The big picture: Heat warnings and watches are in effect for over 100 million people as a record-breaking heat wave sweeping the southern U.S. continues to expand. Meanwhile, air quality alerts have been issued for an estimated 80 million others as wildfire smoke from Canada chokes much of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Ohio Valley and even the Southeast.
The Centers for Disease and Prevention on Thursday recommended adults aged 60 and older get one of two respiratory syncytial virus vaccines this fall, making them the first shots against the disease to be authorized in the U.S.
Driving the news: The vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer shots have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The CDC said older adults should first consult with their doctors if the shot is right for them.
Older members of Gen Z who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are more anxious and less happy than their straight counterparts, per a Gallup-Walton Family Foundation American Youth Survey released Thursday.
Why it matters: Studies have shownthat the cohort born between the late 1990s and early 2010sis experiencing a sustained decline in mental health, but the poll indicates stigma and harassment is placing an extra burden on lesbian, gay and bisexual members.
Health systems that had to ration supplies during the pandemic are now facing disruptions of basic needs like syringes, surgical tourniquets, chest tubes and compounds for CT scans — and spending huge sums on workarounds.
The big picture:Drug shortages aren't the only supply problem plaguing U.S. health care as providers navigate an increasingly volatile environment characterized by acute spot shortages and manufacturing and logistics issues. The crunch isn't expected to ease for at least a year.
A federal judgetemporarily blocked part of a Tennessee law that sought to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
The judge wrote that the law likely violated the U.S. Constitution.
Why it matters: The judge's order, issued Wednesday, preserves Tennessee minors' access to gender-affirming care such as hormones or puberty blockers for now.
Hospitals' operating margins are moving back into positive territory as patients flock to outpatient clinics and labor costs start to decline, a new Kaufman Hall report finds.
Why it matters: It's another sign the industry's fortunes are improving post-pandemic, which could bolster congressional efforts to change the way Medicare pays health systems.
Federal funding to train new pediatricians — a bipartisan cause since the 1990s — is getting tangled up in the highly charged debate over gender-affirming care.
Why it matters: Children's hospitals across the country could lose access to hundreds of millions of dollars for training new doctors if they provide gender-affirming care, under a bill introduced this month by Republicans in the U.S. Congress.
/2023/06/29/1688003521447.gif?w=3840)
