April 2025 Health News Roundup
Date postedApril 12, 2025
Topics in this News Roundup:
- Cancer
- Children's Health
- Chronic Health Conditions
- COVID-19
- Criminalization of Medicine
- Disabled Populations
- Endocrinology
- Environmental Health
- Financial Concerns
- Flu Season
- Good News
- Government and Advocacy
- Health Equity and Access to Care
- Immunology
- Infectious Disease
- Measles Outbreak
- Medical Care
- Medical Education
- Medical Research
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Mental and Behavioral Health
- Neurology
- Physicians
- Public Health
- Reproductive and Sexual Health
- Rural Populations
- Social Factors Affecting Health
- Substance Use and Treatment
- Vaccination
Cancer
- More exercise linked to lower cancer risk in longitudinal study (Washington Post, 4/7/25)
Children's Health
- Child’s Full Recovery From Concussion May Take 3 Months Plus (Medscape, 4/3/25)
Chronic Health Conditions
- Anxiety and Depression
- Poor air quality increases depression risk (The Hill, 4/5/25)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- All ADHD Meds Tied to Small Blips in Blood Pressure and Pulse (MedPage Today, 4/7/25)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Autism Society says RFK Jr.’s comments ‘unrealistic and misleading’ (The Hill, 4/11/25)
- Bipolar Disorder
- Groundbreaking Studies Expand Genetic Associations With Depression and Bipolar Disorder (Journal of the American Medical Association, 4/4/25)
- Diabetes
- Malnutrition-Related Diabetes Officially Named ‘Type 5’ (Medscape, 4/11/25)
- More Than 250 Million Individuals Unaware They Have Diabetes (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/7/25)
- Long COVID
- Long COVID Cuts Imperil Treatment Progress, Researchers Warn (Medscape, 4/7/25)
COVID-19
- COVID-19 Linked to Increased Kidney Risks in Children (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/11/25)
- Long COVID Cuts Imperil Treatment Progress, Researchers Warn (Medscape, 4/7/25)
- State AGs file lawsuit against HHS' $11B clawback of COVID-19, public health grants (Fierce Healthcare, 4/1/25)
Criminalization of Medicine
- An emboldened anti-abortion faction wants women who have abortions to face criminal charges (AP, 4/12/25)
- Abortion Bans Tied to Drop in OB-GYN Workforce in States With Restrictions (Journal of the American Medical Association, 4/11/25)
- (New Hampshire) NH Republicans pursue more restrictions on trans rights, building on recent bans (NH Public Radio, 4/8/25)
- (New Hampshire) Planned Parenthood To Close St. Johnsbury Clinic, Impacting NH North Country Residents (InDepth NH, 4/8/25)
- Supreme Court confronts South Carolina bid to defund Planned Parenthood (The Hill, 4/2/25)
- Trump administration targets Planned Parenthood’s family-planning grants (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/2/25)
- (New Hampshire) Planned Parenthood says Trump officials froze family planning funding in NH, Maine (NH Public Radio, 4/1/25)
- SCOTUS to hear oral arguments in abortion-related case (The Hill, 4/1/25)
Disabled Populations
- As DOGE slashes services, disability advocates fight to maintain government lifelines (Yahoo News, 4/11/25)
- (New Hampshire) ‘Really scared’: Parents of kids with disabilities confront Education Department chaos (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/8/25)
- The Trump administration withdrew 11 pieces of ADA guidance. How will it affect compliance? (AP, 4/8/25)
- (New Hampshire) As NH Republicans aim to ban DEI, disability advocates and others sound the alarm (NH Public Radio, 4/3/25)
- Trump’s DEI Undoing Undermines Hard-Won Accommodations for Disabled People (KFF Health News, 4/3/25)
- AAPD and Disability Advocates Sue Social Security Administration and DOGE to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social Security Services (American Association of People with Disabilities, 4/2/25)
- (New Hampshire) House Republicans advance anti-DEI law in state budget (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/2/25)
- (New Hampshire) After a Democrat Leaves, House Republicans Vote To Eliminate DEI in State Contracts (InDepth NH, 4/1/25)
- (New Hampshire) House committee reverses vote, adopts prohibition on DEI activities and spending (Concord Monitor, 4/1/25)
Endocrinology
- Malnutrition-Related Diabetes Officially Named ‘Type 5’ (Medscape, 4/11/25)
- More Than 250 Million Individuals Unaware They Have Diabetes (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/7/25)
Environmental Health
- (New Hampshire) Trump attack on state climate laws likely doomed, but attempts to yank funds may be next (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/10/25)
Financial Concerns
- Trump’s New Tariffs Could Drive Up Health Care Costs, Experts Warn (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/8/25)
Flu Season
- (New Hampshire) This has been NH’s deadliest flu season on record (Concord Monitor, 4/11/25)
- Trump’s Immigration Tactics Obstruct Efforts To Avert Bird Flu Pandemic, Researchers Say (KFF Health News, 4/10/25)
