Emergency room visits for firearm-related injuries among children doubled during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new data published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Why it matters: The data reinforces prior research showing that firearms in 2020 surpassed motor vehicle accidents to become the leading cause of death for kids one and older in the U.S. and that gun deaths among kids hit a new record high in 2021.
California's first-in-the-nation minimum wage for health care workers now has a price tag three weeks after it became law: $4 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Why it matters: That makes the law, which guarantees medical employees at least $25 per hour, one of the most expensive in California in years, and it comes amid a $14 billion state budget deficit, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hospital-acquired infection rates fell at health systems across the country last year after a marked increase during the pandemic, according to new data from the patient safety watchdog Leapfrog Group.
Why it matters: The pandemic-era data had raised alarm bells about a possible reversal in the hospital industry's yearslong progress against preventable and often dangerous infections acquired during the course of a patient's care.
Tuesday's elections will serve as a powerful litmus test of the staying power of abortion as a winning issue for Democrats — and whether Republicans have any room to go on offense.
Why it matters: Abortion groups have spent millions of dollars in state races as both parties watch closely for winning strategies to address one of the top issues concerning American voters ahead of 2024.
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