposes Measures to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Health Care Under HIPAA (HHS, 12/27)
• National Academies Report Calls for an NIH Institute Dedicated to Women’s Health (JAMA, 12/27)
• Bird flu virus shows mutations in first severe human case in US, CDC says (Reuters, 12/26)
• Cardiovascular Disease Among Women and Birthing Individuals After Delivering a Child With Congenital Heart Disease (JACC, 12/24)
• Changes in Cardiovascular Health at Midlife Subsequent Cardiovascular Outcomes in Individuals with Diabetes (JACC, 12/24)
• Microplastics and Nanoplastics: The Next Frontier of Cardiovascular Risk? (JACC, 12/24)
• Research Supports Need for Diversity in Hemophilia Trials and Reducing Resource Strain (AJMC, 12/24)
• FDA Approves First Generic of Once-Daily GLP-1 Injection to Lower Blood Sugar in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (FDA, 12/23)
• Congress Misses Crucial Opportunity to Include Lifesaving Addiction Treatment Legislation in Year-End Package; ASAM Calls for Immediate Action in 2025 (ASAM, 12/21)
• Cardiovascular Disease Deaths Climb in Rural US, Particularly Among Younger Adults (JAMA, 12/20)
• FDA Approves First Acellular Tissue Engineered Vessel to Treat Vascular Trauma in Extremities (FDA, 12/20)
• FDA Approves First Medication for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (FDA, 12/20)
• GLP-1 Agonists May Reduce Risk of Alcohol Use Disorder Hospitalizations (JAMA, 12/20)
• Guide for Ob-Gyns on Counseling Patients about Access to Abortion (ACOG, 12/20)
• HealthCare.gov Breaks New Record with 16.6 Million Consumers Signing Up for Coverage – the Highest Ever for January 1 Coverage (HHS, 12/20)
• In Search of COVID-19 Vaccines That Elicit Mucosal Immunity and Stop Transmission (JAMA, 12/20)
• Special Emphasis Notice: AHRQ Announces Interest in Health Services Research to Reduce Emergency Department Boarding and Hospital Crowding (AHRQ, 12/20)
• Women’s Immune Systems May Explain Increased Long COVID Diagnoses (JAMA, 12/20)
• FDA Updates “Healthy” Claim, Providing a Refreshed Tool for Consumers (FDA, 12/19)
• Long COVID Symptoms Improve With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AJMC, 12/19)
• Neuropsychiatric considerations in treating anorexia nervosa patients with osteopathic manipulative medicine: a narrative review (JOM, 12/19)
• Stigma Remains Primary Health Concern in Patients With HIV/AIDS (AJMC, 12/19)
• CDC Confirms First Severe Case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the United States (CDC, 12/18)
• Congress fails to act on prior auth reform (AGA, 12/18)
• Navigating Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care Management in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (AJMC, 12/18)
• New WHO Report Reveals Governments Deprioritizing Health Spending (MMA, 12/18)
• Remote Monitoring Can Transform Chronic Disease Care for Rural Americans: A Call to Action for Medicare (AMJMED, 12/18)
• ACC Issues Guidance on Arrhythmia Monitoring After Stroke (ACC, 12/17)
• An Alabama woman is doing well after the latest experimental pig kidney transplant (AP, 12/17)
• Heightened Risk of Hospitalization for Blood Clots Seen in People with Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution (ASH, 12/17)
• Patients With HIV Had Reduced Frequency, Severity of Long COVID Symptoms (AJMC, 12/17)
• Reported use of most drugs among adolescents remained low in 2024 (NIH, 12/17)
• USDA Commences Nationwide Milk Testing for Bird Flu (AJMC, 12/17)
• Many US Adults Affected by Long COVID, Related Activity Limitations (AJMC, 12/16)
• Nearly a quarter of U.S. adults suffered chronic pain last year (Washington Post, 12/16)
• Special Emphasis Notice: AHRQ Announces Interest in Research to Improve Treatment and Management of Menopause symptoms (AHRQ, 12/16)
• First H5N1 Bird Flu Infections in Pigs Raises Concerns (JAMA, 12/13)
• Guide for Ob-Gyns on Counseling Patients about Access to Contraception (ACOG, 12/13)
• New Research Suggests Increased Risk of Some Autoimmune Disorders After COVID-19 (JAMA, 12/13)
• Obesity Prevalence, BMI Decreased in US for First Time in a Decade (AJMC, 12/13)
• Very Early Medication Abortions as Safe and Effective as Standard Timing (JAMA, 12/13)
• COPD Linked to Increased Risk of Cognitive Impairment (AJMC, 12/12)
• Flu vaccines drop among kids despite record deaths last year: CDC (The Hill, 12/12)
• Long-term exposure to air pollution linked to blood clots in veins that bring blood to the heart (NIH, 12/12)
• Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Effective in Children Aged 5 to 17 Years (AJMC, 12/12)
• Substance Use, HIV Testing Connected in US Adolescents (AJMC, 12/12)
• Smoking From Childhood Associated With Greater Risk of Cardiac Damage (ACC, 12/11)
• WHO Announces First Prequalification of a Tuberculosis Diagnostic Test (MMA, 12/11)
• ACC Issues Guidance For Diagnosing and Managing Myocarditis (ACC, 12/10)
• Ambient Toxins Linked to Disabilities in Minority Schoolchildren (AJMC, 12/10)
• American Psychiatric Association Publishes Updated practice Guideline on the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (APA, 12/10)
• US health panel adds self-testing option for cervical cancer screening (AP, 12/10)
• Common Blood Pressure Drug May Help Reduce Increased Risk of Epilepsy after a Stroke (AES, 12/9)
• Lack of Diversity in Genetic Studies of Epilepsy Translates to a Lack of Information Needed to Improve Care (AES, 12/9)
• People with Epilepsy of Childbearing Potential May Not Realize the Risks their Medications Pose to Pregnancy or Birth Control (AES, 12/9)
• American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Statement Regarding Anthem’s Policy Reversal on Anesthesia Care Payment (ASA, 12/6)
• CDC Recommends Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose for Older Adults (JAMA, 12/6)
• Climate Change Inaction Poses Record-Breaking Health Risks (JAMA, 12/6)
• Colonoscopies Outperform New Blood Tests for Colon Cancer Screening (JAMA, 12/6)
• Diagnosis and Management of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in Children (AHRQ, 12/6)
• Semaglutide Eases Knee Osteoarthritis Pain in People with Obesity (JAMA, 12/6)
• COVID-19 Infection Increases Risk of Severe Outcomes in Patients With Certain Cardiomyopathies (AJMC, 12/5)
• Abnormal prenatal blood test results could indicate hidden maternal cancers (NIH, 12/4)
• New Report Highlights Need for Sustained Investment in Infection Prevention and Control Programs (MMA, 12/4)
• Obstetric Care Access at Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States (JAMA, 12/4)
• More Cancers Are Being Treated with Personalized Therapies Before Surgery (ACS, 12/3)
• Brain Circuit Analysis Reveals Six Distinct Subtypes of Depression and Anxiety (Psychiatry Online, 12/2)
• For People Living with HIV/AIDS, TB is Still the Leading Cause of Death (ATS, 12/1)