- Bird Flu Virus HPAI A(H5N1) Detected in Domestic Cats of Dairy Farmworkers (Infectious Disease Advisor, 4/7/25)
- Implementing the Improving Vaccination Model Raises Flu Vaccine Rates for High-Risk Children (Pulmonology Advisor, 4/4/25)
- FDA suspends program to improve bird flu testing due to staff cuts (NH Union Leader, 4/3/25)
Good News
- (New Hampshire) DHMC appoints Serena H. Chao, MD, MSc, to head new geriatrics section (Dartmouth Health, 4/9/25)
- (New Hampshire) Weight Management Program at Wentworth Douglass Hospital Earns Metabolic and Bariatric Accreditation (Mass General Brigham Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, 4/8/25)
- (New Hampshire) DHMC opens adolescent medical psychiatry unit to help address ongoing shortage of pediatric mental health beds (Dartmouth Health, 4/1/25)
- (New Hampshire) Wentworth-Douglass Hospital plans new Emergency Department at Ridge in Rochester (Mass General Brigham Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, 4/1/25)
- (New Hampshire) Work continues on new state psychiatric hospital in Concord (Concord Hospital, 4/1/25)
Government and Advocacy
- 5 Ongoing Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration Regarding Health Care (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/11/25)
- (New Hampshire) New Futures' Statement on the House State Budget Proposal (New Futures, 4/10/25)
- (New Hampshire) The House has finalized its budget. Here’s what’s in it. (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/4/25)
- (New Hampshire) NH House Committee Approves $15.6 Billion Two-Year Budget Plan (InDepth NH, 4/3/25)
- Booker makes a stand against Trump – and doesn’t stop for 25 hours (The Guardian, 4/2/25)
- Cory Booker sets a record with marathon Senate speech. Will it rally anti-Trump resistance? (AP, 4/1/25)
- (New Hampshire) House Budget Recommends Dramatic Cuts To Health Programs (InDepth NH, 4/1/25)
- (New Hampshire) The C-L Psychiatrist’s Practical Guide to Legislative Advocacy Skills—And why it is Imperative for C-L Psychiatrists to Utilize these Skills (Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, 4/1/25)
Health Equity and Access to Care
- American Advocacy and Action for Minority Health in 2025 (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/4/25)
Immunology
- Natural Killer Cell Deficiency Linked to Certain Recurring Viral Infections (Infectious Disease Advisor, 4/4/25)
- Genetics and Environment Both Play a Role in Childhood Allergy Progression (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/3/25)
Infectious Disease
- (New Hampshire) TB Update: DHHS Announces Additional Testing Clinics in Manchester, New Hampshire (NH Department of Health and Human Services, 4/11/25)
- TB Cases Go Undetected In Prisons, Threatening Nearby Communities (HealthDay, 4/8/25)
- Invasive strep infections have more than doubled in the U.S., CDC study finds (NBC, 4/7/25)
- Two infants die of whooping cough in Louisiana as cases climb nationally (CNN, 4/2/25)
Measles Outbreak
- US measles cases surpass 700 with outbreaks in six states. Here’s what to know (AP, 4/11/25)
- US Measles Battle Hindered by Confusion Over Health Secretary Response (Medscape, 4/9/25)
- Second child dies of measles in Texas amid rising outbreak (The Guardian, 4/6/25)
- Measles vaccination rate may be even lower than estimated, leaving kids vulnerable amid outbreak (CNN, 4/4/25)
- Texas measles outbreak approaches 500 cases (The Hill, 4/4/25)
- Tracking measles cases in the United States (CNN, 4/4/25)
- Measles cases in Texas rise to 422, state health department says (NH Union Leader, 4/1/25)
Medical Care
- Trump Cuts Agency That Works to Make the Nation’s Healthcare Safer (Medscape, 4/4/25)
- 11% of Americans Cannot Access Quality Health Care, Survey Finds (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/3/25)
Medical Education
- (New Hampshire) Bill mandating child abuse education for health providers rejected by New Hampshire House (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/10/25)
Medical Research
- How Dismantling DEI Efforts Could Make Clinical Trials Less Representative (Journal of the American Medical Association, 4/11/25)
- Permanent injunction issued preventing NIH cap on research payments, but appeal expected (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/7/25)
- Democratic AGs sue National Institutes of Health over disrupted medical research grants (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/4/25)
- Researchers Challenge NIH's Politically Driven Grant Cancellations (American Public Health Association, 4/2/25)
Medicare and Medicaid
- Trump HHS Eliminates Office That Sets Poverty Levels Tied to Benefits for at Least 80 Million People (KFF Health News, 4/11/25)
- ‘If They Cut Too Much, People Will Die’: Health Coalition Pushes GOP on Medicaid Funding (KFF Health News, 4/3/25)
- More than 5 million could lose Medicaid coverage if feds impose work requirements (NH Union Leader, 4/3/25)
- Proposed Cuts to Medicaid Deeply Unpopular Across Party Lines, New NAMI-Ipsos Poll Finds (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 4/3/25)
Mental and Behavioral Health
- Collaborative Care Model Offers Success in Reducing Suicide Risk, New Report Finds (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/10/25)
- (New Hampshire) Mental health funding facing House cuts, drawing concern (Concord Monitor, 4/10/25)
- Discrimination Tied to Worse Mental Health in US Adults (Medscape, 4/8/25)
- (New Hampshire) Proposed House Budget Cuts Could Mean No End In Sight for Emergency Department Boarding (National Alliance on Mental Illness NH, 4/8/25)
- All ADHD Meds Tied to Small Blips in Blood Pressure and Pulse (MedPage Today, 4/7/25)
- (New Hampshire) NH Delegation To Kennedy: Restore $80M in Mental Health Substance Abuse Treatment (InDepth NH, 4/7/25)
- Poor air quality increases depression risk (The Hill, 4/5/25)
- DOGE Job Cuts Hit Federal Workers’ Finances and Mental Health (KFF Health News, 4/4/25)
- Groundbreaking Studies Expand Genetic Associations With Depression and Bipolar Disorder (Journal of the American Medical Association, 4/4/25)
- (New Hampshire) Judge praises NH’s progress cutting down wait times for inpatient mental health care (NH Public Radio, 4/3/25)
- Health department layoffs mean that data on drug use and mental health could sit unused (AP, 4/2/25)
- Statement from Leading Mental Health and Substance Use Organizations on Drastic HHS Staffing Reductions (American Psychiatric Association, 4/2/25)
Neurology
- Autism Society says RFK Jr.’s comments ‘unrealistic and misleading’ (The Hill, 4/11/25)
- Zoster Vaccine Has Dementia-Preventing or Delaying Effect (Infectious Disease Advisor, 4/7/25)
- Stroke Risk From Neck Artery Tears Is Rising Fast (HealthDay, 4/3/25)
- New Level of Evidence Links Shingles Vaccine to Lower Dementia Risk (Medscape, 4/2/25)
Physicians
- Physician burnout getting better, but still a major problem in U.S. health care (Medical Economics, 4/9/25)
- (New Hampshire) NH BOM Order on Failed, Disputed, or Returned Licensee Fee Payments (NH Board of Medicine, 4/2/25)
Public Health
- Secretary Kennedy and his policies are a danger to the public’s health (American Public Health Association, 4/9/25)
- Trump Administration Orders More Cuts to CDC Budget (Infectious Disease Advisor, 4/9/25)
- HHS to Restore States' Public Health Funds to Comply With Order (Bloomburg, 4/8/25)
- As avoidable deaths slowed globally, they rose in the US (NH Union Leader, 4/7/25)
- “Guaranteed Pandemonium” as HHS Secretary Slashes Federal Health Workforce (Journal of the American Medical Association, 4/4/25)
- Fired workers speak out at unofficial 'shadow hearing' held by Senate Democrats (NH Union Leader, 4/4/25)
- A city responding to a lead crisis in schools reached out to the CDC for help. The agency’s lead experts were just fired (CNN, 4/3/25)
- Federal judge says she will temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states (AP, 4/3/25)
- Judge to temporarily block Trump administration from yanking $11B in health funds from states (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/3/25)
- Judge orders fired federal probationary workers reinstated in 19 states, D.C. (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/2/25)
- Over 100 Public Health Leaders—Including Former HHS Secretaries, CDC Directors, U.S. Surgeon General, Governors, and State Health Officials—Urge Congress to Reject Trump Administration’s Dismantling of CDC and Public Health Programs (American Public Health Association, 4/2/25)
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr Faces Senate Inquiry Over Deep Cuts to HHS Impacting FDA, CDC, NIH, CMS (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/2/25)
- Dem states sue Trump administration over sudden cancellation of $11B in health funds (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/1/25)
Reproductive and Sexual Health
- One-Third of Maternal Deaths Occur Long After Delivery, Study Finds (New York Times, 4/9/25)
Rural Populations
- Rural-Urban Differences Seen in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, CVD (Infectious Disease Advisor, 4/10/25)
- Rural areas rapidly losing independent docs, practices: PAI report (Fierce Healthcare, 4/4/25)
Social Factors Affecting Health
- Immigration Crackdowns Disrupt the Caregiving Industry. Families Pay the Price. (KFF Health News, 4/4/25)
- Financial, Housing, Food Insecurity Raise Risk of Hospital, ED Visits (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/1/25)
Substance Use and Treatment
- (New Hampshire) AMR data shows Nashua on track for record number of deadly overdoses this year (NH Union Leader, 4/9/25)
- CDC Cuts Key Smoking Programs Despite Success in Curbing Smoking Rates (Pulmonology Advisor, 4/8/25)
- Hospital-Based Addiction Consultation Addresses Gaps, Improves Treatment Rate (American Journal of Managed Care, 4/8/25)
- FDA Removes Top Expert on Vaping and Tobacco (Pulmonology Advisor, 4/4/25)
Vaccination
- (New Hampshire) Bills targeting childhood vaccine and mask requirements advanced by NH House Republicans (New Hampshire Bulletin, 4/3/25)